Plant Endophytic Fungus Pestalotiopsis Fici Research Articles

Combination Strategy of Genetic Dereplication and Manipulation of Epigenetic Regulators Reveals a Novel Compound from Plant Endophytic Fungus.

The strategies of genetic dereplication and manipulation of epigenetic regulators to activate the cryptic gene clusters are effective to discover natural products with novel structure in filamentous fungi. In this study, a combination of genetic dereplication (deletion of pesthetic acid biosynthetic gene, PfptaA) and manipulation of epigenetic regulators (deletion of histone methyltransferase gene PfcclA and histone deacetylase gene PfhdaA) was developed in plant endophytic fungus Pestalotiopsis fici. The deletion of PfptaA with PfcclA and/or PfhdaA led to isolation of 1 novel compound, pestaloficiol X (1), as well as another 11 known compounds with obvious yield changes. The proposed biosynthesis pathway of pestaloficiol X was speculated using comparative analysis of homologous biosynthetic gene clusters. Moreover, phenotypic effects on the conidial development and response to oxidative stressors in the mutants were explored. Our results revealed that the new strain with deletion of PfcclA or PfhdaA in ΔPfptaA background host can neutralise the hyperformation of conidia in the PfptaA mutant, and that the ΔPfptaA ΔPfhdaA mutant was generally not sensitive to oxidative stressors as much as the ΔPfptaA ΔcclA mutant in comparison with the single mutant ΔPfptaA or the parental strains. This combinatorial approach can be applied to discover new natural products in filamentous fungi.

Chloropupukeananin and Pestalofone C Regulate Autophagy through AMPK and Glycolytic Pathway.

Chloropupukeananin (RN56-6) and Pestalofone C (RN56-49), isolated from the culture of the plant endophytic fungus Pestalotiopsis fici, have been shown cytotoxic, anti-HIV, and antimicrobial activities. However, the underlying mechanism of their regulatory roles in autophagy remains unknown. In the present study, we revealed that both compounds increased the formation of autophagosome and enhanced autophagic flux. While RN56-6 upregulated the expression of HK2, one of the key rate-limiting enzymes of glycolysis, the inhibition of glycolysis chemically attenuated RN56-6-induced autophagy. On the contrary, RN56-49 downregulated the expression of HK2, while the suppression of glycolysis promoted RN56-49-dependent autophagic flux. Moreover, the knockdown of AMPKβ1, a scaffolding subunit of AMPK, decreased autophagy induced by these two compounds. Collectively, these findings revealed that RN56-6 and RN56-49 regulated autophagic process through AMPK and glycolytic pathway.

COP9 signalosome subunit PfCsnE regulates secondary metabolism and conidial formation in Pestalotiopsis fici.

The COP9 signalosome (CSN) is a highly conserved multiprotein complex in all eukaryotes and involved in regulation of organism development. In filamentous fungi, several lines of evidence indicate that fungal development and secondary metabolism (SM) are mediated by the fifth subunit of CSN, called CsnE. Here we uncover a connection with CsnE and conidial formation as well as SM regulation in the plant endophytic fungus Pestalotiopsis fici. A homology search of the P. fici genome with CsnE, involved in sexual development and SM in Aspergillus nidulans, identified PfCsnE. Deletion of PfcsnE resulted in a mutant that stopped conidial production, but the conidia are recovered in a PfcsnE complemented strain. This indicates that PfCsnE is required for the formation of conidia. Secondary metabolite analysis demonstrated that the ΔPfcsnE strain produced more chloroisosulochrin, less ficiolide A production in comparison to wild type (WT). Transcriptome analysis of WT and ΔPfcsnE strains indicated that PfcsnE impacts the expression levels of 8.37% of 14,797 annotated genes. Specifically, nine biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) were up-regulated and three BGCs were down-regulated by PfCsnE. Our results suggest that PfCsnE plays major roles in SM regulation and conidial development in P. fici.

ChemInform Abstract: New Cytotoxic Meroterpenoids from the Plant Endophytic Fungus Pestalotiopsis fici.

AbstractThree new dimeric meroterpenoids are isolated.

Polyketide Production of Pestaloficiols and Macrodiolide Ficiolides Revealed by Manipulations of Epigenetic Regulators in an Endophytic Fungus

Regarding targeted disruption of epigenetic regulators, histone methyltransferase and deacetylase in a plant endophytic fungus Pestalotiopsis fici have been uncovered as an unexplored chemical repertoire. Manipulation of epigenetic regulators led to the isolation of 15 new polyketides, including pestaloficiols T-W (1-3 and 5), as well as 11 macrodiolide ficiolides A-K (6-16). Ficiolide K (16) was found to contain a very rare 1,6-anhydro-pyranose moiety. Finally, the biosynthetic origin of macrodiolide was characterized by isotope-labeling experiments.

New Cytotoxic Meroterpenoids from the Plant Endophytic Fungus Pestalotiopsis fici

AbstractPestalofones I – K (1–3), three new dimeric meroterpenoids with 2‐(7‐benzoyl‐2,3‐dihydrobenzofuran‐2‐yl)‐1‐phenylethan‐1‐one (in 1) and 2‐(7‐benzoyl‐2,3‐dihydrobenzofuran‐2‐yl)‐1‐(3,8‐dioxatricyclo[5.1.0.02,4]oct‐4‐yl)ethan‐1‐one (in 2 and 3) skeletons, were isolated from the solid cultures of the plant endophytic fungus Pestalotiopsis fici. The structures of 1–3 were elucidated by NMR experiments. Compound 1 was found to be present as a racemic mixture. The absolute configurations of 2 and 3 were deduced by analogy to the previously isolated metabolites pestalofones G and H (4 and 5) from the same fungus. Biogenetically, compounds 1–3 are derived from the same precursors (co‐isolated compounds 9 and 10) as the previously isolated compounds 4–8. Compounds 2 and 3 showed weak cytotoxic activities against four human tumor cell lines T24, HeLa, A549, and MCF‐7.

The bZIP transcription factor PfZipA regulates secondary metabolism and oxidative stress response in the plant endophytic fungus Pestalotiopsis fici

The bZIP transcription factors are conserved in all eukaryotes and play critical roles in organismal responses to environmental challenges. In filamentous fungi, several lines of evidence indicate that secondary metabolism (SM) is associated with oxidative stress mediated by bZIP proteins. Here we uncover a connection with a bZIP protein and oxidative stress induction of SM in the plant endophytic fungus Pestalotiopsis fici. A homology search of the P. fici genome with the bZIP protein RsmA, involved in SM and the oxidative stress response in Aspergillus nidulans, identified PfZipA. Deletion of PfzipA resulted in a strain that displayed resistant to the oxidative reagents tert-butylhydroperoxide (tBOOH), diamide, and menadione sodium bisulfite (MSB), but increased sensitivity to H2O2 as compared to wild type (WT). Secondary metabolite production presented a complex pattern dependent on PfzipA and oxidative reagents. Without oxidative treatment, the ΔPfzipA strain produced less isosulochrin and ficipyroneA than WT; addition of tBOOH further decreased production of iso-A82775C and pestaloficiol M in ΔPfzipA; diamide treatment resulted in equivalent production of isosulochrin and ficipyroneA in the two strains; MSB treatment further decreased production of RES1214-1 and iso-A82775C but increased pestaloficiol M production in the mutant; and H2O2 treatment resulted in enhanced production of isosulochrin, RES1214-1 and pestheic acid but decreased ficipyroneA and pestaloficiol M in ΔPfzipA compared to WT. Our results suggest that PfZipA regulation of SM is modified by oxidative stress pathways and provide insights into a possible role of PfZipA in mediating SM synthesis in the endophytic lifestyle of P. fici.

2H‐Pyran‐2‐one and 2H‐Furan‐2‐one Derivatives from the Plant Endophytic Fungus Pestalotiopsis fici

Two new α-pyrones (=2H-pyran-2-ones), ficipyrones A and B (1 and 2, resp.), and two new α-furanones (=2H-furan-2-ones), ficifuranones A and B (3 and 4, resp.), together with three known metabolites, antibiotic F 0368 (5), hydroxyseiridin (6), and hydroxyisoseiridin (7), were isolated from solid cultures of the plant endophytic fungus Pestalotiopsis fici. Their structures were elucidated primarily by NMR spectroscopy, and the absolute configuration of 1 was deduced from the circular-dichroism (CD) data. Compound 1 showed antifungal activity against the plant pathogen Gibberella zeae (CGMCC 3.2873) with an IC50 value of 15.9 μM.

Spiroketals of Pestalotiopsis fici Provide Evidence for a Biosynthetic Hypothesis Involving Diversified Diels–Alder Reaction Cascades

Chloropestolides B-G (1-6), six new metabolites featuring the chlorinated spiro[benzo[d][1,3]dioxine-2,7'-bicyclo[2.2.2]octane]-4,8'-dione (1-3) and spiro[benzo[d][1,3]dioxine-2,1'-naphthalene]-2',4-dione (4-6) skeletons, and their putative biosynthetic precursor dechloromaldoxin (7) were isolated from the scale-up fermentation cultures of the plant endophytic fungus Pestalotiopsis fici . The structures of 1-7 were determined mainly by NMR experiments. The absolute configurations of 1-3 were deduced by analogy to the previously isolated metabolites from the same fungus (9 and 13-18), whereas those of 4, 5, and 7 were assigned by electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. Structurally, the spiroketal skeletons found in 1-3 and 4-6 could be derived from 2,6-dihydroxy-4-methylbenzoic acid with chlorinated bicyclo[2.2.2]oct-2-en-5-one and 4a,5,8,8a-tetrahydronaphthalen-2(1H)-one, respectively. Biogenetically, compounds 1-6 were derived from the same Diels-Alder precursors as the previously isolated 9 and 12-18. In addition, compounds 2 and 3 were proposed as the biosynthetic intermediates of 17 and 16, respectively. Compound 1 was cytotoxic to three human tumor cell lines.

Pestaloficiols Q–S from the plant endophytic fungus Pestalotiopsis fici

Two new isoprenylated chromone derivatives, pestaloficiols Q (1) and R (2), and one new benzofuran derivative, pestaloficiol S (3), along with three known metabolites, anofinic acid (4), siccayne (5), and pyrenophorol (6) were isolated from solid cultures of the plant endophytic fungus Pestalotiopsis fici. Their structures were elucidated primarily by NMR spectroscopy, and the absolute of the C-6 secondary alcohol in 1 was deduced on the basis of circular dichroism (CD) data. Compound 5 showed cytotoxic activity against the human cancer cell lines, HeLa and HT29, with IC50 values of 48.2 and 33.9μM, respectively.

Cytotoxic Isoprenylated Epoxycyclohexanediols from the Plant Endophyte Pestalotiopsis fici

Aim To search for new cytotoxic secondary metabolites from solid cultures of the plant endophytic fungus Pestalotiopsis fici. Method Pestalofones F–H ( 1– 3) and pestalodiols A–D ( 4– 7) were isolated from the crude extract using silica gel, Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography, and reversed-phase HPLC. Their structures were elucidated by NMR spectroscopy. The new metabolites were tested for cytotoxicity against the HeLa and MCF-7 cells using the MTT method. Results Compounds 1– 3 and 6 showed cytotoxicity against HeLa and MCF-7 cells. Conclusion Seven new cytotoxic isoprenylated epoxycyclohexanediol derivatives were identified from the plant endophytic fungus Pestalotiopsis fici.

Chloropupukeanolides C–E: Cytotoxic Pupukeanane Chlorides with a Spiroketal Skeleton from Pestalotiopsis fici

Chloropupukeanolides C-E (8-10), three highly functionalized secondary metabolites featuring a novel spiroketal skeleton derived from the chlorinated tricyclo-[4.3.1.0(3, 7)]-decane (pupukeanane) and the 2,6-dihydroxy-4-methylbenzoic acid moieties, were isolated from the scale-up fermentation extract of the plant endophytic fungus Pestalotiopsis fici. The constitutions of compounds 8-10 were elucidated primarily by NMR experiments. Their relative configurations were deduced by analogy to metabolites 4-6, which were previously isolated from the same fungus. The absolute configuration of 8 was assigned by X-ray crystallography and those of 9 and 10 by quantum-chemical CD calculations. Biogenetically, chloropupukeanolides C-E (8-10) are presumably derived from the same oxidation-induced Diels-Alder reaction pathway as compounds 1 and 4-7, via the putative biosynthetic precursors 2 and 3. The opposite configurations of the complete "Southern parts" of 8 and 9 suggests that this Diels-Alder reaction is stereochemically not very selective. Compounds 8-10 showed significant cytotoxicity against a small panel of human tumor cell lines and weak activities against the pathogens of tropical diseases.

Isoprenylated Chromone Derivatives from the Plant Endophytic Fungus Pestalotiopsis fici

Pestaloficiols F-L (1-7), new isoprenylated chromone derivatives including one heterodimer (7), have been isolated from a scale-up fermentation extract of the plant endophytic fungus Pestalotiopsis fici. The structures of these compounds were elucidated primarily by NMR and MS methods. The absolute configurations of 1 and 4 were assigned using the modified Mosher method. Compounds 1-3, 5, and 6 displayed inhibitory effects on HIV-1 replication in C8166 cells, whereas 4-7 showed cytotoxic activity against the human tumor cell lines HeLa and MCF7.

Pestalofones A–E, bioactive cyclohexanone derivatives from the plant endophytic fungus Pestalotiopsis fici

Pestalofones A–E ( 1– 5), five new cyclohexanone derivatives, have been isolated from cultures of the plant endophytic fungus Pestalotiopsis fici, along with the known compounds, isosulochrin ( 6), isosulochrin dehydrate ( 7), and iso-A82775C ( 8). The structures of 1– 5 were determined by NMR spectroscopy, and the absolute configuration of 1 was assigned using the modified Mosher method. Compounds 1, 2, and 5 displayed inhibitory effects on HIV-1 replication in C8166 cells, whereas 3 and 5 showed significant antifungal activity against Aspergillus fumigatus.