Air-borne fungi in the air of Barcelona (Spain). II. The genus Alternaria

The genus Alternaria Nees formed one of the more important components of the fungus population of the air at Barcelone (Spain), during a two-year study, from February 1976 through January 1978. Results were based only on studies of colonies obtained by gravity-exposed plates.The occurrence of this genus was greatly affected by climatic conditions. In general, however, Alternaria appeared to prefer warmer weather.A total of six species of Alternaria was identified, of which, Alternaria alternata (Fries) Keissler was by far the commonest, representing 71.3% of all colonies.     

Air-borne fungi in the air of Barcelona (Spain). IV. Various isolated genera

During a two-year survey on the air-borne fungi in the atmosphere of Barcelona (Spain), the following genera were isolated in decreasing order: Aureobasidium, Rhizopus, Mucor, Arthrinium, Phoma, Fusarium, Trichoderma, and Botrytis.     

Keratinophilic fungi from urban soils of Barcelona,Spain

Fifty soil samples of urban soils of Barcelona (Spain) were analyzed. We isolated the following keratinophilic fungi: Trichophyton ajelloi, Microsporum gypseum, Chrysosporium keratinophilum, C. evolceanui, C. tropicum, C. indicum and C. asperatum.     

Plasma-coagulating and fibrinolytic activities of fungi in the genus Aspergillus

The exocellular plasmocoagulating and fibrinolytic activities were studied in 100 cultures of the Aspergillus genus belonging to 29 species during their submerged cultivation in three media. It has been found that 38 cultures can coagulate human plasma, 75 cultures can cause lysis of fibrin platelets, and 22 cultures are capable of dissolving standard plasma clots within 6 hours. The cultures synthesize three types of proteolytic enzymes according to the specificity toward blood proteins: (1) proteases with the predominant fibrinolytic action; (2) proteases which possess both the fibrinolytic and plasmocoagulating activities; (3) proteases manifesting only the plasmocoagulating action. A. ochraceus 19 producing individual plasmocoagulases and fibrinolytic enzymes at a high rate was isolated. The composition of the enzyme complex synthesized by the culture depended on the composition of the medium and on the cultivation conditions.     

Synthesis of alpha-cyclopiazonic acid by fungi of the genus Aspergillus

The presence of alpha-cyclopiazonic acid has been studied among metabolites of Aspergillus fungi. The study was performed with 138 cultures of 13 species obtained from the All-Russia Collection of Microorganisms and the collection of our institute. alpha-Cyclopiazonic acid was most frequently encountered among the metabolites of the section Flavi (the ability to synthesize alpha-cyclopiazonic acid was expressed in 61% of the strains of A. flavus, 83% of the strains of A. oryzae, and all strains of A. tamarii). This expression index for A. versicolor was less than 5%. We showed for the first time that alpha-cyclopiazonic acid is produced by A. fumigatus and A. phoenicis (expression in 30% of the strains of either species).     

Production of mycophenolic acid by fungi of the genus Penicillium link

Out of 36 strains of fungi of the genus Penicillium, some of which were isolated from ancient permafrost soils, 14 strains synthesized mycophenolic acid (MPA). Maximal (over 500 mg/l) accumulation of MPA in culture liquid was observed in P. brevicompactum strains (VKM F-457, VKM F-477, and VKM F-1150). This was the first study to detect MPA in representatives of the species P. rugulosum; in three strains of this species (VKM FW-665, VKM FW-717, and VKM FW-733), the level of MPA accumulation exceeded 300 mg/l. The time course of the synthesis of MPA by the P. rugulosum strain VKM FW-733 was studied. It was shown that the synthesis of this metabolite was dramatically intensified at the stationary growth phase (ten days).     

Biosystematic studies on the umbellatum-angustifolium complex in the genus Ornithogalum (Liliaceae). III. Morphological analysis

The morphology of 175 specimens of Ornithogalum belonging to 12 species were analyzed on the basis of 31 characters. The methods used were cluster analysis (agglomerative clustering using Ward's average), principal components analysis (using correlation coefficients) and oligothetic characterization of clusters and species. The splitting level at which seven clusters were separated is the best possible one according to the criteria as used. The separation of nine clusters yields more information on the distribution of the species. Both the clusters and the species are separated from each other in the attribute space performed by the first, second and third principal component. The species of the umbellatum-angustifolium complex, i.e. O. umbellatum, O. angustifoliwn, O. refractum, O. monticolum, O. baeticum and O. algeriense , are clearly separated. A. parallel evolution of the pollen-sterile strains of the bulbilliferous species O. umbellatum and O. angustifolium could be traced. A dichotomous key for all the species involved is proposed.     

A preliminary study of the occurrence of actidione-resistant fungi in sediments of Catalonian river mouths (Spain). I. Keratinolytic fungi and related Onygenales

Sediments from eight river mouths along the Catalonian coast (Spain) were surveyed for keratinolytic fungi and related Onygenales. The actidione plating technique was employed. Of 532 actidione-treated sediment samples, 268 (50.3%) were positive for the fungi. Altogether, 384 fungal strains from 35 species were isolated from the samples. Narasimhella marginospora, Aphanoascus fulvescens, Neoarachnotheca keratinophila with its anamorph Myriodontium keratinophilum, Narasimhella hyalinospora, Beauveria alba, Sporothrix schenckii, Chrysosporium lobatum and Gymnoascus littoralis were the predominant species in sediments. Abundance of N. marginospora was clearly correlated with the degree of water pollution with sewage. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The state of proteome profiling in the fungal genus Aspergillus.

Aspergilli are an important genus of filamentous fungi that contribute to a multibillion dollar industry. Since many fungal genome sequencing were recently completed, it would be advantageous to profile their proteome to better understand the fungal cell factory. Here, we review proteomic data generated for the Aspergilli in recent years. Thus far, a combined total of 28 cell surface, 102 secreted and 139 intracellular proteins have been identified based on 10 different studies on Aspergillus proteomics. A summary proteome map highlighting identified proteins in major metabolic pathway is presented.     

Effect of lignin on growth and tyrosinase activity of fungi from the genus Aspergillus

The effect of lignin hydrolyzate (a waste product of the pulp and paper industry) on the growth and tyrosinase activity of several strains of fungi of the genus Aspergillus was studied. During fungal growth lignin was degraded with the formation of soluble aromatic products. Accumulation of these products in the growth medium leads to a 60-100-fold increase in tyrosinase synthesis. The intensity of tyrosinase synthesis depends on the composition of the growth medium. The ratio between lignin and glucose concentrations seems to be the main factor; the activity was maximal at the ratio 2:1.     

Pleosporales in Japan (3). The genus Massarina

 Twelve species of the genus Massarina collected from Japan are reported in this article. Among them, 4 new species, M. constricta, M. japonica, M. submediana, and M. uniserialis, are described, illustrated, and compared to similar species. Two species, M. scirpina and M. ryukyuensis, are described as new combination, and 4 species, M. arundinariae, M. fluviatilis, M. peerallyi, and M. rubi, are reported from Japan for the first time. One bambusicolous species, Metasphaeria tuberculosa, is considered to be a synonym of Massarina bambusina. Received: December 13, 2002 / Accepted: February 6, 2003 Acknowledgments We are grateful to Dr. Shuhei Tanaka, curator of YAM (Yamaguchi University), for the loan of specimens for this study.