The mitogenome of Urnula craterium.

Urnula craterium (Schwein.) Fr. (1851) has been reported from North America, Europe, and Asia, and can be a pathogen on various hardwood species. In this study, we investigated the mitochondrial genome of U. craterium. The biology and taxonomy of this fungus is poorly studied and there are no mitogenomes currently available for any member of the Sarcosomataceae (Order Pezizales). The complete mitogenome of U. craterium comprises 43 967 bps and encodes 14 protein-coding genes, a complete set of tRNAs and rRNA genes. A novel feature of the mitogenome is the presence of a single subunit DNA polymerase-coding region that is typically associated with linear invertron-type plasmids. The mitogenome may offer insights into the evolution of mitogenomes among members of the Pezizales with regards to gene content and order, mobile elements, and genome sizes.

Fungal demethylation of Kraft lignin.

Demethylation of industrial lignin has been for long coveted as a pathway to the production of an abundant natural substitute for fossil-oil derived phenol. In an attempt to possibly identify a novel Kraft lignin-demethylating enzyme, we surveyed a collection of fungi by using selected ion flow tube-mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS). This method readily identifies methanol resulting from lignin demethylation activity. Absidia cylindrospora, and unidentified Cylindrocladium sp. and Aspergillus sp. were shown to metabolize lignin via different pathways, based on the HPLC analysis of lignin fragments. Of these three, Cylindrocladium and Aspergillus were shown to retain most of the lignin intact after 3 weeks in culture, while removing about 40% of the available methoxy groups. Our results demonstrate that after optimization of culture and lignin recovery methods, biological modification of Kraft lignin may be a feasible pathway to obtaining demethylated lignin for further industrial use.

Inocybe section Rimosae in Utah: phylogenetic affinities and new species.

Results of a study on species of Inocybe section Rimosae sensu lato in Utah are presented. Eight species, seven from the Pseudosperma clade (section Rimosae sensu stricto) and one from the Inosperma clade (section Rimosae pro parte), are documented morphologically and phylogenetically. Five of the eight species, I. aestiva, I. breviterincarnata, I. cercocarpi, I. niveivelata and I. occidentalis-all members of the Pseudosperma clade-are described as new from Utah and other western states. Two European species, I. spuria and I. obsoleta, are confirmed from Utah. Inocybe aurora, originally described from Nova Scotia, is synonymized with I. obsoleta. The only member of the Inosperma clade recorded from Utah is I. lanatodisca, a widely distributed species for which three geographical clusters were detected. The phylogenetic analyses indicate that the Pseudosperma clade includes 53 clusters or species worldwide and that the Inosperma clade includes 47 such clusters. Many of these probably correspond to undescribed species. A key to species of section Rimosae sensu lato from Utah is provided together with illustrations of the eight species found in the state.

The effects of glyphosate on the in vitro linear growth of selected microfungi from a boreal forest soil.

Glyphosate-based herbicides are used extensively in forestry and agriculture to control broadleaf plant competition. A review of the literature offers conflicting results regarding the impact of glyphosate on fungal growth. This study investigated the effects of 7 glyphosate concentrations (1, 2, 5, 10, 50, 100, and 1000 microg*mL-1) of Roundup (35.6% glyphosate) on the number of colony-forming units (CFUs) of soilborne microfungi from a boreal forest soil sample and on the in vitro linear growth of 20 selected species of microfungi representative of this boreal forest soil. Concentrations of glyphosate at 50 microg*mL-1 and higher significantly decreased the number of CFUs observed. At glyphosate concentrations equal to 5 microg*mL-1, 13 fungal species exhibited colony diameters less than 50% than that of their respective controls. Several species showed an inhibition of pigmentation and sporulation when subjected to glyphosate concentrations of 1 microg*mL-1. Differential sensitivity was observed among species at the various concentrations, suggesting the possibility of a shift towards tolerant species of fungi when they are exposed to glyphosate.