Scytinostromabambusinum sp. nov. (Russulales, Basidiomycota) in China evidenced by morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses.

Background: Wood-rotting fungi as an important group within the Basidiomycota are known for their ecological role in the forest ecosystem in terms of decaying living and dead trees and recycling nutrients in forest ecosystems. Many new species were revealed in the last five years. In the present study, during an ongoing study on Scytinostroma, a new species of Scytinostroma was found from China. It is described and illustrated on the basis of the morphological and phylogenetic evidence. New information: Scytinostromabambusinum sp. nov. is described as a new species, based on morphological and molecular evidence. It is characterised by annual, resupinate and broadly ellipsoid basidiomata with white to cream hymenophore, a dimitic hyphal structure with generative hyphae bearing simple septa, the presence of cystidioles and amyloid basidiospores measuring 5.5-7 × 4-5.3 µm. Phylogeny, based on molecular data of ITS and nLSU sequences, shows that the new species forms an independent lineage and is different in morphology from the existing species of Scytinostroma.

Fomitiporellacrystallina sp. nov. (Basidiomycota, Hymenochaetales) from China.

Background: Fomitiporella is an important genus of wood-decaying fungi. Many new species were revealed in the last five years, based on morphological characters and molecular data. During a study on the taxonomy of Fomitiporella, two specimens from China were investigated, which have morphological characteristics close to Fomitiporella. After morphological examinations and phylogenetic analyses, a new species was confirmed to be a member of the Fomitiporella clade. New information: Fomitiporellacrystallina sp. nov. is described and illustrated as a new species, based on morphological characters and molecular evidence. It has perennial, irregular, pileate basidiocarps, an indistinct subiculum (ultrathin to almost lacking), lack of any kind of setae, has brownish, thick-walled basidiospores and causes a white rot. A molecular study, based on the combined ITS (internal transcribed spacer region) and nrLSU (the large nuclear ribosomal RNA subunit) dataset, supports the new species in Fomitiporella. The differences between the new species and phylogenetically related and morphologically similar species are discussed. A key to species with pileate to effused-reflexed basidiocarps of Fomitiporella is given.

Two new species of Hymenochaetaceae from tropical Asia and America.

Two new species in Hymenochaetaceae, Fulvifomes acaciae and Pyrrhoderma nigra, are illustrated and described from tropical Asia and America based on morphology and phylogenetic analyses. F. acaciae is characterized by perennial, pileate, and woody hard basidiomata when fresh; ash gray to dark gray, encrusted, concentrically sulcate, and irregularly cracked pileal surface; circular pores of 7-8 per mm with entire dissepiments; a dimitic hyphal system in trama and context; absence of setal element and presence of cystidioles; and broadly ellipsoid, yellowish brown, thick-walled, and smooth basidiospores measuring 5-6 µm × 4-5 µm. P. nigra is characterized by perennial and resupinate basidiomata with dark gray to almost black pore surface when fresh; small and circular pores of 7-9 per mm, a monomitic hyphal system with generative hyphae simple septate, hyphoid setae dominant in subiculum but not in tube trama, and absence of cystidia; and ellipsoid, hyaline, thin-walled basidiospores measuring 4-5 µm × 3-3.6 µm. The differences between the new species and morphologically similar and phylogenetically related species are discussed. Keys to Fulvifomes and Pyrrhoderma have also been provided.

Phylogeny of the genus Fuscoporia and taxonomic assessment of the F. contigua group.

The genus Fuscoporia of the Hymenochaetaceae is characterized by resupinate to pileate basidiocarps, a dimitic hyphal system with fine crystal aggregates and encrusted generative hyphae in dissepiment edge and tube trama, the presence of hymenial setae, and hyaline, thin-walled, smooth basidiospores. Members of the F. contigua group are easy to distinguish from other species of Fuscoporia because of the moderately large pores, presence of mycelial setae, and large hymenial setae. Here, we explore phylogenetic relationships among 20 species of Fuscoporia based on examination of some 90 collections sampled worldwide. Seven new species are recognized in the F. contigua group-F. americana, F. centroamericana, F. costaricana, F. latispora, F. monticola, F. septiseta, and F. sinica-described from China, Costa Rica, Mexico, and the United States. Phylogenetic analyses inferred from DNA sequences of the nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 = ITS), D1-D2 domains of nuc 28S rDNA (28S), and translation elongation factor EF-1 alpha (tef1) support the F. contigua group as one of two major clades within Fuscoporia comprising nine species worldwide.

Dentipellistasmanica sp. nov. (Hericiaceae, Basidiomycota) from Australia.

Dentipellistasmanica sp. nov. is described and illustrated from Tasmania, Australia based on rDNA evidence and morphological characters. It is characterised by an annual growth habit; resupinate basidiocarps up to 100 cm long; spines cream when fresh and cinnamon when dry, up to 3 mm long and a few glued at tips when dry; distinct white fibrillous to cottony margin; a monomitic hyphal structure with non-amyloid, non-dextrinoid and cyanophilous generative hyphae; the presence of gloeoplerous hyphae and gloeocystidia which become dark blue in Melzer's reagent; the presence of chlamydospores in the subiculum and rough basidiospores measuring 3.5-4.5 × 2.4-3.2 µm. A molecular study based on the combined ITS (internal transcribed spacer region) and 28S (the large nuclear ribosomal RNA subunit) dataset supports the new species in Dentipellis. A key to species of Dentipellis sensu stricto is provided.

Taxonomy and phylogeny of Pyrrhoderma: a redefinition, the segregation of Fulvoderma, gen. nov., and identifying four new species.

Previously, Pyrrhoderma accommodated two polypore species, P. adamantinum and P. scaurum; however, phylogenetic studies indicated that these two species were not congeneric within the Hymenochaetaceae and that P. adamantinum formed a clade with Phellinidium noxium. To resolve the relationships among the two species of Pyrrhoderma and other related taxa, specimens from China, Costa Rica, Singapore, and Thailand were studied from both morphological and phylogenetic perspectives. A new genus, Fulvoderma, is erected to accommodate F. scaurum comb. nov., and a new species, F. australe (the generic type). Pyrrhoderma is delimited to include the generic type, P. sendaiense (a later synonym of P. adamantinum); two new combinations, P. lamaënse comb. nov., and P. noxium comb. nov.; and three new species, P. hainanense, P. thailandicum, and P. yunnanense. In addition, an undescribed lineage including several specimens from subtropical and tropical forests in China, Costa Rica, Singapore, and Thailand also nested within the Pyrrhoderma clade. However, as the voucher specimens are sterile or almost so, they are not described. The concept of Pyrrhoderma was emended to also accommodate species bearing resupinate, effuse-reflexed basidiocarps, hymenial or hyphoid setae, and non-subglobose basidiospores. Keys to Fulvoderma and Pyrrhoderma are provided.

Three new species of Fomitiporella (Hymenochaetales, Basidiomycota) based on the evidence from morphology and DNA sequence data.

Fomitiporella austroasiana, F. mangrovei and F. vietnamensis are described and illustrated as new species based on morphological characters and molecular evidence. They have annual to perennial, mostly resupinate basidiomata with grayish fresh pores, an indistinct subiculum, lack any kind of setae, have brownish, thick-walled basidiospores, and cause a white rot. The distinctive morphological characters of the new species and their related species are discussed. Phylogenies based on the nuclear ribosomal large subunit (28S) and the nuclear ribosomal ITS region show that these three new species form three distinct lineages in the Fomitiporella clade. A key to known species of Fomitiporella is given.

Phylogeny and diversity of Fomitiporella (Hymenochaetales, Basidiomycota).

Fomitiporella accommodates polypores producing annual to perennial basidiocarps with an indistinct subiculum (very thin to almost lacking), mostly a dimitic hyphal structure, lacking any kind of setae, with brownish, thick-walled basidiospores, and causing a white rot. Previously, only a few samples of Fomitiporella were studied on the basis of morphological and nuc 28S rDNA (28S)-based phylogenetic analyses. In this study, we made a comprehensive study on Fomitiporella on the basis of collections from Central America, USA, Europe, and China. The phylogenetic analysis, including 28 nuc 28S rDNA and 29 nuc rDNA ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 (internal transcribed spacer [ITS]) sequences newly generated, discovered 14 new lineages. Combined with morphological evidence, 4 new lineages are described and illustrated as new species, viz., Fomitiporella americana, F. micropora, F. sinica, and F. subinermis; 10 other new lineages, each with a single collection, are still treated as unidentified taxa; three new combinations, viz., Fomitiporella tenuissima, F. chinensis, and F. resupinata, are proposed. In addition, F. inermis is redescribed. A key to the 12 known species of Fomitiporella is provided.

Global diversity and phylogeny of Onnia (Hymenochaetaceae) species on gymnosperms.

Onnia includes white rotting polypores with annual basidiocarps, a duplex context, monomitic hyphal structure, hymenial setae, and hyaline, thin-walled, smooth basidiospores. Specimens of Onnia, originating mainly from East Asia, Europe, and North America, were studied using both morphology and phylogenetic analyses. Our concatenated data set was derived from 25 collections and included (i) 25 nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer region sequences (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 = ITS), 17 generated in this study; and (ii) 14 nuc rDNA 28S rDNA sequences, including the D1-D2 domains, 11 of them generated in this study. The resulting maximum likelihood and Bayesian phylogenies recovered all sampled collections of Onnia as a well-supported clade. In this clade, three previously accepted species, viz., Onnia leporina, O. tomentosa, and O. triquetra, received strong support, whereas three additional lineages with strong support represent the new species described in this paper, O. subtriquetra, O. microspora, and O. tibetica. Of the six Onnia species occurring on gymnosperms, O. tomentosa and O. leporina grow mainly on Picea and have circumboreal distribution in the Northern Hemisphere. In contrast, other species that mostly grow on Pinus are geographically restricted to limited regions, viz., O. triquetra in Europe, O. subtriquetra in North America, and O. microspora and O. tibetica in Asia.

Phylogeny and diversity of the morphologically similar polypore genera Rigidoporus, Physisporinus, Oxyporus, and Leucophellinus.

Rigidoporus and its morphologically similar genera Physisporinus, Oxyporus, and Leucophellinus, which include some forest pathogens and medicinal species, are very important groups of wood-decaying fungi. Species of these genera have not only ecological functions, but also economic importance. Phylogenetic and taxonomic studies on taxa in these genera were carried out. Inferred from phylogenies based on DNA sequences of the nuc rDNA ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 (internal transcribed spacer [ITS]) and D1-D2 domains of nuc 28S rDNA, 36 species sampled that traditionally belong to Physisporinus, Rigidoporus, Leucophellinus, and Oxyporus are nested mostly in eight lineages. Of these lineages, five (including four genera of Physisporinus, Emmia, Flaviporus, and Flavodon and one taxon "R. hypobrunneus") belong to Polyporales and three (including the genera Rigidoporus, Bridgeoporus, and Leucophellinus) belong to Hymenochaetales. Rigidoporus and Oxyporus are merged because the type species of both genera are nested in a single lineage within Hymenochaetales. Some taxon previously placed in Ceriporia and Oxyporus are transferred to Emmia and Flavodon, respectively, on the basis of current phylogeny. Utilizing a combination of the morphological and phylogenetic evidence, 16 new combinations in Bridgeoporus, Emmia, Flaviporus, Flavodon, Rigidoporus, and Physisporinus are proposed. Five new species, Physisporinus crataegi, P. lavendulus, P. subcrocatus, P. tibeticus, and Rigidoporus submicroporus, are recognized from China. Illustrated descriptions of these novel species are provided. Three taxa are treated at the generic level of Physisporinus because of limited samples.

Differential expression of serum proteins in rats subchronically exposed to arsenic identified by iTRAQ-based proteomic technology-14-3-3 ζ protein to serve as a potential biomarker.

Arsenic is a multi-system toxicant. However, the mechanism of arsenic toxicity is not fully clarified and few effective protein biomarkers could be used for arsenic poisoning. This study was to investigate the differentially expressed proteins in the serum of rats subchronically exposed to arsenic. Sixty male rats were randomly divided into four groups, and the dose of sodium arsenite in drinking water for each group was 0, 2, 10, and 50 mg L-1, respectively. The exposure lasted for 12 weeks. An Isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)-based proteomic approach was used to identify the differentially expressed proteins in serum between control and 50 mg L-1 groups. A total of 201 serum proteins were identified by iTRAQ, of which 12 were significantly changed by arsenic exposure with two up-regulated and ten down-regulated proteins. One down-regulated protein 14-3-3 ζ, an abundant protein expressed in the brain, was verified by ELISA using serum samples and by immunohistochemical, real time PCR, and western blot methods using brain tissues in four groups. Our work provided valuable insight into the serum protein changes in rats exposed to arsenic, and indicated that 14-3-3 ζ may serve as a useful biomarker for nervous damage caused by arsenic poisoning.

Activation of G-protein coupled estrogen receptor inhibits the proliferation of cervical cancer cells via sustained activation of ERK1/2.

Cervical cancer is one of the most common gynaecological women cancer and suggested to be modulated by estrogenic signals. G protein-coupled receptor (GPER), a seven-transmembrane G protein-coupled receptor, has been reported to regulate the cell proliferation of various cancers. But there is no study investigating the effects of GPER on the progression of cervical cancer. In the present study, we revealed for the first time that GPER was also highly expressed in various human cervical cancer cells. Activation of GPER via its specific agonist G-1 induced G2/M cell cycle arrest and down regulation of cyclin B via a time dependent manner. Furthermore, G-1 treatment induced sustained activation of extracellular-signal-regulated kinases (ERK)1/2 via epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signals. Both inhibitors of ERK1/2 and EGFR significantly abolished G-1-induced suppression of cell proliferation and down regulation of cyclin B. Generally, our study revealed that GPER is highly expressed in human cervical cancer cells and its activation inhibits cell proliferation via EGFR/ERK1/2 signals. It suggested that G-1 can be considered as a potential new pharmacological tool to reduce the growth of cervical cancer.