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 and 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.
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.
Nidularia is a genus of nine species of fungi in the family Agaricaceae. Their fruit bodies resemble tiny egg-filled bird nests. The name comes from the Latin nidus meaning nest. The related genus Mycocalia was segregated from Nidularia in 1961 based on differences in the microscopic structure of the peridium.
Ophiosphaerella is a genus of fungi in the family Phaeosphaeriaceae. The genus was described by Italian-Argentinian botanist and mycologist Carlos Luigi Spegazzini in 1909.
Pseudocercospora is a genus of ascomycete fungi. An anamorphic version of the genus Mycosphaerella, Pseudocercospora species are plant pathogens, including the causal agent of the so-called South American leaf blight of the rubber tree. The widely distributed genus is concentrated predominantly in tropical regions. Pseudocercospora was circumscribed by Italian-Argentinian botanist Carlos Luigi Spegazzini in 1910.
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 is a genus of ascomycete fungi in the Sporocadaceae family.
Carlo Luigi Spegazzini, in Spanish Carlos Luis Spegazzini, was an Italian-born Argentinian botanist and mycologist.
Scott A. Strobel is the provost of Yale University as well as a professor of molecular biophysics and biochemistry. He was the vice provost for Science Initiatives and vice president for West Campus Planning & Program Development. An educator and researcher, he has led a number of Yale initiatives over the past two decades. Strobel was appointed as Yale's provost in 2020.
Boletus loyo is a species of bolete fungus in the family Boletaceae that is found in South America. It was described as new to science by Carlos Luigi Spegazzini in 1912, who made the first scientifically documented collections in Argentina. The bolete is edible.
Aspergillus tubingensis is a darkly pigmented species of fungus in the genus Aspergillus section Nigri. It is often confused with Aspergillus niger due to their similar morphology and habitat. A. tubingensis is often involved in food spoilage of fruits and wheat, and industrial fermentation. This species is a rare agent of opportunistic infection.
PETases are an esterase class of enzymes that catalyze the breakdown (via hydrolysis) of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic to monomeric mono-2-hydroxyethyl terephthalate (MHET). The idealized chemical reaction is:
Xenonectriella subimperspicua is a species of lichenicolous fungus in the family Nectriaceae. It has been recorded from South America, Europe, and New Zealand.
Leucocoprinus citrinellus is a species of mushroom producing fungus in the family Agaricaceae.
Arachnomyces flavidulus is a species of ascomycete fungus discovered in 1912 by botanist Carlo Luigi Spegazzini. It was recovered from rotting Eucalyptus globulus leaves from a park in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Leucocoprinus fibrillosus is a species of mushroom producing fungus in the family Agaricaceae.
The Sporocadaceae are a family of fungi, that was formerly in the order Xylariales. It was placed in the Amphisphaeriales order in 2020.
Pestalotiopsis pauciseta is an endophytic fungi isolated from the leaves of several medicinal plants in tropical climates. Pestalotiopsis pauciseta is known for its role in medical mycology, having the ability to produce a chemical compound called paclitaxel (taxol). Taxol is the first billion-dollar anticancer drug, notably the fungal-taxol produced by Pestalotiopsis pauciseta was determined to be comparable to standard taxol.
Truncatella hartigii is a species of parasitic fungus in the family Bartaliniaceae, first described by Karl von Tubeuf in 1888, and given its current name by René Léopold Steyaert in 1949. It is a parasite of pine needles. It is morphologically similar to Pestalotiopsis funerea with differences in their conidia. It shows significant antibacterial activity, especially against Enterococcus faecalis.
A plastivore is an organism capable of degrading and metabolising plastic. While plastic is normally thought of as non-biodegradable, a variety of bacteria, fungi and insects have been found to degrade it.
