MycoWeekly Newsletter

Your Weekly Dose of Mycology Research

Semiartificial Photoelectrochemistry for CO2-Mediated Enantioselective Organic Synthesis.

2025-04-15
Journal of the American Chemical Society • Level 3 (4 panels)
Tessel Bouwens, Samuel J. Cobb, C. W. S. Yeung, Yongpeng Liu, Guilherme Martins, Inês A. C. Pereira, E. Reisner

This study explores semiartificial photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells, traditionally used for solar fuel synthesis, to achieve enantioselective organic synthesis from CO2. By integrating enzymatic domino catalysis into PEC cells, researchers synthesized chiral 1-phenylethanol efficiently. This novel approach demonstrates the potential of PEC technology in sustainable, light-driven biocatalysis.

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Diet-regulated transcriptional plasticity of plant parasites in plant-mutualist environments.

2025-04-17
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America • Level 3 (24 panels)
M. W. H. Maxwell, Barry E Causier, Jasper Chippendale, J. R. Ault, C. Bell

This study examines the transcriptional plasticity of plant parasites, offering insights into how these organisms adapt to variations in plant quality caused by mutualistic fungi. The findings reveal a mechanism enabling parasites to optimize parasitism and reproduction in response to host plant changes, highlighting dynamic interactions between parasitic animals and their plant-mutualist environments.

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A plant CLE peptide and its fungal mimic promote arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis via CRN-mediated ROS suppression.

2025-04-14
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America • Level 3 (24 panels)
Sagar Bashyal, Hasani Everett, Suzanne Matsuura, Lena M. Müller

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis involves a mutualistic relationship between plant roots and fungi. Recent research identifies that the plant peptide MtCLE16, and its fungal counterpart, function through the pseudokinase MtCRN to suppress reactive oxygen species (ROS) in Medicago truncatula. This suppression attenuates immune responses, facilitating enhanced AM fungal colonization in roots.

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New species of Thelephora (Thelephorales, Basidiomycota) associated with Dicymbe and Aldina in Guyana.

2025-03-31
Mycologia • Level 2 (6 panels)
J. Alvarez-Manjarrez, Terry W. Henkel, Ansel Duncan, M. C. Aime, K. Peay, Matthew E. Smith

In fungal taxonomy, thelephoroid fungi are a group within the order Thelephorales. This study identifies four novel species from Guyana, Thelephora ascendens, Thelephora compacta, Thelephora singularis, and Thelephora ventricobasidia, which are notably prevalent in association with Dicymbe and Aldina host trees. These findings expand the known biodiversity of thelephoroid fungi in neotropical ecosystems.

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