Project description:Two undescribed cytochalasins, emeriglobosins A (1) and B (2), together with nine previously reported analogues (3-11) and two known tetramic acid derivatives (12, 13) were isolated from the solid culture of Emericellopsis sp. SCSIO41202. Their structures, including the absolute configurations of their stereogenic carbons, were fully elucidated based on spectroscopic analysis and the calculated ECD. Some of the isolated compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxicity and enzyme inhibitory activity against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in vitro. Among them, 8 showed potent AChE inhibitory activity, with an IC50 value of 1.31 μM, and 5 showed significant cytotoxicity against PC-3 cells, with an IC50 value of 2.32 μM.
Project description:Surveying the fungi of alkaline soils in Siberia, Trans-Baikal regions (Russia), the Aral lake (Kazakhstan), and Eastern Mongolia, we report an abundance of alkalitolerant species representing the Emericellopsis-clade within the Acremonium cluster of fungi (order Hypocreales). On an alkaline medium (pH ca. 10), 34 acremonium-like fungal strains were obtained. One of these was able to develop a sexual morph and was shown to be a new member of the genus Emericellopsis, described here as E. alkalina sp. nov. Previous studies showed two distinct ecological clades within Emericellopsis, one consisting of terrestrial isolates and one predominantly marine. Remarkably, all the isolates from our study sites show high phylogenetic similarity based on six loci (LSU and SSU rDNA, RPB2, TEF1-α, β-tub and ITS region), regardless of their provenance within a broad geographical distribution. They group within the known marine-origin species, a finding that provides a possible link to the evolution of the alkaliphilic trait in the Emericellopsis lineage. We tested the capacities of all newly isolated strains, and the few available reference ex-type cultures, to grow over wide pH ranges. The growth performance varied among the tested isolates, which showed differences in growth rate as well as in pH preference. Whereas every newly isolated strain from soda soils was extremely alkalitolerant and displayed the ability to grow over a wide range of ambient pH (range 4-11.2), reference marine-borne and terrestrial strains showed moderate and no alkalitolerance, respectively. The growth pattern of the alkalitolerant Emericellopsis isolates was unlike that of the recently described and taxonomically unrelated alkaliphilic Sodiomyces alkalinus, obtained from the same type of soils but which showed a narrower preference towards high pH.
Project description:Fungi-algae interactions, such as lichen-forming fungi and parasitic chytrids on phytoplankton, are common in ecosystems. In contrast, interactions between filamentous fungi and soil algae that can be observed with the naked eye have been given little attention and remain unexplored. Here, we report a fungus that was associated with a visible symptom of dead algae on a soil surface in Sugadaira-kogen, Nagano, central Japan. Acremonium-like conidiophores were growing on vesicles and dead bodies of a yellow-green alga, Botrydium granulatum. The fungus was identified as Emericellopsis mirabilis based on its morphology by microscopic observation, phylogenetic analysis, and the similarity of the isolation substrate with the first description of the species. Co-culture experiments showed a filamentous cell differentiation of the alga by the fungus, but no harmful or beneficial effects on algal growth. Therefore, we speculate that E. mirabilis is a facultative parasite of B. granulatum under natural conditions.
Project description:Soil fungi are known to contain a rich variety of defense metabolites that allow them to compete with other organisms (fungi, bacteria, nematodes, and insects) and help them occupy more preferential areas at the expense of effective antagonism. These compounds possess antibiotic activity towards a wide range of other microbes, particularly fungi that belong to different taxonomical units. These compounds include peptaibols, which are non-ribosomal synthesized polypeptides containing non-standard amino acid residues (alpha-aminoisobutyric acid mandatory) and some posttranslational modifications. We isolated a novel antibiotic peptide from the culture medium of Emericellopsis alkalina, an alkalophilic strain. This peptide, called emericellipsin A, exhibited a strong antifungal effect against the yeast Candida albicans, the mold fungus Aspergillus niger, and human pathogen clinical isolates. It also exhibited antimicrobial activity against some Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Additionally, emericellipsin A showed a significant cytotoxic effect and was highly active against Hep G2 and HeLa tumor cell lines. We used NMR spectroscopy to reveal that this peptaibol is nine amino acid residues long and contains non-standard amino acids. The mode of molecular action of emericellipsin A is most likely associated with its effects on the membranes of cells. Emericellipsin A is rather short peptaibol and could be useful for the development of antifungal, antibacterial, or anti-tumor remedies.
Project description:Novel antimicrobial peptides with antifungal and cytotoxic activity were derived from the alkalophilic fungus Emericellopsis alkalina VKPM F1428. We previously reported that this strain produced emericellipsin A (EmiA), which has strong antifungal and cytotoxic properties. Further analyses of the metabolites obtained under a special alkaline medium resulted in the isolation of four new homologous (Emi B-E). In this work, we report the complete primary structure and detailed biological activity for the newly synthesized nonribosomal antimicrobial peptides called emericellipsins B-E. The inhibitory activity of themajor compound, EmiA, against drug-resistant pathogenic fungi was similar to that of amphotericin B (AmpB). At the same time, EmiA had no hemolytic activity towards human erythrocytes. In addition, EmiA demonstrated low cytotoxic activity towards the normal HPF line, but possessed cancer selectivity to the K-562 and HCT-116 cell lines. Emericillipsins from the alkalophilic fungus Emericellopsis alkaline are promising treatment alternatives to licensed antifungal drugs for invasive mycosis therapy, especially for multidrug-resistant aspergillosis and cryptococcosis.
Project description:Features of the biochemical adaptations of alkaliphilic fungi to exist in extreme environments could promote the production of active antibiotic compounds with the potential to control microorganisms, causing infections associated with health care. Thirty-eight alkaliphilic and alkalitolerant Emericellopsis strains (E. alkalina, E. cf. maritima, E. cf. terricola, Emericellopsis sp.) isolated from different saline soda soils and belonging to marine, terrestrial, and soda soil ecological clades were investigated for emericellipsin A (EmiA) biosynthesis, an antifungal peptaibol previously described for Emericellopsis alkalina. The analysis of the Emericellopsis sp. strains belonging to marine and terrestrial clades from chloride soils revealed another novel form with a mass of 1032.7 Da, defined by MALDI-TOF Ms/Ms spectrometers, as the EmiA lacked a hydroxyl (dEmiA). EmiA displayed strong inhibitory effects on cell proliferation and viability of HCT 116 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manners and induced apoptosis.