The phylogenetically ancient firebrats, Thermobia domestica (Packard) (Thysanura: Lepismatidae), lack any form of long-distance communication, yet are able to locate mates in sustained hot and humid microhabitats, typically within human habitations where they feed on dried goods, including cellulosic substrates. We have recently shown that firebrats aggregate in response to two symbiotic microo...

Vertical transmission (VT) and associated manipulation of host reproduction are widely reported among prokaryotic endosymbionts. Here, we present evidence for widespread use of VT and associated sex-ratio distortion in a eukaryotic phylum. The Microspora are an unusual and diverse group of eukaryotic parasites that infect all animal phyla. Following our initial description of a microsporidian t...

Pestalotiopsis microspora occurs as a range of strains in bald cypress, Taxodium distichum. The organisms live as endophytes in the bark, phloem and xylem, and isolates show differences in cultural and microscopic characteristics on common laboratory media. Many of these fungi make taxol as determined by the reactivity of partially purified culture extracts with specific monoclonal antibodies a...

The velvet family proteins have been shown to play critical roles in fungal secondary metabolism and development. However, variations of the roles have been observed in different fungi. We report here the observation on the role of three velvet complex components VeA, VelB, and LaeA in Pestalotiopsis microspora, a formerly reported taxol-producing fungus. Deletion of individual members led to t...

A new lineage is discovered within the Botryosphaeriaceae (Ascomycetes, Dothideomycetes, incertae sedis). Consistent with current practice of providing generic names for independent lineages, this lineage is described as Endomelanconiopsis gen. nov., with the anamorphic species E. endophytica sp. nov. and E. microspora comb. nov. (= Endomelanconium microsporum). Endomelanconiopsis is characteri...

image indicating the health of normal (top) and diseased (bottom) leaves of Torreya taxifolia (the Florida torreya or stinking yew), an endangered conifer endemic to Florida and Georgia. A close relative of the torreya, the Pacific yew Taxus brevifolia, produces the potent anti-cancer drug taxol — so the torreya's rapid decline to the scant 1 500 trees alive today is of even greater concern tha...

Phylogenetic analyses based on nLSU and ITS sequence data indicate that the sequestrate genus Gigasperma is polyphyletic. Gigasperma cryptica, which is known only from New Zealand, has affinities with the Cortinariaceae whereas G. americanum and two additional undescribed taxa from western North America are derived from Lepiota within the Agaricaceae. The three North American taxa appear to be ...

The recent invasion of the red alga Heterosiphonia japonica in the western North Atlantic Ocean has provided a unique opportunity to study invasion dynamics across a biogeographical barrier. Native to the western North Pacific Ocean, initial collections in 2007 and 2009 restricted the western North Atlantic range of this invader to Rhode Island, USA. However, through subtidal community surveys,...

Abstract. Herliyana EN, Oktavianto P, Siregar UJ. 2022. Identification and characterization of Pestalotiopsis spp. causing leaf spot blight on jabon (Neolamarckia spp.) in Indonesia. Biodiversitas 23: 6547-6556. Jabon is one the fast-growing trees with high economic value for industrial plantations. Its monoculture planting system faced certain problems, such as diseases caused by sp. Therefore...

Highly conserved, the Snf1/AMPK is a central regulator of carbon metabolism and energy production in the eukaryotes. However, its function in filamentous fungi has not been well established. In this study, we reported functional characterization of Snf1/AMPK in the growth, development and secondary metabolism in the filamentous fungus Pestalotiopsis microspora. By deletion of the yeast SNF1 hom...