Amatoxins are ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified bicyclic octapeptides biosynthesized by the deadly basidiomycete fungus Amanita phalloides. Amongst this group, alpha-amanitin is the most widely known toxin and is currently under inv ...
Tree species diversity of forested ecosystems control the diversity of leaf litter inputs to the soil, with cascading effects on the microbial communities colonizing decomposing litter. However, the extent to which bacterial and fungal communities inhabiti ...
Water scarcity negatively impacts global crop yields and climate change is expected to greatly increase the severity of future droughts. The use of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can potentially mitigate the effects of water stress in plants. Cassava i ...
The abundance and speciation of primary biological aerosol particles (PBAP) is important for understanding their impacts on human health, cloud formation, and ecosystems. Towards this, we have developed a protocol for quantifying PBAP collected from large ...
Sponges are the oldest known extant animal-microbe symbiosis. These ubiquitous benthic animals play an important role in marine ecosystems in the cycling of dissolved organic matter (DOM), the largest source of organic matter on Earth. The conventional vie ...
Aspergillus niger and other filamentous fungi are widely used in industry, but efficient genetic engineering of these hosts remains nascent. For example, while molecular genetic tools have been developed, including CRISPR/Cas9, facile genome engineering of ...
The ability of the multispecies biofilm membrane reactors (MBM reactors) to provide distinguished niches for aerobic and anaerobic microbes at the same time was used for the investigation of the consolidated bioprocessing of cellulose to short chain fatty ...
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are host-encoded antibiotics that combat invading microorganisms. These short, cationic peptides have been implicated in many biological processes, primarily involving innate immunity. In vitro studies have shown AMPs kill bac ...
Freshwater fungi are a diverse group of organisms and fulfill important functions in the food web dynamics of surface water ecosystems. Ascomycetic and basidiomycetic hyphomycetes play key roles in leaf litter breakdown in rivers and creeks, while parasiti ...
The consumption of fresh fruit and vegetable products has strongly increased during the past few decades. However, inherent to all minimally processed products is the short shelf life, and the risk of foodborne diseases, which have been increasingly relate ...
