SDS-PAGE analysis of AmyA1. Lane 1, protein molecular mass markers; Lane 2, cultured supernatant ... more SDS-PAGE analysis of AmyA1. Lane 1, protein molecular mass markers; Lane 2, cultured supernatant of transformant A1-3; Lane 3-6, NPI 20, 50, 200, 500 elution of cultured supernatant of transformant A1-3; Lane 7-8, the purified recombinant AmyA1. (TIF 1590 kb)
Scheme for construction of the vector pSKNHG for Îą-amylase expression in Aspergillus sp. (TIF 12... more Scheme for construction of the vector pSKNHG for Îą-amylase expression in Aspergillus sp. (TIF 12,481 kb)
Nucleotide and deduced amino-acid sequence of the cDNA of AmyA1. The bases of lowercase interrupt... more Nucleotide and deduced amino-acid sequence of the cDNA of AmyA1. The bases of lowercase interrupting the coding region are introns (Intron I, Intron II). (TIF 7270 kb)
We documented relative growth rates (RGRs) and activities of extracellular hydrolytic enzymes (EH... more We documented relative growth rates (RGRs) and activities of extracellular hydrolytic enzymes (EHEs) of one marine-derived tropical strain of Fusarium equiseti originally isolated from Malaysia and two polar strains of Pseudogymnoascus spp. from the Arctic and Antarctic under various temperatures and different nutrient conditions. RGRs and relative enzyme activities (RAs) of protease, amylase and cellulase were screened in seawater nutrient assay plates augmented with either skim milk, soluble starch or carboxymethylcellulose with trypan blue, respectively, across culture temperatures between 5°C and 40°C. Measures of RGR were fitted into third-degree polynomial and Brière-2 temperature-dependent models to estimate optimum temperatures for growth (T opt) and maximum growth rates (RGR max), and were used to calculate temperature coefficients (Q 10) and activation energies (Ea ) for growth. All studied strains showed highest RGR and RA when grown using a skim milk nutrient assay. T op...
Discharge of vegetable oily ballast wastewater constitutes serious hazardous pollution to the env... more Discharge of vegetable oily ballast wastewater constitutes serious hazardous pollution to the environment due to its toxic effects on aquatic organisms and terrestrial animals consuming the waste. The damage is especially severe if the release of this waste occurred in temperate waters where biodegradation by existing marine microorganisms is limited due to the cold conditions. Biodegradation using cold-tolerant microorganism added to palm oil wastewater before discharge has never been studied as a method of remediation. This study aims to investigate the biodegradability of vegetable oil (palm oil) at 15°C by a cold-tolerant Antarctic bacterium under saline conditions for such purpose. The strain was cultured at different oil concentrations, temperature, pH, and inoculum size. Furthermore, the degradation of the oil was optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). Gravimetry and gas chromatography were utilized to monitor the biodegradation of the oil components. The results of the study show that maximum growth and biodegradation occur at 1% (v/v) of the oil, at 25°C, pH 6.8, and an inoculum size of 5% (v/v). The use of RSM resulted in an increase in bacterial growth of about 1 log unit. In conclusion, this study demonstrates a possible use of an Antarctic bacterium for the bioremediation of palm oil oily ballast wastewater in temperate waters.
LA DIVERSIDAD DE MICROFUNGI DE LA TIERRA DE LA PENÍNSULA DE FILDES, REY GEORGE ISLAND, PENÍNSULA ... more LA DIVERSIDAD DE MICROFUNGI DE LA TIERRA DE LA PENÍNSULA DE FILDES, REY GEORGE ISLAND, PENÍNSULA ANTÁRTICA Diversity of soil microfungi from Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, Peninsula Antarctica Abiramy Krishnan and Siti Aisyah Alias Institute of Biological Science, Faculty of Science, University Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Corresponding author: [email protected] Abstract A study on biodiversity of soil fungi was undertaken during an expedition to Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica in Austral summer 2007. A total of 28 fungal species (17 Deuteromycte, 5 Ascomycetes, 4 yeast, a zygomycete and a basidiomycete have been identified from 7 samples through Warcup’s soil plating method. In total there were 12 duteromycetes and an ascomycete in mesophilic group, a deuteromycetes and a zygomycete in psychrotrophic group and 4 ascomycetes, 4 yeasts, 4 deuteromycetes and a basidiomycete in psychrophilic group. Fungal species are grouped based on most common (30% and abo...
Preliminary extracellular amylase quantification from Psychrophilic and psychrotrophic fungi from... more Preliminary extracellular amylase quantification from Psychrophilic and psychrotrophic fungi from Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica. Abiramy Krishnan1 and Siti Aisah Alias1 1Institute of Biological Science, Faculty of Science, University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia A sample collection was done during a summer expedition to Escudero Scientific Research Station, Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica in February 2007. Samples were collected from various parts of the Island such as ornithogenic site, site with human activity and area surrounded by moss. Isolation of fungal species was done using Warcup’s soil plating method and they were classified into three thermal classes: mesophilic, psychrotrophic and psychrophilic. 13 mesophilic species which comprised 12 deuteromycete and 1 ascomycete; 2 psychrotrophic species which comprised of a zygomycete and a deuteromycete; and 13 psychrophilic species including 4 ascomycete, a basidiomycete, 4 deuteromycete and ...
Preliminary screening of hydrolase enzymes from psychrotrophic and psychrophilic fungi from Filde... more Preliminary screening of hydrolase enzymes from psychrotrophic and psychrophilic fungi from Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica. Abiramy Krishnan¹ and Siti Aisyah Alias¹ ¹ Institute of Biological Science, Faculty of Science, University Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia A sample collection was done during a summer expedition to Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica in February 2007. Samples were collected from various parts of the Island such as ornithogenic site, site with human activity and area surrounded by moss. Isolation of fungal species was done using Warcup’s soil plating method and they were classified into three thermal classes: mesophilic, psychrotrophic and psychrophilic. 13 mesophilic species which comprised of 12 deuteromycete and 1 ascomycete; 2 psychrotrophic species which comprised of a zygomycete and a ascomycete; and 13 psychrophilic species including 4 ascomycete, a basidiomycete, 4 deuteromycete and 4 yeast. Screening of hydrolase enzy...
An apparently undescribed lignicolous Dactylospora species was collected on a rocky shore in nort... more An apparently undescribed lignicolous Dactylospora species was collected on a rocky shore in northern Taiwan. The ascomatal morphology of this fungus is similar to other marine Dactylospora species, whereas the unique feature of the new fungus is a distinct perispore forming an ascospore appendage, which comprises a thick and hyaline sheath connected at the septum that opens at both ends. Dactylospora vrijmoediae is described and illustrated as new to science. On the basis of a phylogenetic analysis of the partial 18S and 28S rRNA and RPB2 genes, D. vrijmoediae occurs with other marine species, D. haliotrepha, D. mangrovei, and the terrestrial Sclerococcum sphaerale in an unnamed clade within the Eurotiomycetes, Ascomycota. The marine Dactylospora species are distantly placed and are separated from the terrestrial Dactylospora species included in the analysis (D. lobariella, D. imperfecta).
Trematosphaeria malaysiana sp. nov. is described based on light microscope and ultrastructural st... more Trematosphaeria malaysiana sp. nov. is described based on light microscope and ultrastructural studies. It was found on driftwood, exposed test blocks of Avicennia marina and Rhizophora apiculata, and split twigs of R. apiculata exposed in Kuala Selangor and Morib mangroves, Malaysia. T. malaysiana is characterized by striate, pale brown ascospores and trabeculate pseudoparaphyses. Ascospore cell walls are two layered, an outer thick layer comprising fibrillar mucilaginous material, and an inner bilamellate layer (the inner layer electron-transparent ; the outer electron-dense and containing melanin). Both T. malaysiana and Leptosphaeria pelagica were examined at the transmission electron microscope level and their structure compared with that of other bitunicate ascomycetes. T. malaysiana and L. pelagica were similar in that the mucilaginous sheath was the outer most layer, in the former the spore wall was two layered, while in L. pelagica it was three layered. In L. pelagica the spore wall was smooth, while in T. malaysiana it was longitudinally striate.
A new mangrove fungus collected in Tioman Island, Malaysia, is morphologically similar to marine ... more A new mangrove fungus collected in Tioman Island, Malaysia, is morphologically similar to marine species of Saccardoella. It also phylogenetically groups with Saccardoella rhizophorae in the Dothideomycetes, based on combined analysis of partial SSU, LSU rRNA and TEF1 gene sequences. The new fungus and S. rhizophorae form a well-supported clade with Acrospermum spp. in the Acrospermaceae. Both species therefore do not belong in Saccardoella, a genus with unitunicate asci. A new genus, Dyfrolomyces, is established to accommodate the new fungus (Dyfrolomyces tiomanensis) while the three marine Saccardoella species (S. mangrovei, S. marinospora, S. rhizophorae) are transferred to the new genus. Dyfrolomyces is characterized by forming a clypeus on substrates, with immersed perithecial ascomata, bitunicate/fissitunicate asci and multi-septate ascospores with/without a sheath. Since D. rhizophorae and D. tiomanensis do not cluster with any known families in the Dothideomycetes, a new family, Dyfrolomycetaceae, is introduced to accommodate the Dyfrolomyces species.
Summary Temperate marine fungi are a distinct ecological group and differ from those found in tro... more Summary Temperate marine fungi are a distinct ecological group and differ from those found in tropical habitats, with the exception of a few cosmopolitan species. Sixty-two marine fungi were collected at San Juan Island, a temperate site, in 1994. The most frequently ...
While diversity studies and screening for enzyme activities are important elements of understandi... more While diversity studies and screening for enzyme activities are important elements of understanding fungal roles in the soil ecosystem, extracting and purifying the target enzyme from the fungal cellular system is also required to characterize the enzyme. This is, in particular, necessary before developing the enzyme for industrial-scale production. In the present study, partially purified α-amylase was obtained from strains of Pseudogymnoascus sp. obtained from Antarctic and Arctic locations. Partially purified α-amylases from these polar fungi exhibited very similar characteristics, including being active at 15 °C, although having a small difference in optimum pH. Both fungal taxa are good candidates for the potential application of cold-active enzymes in biotechnological industries, and further purification and characterization steps are now required. The α-amylases from polar fungi are attractive in terms of industrial development because they are active at lower temperatures an...
In an effort to tap into natural products harboured by marine derived fungi in Malaysia, selected... more In an effort to tap into natural products harboured by marine derived fungi in Malaysia, selected marine derived endophytic and manglicolous fungi from the coastlines of Peninsular Malaysia were investigated for their antibacterial potential. Forty-one strains were isolated from marine associated plants, comprised and comprised 12 and 19 endophytic strains from Vitex rotundifolia and Ipomoea pes-caprae respectively, while 10 manglicolous strains were from decaying mangrove wood collected in Peninsular Malaysia. In preliminary experiments, a plug assay was employed to study the antibacterial activities of all 41 fungi isolates. Fifteen of the endophytic isolates and nine of the manglicolous isolates displayed antibacterial activities against at least one of the test bacteria. Based on the plug assay, the endophytic fungi from Ipomoea pes-caprae were shown to display higher antibacterial potential in comparison to the endophytic fungi from Vitex rotundifolia. In particular, Minimidoch...
Soft corals are widely distributed across the globe, especially in the Indo-Pacific region, with ... more Soft corals are widely distributed across the globe, especially in the Indo-Pacific region, with Sarcophyton being one of the most abundant genera. To date, there have been 50 species of identified Sarcophyton. These soft corals host a diverse range of marine fungi, which produce chemically diverse, bioactive secondary metabolites as part of their symbiotic nature with the soft coral hosts. The most prolific groups of compounds are terpenoids and indole alkaloids. Annually, there are more bio-active compounds being isolated and characterised. Thus, the importance of the metabolite compilation is very much important for future reference. This paper compiles the diversity of Sarcophyton species and metabolites produced by their associated marine fungi, as well as the bioactivity of these identified compounds. A total of 88 metabolites of structural diversity are highlighted, indicating the huge potential these symbiotic relationships hold for future research.
Study of the potential of Antarctic microorganisms for use in bioremediation is of increasing int... more Study of the potential of Antarctic microorganisms for use in bioremediation is of increasing interest due to their adaptations to harsh environmental conditions and their metabolic potential in removing a wide variety of organic pollutants at low temperature. In this study, the psychrotolerant bacterium Rhodococcus sp. strain AQ5-07, originally isolated from soil from King George Island (South Shetland Islands, maritime Antarctic), was found to be capable of utilizing phenol as sole carbon and energy source. The bacterium achieved 92.91% degradation of 0.5 g/L phenol under conditions predicted by response surface methodology (RSM) within 84 h at 14.8 °C, pH 7.05, and 0.41 g/L ammonium sulphate. The assembled draft genome sequence (6.75 Mbp) of strain AQ5-07 was obtained through whole genome sequencing (WGS) using the Illumina Hiseq platform. The genome analysis identified a complete gene cluster containing catA, catB, catC, catR, pheR, pheA2, and pheA1. The genome harbours the comp...
BackgroundIncreases in knowledge of climate change generally, and its impact on agricultural indu... more BackgroundIncreases in knowledge of climate change generally, and its impact on agricultural industries specifically, have led to a greater research effort aimed at improving understanding of the role of fungi in various fields. Fungi play a key role in soil ecosystems as the primary agent of decomposition, recycling of organic nutrients. Fungi also include important pathogens of plants, insects, bacteria, domestic animals and humans, thus highlighting their importance in many contexts. Temperature directly affects fungal growth and protein dynamics, which ultimately will cascade through to affect crop performance. To study changes in the global protein complement of fungi, proteomic approaches have been used to examine links between temperature stress and fungal proteomic profiles.Survey methodology and objectivesA traditional rather than a systematic review approach was taken to focus on fungal responses to temperature stress elucidated using proteomic approaches. The effects of t...
SDS-PAGE analysis of AmyA1. Lane 1, protein molecular mass markers; Lane 2, cultured supernatant ... more SDS-PAGE analysis of AmyA1. Lane 1, protein molecular mass markers; Lane 2, cultured supernatant of transformant A1-3; Lane 3-6, NPI 20, 50, 200, 500 elution of cultured supernatant of transformant A1-3; Lane 7-8, the purified recombinant AmyA1. (TIF 1590 kb)
Scheme for construction of the vector pSKNHG for Îą-amylase expression in Aspergillus sp. (TIF 12... more Scheme for construction of the vector pSKNHG for Îą-amylase expression in Aspergillus sp. (TIF 12,481 kb)
Nucleotide and deduced amino-acid sequence of the cDNA of AmyA1. The bases of lowercase interrupt... more Nucleotide and deduced amino-acid sequence of the cDNA of AmyA1. The bases of lowercase interrupting the coding region are introns (Intron I, Intron II). (TIF 7270 kb)
We documented relative growth rates (RGRs) and activities of extracellular hydrolytic enzymes (EH... more We documented relative growth rates (RGRs) and activities of extracellular hydrolytic enzymes (EHEs) of one marine-derived tropical strain of Fusarium equiseti originally isolated from Malaysia and two polar strains of Pseudogymnoascus spp. from the Arctic and Antarctic under various temperatures and different nutrient conditions. RGRs and relative enzyme activities (RAs) of protease, amylase and cellulase were screened in seawater nutrient assay plates augmented with either skim milk, soluble starch or carboxymethylcellulose with trypan blue, respectively, across culture temperatures between 5°C and 40°C. Measures of RGR were fitted into third-degree polynomial and Brière-2 temperature-dependent models to estimate optimum temperatures for growth (T opt) and maximum growth rates (RGR max), and were used to calculate temperature coefficients (Q 10) and activation energies (Ea ) for growth. All studied strains showed highest RGR and RA when grown using a skim milk nutrient assay. T op...
Discharge of vegetable oily ballast wastewater constitutes serious hazardous pollution to the env... more Discharge of vegetable oily ballast wastewater constitutes serious hazardous pollution to the environment due to its toxic effects on aquatic organisms and terrestrial animals consuming the waste. The damage is especially severe if the release of this waste occurred in temperate waters where biodegradation by existing marine microorganisms is limited due to the cold conditions. Biodegradation using cold-tolerant microorganism added to palm oil wastewater before discharge has never been studied as a method of remediation. This study aims to investigate the biodegradability of vegetable oil (palm oil) at 15°C by a cold-tolerant Antarctic bacterium under saline conditions for such purpose. The strain was cultured at different oil concentrations, temperature, pH, and inoculum size. Furthermore, the degradation of the oil was optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). Gravimetry and gas chromatography were utilized to monitor the biodegradation of the oil components. The results of the study show that maximum growth and biodegradation occur at 1% (v/v) of the oil, at 25°C, pH 6.8, and an inoculum size of 5% (v/v). The use of RSM resulted in an increase in bacterial growth of about 1 log unit. In conclusion, this study demonstrates a possible use of an Antarctic bacterium for the bioremediation of palm oil oily ballast wastewater in temperate waters.
LA DIVERSIDAD DE MICROFUNGI DE LA TIERRA DE LA PENÍNSULA DE FILDES, REY GEORGE ISLAND, PENÍNSULA ... more LA DIVERSIDAD DE MICROFUNGI DE LA TIERRA DE LA PENÍNSULA DE FILDES, REY GEORGE ISLAND, PENÍNSULA ANTÁRTICA Diversity of soil microfungi from Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, Peninsula Antarctica Abiramy Krishnan and Siti Aisyah Alias Institute of Biological Science, Faculty of Science, University Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Corresponding author: [email protected] Abstract A study on biodiversity of soil fungi was undertaken during an expedition to Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica in Austral summer 2007. A total of 28 fungal species (17 Deuteromycte, 5 Ascomycetes, 4 yeast, a zygomycete and a basidiomycete have been identified from 7 samples through Warcup’s soil plating method. In total there were 12 duteromycetes and an ascomycete in mesophilic group, a deuteromycetes and a zygomycete in psychrotrophic group and 4 ascomycetes, 4 yeasts, 4 deuteromycetes and a basidiomycete in psychrophilic group. Fungal species are grouped based on most common (30% and abo...
Preliminary extracellular amylase quantification from Psychrophilic and psychrotrophic fungi from... more Preliminary extracellular amylase quantification from Psychrophilic and psychrotrophic fungi from Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica. Abiramy Krishnan1 and Siti Aisah Alias1 1Institute of Biological Science, Faculty of Science, University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia A sample collection was done during a summer expedition to Escudero Scientific Research Station, Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica in February 2007. Samples were collected from various parts of the Island such as ornithogenic site, site with human activity and area surrounded by moss. Isolation of fungal species was done using Warcup’s soil plating method and they were classified into three thermal classes: mesophilic, psychrotrophic and psychrophilic. 13 mesophilic species which comprised 12 deuteromycete and 1 ascomycete; 2 psychrotrophic species which comprised of a zygomycete and a deuteromycete; and 13 psychrophilic species including 4 ascomycete, a basidiomycete, 4 deuteromycete and ...
Preliminary screening of hydrolase enzymes from psychrotrophic and psychrophilic fungi from Filde... more Preliminary screening of hydrolase enzymes from psychrotrophic and psychrophilic fungi from Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica. Abiramy Krishnan¹ and Siti Aisyah Alias¹ ¹ Institute of Biological Science, Faculty of Science, University Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia A sample collection was done during a summer expedition to Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica in February 2007. Samples were collected from various parts of the Island such as ornithogenic site, site with human activity and area surrounded by moss. Isolation of fungal species was done using Warcup’s soil plating method and they were classified into three thermal classes: mesophilic, psychrotrophic and psychrophilic. 13 mesophilic species which comprised of 12 deuteromycete and 1 ascomycete; 2 psychrotrophic species which comprised of a zygomycete and a ascomycete; and 13 psychrophilic species including 4 ascomycete, a basidiomycete, 4 deuteromycete and 4 yeast. Screening of hydrolase enzy...
An apparently undescribed lignicolous Dactylospora species was collected on a rocky shore in nort... more An apparently undescribed lignicolous Dactylospora species was collected on a rocky shore in northern Taiwan. The ascomatal morphology of this fungus is similar to other marine Dactylospora species, whereas the unique feature of the new fungus is a distinct perispore forming an ascospore appendage, which comprises a thick and hyaline sheath connected at the septum that opens at both ends. Dactylospora vrijmoediae is described and illustrated as new to science. On the basis of a phylogenetic analysis of the partial 18S and 28S rRNA and RPB2 genes, D. vrijmoediae occurs with other marine species, D. haliotrepha, D. mangrovei, and the terrestrial Sclerococcum sphaerale in an unnamed clade within the Eurotiomycetes, Ascomycota. The marine Dactylospora species are distantly placed and are separated from the terrestrial Dactylospora species included in the analysis (D. lobariella, D. imperfecta).
Trematosphaeria malaysiana sp. nov. is described based on light microscope and ultrastructural st... more Trematosphaeria malaysiana sp. nov. is described based on light microscope and ultrastructural studies. It was found on driftwood, exposed test blocks of Avicennia marina and Rhizophora apiculata, and split twigs of R. apiculata exposed in Kuala Selangor and Morib mangroves, Malaysia. T. malaysiana is characterized by striate, pale brown ascospores and trabeculate pseudoparaphyses. Ascospore cell walls are two layered, an outer thick layer comprising fibrillar mucilaginous material, and an inner bilamellate layer (the inner layer electron-transparent ; the outer electron-dense and containing melanin). Both T. malaysiana and Leptosphaeria pelagica were examined at the transmission electron microscope level and their structure compared with that of other bitunicate ascomycetes. T. malaysiana and L. pelagica were similar in that the mucilaginous sheath was the outer most layer, in the former the spore wall was two layered, while in L. pelagica it was three layered. In L. pelagica the spore wall was smooth, while in T. malaysiana it was longitudinally striate.
A new mangrove fungus collected in Tioman Island, Malaysia, is morphologically similar to marine ... more A new mangrove fungus collected in Tioman Island, Malaysia, is morphologically similar to marine species of Saccardoella. It also phylogenetically groups with Saccardoella rhizophorae in the Dothideomycetes, based on combined analysis of partial SSU, LSU rRNA and TEF1 gene sequences. The new fungus and S. rhizophorae form a well-supported clade with Acrospermum spp. in the Acrospermaceae. Both species therefore do not belong in Saccardoella, a genus with unitunicate asci. A new genus, Dyfrolomyces, is established to accommodate the new fungus (Dyfrolomyces tiomanensis) while the three marine Saccardoella species (S. mangrovei, S. marinospora, S. rhizophorae) are transferred to the new genus. Dyfrolomyces is characterized by forming a clypeus on substrates, with immersed perithecial ascomata, bitunicate/fissitunicate asci and multi-septate ascospores with/without a sheath. Since D. rhizophorae and D. tiomanensis do not cluster with any known families in the Dothideomycetes, a new family, Dyfrolomycetaceae, is introduced to accommodate the Dyfrolomyces species.
Summary Temperate marine fungi are a distinct ecological group and differ from those found in tro... more Summary Temperate marine fungi are a distinct ecological group and differ from those found in tropical habitats, with the exception of a few cosmopolitan species. Sixty-two marine fungi were collected at San Juan Island, a temperate site, in 1994. The most frequently ...
While diversity studies and screening for enzyme activities are important elements of understandi... more While diversity studies and screening for enzyme activities are important elements of understanding fungal roles in the soil ecosystem, extracting and purifying the target enzyme from the fungal cellular system is also required to characterize the enzyme. This is, in particular, necessary before developing the enzyme for industrial-scale production. In the present study, partially purified α-amylase was obtained from strains of Pseudogymnoascus sp. obtained from Antarctic and Arctic locations. Partially purified α-amylases from these polar fungi exhibited very similar characteristics, including being active at 15 °C, although having a small difference in optimum pH. Both fungal taxa are good candidates for the potential application of cold-active enzymes in biotechnological industries, and further purification and characterization steps are now required. The α-amylases from polar fungi are attractive in terms of industrial development because they are active at lower temperatures an...
In an effort to tap into natural products harboured by marine derived fungi in Malaysia, selected... more In an effort to tap into natural products harboured by marine derived fungi in Malaysia, selected marine derived endophytic and manglicolous fungi from the coastlines of Peninsular Malaysia were investigated for their antibacterial potential. Forty-one strains were isolated from marine associated plants, comprised and comprised 12 and 19 endophytic strains from Vitex rotundifolia and Ipomoea pes-caprae respectively, while 10 manglicolous strains were from decaying mangrove wood collected in Peninsular Malaysia. In preliminary experiments, a plug assay was employed to study the antibacterial activities of all 41 fungi isolates. Fifteen of the endophytic isolates and nine of the manglicolous isolates displayed antibacterial activities against at least one of the test bacteria. Based on the plug assay, the endophytic fungi from Ipomoea pes-caprae were shown to display higher antibacterial potential in comparison to the endophytic fungi from Vitex rotundifolia. In particular, Minimidoch...
Soft corals are widely distributed across the globe, especially in the Indo-Pacific region, with ... more Soft corals are widely distributed across the globe, especially in the Indo-Pacific region, with Sarcophyton being one of the most abundant genera. To date, there have been 50 species of identified Sarcophyton. These soft corals host a diverse range of marine fungi, which produce chemically diverse, bioactive secondary metabolites as part of their symbiotic nature with the soft coral hosts. The most prolific groups of compounds are terpenoids and indole alkaloids. Annually, there are more bio-active compounds being isolated and characterised. Thus, the importance of the metabolite compilation is very much important for future reference. This paper compiles the diversity of Sarcophyton species and metabolites produced by their associated marine fungi, as well as the bioactivity of these identified compounds. A total of 88 metabolites of structural diversity are highlighted, indicating the huge potential these symbiotic relationships hold for future research.
Study of the potential of Antarctic microorganisms for use in bioremediation is of increasing int... more Study of the potential of Antarctic microorganisms for use in bioremediation is of increasing interest due to their adaptations to harsh environmental conditions and their metabolic potential in removing a wide variety of organic pollutants at low temperature. In this study, the psychrotolerant bacterium Rhodococcus sp. strain AQ5-07, originally isolated from soil from King George Island (South Shetland Islands, maritime Antarctic), was found to be capable of utilizing phenol as sole carbon and energy source. The bacterium achieved 92.91% degradation of 0.5 g/L phenol under conditions predicted by response surface methodology (RSM) within 84 h at 14.8 °C, pH 7.05, and 0.41 g/L ammonium sulphate. The assembled draft genome sequence (6.75 Mbp) of strain AQ5-07 was obtained through whole genome sequencing (WGS) using the Illumina Hiseq platform. The genome analysis identified a complete gene cluster containing catA, catB, catC, catR, pheR, pheA2, and pheA1. The genome harbours the comp...
BackgroundIncreases in knowledge of climate change generally, and its impact on agricultural indu... more BackgroundIncreases in knowledge of climate change generally, and its impact on agricultural industries specifically, have led to a greater research effort aimed at improving understanding of the role of fungi in various fields. Fungi play a key role in soil ecosystems as the primary agent of decomposition, recycling of organic nutrients. Fungi also include important pathogens of plants, insects, bacteria, domestic animals and humans, thus highlighting their importance in many contexts. Temperature directly affects fungal growth and protein dynamics, which ultimately will cascade through to affect crop performance. To study changes in the global protein complement of fungi, proteomic approaches have been used to examine links between temperature stress and fungal proteomic profiles.Survey methodology and objectivesA traditional rather than a systematic review approach was taken to focus on fungal responses to temperature stress elucidated using proteomic approaches. The effects of t...
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