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Ganoderma lucidum is among the best known medicinal basidiomycetes due to its production of many pharmacologically active compounds. To study the regulatory networks involved in its growth and development, we analyzed the relationship between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Ca2+ signaling in the regulation of hyphal branching and ganoderic acid (GA) biosynthesis after Cu2+ treatment. Our results revealed that Cu2+ treatment decreased the distance between hyphal branches and increased the GA content and the intracellular levels of ROS and Ca2+. Further research revealed that the Cu2+-induced changes in hyphal branch distance, GA content, and cytosolic Ca2+ level were dependent on increases in cytosolic ROS. Our results also showed that increased cytosolic Ca2+ could reduce cytosolic ROS by activating antioxidases and modulating Cu2+ accumulation, resulting in feedback to adjust hyphal growth and GA biosynthesis. These results indicated that cytosolic ROS and Ca2+ levels exert important cross talk in the regulation of hyphal growth and GA biosynthesis induced by Cu2+. Taken together, our results provide a reference for analyzing the interactions among different signal transduction pathways with regard to the regulation of growth and development in other filamentous fungi. IMPORTANCE Ganoderma lucidum, which is known as an important medicinal basidiomycete, is gradually becoming a model organism for studying environmental regulation and metabolism. In this study, we analyzed the relationship between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Ca2+ signaling in the regulation of hyphal branching and ganoderic acid (GA) biosynthesis under Cu2+ stress. The results revealed that the Cu2+-induced changes in the hyphal branch distance, GA content, and cytosolic Ca2+ level were dependent on increases in cytosolic ROS. Furthermore, the results indicated that increased cytosolic Ca2+ could reduce cytosolic ROS levels by activating antioxidases and modulating Cu2+ accumulation. The results in this paper indicate that there was important cross talk between cytosolic ROS and Ca2+ levels in the regulation of hyphal growth and GA biosynthesis induced by Cu2+. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The model white-rot basidiomycete, Ceriporiopsis (Gelatoporia) subvermispora B, encodes putative natural product biosynthesis genes. Among them is the gene for the seven-domain nonribosomal peptide synthetase CsNPS2. It is a member of the as-yet-uncharacterized fungal type VI siderophore synthetase family, which is highly conserved and widely distributed among the basidiomycetes. These enzymes include only one adenylation (A) domain, i.e., one complete peptide synthetase module, and two thiolation/condensation (T-C) didomain partial modules which together constitute an AT1C1T2C2T3C3 domain setup. The full-length CsNPS2 enzyme (274.5 kDa) was heterologously produced as a polyhistidine fusion in Aspergillus niger as a soluble and active protein. N5-acetyl-N5-hydroxy-L-ornithine (L-AHO) and N5- cis-anhydromevalonyl-N5-hydroxy-L-ornithine (L-AMHO) were accepted as the substrates, based on results of an in vitro substrate-dependent [32P]ATP-pyrophosphate radioisotope exchange assay. Full-length holo-CsNPS2 catalyzed amide bond formation between three L-AHO molecules to release the linear L-AHO trimer, called basidioferrin, as the product in vitro, which was verified by liquid chromatography-high-resolution electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry analysis. Phylogenetic analyses suggested that type VI family siderophore synthetases are widespread in mushrooms and evolved in a common ancestor of basidiomycetes. IMPORTANCE The basidiomycete nonribosomal peptide synthetase CsNPS2 represents a member of a widely distributed but previously uninvestigated class (type VI) of fungal siderophore synthetases. Genes orthologous to CsNPS2 are highly conserved across various phylogenetic clades of the basidiomycetes. Hence, our work serves as a broadly applicable model for siderophore biosynthesis and iron metabolism in higher fungi. Also, our results on the amino acid substrate preference of CsNPS2 support a further understanding of the substrate selectivity of fungal adenylation domains. Methodologically, this report highlights the Aspergillus niger/SMXpress-based system as a suitable platform to heterologously express multimodular basidiomycete biosynthesis enzymes in the >250-kDa range in soluble and active form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis and degradation of anthropogenic and natural organohalides are the basis of a global halogen cycle. Chlorinated hydroquinone metabolites (CHMs) synthesized by basidiomycete fungi and present in wetland and forest soil are constituents of that cycle. Anaerobic dehalogenating bacteria coexist with basidiomycete fungi in soils and sediments, but little is known about the fate of these halogenated fungal compounds. In sediment microcosms, the CHMs 2,3,5,6-tetrachloro-1,4-dimethoxybenzene and 2,3,5,6-tetrachloro-4-methoxyphenol (TCMP) were anaerobically demethylated to tetrachlorohydroquinone (TCHQ). Subsequently, TCHQ was converted to trichlorohydroquinone and 2,5-dichlorohydroquinone (2,5-DCHQ) in freshwater and estuarine enrichment cultures. Screening of several dehalogenating bacteria revealed that Desulfitobacterium hafniense strains DCB2 and PCP1, Desulfitobacterium chlororespirans strain Co23, and Desulfitobacterium dehalogenans JW/DU1 sequentially dechlorinate TCMP to 2,3,5-trichloro-4-methoxyphenol and 3,5-dichloro-4methoxyphenol (3,5-DCMP). After a lag, these strains demethylate 3,5-DCMP to 2,6-DCHQ, which is then completely dechlorinated to 1,4-dihydroquinone (HQ). 2,5-DCHQ accumulated as an intermediate during the dechlorination of TCHQ to HQ by the TCMP-degrading desulfitobacteria. HQ accumulation following TCMP or TCHQ dechlorination was transient and became undetectable after 14 days, which suggests mineralization of the fungal compounds. This is the first report on the anaerobic degradation of fungal CHMs, and it establishes a fundamental role for microbial reductive degradation of natural organochlorides in the global halogen cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the possibility of rapidly isolating and characterizing laccase gene-specific sequences from different wood rot basidiomycetes. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of sequences; Sequence analysis of the PCR-amplified products; Laccase activity.