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Cantharellus cibarius, an ectomycorrhizal fungus belonging to the Basidiomycetes, has significant medicinal and edible value, economic importance, and ecological benefits. However, C. cibarius remains incapable of artificial cultivation, which is thought to be due to the presence of bacteria. Therefore, much research has focused on the relationship between C. cibarius and bacteria, but rare bacteria are frequently overlooked, and symbiotic pattern and assembly mechanism of the bacterial community associated with C. cibarius remain unknown. In this study, the assembly mechanism and driving factors of both abundant and rare bacterial communities of C. cibarius were revealed by the null model. The symbiotic pattern of the bacterial community was examined using a co-occurrence network. Metabolic functions and phenotypes of the abundant and rare bacteria were compared using METAGENassist2, and the impacts of abiotic variables on the diversity of abundant and rare bacteria were examined using partial least squares path modeling. In the fruiting body and mycosphere of C. cibarius, there was a higher proportion of specialist bacteria compared with generalist bacteria. Dispersal limitation dominated the assembly of abundant and rare bacterial communities in the fruiting body and mycosphere. However, pH, 1-octen-3-ol, and total phosphorus of the fruiting body were the main driving factors of bacterial community assembly in the fruiting body, while available nitrogen and total phosphorus of the soil affected the assembly process of the bacterial community in the mycosphere. Furthermore, bacterial co-occurrence patterns in the mycosphere may be more complex compared with those in the fruiting body. Unlike the specific potential functions of abundant bacteria, rare bacteria may provide supplementary or unique metabolic pathways (such as sulfite oxidizer and sulfur reducer) to enhance the ecological function of C. cibarius. Notably, while volatile organic compounds can reduce mycosphere bacterial diversity, they can increase fruiting body bacterial diversity. Findings from this study further, our understanding of C. cibarius-associated microbial ecology.

Considering the worldwide demand for colorants of natural origin, the utilization of ascomycete fungi as a prolific pigment producer unfolds a novel way to obtain these pigments for various applications, including food, cosmetic, and medical use. The presence of very few natural red pigment alternatives in the market also attracts research and industry priorities to unearth novel and sustainable red pigment producers. The present work is an attempt to identify a novel source of red color obtained from endophytic fungi isolated from terrestrial and marine habitats. Based upon the fungal capacity for pigment production, seven isolates of endophytic fungi were recognized as prospective pigment producers. Out of all, fungal isolate CPE04 was selected based upon its capacity to produce profuse extracellular red pigment. The isolate was identified as Talaromyces assiutensis, employing morphological features and phylogenetic characterization by internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences. To understand the chemical behavior of pigment molecules, an investigation of the chemical profile of fungal culture filtrate dried powder (CFDP) was performed using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector-mass spectrometry (UPLC–DAD–MS). In total, eight compounds having pigment and pharmaceutical application were tentatively identified using UPLC–DAD–MS. Considering the commercial aspect of the stated work, an effort was also made for standardizing the upscaling of the pigment molecule. Investigations were performed for optimum medium and culturing conditions for maximum pigment production. CFDP was found to have a significant antibacterial activity against the bacterial pathogens Staphylococcus aureus (MTCC737), Vibrio cholerae (N16961), and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) (ATCC BAA811). The CFDP showed a minimum inhibitory concentration at 64, 128, and 256 μg/ml against S. aureus, MRSA, and V. cholerae. A concentration-dependent (50–400 μg/ml) anticancer effect on HeLa cancer line was also observed, having a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) at 300 μg/ml. The antioxidant potential of CFDP has also been proven with the help of an antioxidant assay against 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical (IC50, 32.01 μg/ml); DNA nicking assay and reactive oxygen species were generated in HeLa cancer line cells. The CFDP was also found to have no cytotoxicity toward HEK 293 T cell line using alamar blue (resazurin), a cell metabolic activity reagent.

Developing new colors for the food industry is challenging, as colorants need to be compatible with a food flavors, safety, and nutritional value, and which ultimately have a minimal impact on the price of the product. In addition, food colorants should preferably be natural rather than synthetic compounds. Micro-organisms already produce industrially useful natural colorants such as carotenoids and anthocyanins. Microbial food colorants can be produced at scale at relatively low costs. This review highlights the significance of color in the food industry, why there is a need to shift to natural food colors compared to synthetic ones and how using microbial pigments as food colorants, instead of colors from other natural sources, is a preferable option. We also summarize the microbial derived food colorants currently used and discuss their classification based on their chemical structure. Finally, we discuss the challenges faced by the use and development of food grade microbial pigments and how to deal with these challenges, using advanced techniques including metabolic engineering and nanotechnology.

Marine biodiversity is recognized by a wide and unique array of fascinating structures. The complex associations of marine microorganisms, especially with sponges, bryozoans, and tunicates, make it extremely difficult to define the biosynthetic source of marine natural products or to deduce their ecological significance. Marine sponges and tunicates are important source of novel compounds for drug discovery and development. Majority of these compounds are nitrogen containing and belong to non-ribosomal peptide (NRPs) or mixed polyketide–NRP natural products. Several of these peptides are currently under trial for developing new drugs against various disease areas, including inflammatory, cancer, neurodegenerative disorders and infectious disease. This review features pharmacologically active NRPs from marine sponge and tunicates based on their biological activities.

Multidrug drug resistant bacteria are becoming increasingly problematic particularly in the undeveloped countries of the world. The most important microorganisms that have seen a geometric rise in are Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Vancomycin resistant Enterococcus faecium, Penicillin resistant Streptococcus pneumonia and multiple drug resistant tubercule bacteria to name a just few. New drug scaffolds are essential to tackle this every increasing problem. These scaffolds can be sourced from nature itself. Endophytic fungi are an important reservoir of therapeutically active compounds. This review attempts to present some data relavent to the problem. New, very specific and effective antibiotics are needed but also at the affordable price!!!. Herculean task for researcher all over the world. In the Asian subcontinent indigenous therapeutics that has been practiced over the centuries such as Ayurveda that has been effective as ‘handed down data’ in family generations. May need a second, third and more in-depth investigations?

The parks of Mumbai are frequently visited by local residents every morning and evening. However, there are no reports on the occurrence of keratinophilic fungi in these areas. The purpose of this research was to study the occurrence of keratinophilic fungi in the public parks of Mumbai. One hundred soil samples were collected from five public parks: Kamla Nehru Park, Powai Garden, CD Deshmukh Garden, Five Gardens and Chota Kashmir. Keratinophilic fungi were isolated by the hair baiting technique using human hair as keratin bait. The cultures were identified using macroand micro-morphological features. Identification was also confirmed by the BLAST search of sequences of the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 rDNA region against the NCBI/Genbank data and compared with deposited sequences. The ability of these fungi to use human hair was also evaluated by release of protein in liquid media. A total of 75 strains of keratinophilic fungi were recovered from 100 (75.0%) soil samples. The isolated fungi were composed of eleven species of eight genera: Arthrographis kalrae, Auxarthron conjugatum, Chrysosporium indicum, C. queenslandicum, C. zonatum, Gymnascella dankaliensis, G. hyalinospora, Microsporum gypseum (15.0%), Myriodontium keratinophilum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Uncinocarpus reesii. These fungi can release 148.8-307.6 μg/mL protein in liquid media when grown on human hair in shake flask culture and also decompose 16.2-38.6% of human hair after four weeks of incubation. Our study indicates that keratinophilic fungi are to be found in the soils of various public parks in Mumbai and that human hair can be a source of pathogenic fungi.

Alkaline soils commonly called as Usar soil having pH 7.5 to 11.0 is commonly found in regions having poor drainage and little percolation. These soils occupy vast tracts of barren lands in the northern parts of India. These areas are frequently visited by man and animals, however there are no reports on the occurrence of keratinophilic fungi from the Usar soils. The purpose of this research was to study the occurrence of keratinophilic fungi in the alkaline Usar soil. To investigate the occurrence of soil keratinophilic fungi from Usar soil, 120 samples were collected from five districts of Uttar Pradesh viz. Lucknow, Bareilly, Azamgarh, Balia and Pratapgarh. Keratinophilic fungi were isolated by the hair baiting techniques using human hair as keratin bait. The cultures were identified using macro- and micro morphological features. Eighty-tow strains of keratinophilic fungi were recovered from 120 (68.33%) soil samples. The isolated fungi were composed of ten species of five genera viz. Chrysosporium indicum (19.16%), Microsporum gypseum (12.5%), Chrysosporium tropicum (10.0%), Chrysosporium pannicola (7.5%), Trichophyton terrestre (5.83%), Chrysosporium lucknowense (4.16%), Chrysosporium state of Ctenomyces serratus (3.33%), Gymnascella dankailensis (3.33%), Gymnoascus reessii (1.66 %) and Trichophyton mentagrophytes (1.66 %). The presence of keratinophilic fungi in the Usar soils of Uttar Pradesh, India indicates that these fungi do occur at higher alkalinity.