Acute lung injury: a view from the perspective of necroptosis.

BACKGROUND: ALI/ARDS is a syndrome of acute onset characterized by progressive hypoxemia and noncardiogenic pulmonary edema as the primary clinical manifestations. Necroptosis is a form of programmed cell necrosis that is precisely regulated by molecular signals. This process is characterized by organelle swelling and membrane rupture, is highly immunogenic, involves extensive crosstalk with various cellular stress mechanisms, and is significantly implicated in the onset and progression of ALI/ARDS. METHODS: The current body of literature on necroptosis and ALI/ARDS was thoroughly reviewed. Initially, an overview of the molecular mechanism of necroptosis was provided, followed by an examination of its interactions with apoptosis, pyroptosis, autophagy, ferroptosis, PANOptosis, and NETosis. Subsequently, the involvement of necroptosis in various stages of ALI/ARDS progression was delineated. Lastly, drugs targeting necroptosis, biomarkers, and current obstacles were presented. CONCLUSION: Necroptosis plays an important role in the progression of ALI/ARDS. However, since ALI/ARDS is a clinical syndrome caused by a variety of mechanisms, we emphasize that while focusing on necroptosis, it may be more beneficial to treat ALI/ARDS by collaborating with other mechanisms.

Atmospheric HONO emissions in China: Unraveling the spatiotemporal patterns and their key influencing factors.

Nitrous acid (HONO) can be photolyzed to produce hydroxyl radicals (OH) in the atmosphere. OH plays a critical role in the formation of secondary pollutants like ozone (O3) and secondary organic aerosols (SOA) via various oxidation reactions. Despite the abundance of recent HONO studies, research on national HONO emissions in China remains relatively limited. Therefore, this study employed a "wetting-drying" model and bottom-up approach to develop a high-resolution gridded inventory of HONO emissions for mainland China using multiple data. We used the Monte Carlo method to estimate the uncertainty in HONO emissions. In addition, the primary sources of HONO emissions were identified and their spatiotemporal distribution and main influencing factors were studied. The results indicated that the total HONO emissions in mainland China in 2016 were 0.77 Tg N (R50: 0.28-1.42 Tg N), with soil (0.42 Tg N) and fertilization (0.26 Tg N) as the primary sources, jointly contributing to over 87% of the total. Notably, the North China Plain (NCP) had the highest HONO emission density (3.51 kg N/ha/yr). Seasonal HONO emissions followed the order: summer (0.38 kg N/ha) > spring (0.19 kg N/ha) > autumn (0.17 kg N/ha) > winter (0.06 kg N/ha). Moreover, HONO emissions were strongly correlated with fertilization, cropland, temperature, and precipitation. This study provides vital scientific groundwork for the atmospheric nitrogen cycle and the formation of secondary pollutants.

Research progress on the activation mechanism of NLRP3 inflammasome in septic cardiomyopathy.

Sepsis is an uncontrolled host response to infection, resulting in a clinical syndrome involving multiple organ dysfunctions. Cardiac damage is the most common organ damage in sepsis. Uncontrolled inflammatory response is an important mechanism in the pathogenesis of septic cardiomyopathy (SCM). NLRP3 inflammasome promotes inflammatory response by controlling the activation of caspase-1 and the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin IL-1ß and IL-18. The role of NLRP3 inflammasome has received increasing attention, but its activation mechanism and regulation of inflammation in SCM remain to be investigated.

Improved ammonia emission inventory of fertilizer application for three major crops in China based on phenological data.

NH3 has an important impact on atmospheric chemistry, and its reduction has become a potential pathway to alleviate haze pollution. The existing NH3 emission inventories still have significant uncertainties in terms of their temporal distributions. In this study, we combined satellite remote-sensing phenological data with ground-station phenological data to develop a method for the temporal allocation of NH3 emissions from fertilizer application. A high-resolution dataset for fertilizer application in China was established. We developed NH3 emission inventories for the fertilization of three major crops in China, with a resolution of 1/12° × 1/12°. The results showed that there was a significant temporal variation in fertilizer application dates across the country, mainly concentrated in June (17.16 %), July (19.08 %), and August (18.77 %). The majority of fertilizer application for the three major crops occurred during the spring and summer months, with a particular emphasis on April (5.72 Tg), May (7.05 Tg), and June (4.29 Tg). The total NH3 emission from the three major crops in China in 2019 was 2.73 Tg. The North China Plain (762.23 Gg) and Middle and Lower Yangtze River Plain (606.85 Gg) were identified as the primary regions for high NH3 emissions from fertilizer application. The results also showed that NH3 emissions from the three major crops were predominantly observed during summer, with a peak value in July (606.99 Gg), mainly because of the high proportion of topdressing fertilizers. Areas with high fertilizer application generally coincided with areas of high NH3 emissions. This study may be the first to utilize remote-sensing phenological data to establish the NH3 emission inventory, which is of great significance for further improving the accuracy of the NH3 emission inventory.

Short-term responses of macroinvertebrate assemblages to the "ten-year fishing ban" in the largest highland lake of the Yangtze basin.

The rapid decline of freshwater biodiversity caused by overfishing has led to the implementation of a series of conservation measures, including fishing bans. However, existing studies have mostly focused on the effects of fishing bans on economically important species, while impacts on freshwater macroinvertebrates in lake ecosystems have been rarely studied. This study used a before-and-after methodology to determine the short-term effects of the "ten-year fishing ban" on the macroinvertebrates of the Dianchi Lake, the largest highland freshwater lake in the upper Yangtze basin, between 2015 and 2022. Following the fishing ban, the overall macroinvertebrate species richness (median [interquartile]) across sites increased from 4 [2-6] to 5 [4-7]. The total density increased from 128 [80-272] to 212 [140-325] n/m2. The median biomass increased from 0.18 [0.08-0.41] to 0.51 [0.26-2.36] g/m2. In particular, the Chironomidae density in the offshore sites increased from 16.00 [0.00-32.00] to 33.30 [16.00-48.00] n/m2, and the biomass increased from 0.03 [0.00-0.09] to 0.16 [0.07-0.22] g/m2. Within the inshore sites, the aquatic insect density increased from 4 [1.33-15.33] to 56 [22.00-86.67] n/m2. The Malacostraca density increased from 34.67 [11.67-95.33] to 110 [53.33-223.33] n/m2, and the biomass increased from 0.43 [0.11-1.00] to 1.48 [0.50-2.00] g/m2. Two endangered Margarya species were rediscovered at multiple sites compared to the pre-fishing ban period. A significant change in macroinvertebrate community structure across the lake was observed, which can be largely attributed to the fishing ban. The immediate increase in species richness, density, and biomass of most macroinvertebrate species suggests a combination of effects from both reduced exploitation pressure and lessened disturbances on lake habitats. The findings indicate that the fishing ban is beneficial for the recovery of most macroinvertebrate species in freshwater lakes.

Atmospheric ammonia in China: Long-term spatiotemporal variation, urban-rural gradient, and influencing factors.

In recent years, atmospheric ammonia (NH3) concentrations have increased in China. Ammonia control has become one of the next hot topics in air pollution mitigation with the increasing cost of acid gas emission reduction. In this study, using Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) satellite observations, we analyzed the spatiotemporal distribution, the urban-rural gradient of the vertical column densities (VCDs) of NH3 and the contribution of influencing factors (meteorology, social, atmospheric acid gases, and NH3 emissions) in China from 2008 to 2019 using hotspot analysis, circular gradient analysis, geographical and temporal weighted regression, and some other methods. Our results showed that NH3 VCDs in China have significantly increased (31.88 %) from 2008 to 2019, with the highest occurring in North China Plain. The average NH3 VCDs in urban areas were significantly higher than those in rural areas, and the urban-rural gap in NH3 VCDs was widening. The results of circular gradient analysis showed an overall decreasing trend in NH3 VCDs along the urban-rural gradient. We used a geographically and temporally weighted regression model to analyze the contribution of various influencing factors to NH3 VCDs: meteorology (30.13 %), social (27.40 %), atmospheric acid gases (23.20 %), and NH3 emissions (19.28 %) factors. The results showed substantial spatiotemporal differences in the influencing factors. Atmospheric acid gas was the main reason for the increase in NH3 VCDs from 2008 to 2019. A more thorough understanding of the spatiotemporal distribution, urban-rural variations, and factors influencing NH3 in China will aid in developing control strategies to reduce PM2.5.

Research Progress on Autophagy Regulation by Active Ingredients of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Treatment of Acute Lung Injury.

Autophagy is a highly conserved process that maintains cell stability in eukaryotes, participates in the turnover of intracellular substances to maintain cell function, helps to resist pathogen invasion, and improves cell tolerance to environmental changes. Autophagy has been observed in many diseases, and the symptoms of these diseases are significantly improved by regulating autophagy. Autophagy is also involved in the development of lung diseases. Studies have shown that autophagy may play a beneficial or harmful role in acute lung injury (ALI), and ALI has been treated with traditional Chinese medicine designed to promote or inhibit autophagy. In this paper, the molecular mechanism and common pathways regulating autophagy and the relationship between autophagy and ALI are introduced, and the active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine that improve ALI symptoms by regulating autophagy are summarized.

Multi-Level Optimization and Strategies in Microbial Biotransformation of Nature Products.

Continuously growing demand for natural products with pharmacological activities has promoted the development of microbial transformation techniques, thereby facilitating the efficient production of natural products and the mining of new active compounds. Furthermore, due to the shortcomings and defects of microbial transformation, it is an important scientific issue of social and economic value to improve and optimize microbial transformation technology in increasing the yield and activity of transformed products. In this review, the aspects regarding the optimization of fermentation and the cross-disciplinary strategy, leading to the microbial transformation of increased levels of the high-efficiency process from natural products of a plant or microbial origin, were discussed. Additionally, due to the increasing craving for targeted and efficient methods for detecting transformed metabolites, analytical methods based on multiomics were also discussed. Such strategies can be well exploited and applied to the production of more efficient and more natural products from microbial resources.

Plant Triterpenoids Regulate Endophyte Community to Promote Medicinal Plant Schisandra sphenanthera Growth and Metabolites Accumulation.

Beneficial interactions between endophytes and plants are critical for plant growth and metabolite accumulation. Nevertheless, the secondary metabolites controlling the feedback between the host plant and the endophytic microbial community remain elusive in medicinal plants. In this report, we demonstrate that plant-derived triterpenoids predominantly promote the growth of endophytic bacteria and fungi, which in turn promote host plant growth and secondary metabolite productions. From culturable bacterial and fungal microbial strains isolated from the medicinal plant Schisandra sphenanthera, through triterpenoid-mediated screens, we constructed six synthetic communities (SynComs). By using a binary interaction method in plates, we revealed that triterpenoid-promoted bacterial and fungal strains (TPB and TPF) played more positive roles in the microbial community. The functional screening of representative strains suggested that TPB and TPF provide more beneficial abilities to the host. Moreover, pot experiments in a sterilized system further demonstrated that TPB and TPF play important roles in host growth and metabolite accumulation. In summary, these experiments revealed a role of triterpenoids in endophytic microbiome assembly and indicated a strategy for constructing SynComs on the basis of the screening of secondary metabolites, in which bacteria and fungi join forces to promote plant health. These findings may open new avenues towards the breeding of high yielding and high metabolite-accumulating medicinal plants by exploiting their interaction with beneficial endophytes.

Phytoremediation potential of Youngia japonica (L.) DC: a newly discovered cadmium hyperaccumulator.

Cadmium (Cd) is one of the most toxic contaminants, causing a lot of harm to environment and the human health. An outdoor pot experiment for 60 days was conducted to study the Cd(II) effects on growth, biomass, physiological properties, Cd uptake, and accumulation in Youngia japonica plants but also to evaluate the effect of Y. japonica growth on enzyme activity of Cd-contamination soils. Generally, the application of Cd(II) less than 120 mg kg-1 stimulated the growth of the plants, whereas at 160 mg kg-1 or higher levels, a significant reduction was observed. For all treatments > 10 mg kg-1 Cd(II) in soil, values of Cd in roots and aboveground parts were more than the critical value of 100 mg kg-1 and reached highest values of 252.51 and 314.29 mg kg-1, respectively. The bioconcentration factors (BCF) and translation factors (TF) for all Cd treatments were more than 1.0, with the former ranging from 1.03 to 5.46 and the later from 1.04 to 1.33. The activities of peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), as well as the levels of glutathione (GSH) and proline in Y. japonica plants after exposure to 10-200 mg kg-1 Cd(II) were stimulated, implying that they were defensive guards to the oxidative stress produced by Cd. The urease, dehydrogenase, and alkaline phosphatase activities under low Cd concentrations can be enhanced by planting Y. japonica species but inhibited under high Cd concentrations. Our data provide comprehensive evidence that Y. japonica has the typical properties of a Cd hyperaccumulator and thus may be practically employed to alleviate Cd from contaminated soils.

Kadanguslactones A-E, further oxygenated terpenoids from Kadsura angustifolia fermented by a symbiotic endophytic fungus, Penicillium ochrochloron SWUKD4.1850.

The fermentation of Kadsura angustifolia with an endophytic fungus, Penicillium ochrochloron SWUKD4.1850 yielded five additional undescribed oxygenated terpenoids, kadanguslactones A-E, together with ten known compounds. Their structures were established by the extensive 1D, 2D-NMR, HR-ESI-MS, CD and X-ray crystallography data analysis. Kadanguslactone A is the first example of 1,30-cyclo-3,4; 9,10-disecocycloartanes that combine a five-membered lactone ring A with a cyclopentane ring B consisting of C-1, C-4, C-5, C-10, C-30. Kadanguslactone B was a rare highly oxygenated 18-norschiartane-type bisnortriterpenoid with spirocyclis rings F and G, whereas kadanguslactone C was an uncommon henrischinin-type schitriterpenoid containing a unique 3-one-2-oxabicyclo [3,2,1]-octane motif. The cytotoxicity against HepG2 cell line of all compounds were evaluated. Except nigranoic acid, all other metabolites have been first found in unfermented K. angustifolia, suggesting that main functional ingredients from K. angustifolia may be converted by P. ochrochloron SWUKD4.1850 into highly oxygenated terpenoids. This study provided a fascinating prospective for setting up alternative processing techniques to enhance the functionality and utility of Chinese herbal medicine.

Evaluation of the phytoremediation potential of dominant plant species growing in a chromium salt-producing factory wasteland, China.

The metal contents of the soil and plant tissues in a large chromium salt-producing factory wasteland were determined to assess the properties of soil contamination and to identify plant species accumulating a range of heavy metals. Total metal contents in the factory soils presented a high heterogeneity, and the principal contaminants were Cd and Cr. All plant species examined were metal-tolerant, but to different extents. Especially, the maximum accumulation of Cd (15.61 mg kg-1) and Cr (925.07 mg kg-1) was found in Melia azedarach L. Subsequently, the Cd and Cr bioaccumulation and diverse physiological properties of M. azedarach seedlings exposed to different concentrations of Cd(II), Cr(VI), or Cd(II) + Cr(VI) in nutrient solutions were further investigated. All treated seedlings were able to survive under heavy metal stress, and the accumulation of both metals in plant tissues increased with elevation of metal exposure strength. M. azedarach showed a BCF greater than 147.56 for Cd and 36.76 for Cr. Meanwhile, the TF was lower than 0.25 for Cd and 0.32 for Cr. The highest bioaccumulation in root tissues was 2708.03 mg kg-1 Cd and 824.65 mg kg-1 Cr for seedlings cultured with 20 mg L-1 Cd(II) or 20 mg L-1 Cr(VI). Cd and Cr increased each other's uptake in seedlings although a reduced accumulation in roots occurred when exposed to the highest concentration of Cd(II) + Cr(VI) treatment (20 mg L-1). At either level of concentration, the degree of plant growth inhibition and oxidative damage caused by heavy metals was Cd(II) + Cr(VI) > Cr(VI) > Cd(II). Superoxide dismutase and peroxidase exhibited positive and effective responses to low-Cd(II) or Cr(VI) concentration stress, but their activities decreased with increasing metal exposure strength. The behavior of the non-enzymatic antioxidants (GSH, soluble protein, and proline) in plant involved in the detoxification of ROS induced by metal exposure was correlated well with higher Cd and Cr accumulations. Here, the potentiality of M. azedarach with the capacity to accumulate and stabilize Cd/Cr in metal-contaminated soil by phytoremediation process has been explored.

Norfloxacin pollution alters species composition and stability of plankton communities.

Despite recent advances in assessing lethal effects of antibiotics on freshwater organisms, little is known about their potential consequences on community composition and function, which are essential for assessing the ecological risk of these pollutants. Here, we investigated the impact of norfloxacin (NOR) on the short-term (≤ 6 days) dynamics of co-cultured Scenedesmusquadricauda-Chlorella vulgaris and Scenedesmusobliquus-C. vulgaris, and the long-term (≤ 70 days) dynamics of co-cultured S.obliquus-C. vulgaris in experiments with or without grazer Daphnia magna at sublethal antibiotic concentrations (0, 0.5, 2 and 8 mg L-1). NOR increased the relative abundance of Scenedesmus species in the absence of grazers but exerted opposite effects when Daphnia was present in both short- and long-term experiments due to reduced colony size. Meanwhile, increasing NOR concentrations led to quickly increased total algal density in the initial stage, followed by a sharp decline in the long-term experiment in the absence of grazers; when Daphnia was present, population fluctuations were even larger for both prey and predator species (e.g., grazer extinction at the highest concentration). Thus, NOR affected the outcome of species interactions and decreased temporal stability of plankton ecosystems, suggesting that antibiotics have more extensive impacts than presently recognized.

Diversity and bioactivities of fungal endophytes from Distylium chinense, a rare waterlogging tolerant plant endemic to the Three Gorges Reservoir.

BACKGROUND: The present study involves diversity and biological activities of the endophytic fungal community from Distylium chinense, a rare waterlogging tolerant plant endemic to the Three Gorges Reservoir. This study has been conducted hypothesizing that the microbial communities in the TGR area would contribute to the host plant tolerating a range of abiotic stress such as summer flooding, infertility, drought, salinity and soil erosion etc., and they may produce new metabolites, which may possess plentiful bioactive property, especially antioxidant activity. Therefore in the current study, the antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticancer activities of 154 endophytes recovered from D. chinense have been investigated. Furthermore, the active metabolites of the most broad-spectrum bioactive strain have also been studied. RESULTS: A total of 154 fungal endophytes were isolated from roots and stems. They were categorized into 30 morphotypes based on cultural characteristics and were affiliated with 27 different taxa. Among these, the most abundant fungal orders included Diaporthales (34.4%) and Botryosphaeriales (30.5%), which were predominantly represented by the species Phomopsis sp. (24.7%) and Neofusicoccum parvum (23.4%). Fermentation extracts were evaluated, screening for antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticancer activities. Among the 154 isolates tested, 99 (64.3%) displayed significant antioxidant activity, 153 (99.4%) exhibited inclusive antimicrobial activity against at least one tested microorganism and 27 (17.5%) showed exclusive anticancer activity against one or more cancer cell lines. Specifically, the crude extract of Irpex lacteus DR10-1 exhibited note-worthy bioactivities. Further chemical investigation on DR10-1 strain resulted in the isolation and identification of two known bioactive metabolites, indole-3-carboxylic acid (1) and indole-3-carboxaldehyde (2), indicating their potential roles in plant growth promotion and human medicinal value. CONCLUSION: These results indicated that diverse endophytic fungal population inhabits D. chinense. One of the fungal isolate DR10-1 (Irpex lacteus) exhibited significant antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticancer potential. Further, its active secondary metabolites 1 and 2 also showed antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticancer potential.

More than 20 W fiber-based continuous-wave single frequency laser at 780†nm.

We demonstrate a 21.2 W continuous-wave single frequency 780 nm laser by utilizing single-pass frequency doubling of a 49.8 W 1560 nm fiber amplifier in a periodically-poled magnesium-oxide-doped lithium niobate (MgO: PPLN) crystal. The conversion efficiency of the frequency doubling reaches up to 42.6%. The high power 1560 nm Erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) is in-band pumped by a 1480 nm Raman fiber laser. Maximum output power of 49.8 W is obtained at an incident 1480 nm laser of 60.6 W, corresponding to an amplification efficiency of 79.7%. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest reported continuous-wave single frequency 780 nm laser, which is developed for advanced quantum technology with Rb cold atoms.

More than 200 W random Raman fiber laser with ultra-short cavity length based on phosphosilicate fiber.

An over 200 W high-power first-order random Raman fiber laser (RRFL) at 1238 nm is demonstrated. The laser is based on a half-open cavity with a piece of 30 m phosphosilicate fiber. This RRFL is pumped by a conventional 1064 nm Yb-doped fiber laser. After suppressing the silica Raman component, a maximum output power of 206.7 W is obtained with a full width half-maximum linewidth of 7.1 nm at a pump power of 346.3 W, corresponding to an optical-to-optical efficiency of 59.7%. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest reported output power of RRFL on the basis of phosphosilicate fiber with the shortest cavity length.

Comparative transcriptome analysis reveals regulatory networks and key genes of microsclerotia formation in the cotton vascular wilt pathogen.

Verticillium dahliae is a soil-borne, hemibiotrophic phytopathogenic fungus that causes Verticillium wilt in a broad range of economic crops. The microsclerotia (MS), which act as the main host inoculum, can survive long-term in soil resulting in uncontrollable disease. In order to clarify the mechanism of MS formation, we sequenced the whole genome-wide expression profile of V. dahliae strain V991. Compared with M1 (no MS formation), during the process of MS formation and maturation, 1354, 1571, and 1521 unique tags were significantly regulated in M2, M3, and M4 library, respectively. During MS formation, melanin synthesis-related genes were preferentially upregulated. The process is more likely to regulated by transcription factors (TFs) including C2H2, Zn2Cys6, bZIP, and fungal-specific TF domain-containing proteins; additionally, G-protein coupled receptors, Ca2+, small GTPases, and cAMP were involved in signalling transduction. Protein kinase-encoding (VDAG_06474) and synthase-encoding (VDAG_05314) genes were demonstrated to negatively and positively influence MS production, respectively. The gene expression dynamics revealed during MS formation provide comprehensive theoretical knowledge to further understanding of the metabolism and regulation of MS development in V. dahliae, potentially providing targets to control Verticillium wilt through interfering MS formation.

Enhanced production of unusual triterpenoids from Kadsura angustifolia fermented by a symbiont endophytic fungus, Penicillium sp. SWUKD4.1850.

Highly oxygenated schitriterpenoids are interesting for study of their structures, bioactivities and synthesis. From Kadsura angustifolia fermented by an associated symbiotic endophytic fungus, Penicillium sp. SWUKD4.1850, nine undescribed triterpenoids, kadhenrischinins A-H, and 7ß-schinalactone C together with four known triterpenoids, henrischinins A and B, schinalactone C and nigranoic acid were isolated and established by the extensive 1D-, 2D-NMR, HR-ESI-MS and ECD data analysis. Except nigranoic acid, all these metabolites have been first detected in non-fermented K. angustifolia. Structurally, kadhenrischinins A-D belong to the relatively rare class of highly oxygenated schitriterpenoids that contain a unique 3-one-2-oxabicyclo [3,2,1]-octane motif, while kadhenrischinins E-H feature a cyclopentane ring in a side chain rarely found in the family Schisandraceae. These results indicated that fermentation of K. angustifolia with SWUKD4.1850 induced the production of highly oxygenated schitriterpenoids from nigranoic acid, which provided a guidance to obtain desired compounds from those plants initially thought not to produce. This is the first report on the fermentation of K. angustifolia medical plant and the first discovery of highly oxygenated schitriterpenoids by microbial technology.

An endophytic fungus from Trichoderma harzianum SWUKD3.1610 that produces nigranoic acid and its analogues.

The objective of this study was to determine whether endophytic fungi, isolated from Kadsura angustifolia produce nigranoic acid and its highly oxygenated derivatives. From the 426 endophytic fungi screened, Trichoderma harzianum SWUKD3.1610 was detected to have a component with the same TLC R f value and HPLC retention time as authentic nigranoic acid. This component was further confirmed as nigranoic acid by investigating the chemical composition of the fungal extracts. Besides (1), one new triterpenoid, 7ß- schinalactone C (2), and two known minor compounds were isolated and characterized by HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic methods. Our study indicates that endophytic fungus may play an important role in increasing the quality of the crude drugs from Chinese medicinal plant K. angustifolia. This study is the first to isolate, characterize, and identify schitriterpenes-producing Trichoderma spp.

Effects of an Endophytic Fungus Umbelopsis dimorpha on the Secondary Metabolites of Host-Plant Kadsura angustifolia.

Fungal endophytes live widely inside plant tissues and some have been revealed to provide benefits to their host and ecological environment. Considering the fact that endophytes are engaged in remarkably stable long-term interactions with the host for their whole life cycle, it's conceivable that both partners have substantial influence on each other's metabolic processes. Here, we investigated the fermented products of an endophytic fungus Umbelopsis dimorpha SWUKD3.1410 grown on host-plant Kadsura angustifolia and wheat bran, respectively, to assess the impact of SWUKD3.1410 on the secondary metabolites of K. angustifolia. Twenty compounds (1-20) were isolated and identified as 11 schitriterpenoids (1-9, 17-18), two lignans (10, 20), two sesquiterpenoids (11-12), one trinorsesquiterpenoid (13), one monoterpene (14), one sterol (19), and two simple aromatic compounds (15-16) by the extensive 1D-, 2D-NMR and HR-ESI-MS data analysis. Except for nigranoic acid (1), compounds 2-19 have been firstly found from K. angustifolia. Of them, metabolites 2, 11, and 14 were identified to be new. Obtained results indicated that U. dimorpha SWUKD3.1410 could not only produce the same/similar components as its host does, and modify the host-plant components, but also enhance the production of these highly oxygenated schitriterpenoids/schinortriterpenoids in plants. This study suggested an interesting prospective for setting up alternative processing techniques to improve the quality of crude drugs derived from K. angustifolia and increase their values.