Fungi as a source of eumelanin: current understanding and prospects.

Melanins represent a diverse collection of pigments with a variety of structures and functions. One class of melanin, eumelanin, is recognizable to most as the source of the dark black color found in cephalopod ink. Sepia officinalis is the most well-known and sought-after source of non-synthetic eumelanin, but its harvest is limited by the availability of cuttlefish, and its extraction from an animal source brings rise to ethical concerns. In recent years, these limitations have become more pressing as more applications for eumelanin are developed-particularly in medicine and electronics. This surge in interest in the applications of eumelanin has also fueled a rise in the interest of alternative, bio-catalyzed production methods. Many culinarily-utilized fungi are ideal candidates in this production scheme, as examples exist which have been shown to produce eumelanin, their growth at large scales is well understood, and they can be cultivated on recaptured waste streams. However, much of the current research on the fungal production of eumelanin focuses on pathogenic fungi and eumelanin's role in virulence. In this paper, we will review the potential for culinary fungi to produce eumelanin and provide suggestions for new research areas that would be most impactful in the search for improved fungal eumelanin producers.

Anatomical Considerations for Injectable Fillers in the Face: How to Reduce Complications and Optimize Aesthetic Results.

The popularity of minimally invasive injectable aesthetic treatments has grown exponentially with over thirteen million neurotoxin and dermal filler injections being performed in 2014. While aesthetic results can be dramatic and convalescence minimal, significant complications including vascular compromise, neuropraxia, and blindness have been reported. Thorough knowledge of the complex anatomy in this area and the use of anatomic landmarks can help the physician obtain improved aesthetic results by deploying fillers in the appropriate anatomic plane and avoiding inadvertent injury to important neurovascular structures in this area. J Drugs Dermatol. 2022;21(4):354-362. doi:10.36849/JDD.6642.

Identification of iron-chelating phenolics contributing to seed coat coloration in soybeans (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) expressing aryloxyalkanoate dioxygenase-12.

Soybeans (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) genetically modified to express aryloxyalkanoate dioxygenase-12 (AAD-12), an enzyme that confers resistance to the herbicide 2,4-D, can sometimes exhibit a darker seed coat coloration than equivalent unmodified soybeans. The biochemical basis for this coloration was investigated in a non-commercial transgenic event, DAS-411Ø4-7 that exhibited more pronounced AAD-12-associated seed coat coloration than the commercial event, DAS-444Ø6-6. Analysis of color-enriched seed coat fractions from DAS-411Ø4-7 showed that the color was due to localized accumulation of iron-chelating phenolics, particularly the isoflavone genistin, that are associated with seed coat pectic polysaccharide and produce a brown chromophore. The association between genistin, iron, and pectic polysaccharide was characterized using a variety of analytical methods. Darker seeds from commercial soybean event DAS-444Ø6-6 also show higher genistin content localized to the darker colored portions of the seed coat (with no increase in whole seed genistin levels).

Natural Background and Anthropogenic Arsenic Enrichment in Florida Soils, Surface Water, and Groundwater: A Review with a Discussion on Public Health Risk.

Florida geologic units and soils contain a wide range in concentrations of naturally-occurring arsenic. The average range of bulk rock concentrations is 1 to 13.1 mg/kg with concentrations in accessary minerals being over 1000 mg/kg. Florida soils contain natural arsenic concentrations which can exceed 10 mg/kg in some circumstances, with organic-rich soils often having the highest concentrations. Anthropogenic sources of arsenic have added about 610,000 metric tons of arsenic into the Florida environment since 1970, thereby increasing background concentrations in soils. The anthropogenic sources of arsenic in soils include: pesticides (used in Florida beginning in the 1890's), fertilizers, chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated wood, soil amendments, cattle-dipping vats, chicken litter, sludges from water treatment plants, and others. The default Soil Cleanup Target Level (SCTL) in Florida for arsenic in residential soils is 2.1 mg/kg which is below some naturally-occurring background concentrations in soils and anthropogenic concentrations in agricultural soils. A review of risk considerations shows that adverse health impacts associated with exposure to arsenic is dependent on many factors and that the Florida cleanup levels are very conservative. Exposure to arsenic in soils at concentrations that exceed the Florida default cleanup level set specifically for residential environments does not necessarily pose a meaningful a priori public health risk, given important considerations such as the form of arsenic present, the route(s) of exposure, and the actual circumstances of exposure (e.g., frequency, duration, and magnitude).

Mesothelial Stem Cells and Stromal Vascular Fraction for Skin Rejuvenation.

The use of stem cells in regenerative medicine and specifically facial rejuvenation is thought provoking and controversial. Today there is increased emphasis on tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, which translates into a need for a reliable source of stem cells in addition to biomaterial scaffolds and cytokine growth factors. Adipose tissue is currently recognized as an accessible and abundant source for adult stem cells. Cellular therapies and tissue engineering are still in their infancy, and additional basic science and preclinical studies are needed before cosmetic and reconstructive surgical applications can be routinely undertaken and satisfactory levels of patient safety achieved.

Cellulose degradation by polysaccharide monooxygenases.

Polysaccharide monooxygenases (PMOs), also known as lytic PMOs (LPMOs), enhance the depolymerization of recalcitrant polysaccharides by hydrolytic enzymes and are found in the majority of cellulolytic fungi and actinomycete bacteria. For more than a decade, PMOs were incorrectly annotated as family 61 glycoside hydrolases (GH61s) or family 33 carbohydrate-binding modules (CBM33s). PMOs have an unusual surface-exposed active site with a tightly bound Cu(II) ion that catalyzes the regioselective hydroxylation of crystalline cellulose, leading to glycosidic bond cleavage. The genomes of some cellulolytic fungi contain more than 20 genes encoding cellulose-active PMOs, suggesting a diversity of biological activities. PMOs show great promise in reducing the cost of conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to fermentable sugars; however, many questions remain about their reaction mechanism and biological function. This review addresses, in depth, the structural and mechanistic aspects of oxidative depolymerization of cellulose by PMOs and considers their biological function and phylogenetic diversity.

A family of starch-active polysaccharide monooxygenases.

The recently discovered fungal and bacterial polysaccharide monooxygenases (PMOs) are capable of oxidatively cleaving chitin, cellulose, and hemicelluloses that contain ß(1→4) linkages between glucose or substituted glucose units. They are also known collectively as lytic PMOs, or LPMOs, and individually as AA9 (formerly GH61), AA10 (formerly CBM33), and AA11 enzymes. PMOs share several conserved features, including a monocopper center coordinated by a bidentate N-terminal histidine residue and another histidine ligand. A bioinformatic analysis using these conserved features suggested several potential new PMO families in the fungus Neurospora crassa that are likely to be active on novel substrates. Herein, we report on NCU08746 that contains a C-terminal starch-binding domain and an N-terminal domain of previously unknown function. Biochemical studies showed that NCU08746 requires copper, oxygen, and a source of electrons to oxidize the C1 position of glycosidic bonds in starch substrates, but not in cellulose or chitin. Starch contains α(1→4) and α(1→6) linkages and exhibits higher order structures compared with chitin and cellulose. Cellobiose dehydrogenase, the biological redox partner of cellulose-active PMOs, can serve as the electron donor for NCU08746. NCU08746 contains one copper atom per protein molecule, which is likely coordinated by two histidine ligands as shown by X-ray absorption spectroscopy and sequence analysis. Results indicate that NCU08746 and homologs are starch-active PMOs, supporting the existence of a PMO superfamily with a much broader range of substrates. Starch-active PMOs provide an expanded perspective on studies of starch metabolism and may have potential in the food and starch-based biofuel industries.

Determinants of regioselective hydroxylation in the fungal polysaccharide monooxygenases.

The ubiquitous fungal polysaccharide monooxygenases (PMOs) (also known as GH61 proteins, LPMOs, and AA9 proteins) are structurally related but have significant variation in sequence. A heterologous expression method in Neurospora crassa was developed as a step toward connecting regioselectivity of the chemistry to PMO phylogeny. Activity assays, as well as sequence and phylogenetic analyses, showed that the majority of fungal PMOs fall into three major groups with distinctive active site surface features. PMO1s and PMO2s hydroxylate glycosidic positions C1 and C4, respectively. PMO3s hydroxylate both C1 and C4. A subgroup of PMO3s (PMO3*) hydroxylate C1. Mutagenesis studies showed that an extra subdomain of about 12 amino acids contribute to C4 oxidation in the PMO3 family.

Structural basis for substrate targeting and catalysis by fungal polysaccharide monooxygenases.

The use of cellulases remains a major cost in the production of renewable fuels and chemicals from lignocellulosic biomass. Fungi secrete copper-dependent polysaccharide monooxygenases (PMOs) that oxidatively cleave crystalline cellulose and improve the effectiveness of cellulases. However, the means by which PMOs recognize and cleave their substrates in the plant cell wall remain unclear. Here, we present structures of Neurospora crassa PMO-2 and PMO-3 at 1.10 and 1.37 Å resolution, respectively. In the structures, dioxygen species are found in the active sites, consistent with the proposed cleavage mechanism. Structural and sequence comparisons between PMOs also reveal that the enzyme substrate-binding surfaces contain highly varied aromatic amino acid and glycosylation positions. The structures reported here provide evidence for a wide range of PMO substrate recognition patterns in the plant cell wall, including binding modes that traverse multiple glucan chains.

Oxidative cleavage of cellulose by fungal copper-dependent polysaccharide monooxygenases.

Fungal-derived, copper-dependent polysaccharide monooxygenases (PMOs), formerly known as GH61 proteins, have recently been shown to catalyze the O(2)-dependent oxidative cleavage of recalcitrant polysaccharides. Different PMOs isolated from Neurospora crassa were found to generate oxidized cellodextrins modified at the reducing or nonreducing ends upon incubation with cellulose and cellobiose dehydrogenase. Here we show that the nonreducing end product formed by an N. crassa PMO is a 4-ketoaldose. Together with isotope labeling experiments, further support is provided for a mechanism involving oxygen insertion and subsequent elimination to break glycosidic bonds in crystalline cellulose.

Cellobiose dehydrogenase and a copper-dependent polysaccharide monooxygenase potentiate cellulose degradation by Neurospora crassa.

The high cost of enzymes for saccharification of lignocellulosic biomass is a major barrier to the production of second generation biofuels. Using a combination of genetic and biochemical techniques, we report that filamentous fungi use oxidative enzymes to cleave glycosidic bonds in cellulose. Deletion of cdh-1, the gene encoding the major cellobiose dehydrogenase of Neurospora crassa, reduced cellulase activity substantially, and addition of purified cellobiose dehydrogenases from M. thermophila to the Δcdh-1 strain resulted in a 1.6- to 2.0-fold stimulation in cellulase activity. Addition of cellobiose dehydrogenase to a mixture of purified cellulases showed no stimulatory effect. We show that cellobiose dehydrogenase enhances cellulose degradation by coupling the oxidation of cellobiose to the reductive activation of copper-dependent polysaccharide monooxygenases (PMOs) that catalyze the insertion of oxygen into C-H bonds adjacent to the glycosidic linkage. Three of these PMOs were characterized and shown to have different regiospecifities resulting in oxidized products modified at either the reducing or nonreducing end of a glucan chain. In contrast to previous models where oxidative enzymes were thought to produce reactive oxygen species that randomly attacked the substrate, the data here support a direct, enzyme-catalyzed oxidation of cellulose. Cellobiose dehydrogenases and proteins related to the polysaccharide monooxygenases described here are found throughout both ascomycete and basidiomycete fungi, suggesting that this model for oxidative cellulose degradation may be widespread throughout the fungal kingdom. When added to mixtures of cellulases, these proteins enhance cellulose saccharification, suggesting that they could be used to reduce the cost of biofuel production.

Tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and rejuvenation in 2010: the role of adipose-derived stem cells.

Facial rejuvenation is rapidly evolving sector in the field of facial aesthetics. There is a wide variety of dermal fillers and many more are in development. Over the past few years, the study of adult-derived stem cells has become a very active area of research. Adult stem cells are an attractive option for volume restoration and facial rejuvenation. Adult stem cells are isolated from adipose tissue-adipose derived stem cells and have mesodermal, ectodermal, and endodermal potentials. Adipose-derived stem cells could conceivably be an alternative to pluripotent embryonic stem cells and could play a critical role in the rapidly expanding fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. This article reviews the history of soft tissue augmentation using adipose tissue grafting and the advent of using adipose-derived stem cells. The state-of-the-art stem cell isolation technique as well as anticipated future therapeutic indications are also addressed.

Expression and characterization of the Neurospora crassa endoglucanase GH5-1.

Filamentous fungi secrete a wide range of enzymes, including cellulases and hemicellulases, with potential applications in the production of lignocellulosic biofuels. Of the cellulolytic fungi, Hypocrea jecorina (anamorph Trichoderma reesei) is the best characterized in terms of cellulose degradation, but other cellulolytic fungi, such as the model filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa, can serve a crucial role in building our knowledge about the fungal response to biomass due to the many molecular and genetic tools available for this organism. Here we cloned and expressed GH5-1 (NCU00762), a secreted endoglucanase in N. crassa. The protein was produced using a ccg-1 promoter under conditions in which no other cellulases are present. Native GH5-1 (nGH5-1) and this recombinant GH5-1 (rGH5-1) were purified to gauge differences in glycosylation and activity; both rGH5-1 and nGH5-1 were similarly glycosylated, with an estimated molecular weight of 52kDa. On azo-carboxymethylcellulose, rGH5-1 activity was equal to that of nGH5-1, and on cellulose (Avicel) rGH5-1 was 20% more active. The activity of a GH5-1-GFP fusion protein (rGH5-1-GFP-6xHis) was similar to rGH5-1 and nGH5-1. To determine the binding pattern of catalytically active rGH5-1-GFP-6xHis to plant cell walls, Arabidopsis seedlings were incubated with rGH5-1-GFP-6xHis or Pontamine Fast Scarlet 4B (S4B), a cellulose-specific dye. Confocal microscopy showed that rGH5-1-GFP-6xHis bound in linear, longitudinal patterns on seedling roots, similar to S4B. The functional expression and characterization of rGH5-1 and its GFP fusion derivative set important precedents for further investigation of biomass degradation by filamentous fungi, especially N. crassa, with applications for characterization and manipulation of novel enzymes.

Extracellular aldonolactonase from Myceliophthora thermophila.

Fungi secrete many different enzymes to deconstruct lignocellulosic biomass, including several families of hydrolases, oxidative enzymes, and many uncharacterized proteins. Here we describe the isolation, characterization, and primary sequence analysis of an extracellular aldonolactonase from the thermophilic fungus Myceliophthora thermophila (synonym Sporotrichum thermophile). The lactonase is a 48-kDa glycoprotein with a broad pH optimum. The enzyme catalyzes the hydrolysis of glucono-δ-lactone and cellobiono-δ-lactone with an apparent second-order rate constant, k(cat)/K(m), of ~1 × 10(6) M(-1) s(-1) at pH 5.0 and 25°C but is unable to hydrolyze xylono-γ-lactone or arabino-γ-lactone. Sequence analyses of the lactonase show that it has distant homology to cis-carboxy-muconate lactonizing enzymes (CMLE) as well as 6-phosphogluconolactonases present in some bacteria. The M. thermophila genome contains two predicted extracellular lactonase genes, and expression of both genes is induced by the presence of pure cellulose. Homologues of the M. thermophila lactonase, which are also predicted to be extracellular, are present in nearly all known cellulolytic ascomycetes.

Cellodextrin transport in yeast for improved biofuel production.

Fungal degradation of plant biomass may provide insights for improving cellulosic biofuel production. We show that the model cellulolytic fungus Neurospora crassa relies on a high-affinity cellodextrin transport system for rapid growth on cellulose. Reconstitution of the N. crassa cellodextrin transport system in Saccharomyces cerevisiae promotes efficient growth of this yeast on cellodextrins. In simultaneous saccharification and fermentation experiments, the engineered yeast strains more rapidly convert cellulose to ethanol when compared with yeast lacking this system.

Systems analysis of plant cell wall degradation by the model filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa.

The filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa is a model laboratory organism, but in nature is commonly found growing on dead plant material, particularly grasses. Using functional genomics resources available for N. crassa, which include a near-full genome deletion strain set and whole genome microarrays, we undertook a system-wide analysis of plant cell wall and cellulose degradation. We identified approximately 770 genes that showed expression differences when N. crassa was cultured on ground Miscanthus stems as a sole carbon source. An overlap set of 114 genes was identified from expression analysis of N. crassa grown on pure cellulose. Functional annotation of up-regulated genes showed enrichment for proteins predicted to be involved in plant cell wall degradation, but also many genes encoding proteins of unknown function. As a complement to expression data, the secretome associated with N. crassa growth on Miscanthus and cellulose was determined using a shotgun proteomics approach. Over 50 proteins were identified, including 10 of the 23 predicted N. crassa cellulases. Strains containing deletions in genes encoding 16 proteins detected in both the microarray and mass spectrometry experiments were analyzed for phenotypic changes during growth on crystalline cellulose and for cellulase activity. While growth of some of the deletion strains on cellulose was severely diminished, other deletion strains produced higher levels of extracellular proteins that showed increased cellulase activity. These results show that the powerful tools available in N. crassa allow for a comprehensive system level understanding of plant cell wall degradation mechanisms used by a ubiquitous filamentous fungus.

N(G)-aminoguanidines from primary amines and the preparation of nitric oxide synthase inhibitors.

A concise, general, and high-yielding method for the preparation of N(G)-aminoguanidines from primary amines is reported. Using available and readily prepared materials, primary amines are converted to protected N(G)-aminoguanidines in a one-pot procedure. The method has been successfully applied to a number of examples including the syntheses of four nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitors. The inhibitors prepared were investigated as competitive inhibitors and as mechanistic inactivators of the inducible isoform of NOS (iNOS). In addition, one of the four inhibitors prepared, N(G)-amino-N(G)-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl-L-arginine 19, displays the unique ability to both inhibit NO formation and prevent NADPH consumption by iNOS without irreversible inactivation of the enzyme.

Design and synthesis of C5 methylated L-arginine analogues as active site probes for nitric oxide synthase.

The role of nitric oxide (NO) as a biological signaling molecule is well established. NO is produced by the nitric oxide synthases (NOSs, EC 1.14.13.39), a class of heme proteins capable of converting l-arginine to NO and l-citrulline. Despite the large body of knowledge associated with the NOSs, mechanistic details relating to the unique oxidative chemistry performed by these enzymes remain to be fully elucidated. Furthermore, a number of disease states are associated with either the over- or underproduction of NO, making the NOS pathway an attractive target for the development of therapeutics. For these reasons, molecular tools capable of providing mechanistic insights into the production of NO and/or the inhibition of the NOSs remain of interest. We report here the stereospecific synthesis and testing of a number of new l-arginine analogues bearing a minimal substitution, methylation at position 5 of the amino acid side chain (such analogues have not been previously reported). The synthetic approach employed a modified photolysis procedure whereby irradiation of the appropriate diacylperoxide precursors at 254 nm gave access to the required unnatural amino acids in good yields. A heme domain construct of the inducible NOS isoform (iNOSheme) was used to assess the binding of each compound to the enzyme active site. The compounds were also investigated as either inhibitors of, or alternate substrates for, the inducible NOS isoform. The results obtained provide new insight into the steric and stereochemical tolerance of the enzyme active site. These findings also further support the role of a conserved active site water molecule previously proposed to be necessary for NOS catalysis.

A convenient gHMQC-based NMR assay for investigating ammonia channeling in glutamine-dependent amidotransferases: studies of Escherichia coli asparagine synthetase B.

X-ray crystal structures of glutamine-dependent amidotransferases in their "active" conformation have revealed the existence of multiple active sites linked by solvent inaccessible intramolecular channels, giving rise to the widely accepted view that ammonia released in a glutaminase site is channeled efficiently into a separate synthetase site where it undergoes further reaction. We now report a very convenient isotope-edited 1H NMR-based assay that can be used to probe the transfer of ammonia between the active sites of amidotransferases and demonstrate its use in studies of Escherichia coli asparagine synthetase B (AS-B). Our NMR results suggest that (i) high glutamine concentrations do not suppress ammonia-dependent asparagine formation in this bacterial asparagine synthetase and (ii) ammonia in bulk solution can react with the thioester intermediate formed during the glutaminase half-reaction by accessing the N-terminal active site of AS-B during catalytic turnover. These observations are consistent with a model in which exogenous ammonia can access the intramolecular tunnel in AS-B during glutamine-dependent asparagine synthesis, in contrast to expectations based on studies of class I amidotransferases.

Valacyclovir prophylaxis for herpes simplex virus infection or infection recurrence following laser skin resurfacing.

BACKGROUND: The CO2 laser for cutaneous resurfacing has been associated with the reactivation of herpes simplex virus (HSV), causing delayed reepithelialization and scarring. Antiviral agents appear to be effective in reducing reactivation, however, the optimal therapeutic regimen has yet to be clearly defined. OBJECTIVE: To assess the reactivation rates of HSV after CO2 laser resurfacing in patients who received prophylactic valacyclovir for either 10 or 14 days. METHODS: One hundred twenty patients received valacyclovir 500 mg twice a day for either 10 or 14 days starting the day prior to facial laser resurfacing. Serology levels and consecutive Tzank preparations were obtained to determine past exposure to HSV and the presence of virus. RESULTS: No patients in either group developed an HSV infection or had a recurrence. CONCLUSION: These results support the use of valacyclovir in a 10- or 14-day regimen as a preventive agent against HSV outbreaks following facial laser resurfacing.