Increasing evidence of the fungal diversity in deep-sea sediments has come from amplification of environmental DNA with fungal specific or eukaryote primer sets. In order to assess the fungal diversity in deep-sea sediments of the Central Indian Basin (CIB) at ~5,000 m depth, we amplified sediment DNA with four different primer sets. These were fungal-specific primer pair ITS1F/ITS4 (internal t...

In the search for bioactive natural products, our lab screens hydrophobic extracts from marine fungal strains. While hydrophilic active substances were recently identified from marine macro-organisms, there was a lack of reported metabolites in the marine fungi area. As such, we decided to develop a general procedure for screening of hydrophobic metabolites. The aim of this study was to compare...

Abstract The production of the amino polysaccharide (chitosan) from crustacean sources has faced many hindrances due to environmental, seasonal and noneconomic issues. On other hand, mycogenic chitosan advantages that make it suitable for medical nutritional applications over non-mycological counterparts. A number fungal isolates have been screened production, where most potent isolate genetica...

Dust has been widely recognised as an important source of nutrients in the marine environment and as a vector for transporting pathogenic microorganisms. Disturbingly, in the wake of a dust storm event along the eastern Australian coast line in 2009, the Continuous Plankton Recorder collected masses of fungal spores and mycelia (~150,000 spores/m³) forming a floating raft that covered a coastal...

Topical fungal infections can become severe if left untreated. Efficient treatment modalities for topical fungal infections aid the penetration of antifungal agents deep into viable skin layers. Terbinafine is a fungicidal agent that inhibits ergosterol, an essential fungal component. The main objective of this study was to evaluate skin permeation and retention of a terbinafine-loaded solution...

This paper reviews the potential of marine fungi in biotechnology. The unique physico-chemical properties of the marine environment are likely to have conferred marine fungi with special physiological adaptations that could be exploited in biotechnology. The emphasis of this review is on marine fungi from a few unique ecological habitats and their potential in biotechnological applications. The...

Marine ecosystems cover about 70% of the planet surface and are still an underexploited source of useful metabolites. Among microbes, filamentous fungi are captivating organisms used for the production of many chemical classes of secondary metabolites bound to be used in various fields of industrial application. The present study was focused on the collection, isolation, screening and genotypin...

Root knot nematode, Meloidogyne spp. causes severe yield losses in vegetable crops. Chitosan is one of the most abundant biopolymer available worldwide next to cellulose. It known have anti-nemic, anti-fungal and anti- bacterial properties. Application chitosan induces systemic resistance tomato plants against pathogens by increasing phenolic content antioxidant enzymes viz., Polyphenol oxidase...