Biology subjects

Cimmino, A.

Publications and source records attributed to Cimmino, A..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

From acidic extreme environments to agriculture: a multi-stress-tolerant Talaromyces pseudofuniculosus enhances soybean growth under abiotic stress

Extremophilic fungi are a relatively unexplored source of stress-resilient microbes for sustainable agriculture. Here, we describe Talaromyces pseudofuniculosus FAR, isolated from the highly acidic site of Piccolo Inferno in southern Italy and identified by ITS and {beta}-tubulin (BenA) sequencing. Despite its origin from an extreme environment, T. pseudofuniculosus FRA remained fully functional under non-stress conditions and displayed tolerance to salinity and heavy metals while maintaining key plant growth-promoting traits, including phosphate solubilization, auxin-related compound production and hydrolytic activities. In soybean (Glycine max L.), the live fungus promoted plant growth under both non-stress conditions and agriculturally relevant salinity and copper stress, and successfully colonized the roots. A cell-free extracellular extract (exCFS) promoted early seedling development in vitro, but its effects were not sustained in pot experiments. GC-MS analysis provided a qualitative characterization of the extracellular metabolite profile and revealed condition-dependent differences between control, NaCl and CuSO4; growth conditions, indicating environment-dependent modulation of fungal metabolism. Overall, these findings highlight the physiological and metabolic plasticity of T. pseudofuniculosus FRA and support its potential as a fungal biostimulant for saline- and metal-impacted agricultural soils.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2026

Confirmatory evidence that miR-15a and miR-16 regulate BCL2 at the post-transcriptional level

The microRNAs miR-15a and miR-16 are key regulators of the anti-apoptotic oncogene BCL2, playing a significant role in tumorigenesis. These miRNAs function as tumor suppressors by directly targeting BCL2, whose overexpression contributes to cell survival and resistance to therapy in multiple malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The downregulation or deletion miR-15a/miR-16-1 cluster located on chromosome 13q occurs in about 50% of CLL patients and leads to the overexpression of the oncogenic BCL2, contributing to the survival and proliferation of cancer cells. In this confirmatory study, we provide additional evidence supporting the mechanism by which these miRNAs mediate the inhibition of BCL2 translation, leading to reduced levels of BCL2 protein with no significant effect on BCL2 mRNA degradation. This mechanism has been previously established as a critical pathway in the regulation of apoptosis, particularly in cancer cells where BCL2 overexpression is often associated with resistance to cell death. Our findings reinforce the notion that miRNAs, such as miR-15 and miR-16, bind to the 3-UTR of BCL2 messenger RNA (mRNA), specifically repressing its translation without inducing mRNA degradation. The results from our study align with previous research, confirming that the miRNA-mediated inhibition of BCL2 translation serves as a precise regulatory mechanism that targets protein synthesis rather than mRNA stability. These findings highlight the role of miRNAs in fine-tuning post-transcriptional gene regulation, offering a targeted approach to downregulate oncogenic proteins like BCL2 without disrupting the underlying mRNA, which could be leveraged for more refined therapeutic strategies.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2019

The fungal sesquiterpenoid pyrenophoric acid B uses the plant ABA biosynthetic pathway to inhibit seed germination.

HighlightThe fungus Pyrenophora semeniperda produces pyrenophoric acid B, a small molecule that exploits the plant ABA biosynthetic pathway to reduce seed germination, increasing its reproductive success.\n\nAbstractPyrenophoric acid (P-Acid), P-Acid B and P-Acid C are three phytotoxic sesquiterpenoids produced by the ascomycete seed pathogen Pyrenophora semeniperda, a fungus proposed as a mycoherbicide for biocontrol of cheatgrass, an extremely invasive weed. When tested in cheatgrass bioassays these metabolites were able to delay seed germination, with P-Acid B being the most active compound. Here, we have investigated the cross-kingdom activity of P-Acid B and its mode of action and found that it activates the ABA signaling pathway in order to inhibit seedling establishment. P-Acid B inhibits seedling establishment in wild-type Arabidopsis thaliana while several mutants affected in the early perception as well as in downstream ABA signaling components were insensitive to the fungal compound. However, in spite of structural similarities between ABA and P-Acid B, the latter is not able to activate the PYR/PYL family of ABA receptors. Instead, we have found that P-Acid B uses the ABA biosynthesis pathway at the level of alcohol dehydrogenase ABA2 to reduce seedling establishment. We propose that the fungus Pyrenophora semeniperda manipulates plant ABA biosynthesis as a strategy to reduce seed germination, increasing its ability to cause seed mortality and thereby increase its fitness through higher reproductive success.

plant biology↗