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This paper investigates the composition of major, trace, and rare earth elements in 15 different species of wild edible mushrooms and the possible effect of urban pollution on elemental uptake. The collected mushrooms include different species from the green areas of the city, exposed to urban pollution, and from the forests, with limited anthropogenic influence. Through a comprehensive approach that included the analysis of 46 elements, an attempt was made to expand knowledge about element uptake by mushroom fruiting bodies. The results showed a wide variability in the composition of mushrooms, suggesting a number of factors influencing their element uptake capacity. The data obtained do not indicate significant exposure to anthropogenic influences, regardless of sampling location. While major elements' levels appear to be influenced more by species-specific affinities, this is not true for trace elements, whose levels presumably reflect the geochemical characteristics of the sampling site. However, the risk assessment showed that consumption of excessive amounts of the mushrooms studied, both from urban areas and from forests, may have adverse health effects.Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19)-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) is a severe fungal infection complicating critically ill COVID-19 patients. Numerous retrospective and prospective studies have been performed to get a better grasp on this lethal co-infection. We performed a qualitative review and summarized data from 48 studies in which 7047 patients had been included, of whom 820 had CAPA. The pooled incidence of proven, probable or putative CAPA was 15.1% among 2953 ICU-admitted COVID-19 patients included in 18 prospective studies. Incidences showed great variability due to multiple factors such as discrepancies in the rate and depth of the fungal work-up. The pathophysiology and risk factors for CAPA are ill-defined, but therapy with corticosteroids and anti-interleukin-6 therapy potentially confer the biggest risk. Sampling for mycological work-up using bronchoscopy is the cornerstone for diagnosis, as imaging is often aspecific. CAPA is associated with an increased mortality, but we do not have conclusive data whether therapy contributes to an increased survival in these patients. We conclude our review with a comparison between influenza-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (IAPA) and CAPA.Aquatic hyphomycetes are key microbial decomposers in freshwater that are capable of producing extracellular enzymes targeting complex molecules of leaf litter, thus, being crucial to nutrient cycling in these ecosystems. These fungi are also able to assimilate nutrients (e.g., nitrogen) from stream water, immobilizing these nutrients in the decomposing leaf litter and increasing its nutritional value for higher trophic levels. Evaluating the aquatic hyphomycete functional genetic diversity is, thus, pivotal to understanding the potential impacts of biodiversity loss on nutrient cycling in freshwater. In this work, the inter- and intraspecific taxonomic (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region) and functional (nitrate reductase gene) diversity of 40 aquatic hyphomycete strains, belonging to 23 species, was evaluated. A positive correlation was found between the taxonomic and nitrate reductase gene divergences. Interestingly, some cases challenged this trend Dactylella cylindrospora (Orbiliomycetes) and Thelonectria rubi (Sordariomycetes), which were phylogenetically identical but highly divergent regarding the nitrate reductase gene; and Collembolispora barbata (incertae sedis) and Tetracladium apiense (Leotiomycetes), which exhibited moderate taxonomic divergence but no divergence in the nitrate reductase gene. Additionally, Tricladium chaetocladium (Leotiomycetes) strains were phylogenetically identical but displayed a degree of nitrate reductase gene divergence above the average for the interspecific level. Overall, both inter- and intraspecific functional diversity were observed among aquatic hyphomycetes.Sirex noctilio along with its mutualistic fungal symbiont, Amylostereum areolatum (a white rot fungus), is an invasive pest that causes excessive damage to Pinus plantations in Northeast China. In 2015, S. noctilio were found to attack Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica, and often share larval habitat with the native woodwasp, S. nitobei. The objective of this study was to determine the possible origin(s) of the introduced pest complex in China and analyse the genetic diversity between A. see more areolatum isolated from invasive S. noctilio, native S. nitobei and other woodwasps collected from Europe (native range) and other countries. Phylogenetic analyses were performed using the intergenic spacer (IGS) dataset and the combined 4-locus dataset (the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS), translation elongation factor alpha 1 (tef1), DNA-directed ribosomal polymerase II (RPB2), and mitochondrial small subunit (mtSSU)) of three Amylostereum taxa. The multilocus genotyping of nuclear ribosomal regions and protein coding genes revealed at least three distinct multilocus genotypes (MLGs) of the fungus associated with invasive S. noctilio populations in Northeast China, which may have come from North America or Europe. The IGS region of A. areolatum carried by S. noctilio from China was designated type B1D2. Our results showed a lack of fidelity (the paradigm of obligate fidelity to a single fungus per wasp species) between woodwasp hosts and A. areolatum. We found that the native S. nitobei predominantly carried A. areolatum IGS-D2, but a low percentage of females instead carried A. areolatum IGS-B1D2 (MLG A13), which was presumably due to horizontal transmission from S. noctilio, during the sequential use of the same wood for larval development. The precise identification of the A. areolatum genotypes provides valuable insight into co-evolution between Siricidae and their symbionts, as well as understanding of the geographical origin and history of both Sirex species and their associated fungi.(1) Background The white Hypsizygus marmoreus is a popular edible mushroom in East Asia markets. Research on the systematic investigation of the protein expression changes in the cultivation process of this mushroom are few. (2) Methods Label-free LC-MS/MS quantitative proteomics analysis technique was adopted to obtain the protein expression profiles of six groups of samples collected in different growth stages. A total of 3468 proteins were identified. The UpSetR plot analysis, Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) analysis, and principal component (PC) analysis were performed to reveal the correlation among the six groups of samples. The differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were organised by One-way ANOVA test and divided into four clusters. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis were performed to divide the DEPs into different metabolic processes and pathways in each cluster. (3) Results The DEPs in cluster 1 are of the highest abundance in the mycelium and are the commercially relevant edible fungi the white H. marmoreus. In the mycelium stage, most of the DEPs are associated with cell proliferation, signal response, and mycelium growth. In the primordia and unmatured fruiting bodies stage, the DEPs are mainly involved in biomass increase, cell proliferation, signal response, and differentiation. In the mature fruiting body stage, the DEPs in the stem are largely associated with cell elongation and increase in biomass, and most of the DEPs in the cap are mainly related to pileus expansion. Several carbohydrate-active enzymes, transcription factors, heat shock proteins, and some DEPs involved in MAPK and cAMP signaling pathways were determined. These proteins might play vital roles in metabolic processes and activities. This research can add value to the understanding of mechanisms concerning mushroom development during commercial production.Two new corticioid fungal species, Phanerochaete pruinosa and P. rhizomorpha spp. nov. are proposed based on a combination of morphological features and molecular evidence. Phanerochaete pruinosa is characterized by the resupinate basidiomata with the pruinose hymenial surface, a monomitic hyphal system with simple-septate generative hyphae and subcylindrical basidiospores measuring as 3.5-6.7 × 1.5-2.7 µm. Phanerochaete rhizomorpha is characterized by having a smooth hymenophore covered by orange hymenial surface, the presence of rhizomorphs, subulate cystidia, and narrower ellipsoid to ellipsoid basidiospores. Sequences of ITS+nLSU nrRNA gene regions of the studied specimens were generated and phylogenetic analyses were performed with maximum likelihood, maximum parsimony, and Bayesian inference methods. These phylogenetic analyses showed that two new species clustered into genus Phanerochaete, in which P. pruinosa was sister to P. yunnanensis with high supports (100% BS, 100% BT, 1.00 BPP); morphologically differing by a pale orange to greyish orange and densely cracked hymenial surface. Another species P. rhizomorpha was closely grouped with P. citrinosanguinea with lower supports; morphologically having yellow to reddish yellow hymenial surface, and smaller cystidia measuring as 31-48 × 2.3-4.8 µm.Cercospora leaf spot (CLS), caused by the fungal pathogen Cercospora beticola, is the most important foliar pathogen of sugar beet worldwide. Extensive reliance on fungicides to manage CLS has resulted in the evolution of fungicide resistance in C. beticola worldwide, including populations in the Czech Republic. One important class of fungicides used to manage CLS is the sterol demethylation inhibitors (DMI). The aim of our study was to assess DMI resistance in C. beticola from the Czech Republic and elucidate the molecular basis of DMI resistance in this population. A total of 50 isolates were collected in 2018 and 2019 from the major sugar beet growing regions of the Czech Republic and assessed for in vitro sensitivity to the DMI fungicides propiconazole, prochloraz, and epoxiconazole. These analyses identified three strains that exhibited 50% effective concentration (EC50) values > 1.0 μg mL-1 against respective fungicides, which were therefore considered resistant. In contrast, strains that exhibited lowest EC50 values were considered sensitive. To explore the molecular basis of resistance in these three strains, the cytochrome P450-dependent sterol 14α-demethylase (Cyp51) gene was sequenced. Sequence analysis identified a Y464S mutation in all three resistant strains. To assess whether Cyp51 gene expression may play a role in DMI resistance, selected strains were grown in vitro with and without fungicide treatment. These analyses indicated that Cyp51 gene expression was significantly induced after fungicide treatment. Thus, we conclude that Y464S point mutation along with induced Cyp51 gene overexpression is likely responsible for resistance against DMI fungicides in C. beticola from the Czech Republic.Mucorales is the largest and most well-studied order of the phylum Mucormycota and is known for its rapid growth rate and various industrial applications. The Mucorales fungi are a fascinating group of filamentous organisms with many uses in research and the industrial and medical fields. They are widely used biotechnological producers of various secondary metabolites and other value-added products. Certain members of Mucorales are extensively used as model organisms for genetic and molecular investigation and have extended our understanding of the metabolisms of other members of this order as well. Compared with other fungal species, our understanding of Mucoralean fungi is still in its infancy, which could be linked to their lack of effective genetic tools. However, recent advancements in molecular tools and approaches, such as the construction of recyclable markers, silencing vectors, and the CRISPR-Cas9-based gene-editing system, have helped us to modify the genomes of these model organisms. Multiple genetic modifications have been shown to generate valuable products on a large scale and helped us to understand the morphogenesis, basic biology, pathogenesis, and host-pathogen interactions of Mucoralean fungi.