Browsing by Subject "Fungi"
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PublicationOpen AccessAssessment and statistical modelling of airborne microorganisms in Madrid(Elsevier, 2020-11-21) Cordero, José María; Núñez, Andrés; García, Ana M.; Borge, Rafael; Genética y MicrobiologíaThe limited evidence available suggests that the interaction between chemical pollutants and biological particles may intensify respiratory diseases caused by air pollution in urban areas. Unlike air pollutants, which are routinely measured, records of biotic component are scarce. While pollen concentrations are daily surveyed in most cities, data related to airborne bacteria or fungi are not usually available. This work presents the first effort to understand atmospheric pollution integrating both biotic and abiotic agents, trying to identify relationships among the Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Ascomycota phyla with palynological, meteorological and air quality variables using all biological historical records available in the Madrid Greater Region. The tools employed involve statistical hypothesis contrast tests such as Kruskal-Wallis and machine learning algorithms. A cluster analysis was performed to analyse which abiotic variables were able to separate the biotic variables into groups. Significant relationships were found for temperature and relative humidity. In addition, the relative abundance of the biological phyla studied was affected by PM10 and O3 ambient concentration. Preliminary Generalized Additive Models (GAMs) to predict the biotic relative abundances based on these atmospheric variables were developed. The results (r = 0.70) were acceptable taking into account the scarcity of the available data. These models can be used as an indication of the biotic composition when no measurements are available. They are also a good starting point to continue working in the development of more accurate models and to investigate causal relationships.- PublicationOpen AccessEvolution of the gasdermin family and pyroptosis(Elsevier, 2023-09-19) Angosto-Bazarra, Diego; Guijarro, Adriana; Pelegrín, Pablo; Bioquímica y Biología Molecular B e InmunologíaGasdermins have been identified as playing a prominent role in the innate immune response as the executors of a specific type of cell death called pyroptosis. Specific proteolytic cleavage of gasdermins generates an N-terminal that oligomerizes and forms pores in the cell membrane. Although pyroptosis has been widely described in mammals, the importance of gasdermins and gasdermin-like proteins in inducing cell death in other vertebrates, in invertebrates and in other taxa including fungi and bacteria is still being determined. Mammalian, fungal and bacterial gasdermins have in common the fact that they go through the same stages (such as proteolytic activation) when inducing membrane rupture, which suggests that pyroptosis is as an ancient mechanism. In this review, we summarize the evolution and function of the gasdermin and gasdermin-like proteins in animals, fungi and bacteria.
- PublicationOpen AccessFlora microbiana en mieles de la región de Murcia, España(Murcia: Universidad de Murcia, Servicio de Publicaciones, 1997) Pérez Sánchez, María Consuelo; Baño Breis, Francisco del; Candela Castillo, María Emilia; Egea Gilabert, Catalina; Facultad de BiologíaSe han analizado, desde el punto de vista microbiológico, dieciocho muestras de miel de la Región de Murcia (España), y en ningúna de ellas se encontraron mieles fermentadas o alteradas. Todas las muestras contienen esporas fúngicas, procedentes de hongos del suelo y también de hongos parásitos de insectos o de plantas. Los géneros más abundantes fueron: Aspergillus, presente en trece muestras, Alternaria en once, Pullularia en diez, Penicillium en siete y Cladosporium en cinco. Las levaduras, representadas por el género Candida, solamente se detectaron en dos muestras. El análisis bacteriano fue cualitativo y cuantitativo. Once muestras dieron positivo para anaerobias termófilas. En medio PCA se identificaron Micrococcus roseus y Bacillus subtilis que no producen alteraciones e, incluso, pueden ser importantes en la elaboración del pan de abejas. En ninguna muestra de miel se encontraron coliformes o Salmonella.
- PublicationRestrictedMembrane fluidity determines sensitivity of filamentous fungi to chitosan(2010) López Jiménez, José Ángel; Palma Guerrero, J.; Pérez Berná, A. J.; Huang, I. C.; Jansson, H.B.; Salinas, J.; Villalaín, J.; Read, N.D.; López Llorca, L. V.; Filosofía
- PublicationOpen AccessEl poder antimicrobiano de las especias.(Comunidad Autónoma de la Región de Murcia, Consejería de Educación y Cultura, Servicio de Publicaciones., 2024) Cánovas Guasch, Marta; Sánchez Villa, FuensantaEn el presente trabajo se ha investigado el efecto antimicrobiano de las especias clavo y canela sobre un alimento de consumo frecuente en la población como es el arroz cocido. Para realizar este estudio, se ha llevado a cabo un análisis cualitativo de muestras de arroz cocido a las que se han añadido las especias clavo, canela o mezcla de las anteriores; enteras o molidas, a temperatura ambiente y en refrigeración, realizando una comparativa con muestras control que únicamente contenían el alimento. Se han obtenido los siguientes resultados: el clavo y la canela, ambas molidas, retardan la aparición de hongos en las muestras, con un efecto más prolongado respecto a la acción del clavo entero y la canela en rama. La refrigeración aumenta la acción antimicrobiana de todas las especias. La conclusión general ha sido que el clavo presenta un efecto antimicrobiano mucho mayor que la canela.
- PublicationOpen AccessSaharan dust storms affecting the center of the Iberian Peninsula: effect on the urban aerobiome(Elsevier, 2024-04-16) Núñez, Andrés; Moreno, Diego A.; García, Ana M.; Genética y MicrobiologíaDust storms are known to be atmospheric phenomena that transport mineral dust but also airborne biological particles (bioaerosols) from desert areas to distant regions. These bioaerosols can influence atmospheric processes and they have the potential of changing the composition of the local aerobiome in urban areas, which, in recent years, have been associated with allergies and the exacerbation of respiratory syndromes. Here, we studied four dust events initiated in the Sahara Desert affecting the center of the Iberian Peninsula. The biological particles before and during the phenomena were analyzed by high-throughput DNA sequencing. The global composition of bioaerosols showed a marked seasonality. The relative abundances of the most predominant groups of bacteria and fungi were not significantly altered compared to the days prior the corresponding event. Nonetheless, we detected specific bacterial and fungal taxa associated with these events, whose composition and abundance were also related to the period of the year. Although a variety of plant and animal pathogens were identified both before and throughout the days influenced by dust storms, some were only detected during the latter, suggesting a long-range transport for these species. This work highlights the importance of analyzing the storm dust events separately, especially when they occur at different seasons, and the particular effect on an urban environment in the Iberian Peninsula as a model case, providing some recommendations for future studies.
- PublicationOpen AccessSeasonal changes dominate long-term variability of the urban air microbiome across space and time(Elsevier, 2021-02-09) Núñez, Andrés; García, Ana M.; Moreno, Diego A.; Guantes, Raúl; Genética y MicrobiologíaCompared to soil or aquatic ecosystems, the atmosphere is still an underexplored environment for microbial diversity. In this study, we surveyed the composition, variability and sources of microbes (bacteria and fungi) in the near surface atmosphere of a highly populated area, spanning ~ 4,000 Km2 around the city center of Madrid (Spain), in different seasonal periods along two years. We found a core of abundant bacterial genera robust across space and time, most of soil origin, while fungi were more sensitive to environmental conditions. Microbial communities showed clear seasonal patterns driven by variability of environmental factors, mainly temperature and accumulated rain, while local sources played a minor role. We also identified taxa in both groups characteristic of seasonal periods, but not of specific sampling sites or plant coverage. The present study suggests that the near surface atmosphere of urban environments contains an ecosystem stable across relatively large spatial and temporal scales, with a rather homogenous composition, modulated by climatic variations. As such, it contributes to our understanding of the long-term changes associated to the human exposome in the air of highly populated areas.
- PublicationEmbargoTemporal patterns of variability for prokaryotic and eukaryotic diversity in the urban air of Madrid (Spain)(Elsevier, 2019-09-10) Núñez, Andrés; Amo de Paz, Guillermo; Rastrojo, Alberto; Ferencova, Zuzana; Gutiérrez-Bustillo, A. Montserrat; Alcamí, Antonio; Moreno, Diego A.; Guantes, Raúl; Genética y MicrobiologíaAlthough many microorganisms are ubiquitously present in the air, airborne microbial communities have been much less characterized than those in soil or aquatic environments. Besides its ecological importance, detection and monitoring of the wide diversity of these aerosolized microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi and pollen) is relevant for understanding allergy and disease outbreaks, especially in highly populated cities. In this study, we describe the simultaneous biodiversity of bacteria, fungi and plants present in the urban atmosphere of Madrid (Spain) along different seasonal periods, using DNA sequencing. Sampling in two different locations (downtown and peri-urban) we found that changes in the composition of each community are mainly driven by environmental factors, rather than by the features of the specific sampling microenvironments. While pollen particles are dominated by a few taxa characteristic of each season, bacteria and fungi show a high diversity but stable core communities along the year. The prokaryotic core is governed by soil and leaf surface bacteria, with predominance of Actinobacteria (Frankiales and Micrococcales) and Alphaproteobacteria (Sphingomonadales, Rhodobacterales, Rhizobiales and Acetobacterales). Fungal diversity is characterized by the steady presence of members of Capnodiales and Pleosporales. Pathogenic bacterial and fungal taxa were also detected across the year. We also correlated the airborne biodiversity with environmental variables. Air temperature has a strong influence on the community composition of bacteria, while pollen and fungi seasonal variations are mainly correlated with precipitation. Our results contribute to the characterization of airborne prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities in urban areas and show the suitability of this method for biosurveillance strategies.
- PublicationOpen AccessThe differential vertical distribution of the airborne biological particles reveals an atmospheric reservoir of microbial pathogens and aeroallergens(Springer, 2020-03-27) Núñez, Andrés; Moreno, Diego A.; Genética y MicrobiologíaThe most abundant biological particles present in the air are bacteria, fungal propagules and pollen grains. Many of them are proved allergens or even responsible for airborne infectious diseases, which supports the increase of studies in recent years on their composition, diversity, and factors involved in their variability. However, most studies in urban areas are conducted close to ground level and a factor such as height is rarely taken into account. Thus, the information about how the composition of biological particles changes with this variable is scarce. Here, we examined the differential distribution of bacteria, fungi, and plants at four altitudes (up to ∼ 250 m) in a metropolitan area using high-throughput DNA sequencing. Most taxa were present at all levels (common taxa). However, a transitional layer between 80 and 150 m seemed to affect the scattering of these bioaerosols. Taxa not present at all altitudes (non-common) showed an upward tendency of diversity for bacteria and plants with height, while the opposite trend was observed for fungi. Certain patterns were observed for fungi and specific plant genera, while bacterial taxa showed a more arbitrary distribution and no patterns were found. We detected a wide variety of aeroallergens and potential pathogens at all heights, which summed a substantial portion of the total abundance for fungi and plants. We also identified potential connections between the biological particles based on their abundances across the vertical section.