(50) RESEARCH NEWS

activity isrestored. Researchers at McMaster sothatof metallo-β-lactamases antibiotic to provide away ofinhibiting the activity versicolor carbapenems, andmonobactams. activity ofcehalosporins, penicillins, ring that isessential forthe antibacterial arewhich abletohydrolyse the β-lactam β-lactamases, have in bacteria emerged DaviesSally (Anon. 2013).Enzymes, threat” by the UK’s Officer Chief Medical considered a“catastrophichas been topose international concern (McKenna 2013),and bacteria isanissue ofincreasing Antibiotic resistance ofGram-negative aspergillomarsmine. CourtesyGerard D.aspergillomarsmine. Wright. Susceptibility ofGram-negative carbapenem-resistant ofmerpoenem bacteria and effect tocombined reduces antibioticresistance inbacteria Aspergillomarsine from Now productof afungal , aspergillomarsmine A, promises A, , aspergillomarsmine Aspergillus Aspergillus by Meziane-Cherif (2014).This &Curvalin this isillustrated diagrammatically bacteria; downcan break ofthe the wall target cell sothat1 metallo-β-lactamases, merpenen by interacting with the ions zinc in NDM- were susceptible.aspergillomarsine acts The 80–100 %ofthe bacterial isolates tested restored tothebe extent that in somecases and found that the antibiotic activity could Escherischia coli including onesin ofGram-negative arange bacteria, against and meropenen (acarbapenem β-lactam) al. andCardiffColumbia, (KingUniversity University, the Univesrity ofBritish 2014) used mixtures 2014)used ofaspergillomarsine and Aspergillus versicolor Enterobacteriacae Klebsiella pneumoniae such as such as et , and SPM- effective in bacteria expressingIMP- AIM-, ,butNDM- the mixture was notorless of success in bacteria expressing and VIM- levels high compoundparticular achieved Meziane-Cherif D, Courvalin P(2014)ToMeziane-Cherif D, Courvalin the McKenna Nature M(2013)Thelast resort. King AM, Reid-YuKing AM, Wang SA, W, King DT, de 1 Shertz-WallCalo S, Nicolás BastidasRJ, S, Lee C, (2013)TheantibioticAnon. alarm. β-lactamases. product may also be of value in ofvalue suchproduct may cases. be also ifsomeother ofvalue tosee be fungal also epimutations (Calo different andisquite elucidated and involves of that resistance now isonly starting tobe the tacrolimus. antifungal drug Thebasis found spontaneous todevelop resistance to pathogenic Mucor circinelloides issue in the ofharmfulthe case as bacteria, inhibiting enzymes. these antibiotic- foractivity against assessed natural forand searched products canbe show that are asource fungi in which itdoes are required, metallo-β-lactamases compounds the abletoinhibit various clearthat itisbecoming whole, as different this isnotapanacea tothe problem a as expressingNDM-1 demonstrated with infected in mice successfully was found in the laboratory These acronyms refer to types of metallo- These acronyms ofmetallo- types refer to rescue of old drugs. rescue ofolddrugs. 394–396. resistance. A overcomes antibiotic metallo-β-lactamase Pascale G,etal.(2014)Aspergillomarsine Nature evoked via RHAi-dependent epimutations. etal.(2014)Antifungal resistance drug FE, 141. Antibiotic resistance isnotjust an The restoration ofmeropenem activity 513:555–558. 1 . Nature 510:503–506. K. pneumoniae. K. et al.2014),but itmay Nature

510:477–478. Nature IMA FUNGUS has been has been While While 495: 499: RESEARCH NEWS (51) see Integrative Integrative 2014). These Journal of Biological Journal Caenorhabditis is able to agglutinate is able to agglutinate . and other members of the family of the members and other . (2014) Probing bacterial–fungal . (2014) Probing . (2014) Copsin, a novel peptide- a novel . (2014) Copsin, . 111: E2787–E2796 et al et al , , (2014) Methylated glycans as conservedet al. (2014) Methylated Data were also obtained on mean were Data interactions at the single the cell level. at interactions Biology 6: 935–945. R, defense. targets of animal and fungal innate of Sciences, Academy National Proceedings of the USA Chemistry 289: 34953–34964. Chemistry PT M, M, the with based interfering fungal antibiotic peptidoglycan synthesis. It seems that other agarics also other may that seems It ). Overall species richness increased figure). Overall species richness ectomycorrhizal equator, the towards (temperate fungi mid-latitudes peaking at while saprobes and Mediterranean), forests latitudes. low increased at and pathogens the at growing plants of the Inventories but not made, precise sites sampled were annual temperatures and precipitation, and precipitation, temperatures annual WorldClim the and soil carbon from categorized into Sites were database. biogeographic regions and biomes, and biology. also These and their by OTUs the tested, and were correlations other various fungal of different classes proportions the as pie-charts for each biome ( presented Wohlschlager T, Butschi A, Grassi P, Sutov G, Gauss G, Gauss Sutov A, Butschi Grassi P, T, Wohlschlager Stanley CE, Stöckli M, van Sway D, Sabotič J, Kallio J, Sabotič D, Sway Stanley CE, M, van Stöckli Essig A, Hofmann D, Münch D, Gayathri S, Künzler S, Künzler Gayathri D, Münch D, A,Essig Hofmann et al. (Wohlschlager elegans of importance also the indicate discoveries freedom on allowing to work researchers as it is impossible them, fascinate topics that exploitable potentially such when to know will emerge. side-products merit attention from drug discovery from attention merit companies, especially same research as the tecton lectin the 2 that found group has Laccaria bicolor from is bacteria, and further Gram negative nematode to the toxic does not appear to have been searched does to have not appear fungi, might but be other expectedfor in species coprophilous of other least in at Coprinopsis Psyathyrellacreae and ), was was . These . These Listeria Listeria inhibits cell-wall cell-wall inhibits left Fungi C. cinerea in order to obtain to obtain order in . . In contrast, contrast, . In and faecium Enterococcus ), and with Cys residues (yellow residues and orange; Cys ), and with The active compound was extracted was extracted compound The active carried out with forward and reverse ITS forward with ITS out and reverse carried to 454 pyrosequencing. prior A primers 1, 019,514 qualitymassive sequences were 94,255 species obtained, representing Taxonomic (Operational level OTUs of which 80,486 were Units) sequences compared deposited with were molecularin including databases, to found UNITE, and 10,801 OTUs exhibit > 98 % similarity to sequences in 6 % about Intriguingly, databases. existing could not be assigned fungalof the OTUs class of fungi, indicating known to any well be some extremely may there that fungi to be still isolated and unusual soil. described from the beads a liquid in the medium, and was co-cultivated suspensions. bacterial with against to be active various found was It human the including Gram-positive, pathogens monocytogenes inhibited by Gram-negative bacteria it was it was bacteria inhibited Gram-negative by challenged coli Escherichia notably with, the of the elucidation for material sufficient NMR. by copsin structure present 3-D At Pseudomonas aeruginosa Pseudomonas The spectrometry. and studied mass by and the coding sequence determined was PCR product cloned and recombined into pastroris yeast Pichia the centre Coprinopsis cinerea Coprinopsis et al. 2014) et al. (2014), Coprinopsis Coprinopsis

are not usually thought of thought not usually are (2014) for further details. Courtesy Markus Aebi. details. Markus Courtesy et al. (2014) for further

, which they copsin. named This Any overlying litter was removed was litter removed overlying Any

The compound was tested againstThe compound ). See Essig

revealed by pyrosequencing revealed The limitedavailability of molecular data it difficult made to has soil samples from studied from sites to a global extrapolate constraint, this to address order scale. In et al. (2014) collected 40 soil Tendersoo each of 365 sites distributed from cores Earth. the some The projectinvolved over 58 mycologists (listed as co-authors) and provides 22 countries, around from international of example fine yet another major used being to address collaboration mycology. in issues of 5 cm, to a depth taken and samples and often roots. contained fine DNA and PCR 2 g samples from was extracted New light on the global diversity of soil fungi of soil fungi New light on the global diversity VOLUME 5 · NO. 2 however, have discovered a novel peptide peptide a novel discovered have however, in interest of pharmaceutical and predators; case this in they collaborated medicalwith microbiologists Bonn. in dishes, Petri inoculating by bacteria various of filled a layer glass by plugs with beads, fungus;of the fungus the grew around discovery was made by Markus Aebi’s group group Aebi’s discovery Markus by made was of Technology Institute Federal Swiss the in which is primarily (ETH-Zurich), ecological the with concerned interactions (Stanley of fungi bacteria with Agaricomycetes Essig of antibiotics. as sources cinerea The structure of copsin by of copsin as determined NMRspectroscopy: structure The highlightingthe secondary ( structure energy after ( of conformers a bundle refinement showing right

synthesis in bacteria in synthesis Copsin from from Copsin (52) RESEARCH NEWS

Relative proportion of fungal sequences assigned to major groups in taxonomic differentLeho Courtesy assigned biomes. sequences Relative offungal proportion Tendersoo. over the level of similarity assumed to be over assumed tobe the ofsimilarity level growing onthem, etc.Therealso anissue is and further lichenshabitats, in all fungi litter, in andoninsects andother animals, in andonthefungi aerial ofplants, parts but further toconductaninventory ofthe tohaveonly siteinventories ofthe plants, not ofcourse,would, have necessary been to have confidence in such aconclusion, it richness fungal estimates”.global In order authors consider “calls into question present markedly towards the which the poles, with increasingdecrease latitude, andmost ratio species found was to plant:fungal plant data set.Using that plant the data, data were extracted from aworld vascular forests dry Tropical savannas Tropical DryTrop forests moist Tropical shrublands and Grasslands rherioyee 0.4% Archaeorhizomycetes te ad nnw 0.7% unknown and Other ohdoyee 4.5% Dothideomycetes egosmcts 0.4% Geoglossomycetes te Acmct 0.4% Ascomycota Other uoimcts 7.7% Eurotiomycetes eaooyee 0.4% Lecanoromycetes htiimct 0.9% Chytridiomycota oteelmctn 6.3% Mortierellomycotina rpoyoa 0.7% Cryptomycota etoyee 7.1% Leotiomycetes riimcts 0.2% Orbiliomycetes acaoyee 0.4% Saccharomycetes uooyoia 4.4% Mucoromycotina eioyee 1.8% Pezizomycetes te Bsdoyoa 0.6% Basidiomycota Other forests montane Tropical lmrmct 0.2% Glomeromycota of information andgeneralizationsmade in results, anditisamajor first step. Thewealth contributory that factors influence could the possible forall toallow expected not be excluded prior toperforming the analyses. at nothave asiteshould simply been representedsequences occurrences by single the siteswere recovered,anditmay that be assumption that present soilfungi at all In addition, there seems tohave an been the 98%employed (Kõljalg weresimilarity taken rather cut-offs as than if,forexample, >98.5or>99% resulted interestingbeen what numbers tosee species anditwouldhaveequivalent tospecies, almoyee 1.1% Wallemiomycetes odroyee 8.0% Sordariomycetes A pioneering study could ofthis scale rtc tundra Arctic rmloyee 3.3% Tremellomycetes Global irbtymcts 0.6% Microbotryomycetes et al.2013). forests temperate Southern grcmcts 50.1% Agaricomycetes Tendersoo Põme Bahram M, U, Kõljalg S, L, U,Kõljalg Nilsson Abarenkov Tendersoo RH, K, consider notfound fungi in the soil. also oneswhich sites–especially particular more in-depthas studies are carried out on how theto see other generalizations hold interest,particular ofinterest be anditwill in level soilinclass the different biomesisof relation tothe representation at the offungi oel forests Boreal 10.1126/scie ofsoilfungi. geography Yoron and diversity etal.(2014)Global NS, 22:5271–5277. Molecularfungi. Ecology identification forsequence-based paradigm of TaylorL, AFS, Mediterranean nce.1256688. et al . (2013)Towards aunified Science forests coniferous Temperate 346:DOI: IMA FUNGUS forests deciduous Temperate RESEARCH NEWS (53) ; Sus New Phytologist Phytologist New when they when levels. 2 (2014) has shedet al. (2014) has Sus scrofa domesticus Sus scrofa Tuber aestivum Tuber is the wild boar, the ancestor of the of the ancestor the wild boar, is the . An individually housed individually piglet). An was 2 MN (2014) Forests trapped in nitrogen in trapped MN (2014) Forests – an ecological perspective limitation market symbiosis.on ectomycorrhizal 203: 657–666. Although field ecologists (including When truffles are eaten, an elegant eaten, are truffles When This binomial was used by the authors, but the but authors, Thisthe binomialwasused by Franklin O, Näsholm T, Högberg P, Högberg Högberg P, T, Näsholm O, Franklin mycologists) are sometimes sceptical of sceptical sometimes mycologists) are this casein so, rightly models, and often a on such based them have authors the and field based experimental substantial conclusions the body that of research, an they provide be ignored.cannot Further, proposed the feedback through explanation, stability of the long-term of the mechanism, boreal nutrient ecosystems forest and the soils. of its status exclusively mycorrhizal one as the availability one as the mycorrhizal exclusively of soil nitrogen declines.inresult is This indicates and sets, actual data agreement with as to stabilize tend communities the that feedback. depletion of nitrogen a result the feedback suggestalso that authors The mechanism nitrogen serves the to maintain these in growth for plant situation limitation limit the it may that and further forests, to benefit from abilityfuture forests of the CO atmospheric rising fed on a mixture of boiled and fresh fed potato on a mixture They can even have a role a as Theyhave ecosystem can even engineers, as while holes dug searching run-off and reduce for truffles, rainwater for one case a desire on forested slopes. In to a by badgers contributed truffles even in for badger-baiting conviction criminal 2011). & Wiltshire UK (Hawksworth the of instances and more information more For ecologicalthe including as of truffles, roles see delightfulectomycorrhizas, the book by et al. (2010). Maser Piattoni by study viability to the new light happens on what of of spores gut the of Sus scrofa passed through have (pig domesticated pig is domesticated scrofa scrofa pig.domesticated 2 different plants are plants different related to carbon and nitrogen fluxes. A proportion of the exported carbon to the plants the from ECM fungiused is facilitation the in of nitrogen uptake. are there Where between different and they plants host connectedare with number a greater of ECM fungi, the to appears system be resilient. more model the Further, plants predicts that would switch from awould switch from mixed mycorrhizal/ non-mycorrhizal root strategy to an (2014) have et al. (2014) have studies have given inconsistent results with results given inconsistent have studies “benefit”respect to any trees and other to Franklin plants. Now, how developed a model demonstrating networks between of roots mycorrhizal the (“Jim”) Trappe, that not only can truffles not only can truffles that Trappe, (“Jim”) a large diet of proportion of the constitute they can be mammals, small some of these immediate survivalcrucial the in to their fires as a food source. of forest aftermath . (2014) for further explanation. Courtesy Oskar Oskar Courtesy explanation. . (2014) for further

et al . Photo: Todd Elliot. . Photo: Todd

Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) associations Ectomycorrhizal generallyare recognized as crucial to the of ecologicalmaintenance boreal in processes complexity hasoperational the but forests, as experimental not been well-understood Tuber aestivum Tuber

Truffle-eating mammals, including including mammals, Truffle-eating tended to be seen as have marsupials, recent until of a curiosity something especially the from clear, is now decades. It Claridge and James W. of Andrew studies Digested truffle spores as mycorrhizal inocula as spores Digested truffle Feedback loops stabilizing the mycorrhizal strategy, showing the interrelation interrelation the showing strategy, mycorrhizal Feedback loops the stabilizing between and plants effects of (greenfungi (EMF; arrows) ectomycorrhizal purple Seearrows). Franklin Franklin.

maintain boreal forests boreal maintain Feedback loops with ectomycorrhizal fungi may fungi may ectomycorrhizal with loops Feedback VOLUME 5 · NO. 2 (54) RESEARCH NEWS

mycorrhization experiments, itwas then throughvisualized imagery. AFM In the spectacularly achange and troughs; uneven, withbecame many small peaks surface ornamentation andthe surface spores lost mostthe oftheir digested that spores, in comparison toundigested substrate in agrowth chamber. robur toform mycorrhizasability with microscopy fortheir tested andalso (AFM), andatomic force by sophisticated light spores were Thedefecated examined faeces. truffles, andspores extracted from the The microscopicThe showedstudies seedlings in an otherwise sterile in anotherwise seedlings Quercus Quercus et al.2007). cultureartificial of truffles withtrees (Hall andcommercialized popular increasingly contributealso toimprovements in the truffle-eating mammals. discovery The may andperhapsto occur in wildboars other expected canbe processes same digestive chance ofestablishing mycorrhizas, the as spores through may the enhance gut the thatsuggests in nature oftruffle passage The ascospores. study consequently withcompared 49%with undigested ascospores had 66%colonizationdigested found with inoculated that the seedlings Maser AW, Claridge C, Trappe (2010) JM (2011)ForensicHawksworth Wiltshire PEJ DL, Brown GT,Hall IR, A(2007) Zambonelli Piattoni F, Iotti Ori AmicucciA, M, F, Stocchi 206: 1–11. investigations. the in criminal use offungi mycology: ultimate mushroom. the Truffle: of lore,andscience the the history, morphology of morphology V, and A(2014)Viability Zambonelli RutgersBrunswick: University Press. Truffles, how forests function Beasts: and 9:52–56. Ecology of the though gut passage Forensic International Science Tuber aestivum Portland: Timber Portland: Press. Fungal Sus scrofa. Fungal spores after IMA FUNGUS Trees, Taming Taming . New