Ecological aspect in the systematics of fungi

The main morphological features of fungi representing different evolutionary lines are discussed.Environmental situations which stimulate morphological changes are regarded.It is suggested to define ecological significance of fungal morphological characters,dividing them to the ecologically inert(the main characters determining evolutionary line) and ecologically active-characters which submerged to the changes with the changing of environmental conditions.Two main strategies for fungi in nature are described:raising competitive ability to win conquer for substratum,for the place in ecosystem,and the second way for less competitive species-to adapt to more stressful natural conditions and to occupy ecological niches becoming free.Some examples of analysis of adaptation to substrata and climatic zones by fungi are shown.     

Soil dematiaceous hyphomycetes from Dahingganling Mountain Range, Inner Mongolia, China Ⅰ

A total of 50 isolates of soil dematiaceous hyphomycetes belonging to 39 species in 18 genera were found from the area of Dahingganling Mountain Range. Among them, Monodictys arxanensis is a new species. Chrysosporium fastidium, Exserohilum pedicellatum, Monodictys asperospora, Papulaspora brachiata, Scolecobasidium anelli, Scolecobasidium verruculosum and Ulocladium tuberculatum are new to China. The other 31 taxa which have been previously reported from China are also listed. Specimens （dried cultures） and living cultures of all fungi studied have been deposited in the Herbarium of Shandong Agricultural University： Plant Pathology （HSAUP）.     

大兴安岭地区土壤中的暗色丝孢菌Ⅰ

A total of 50 isolates of soil dematiaceous hyphomycetes belonging to 39 species in 18 genera were found from the area of Dahingganling Mountain Range. Among them, Monodictys arxanensis is a new species. Chrysosporium fastidium, Exserohilum pedicellatum, Monodictys asperospora, Papulaspora brachiata, Scolecobasidium anelli, Scolecobasidium verruculosum and Ulocladium tuberculatum are new to China. The other 31 taxa which have been previously reported from China are also listed. Specimens (dried cultures) and living cultures of all fungi studied have been deposited in the Herbarium of Shandong Agricultural University: Plant Pathology (HSAUP).     

Signaling events during initiation of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis

Under nutrient‐limiting conditions, plants will enter into symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal(AM) fungi for the enhancement of mineral nutrient acquisition from the surrounding soil. AM fungi live in close, intracellular association with plant roots where they transfer phosphate and nitrogen to the plant in exchange for carbon. They are obligate fungi,relying on their host as their only carbon source. Much has been discovered in the last decade concerning the signaling events during initiation of the AM symbiosis, including the identification of signaling molecules generated by both partners. This signaling occurs through symbiosis‐specific gene products in the host plant, which are indispensable for normal AM development. At the same time, plants have adapted complex mechanisms for avoiding infection by pathogenic fungi, including an innate immune response to general microbial molecules, such as chitin present in fungal cell walls. How it is that AM fungal colonization is maintained without eliciting a defensive response from the host is still uncertain. In this review, we present a summary of the molecular signals and their elicited responses during initiation of the AM symbiosis, including plant immune responses and their suppression.     

Question of the Animal-Plant-Fungal Divergence

There has been a controversial issue in phylogenetic relationships among animals, fungi, and plants. Before Whittaker and Margulis (1) classified the fungi as a separate kingdom in their five-kingdom classification, fungi traditionally had been considered more closely related to plants than to animals. With the determination of the primary structures of small subunit rRNA and the proteins like actin and α-tubulin in various organisms, these sequences have been used to make molecular trees. Most of these studies show that fungi and animals are sister groups (2-4).     

泰国胡椒科胡椒属三新种

The genus Piper L. is estimated to contain over 1000 species which are distributed mainly in tropical regions of the world. Several species have great economic and cultural importance and are used as foods, medicines, stimulants, antiseptics and antioxidants. Moreover, their essential oil and leaf extracts possess activities against several bacterium strains and fungi. Leaves of P. hispidinervum C. DC. contain a high level of safrole (83%–93%) which is an important raw material for chemical…     

Diversity of fungal isolates from fungus-growing termite Macrotermes barneyi and characterization of bioactive compound from Xylaria escharoidea

Owing to their potential applications,as well as their structural diversity,the discovery of novel secondary metabolites from insect-associated fungi has been of interest to researchers in recent years.The aim of this study was therefore to estimate the diversity of fungi associated with fungus-growing termites and bioprospecting these for potential secondary metabolites.In total,18 fungal species were isolated and described from the gut and comb of Macrotermes barneyi based on 18S ribosomal DNA gene sequence analysis.Antimicrobial activity assays were carried out on all the known fungi,and nine isolates were recorded as active against pathogenic fungi.Xylaria escharoidea,the best performing isolate,was grown at laboratory scale and 4,8-dihydroxy-3,4-dihydronaphthalen-l(2H)was isolated and characterized.The minimum inhibitory concentration of this isolated compound against tested pathogenic organisms was found to be 6.25 fig.In addition,molecular docking studies have revealed that 4,8-dihydroxy-3,4-dihydronaphthalen-l(2H)is a prominent antibacterial agent with a marked interaction with key residues on protein A(agrAc)that regulates the accessory gene.The findings of this study support the drug discovery of antimicrobial properties in insect-associated fungi,which may lead to novel secondary metabolites.     

Specific staining of myo-inositol-1-phosphatase on polyacrylamide gels after electrophoresis

A sensitive staining method was developed to localise the activity of myo-inositol-1-phosphatase on Polyacrylamide gels after electrophoresis. The method can also be used for non-specific phosphatases as well as for those specific phosphatases acting upon inositol polyphosphates which are prime cellular second messengers. One or two nmol of phosphate is sufficient and less than 3 μg of purified protein will facilitate the localisation of phosphatase. If more phosphatases are present in the enzyme preparation, a combination of inhibitors can be used to suppress the activities of unwanted phosphatases and the use of specific substrates will facilitate the localisation of enzyme of interest. For nomenclature of myo-inositol phosphates recent recommendations are followed. ReferBiochem. J.,258, 1–2 (1989) andEur. J. Biochem.,180, 485–486 (1989). L-myo-inositol-1-phosphate is presently otherwise called as D-myo-inositol-3-phosphate. Dedicated to Dr. F. Eisenberg Jr., on his 70th birthday.     

Acknowledgments to reviewers of World Journal of Biological Chemistry

Many reviewers have contributed their expertise and time to the peer review,a critical process to ensure the quality of World Journal of Biological Chemistry. The editors and authors of the articles submitted to the journal are grateful to the following reviewers for evaluating the articles (including those published in this issue and those rejected for this issue) during the last editing time period.     

Acknowledgments to reviewers of World Journal of Stem Cells

Many reviewers have contributed their expertise and time to the peer review,a critical process to ensure the quality of World Journal of Stem Cells. The editors and authors of the articles submitted to the journal are grateful to the following reviewers for evaluating the articles(including those published in this issue and those rejected for this issue)during the last editing time period.     

A Unique Protease Cleavage Site Predicted in the Spike Protein of the Novel Pneumonia Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Potentially Related to Viral Transmissibility

正Dear Editor,In December 2019, a novel human coronavirus caused an epidemic of severe pneumonia(Coronavirus Disease 2019,COVID-19) in Wuhan, Hubei, China(Wu et al. 2020; Zhu et al. 2020). So far, this virus has spread to all areas of China and even to other countries. The epidemic has caused 67,102 confirmed infections with 1526 fatal cases     

Curcuminoids as inhibitors of thioredoxin reductase: A receptor based pharmacophore study with distance mapping of the active site

Curcumin is the yellow pigment of turmeric that interacts irreversibly forming an adduct with thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), an enzyme responsible for redox control of cell and defence against oxidative stress. Docking at both the active sites of TrxR was performed to compare the potency of three naturally occurring curcuminoids, namely curcumin, demethoxy curcumin and bis-demethoxy curcumin. Results show that active sites of TrxR occur at the junction of E and F chains. Volume and area of both cavities is predicted. It has been concluded by distance mapping of the most active conformations that Se atom of catalytic residue SeCYS498, is at a distance of 3.56 from C13 of demethoxy curcumin at the E chain active site, whereas C13 carbon atom forms adduct with Se atom of SeCys 498. We report that at least one methoxy group in curcuminoids is necessary for interation with catalytic residues of thioredoxin. Pharmacophore of both active sites of the TrxR receptor for curcumin and demethoxy curcumin molecules has been drawn and proposed for design and synthesis of most probable potent antiproliferative synthetic drugs.     

Comparative morphology of the carpel in the Liliaceae: Hewardieae, Petrosavieae, and Tricyrteae

The young pistils in the melanthioid tribes, Hewardieae, Petrosavieae and Tricyrteae, are uniformly tricarpellate and syncarpous. They lack raphide idioblasts. All are multiovulate, with bitegmic ovules. The Petrosavieae are marked by the presence of septal glands and incomplete syncarpy. Tepals and stamens adhere to the ovary in the Hewardieae and the Petrosavieae but not in the Tricyrteae. Two vascular bundles occur in the stamens of the Hewartlieae and Tricyrtis latifolia. Ventral bundles in the upper part of the ovary of the Hewardieae are continuous with compound septal bundles and placental bundles in the lower part. Putative ventral bundles occur in the alternate position in the Tricyrteae and putative placental bundles in the opposite. position in the Petrosavieae. The dichtomously branched stigma in each carpel of the Tricyrteae is supplied by a bifurcated dorsal bundle.     

Enterovirus 71 3C proteolytically processes the histone H3 N-terminal tail during infection

Highlights
1. The N-terminal tail of histone H3 is specifically cleaved during EV71 infection.
2. Viral protease 3C is identified as a protease responsible for proteolytically processing the N-terminal H3 tail.
3. Our finding reveals a new epigenetic regulatory mechanism for Enterovirus 71 in virus-host interactions.     

Detection of EBV and HHV6 in the Brain Tissue of Patients with Rasmussen’s Encephalitis

Rasmussen’s encephalitis (RE) is a rare pediatric neurological disorder, and the exact etiology is not clear. Viral infection may be involved in the pathogenesis of RE, but conflicting results have reported. In this study, we evaluated the expression of both Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and human herpes virus (HHV) 6 antigens in brain sections from 30 patients with RE and 16 control individuals by immunohistochemistry. In the RE group, EBV and HHV6 antigens were detected in 56.7% (17/30) and 50% (15/30) of individuals, respectively. In contrast, no detectable EBV and HHV6 antigen expression was found in brain tissues of the control group. The co-expression of EBV and HHV6 was detected in 20.0% (6/30) of individuals. In particular, a 4-year-old boy had a typical clinical course, including a medical history of viral encephalitis, intractable epilepsy, and hemispheric atrophy. The co-expression of EBV and HHV6 was detected in neurons and astrocytes in the brain tissue, accompanied by a high frequency of CD8⁺ T cells. Our results suggest that EBV and HHV6 infection and the activation of CD8⁺ T cells are involved in the pathogenesis of RE.     

Perinatal Vertical Transmission of Chikungunya Virus in Ruili,a Town on the Border between China and Myanmar

正Dear Editor,Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an arbovirus in the family of Togaviridae, genus Alphavirus, is transmitted by the A.aegyptii or A. albopictus mosquito, and causes disease in humans characterized by fever, rash, and arthralgia (Silva and Dermody 2017; Suhrbier 2019). It was first reported in 1953 in Tanzania, and caused only a few outbreaks and sporadic cases in Africa and Asia in last century. However, in the epidemic in 2004, CHIKV acquired mutations that conferred enhanced transmission by the A. albopictus mosquito(Schuffenecker et al. 2006). Since then, it has successively caused outbreaks in Africa, the Indian Ocean, South East Asia, the South America, and Europe (Zeller et al. 2016).     

Development of a Novel Reverse Transcription Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Method for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2

In conclusion, the novel visual RT-LAMP assay is a simple, rapid, and sensitive approach for detection of SARS-CoV-2, and it is ready for application in primary care and community hospitals or health care centers, and even patients' own houses in response to the current SARS-CoV-2 epidemic because the assay does not require sophisticated equipment and skilled personnel. Furthermore, it is also ready to be used in fields for screening samples from wild animals and environments to facilitate the identification of potential intermediate hosts that mediate the cross-species transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from bats to humans.