| Muscodor vitigenus | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Division: | |
| Class: | Euascomycotina |
| Subclass: | Pyrenomycetes |
| Order: | |
| Family: | |
| Genus: | |
| Species: | M. vitigenus |
| Binomial name | |
| Muscador vitigenus | |
Muscodor vitigenus is an endophytic fungus which colonizes Paullinia paullinioides , a liana of the Peruvian Amazon rainforests. [1] It has the unusual property of, under certain circumstances, producing near-pure naphthalene, an insect repellent. [2]
An endosymbiont or endobiont is any organism that lives within the body or cells of another organism most often, though not always, in a mutualistic relationship. (The term endosymbiosis is from the Greek: ἔνδον endon "within", σύν syn "together" and βίωσις biosis "living".) Examples are nitrogen-fixing bacteria, which live in the root nodules of legumes, single-cell algae inside reef-building corals and bacterial endosymbionts that provide essential nutrients to insects.
Naphthalene is an organic compound with formula C
10H
8. It is the simplest polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, and is a white crystalline solid with a characteristic odor that is detectable at concentrations as low as 0.08 ppm by mass. As an aromatic hydrocarbon, naphthalene's structure consists of a fused pair of benzene rings. It is the main ingredient of traditional mothballs.
An endophyte is an endosymbiont, often a bacterium or fungus, that lives within a plant for at least part of its life cycle without causing apparent disease. Endophytes are ubiquitous and have been found in all species of plants studied to date; however, most of the endophyte/plant relationships are not well understood. Some endophytes may enhance host growth, nutrient acquisition and improve the plant's ability to tolerate abiotic stresses, such as drought and decrease biotic stresses by enhancing plant resistance to insects, pathogens and herbivores. Although endophytic bacteria and fungi are frequently studied, endophytic archaea are increasingly being considered for their role in plant growth promotion as part of the core microbiome of a plant.
Streptomyces is the largest genus of Actinomycetota, and the type genus of the family Streptomycetaceae. Over 700 species of Streptomyces bacteria have been described. As with the other Actinomycetota, streptomycetes are gram-positive, and have very large genomes with high GC content. Found predominantly in soil and decaying vegetation, most streptomycetes produce spores, and are noted for their distinct "earthy" odor that results from production of a volatile metabolite, geosmin. Different strains of the same species may colonize very diverse environments.
Acholeplasmataceae is a family of bacteria. It is the only family in the order Acholeplasmatales, placed in the class Mollicutes. The family comprises the genera Acholeplasma and Phytoplasma. Phytoplasma has the candidatus status, because members still could not be cultured.
Halomonadaceae is a family of halophilic Pseudomonadota.
Alphaproteobacteria is a class of bacteria in the phylum Pseudomonadota. The Magnetococcales and Mariprofundales are considered basal or sister to the Alphaproteobacteria. The Alphaproteobacteria are highly diverse and possess few commonalities, but nevertheless share a common ancestor. Like all Proteobacteria, its members are gram-negative and some of its intracellular parasitic members lack peptidoglycan and are consequently gram variable.
Neocallimastigomycota is a phylum containing anaerobic fungi, which are symbionts found in the digestive tracts of larger herbivores. Anaerobic fungi were originally placed within phylum Chytridiomycota, within Order Neocallimastigales but later raised to phylum level, a decision upheld by later phylogenetic reconstructions. It encompasses only one family.
An epiphytic fungus is a fungus that grows upon, or attached to, a living plant. The term epiphytic derives from the Greek epi- and phyton.
Pseudomonas lini is a fluorescent, Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium isolated from rhizospheric soil in France. The type strain is CFBP 5737, though there are also eight other strains known. This bacterium has also been isolated from endophytic tissues of lodgepole pine trees growing on gravel mining sites with potential to perform biological nitrogen fixation and plant growth promotion.
Gary A. Strobel is an American microbiologist and naturalist. He was co-contributor to the discovery that somaclonal variation occurs in plants and can be used for plant improvement. The discovery of the Ri plasmid in Agrobacterium rhizogenes also originated in his laboratory. He examined endophytic fungi and bacteria for their novel bioactive compounds and their unique biology. Forbes magazine called him the "Indiana Jones of fungus hunters" for his expeditions, collections, and research into fungi.
Muscodor is a genus of fungi in the family Xylariaceae noted for their ability to produce a variety of volatile organic compounds, which inhibit growth of other fungi. The first species to be identified was M. albus. Other known species include M. roseus and M. vitigenus.
Ascocoryne sarcoides is a species of fungus in the family Helotiaceae. The species name is derived from the Greek sarkodes (fleshy). Formerly known as Coryne sarcoides, its taxonomical history has been complicated by the fact that it may adopt both sexual and asexual forms. Colloquially known as jelly drops or the purple jellydisc, this common fungus appears as a gelatinous mass of pinkish or purple-colored discs. Distributed widely in North America, Europe, Oceania and Asia, A. sarcoides is a saprobic fungus and grows in clusters on the trunks and branches of a variety of dead woods. Field studies suggest that colonization by A. sarcoides of the heartwood of black spruce confers some resistance to further infection by rot-causing fungi. A. sarcoides contains the antibiotic compound ascocorynin, shown in the laboratory to inhibit the growth of several Gram-positive bacteria.
Torreyanic acid is a dimeric quinone first isolated and by Lee et al. in 1996 from an endophyte, Pestalotiopsis microspora. This endophyte is likely the cause of the decline of Florida torreya, an endangered species that is related to the taxol-producing Taxus brevifolia. The natural product was found to be cytotoxic against 25 different human cancer cell lines with an average IC50 value of 9.4 µg/mL, ranging from 3.5 (NEC) to 45 (A549) µg/mL. Torreyanic acid was found to be 5-10 times more potent in cell lines sensitive to protein kinase C (PKC) agonists, 12-o-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate (TPA), and was shown to cause cell death via apoptosis. Torreyanic acid also promoted G1 arrest of G0 synchronized cells at 1-5 µg/mL levels, depending on the cell line. It has been proposed that the eukaryotic translation initiation factor EIF-4a is a potential biochemical target for the natural compound.
Pestalotiopsis microspora is a species of endophytic fungus capable of breaking down and digesting polyurethane. Originally identified in 1880 in fallen foliage of common ivy in Buenos Aires, it also causes leaf spot in Hypericum 'Hidcote' shrubs in Japan.
Desulfonatronovibrio hydrogenovorans is a bacterium, the type species of its genus. It is an alkaliphilic, sulfate-reducing and motile bacterium. It is obligately sodium-dependent and its type strain is Z-7935.
Muscodor roseus is an anamorphic fungus in the family Xylariaceae. It is an endophyte that colonizes the inner bark, sapwood and outer xylem of the plants Grevillea pteridifolia and Erythrophleum chlorostachys, found in the Northern Territory of Australia. It grows as a pinkish, felt-like mycelium on several media, and produces a mixture of volatile antibiotics. Cultures tend to have a musty odour. The specific epithet roseus means "pink".
Penicillium paxilli is an anamorph, saprophytic species of the genus Penicillium which produces paxilline, paxisterol, penicillone, pyrenocine A, paspaline B and verruculogene. Penicillium paxilli is used as a model to study the biochemistry of the indol-diterepene biosynthesis
Brachybacterium is a genus of Gram positive, nonmotile bacteria. The cells are coccoid during the stationary phase, and irregular rods during the exponential phase. The genus name comes from Greek word brachy, meaning short, and Latin bacterium, meaning rods, referencing the short rods noted during the exponential phase.
Paullinia paullinioides is a flowering plant species in the genus of Paullinia found in South America. It was first described in 1895, by Ludwig Adolph Timotheus Radlkofer.
