Fungal stress biology: a preface to the Fungal Stress Responses special edition

Rangel, Drauzio E.N.; Alder-Rangel, Alene; Dadachova, Ekaterina; Finlay, Roger D.; Kupiec, Martin; Dijksterhuis, Jan; Braga, Gilberto Úbida Leite; Corrochano, Luis M.; Hallsworth, John E.

doi:10.1007/s00294-015-0500-3

Cited by 54 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Greater understanding of fungal physiology, and fungal interactions with other microbes (e.g. Cray et al, 2013a;Rangel et al, 2015b), will facilitate their greater exploitation in biotechnology (in a similar way to the use of thermophiles and their heat-tolerant biomolecules). Furthermore, our work here suggests that careful supplementation of fermentation media with glycerol (possibly in combination with other stressors) can enable the rational manipulation of microbial metabolism and/or cell division targeted towards specific industrial applications.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Glycerol enhances fungal germination at the water‐activity limit for life

Stevenson

Hamill

Medina

et al. 2016

Environmental Microbiology

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SummaryFor the most‐extreme fungal xerophiles, metabolic activity and cell division typically halts between 0.700 and 0.640 water activity (approximately 70.0–64.0% relative humidity). Here, we investigate whether glycerol can enhance xerophile germination under acute water‐activity regimes, using an experimental system which represents the biophysical limit of Earth's biosphere. Spores from a variety of species, including Aspergillus penicillioides, Eurotium halophilicum, Xerochrysium xerophilum (formerly Chrysosporium xerophilum) and Xeromyces bisporus, were produced by cultures growing on media supplemented with glycerol (and contained up to 189 mg glycerol g dry spores−1). The ability of these spores to germinate, and the kinetics of germination, were then determined on a range of media designed to recreate stresses experienced in microbial habitats or anthropogenic systems (with water‐activities from 0.765 to 0.575). For A. penicillioides, Eurotium amstelodami, E. halophilicum, X. xerophilum and X. bisporus, germination occurred at lower water‐activities than previously recorded (0.640, 0.685, 0.651, 0.664 and 0.637 respectively). In addition, the kinetics of germination at low water‐activities were substantially faster than those reported previously. Extrapolations indicated theoretical water‐activity minima below these values; as low as 0.570 for A. penicillioides and X. bisporus. Glycerol is present at high concentrations (up to molar levels) in many types of microbial habitat. We discuss the likely role of glycerol in expanding the water‐activity limit for microbial cell function in relation to temporal constraints and location of the microbial cell or habitat. The findings reported here have also critical implications for understanding the extremes of Earth's biosphere; for understanding the potency of disease‐causing microorganisms; and in biotechnologies that operate at the limits of microbial function.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Glycerol enhances fungal germination at the water‐activity limit for life

Stevenson

Hamill

Medina

et al. 2016

Environmental Microbiology

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“…enhancing agricultural productivity of the economics of biofuel fermentations; Cray et al ., ; Rangel et al . ), the resilience of microbes can also create problems. For instance, mycobacteria may survive both modern and classic antimicrobial formulations or procedures designed to eradicate all potential contaminants (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extraordinary solute‐stress tolerance contributes to the environmental tenacity of mycobacteria

Santos

Carvalho²,

Stevenson

et al. 2015

Environ Microbiol Rep

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Mycobacteria are associated with a number of well-characterized diseases, yet we know little about their stress biology in natural ecosystems. This study focuses on the isolation and characterization of strains from Yellowstone National Park (YNP) and Glacier National Park (GNP; USA), the majority of those identified were Mycobacterium parascrofulaceum, Mycobacterium avium (YNP) or Mycobacterium gordonae (GNP). Generally, their windows for growth spanned a temperature range of > 60 °C; selected isolates grew at super-saturated concentrations of hydrophobic stressors and at levels of osmotic stress and chaotropic activity (up to 13.4 kJ kg(-1) ) similar to, or exceeding, those for the xerophilic fungus Aspergillus wentii and solvent-tolerant bacterium Pseudomonas putida. For example, mycobacteria grew down to 0.800 water activity indicating that they are, with the sole exception of halophiles, more xerotolerant than other bacteria (or any Archaea). Furthermore, the fatty-acid composition of Mycobacterium cells grown over a range of salt concentrations changed less than that of other bacteria, indicating a high level of resilience, regardless of the stress load. Cells of M. parascrofulaceum, M. smegmatis and M. avium resisted the acute, potentially lethal challenges from extremes of pH (< 1; > 13), and saturated MgCl2 solutions (5 M; 212 kJ kg(-1) chaotropicity). Collectively, these findings challenge the paradigm that bacteria have solute tolerances inferior to those of eukaryotes.

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“…The complexity and versatility of the compatible solutes produced by Aspergillus are akin to those produced by environmentally ubiquitous, tenacious and competitive bacteria such as Pseudomonas putida (Cray et al ., ). These compatible solutes play key roles in various types of habitat‐relevant stresses for diverse types of pathogenic aspergilli (Tables and ; Cray et al ., ; Rangel et al ., ,b).…”

Section: Biophysical Capabilities and Ecophysiology Of Pathogenic Aspmentioning

confidence: 97%

Ecology of aspergillosis: insights into the pathogenic potency of Aspergillus fumigatus and some other Aspergillus species

Paulussen

Hallsworth

Álvarez‐Pérez

et al. 2016

Microbial Biotechnology

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SummaryFungi of the genus Aspergillus are widespread in the environment. Some Aspergillus species, most commonly Aspergillus fumigatus, may lead to a variety of allergic reactions and life‐threatening systemic infections in humans. Invasive aspergillosis occurs primarily in patients with severe immunodeficiency, and has dramatically increased in recent years. There are several factors at play that contribute to aspergillosis, including both fungus and host‐related factors such as strain virulence and host pulmonary structure/immune status, respectively. The environmental tenacity of Aspergilllus, its dominance in diverse microbial communities/habitats, and its ability to navigate the ecophysiological and biophysical challenges of host infection are attributable, in large part, to a robust stress‐tolerance biology and exceptional capacity to generate cell‐available energy. Aspects of its stress metabolism, ecology, interactions with diverse animal hosts, clinical presentations and treatment regimens have been well‐studied over the past years. Here, we synthesize these findings in relation to the way in which some Aspergillus species have become successful opportunistic pathogens of human‐ and other animal hosts. We focus on the biophysical capabilities of Aspergillus pathogens, key aspects of their ecophysiology and the flexibility to undergo a sexual cycle or form cryptic species. Additionally, recent advances in diagnosis of the disease are discussed as well as implications in relation to questions that have yet to be resolved.

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Fungal stress biology: a preface to the Fungal Stress Responses special edition

Cited by 54 publications

References 39 publications

Glycerol enhances fungal germination at the water‐activity limit for life

Glycerol enhances fungal germination at the water‐activity limit for life

Extraordinary solute‐stress tolerance contributes to the environmental tenacity of mycobacteria

Ecology of aspergillosis: insights into the pathogenic potency of Aspergillus fumigatus and some other Aspergillus species

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