bioRxiv Science⌕ Search
Home/Archive/bioRxiv

bioRxiv · 10.1101/2022.08.11.503585

The capacity to configure the hymenophore is not confined to the pore field in Oak mazegill (Daedalea quercina, Polyporales)

Jensen, B.
View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Configuring of the hymenophore of basidiocarps of Polyporales is thought to happen in the pore field immediately behind the basidiocarp margin. Basidiocarp growth is not restricted to the margin, however. Here, the importance of the pore field was assessed from observations on naturally occurring Oak mazegill (Polyporales, Daedalea quercina) basidiocarps and tested by experimental perturbations in natural habitats that were monitored for two years. Oak mazegill was chosen because the formed hymenophore has a unique and stable combination of poroid and lamellate features. Whether the pore field is required for basidiocarp growth was tested in ten basidiocarps in which one side was resected. New growth was observed in six basidiocarps and it occurred equally from the cut hymenophore and the intact pore field. New formation of hymenophore and pileus even occurred in seven out of ten basidiocarps that had the entire pore field resected. Whether the hymenophore is configured permanently, was tested on 54 basidiocarps on ten trunks that were turned upside-down. A new hymenophore grew through the old pileus, often far from the pore field, and its hymenophore configuration was invariably poroid despite the old hymenophore had lamellate features. In 48 experimentally banded basidiocarps, new hymenophore grew in the insertion hole of the band despite this being far from the pore field. The banded basidiocarps grew at an average rate of 5 mm per year. In conclusion, the capacity to configure the hymenophore is not confined to the pore field and it may be broadly present in the basidiocarp. Graphical abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=141 SRC="FIGDIR/small/503585v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (90K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1d5eefdorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@3d2709org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@cdd068org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@2d636f_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG Graphical abstract. The configuring of the hymenophore of polypore fungi is thought to be driven by the pore field immediately behind the basidiocarp margin. The experiments on Oak mazegill basidiocarps reported here, including the complete resection of the margin and its pore field, do not support this notion. They suggest instead that the capacity to form the hymenophore is broadly present in the basidiocarp. C_FIG

Source connections

Explore related subjects

microbiologyPreprint

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Jensen, B.. 2022-08-12. The capacity to configure the hymenophore is not confined to the pore field in Oak mazegill (Daedalea quercina, Polyporales). https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.08.11.503585

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2026

A conserved cysteine-histidine-glutamate metal site identifies DUF501 (Rv1025), an essential uncharacterised protein family of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, as a candidate metalloenzyme and drug target

A substantial fraction of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis proteome remains functionally uncharacterised. Rv1025, a 155-residue protein carrying the domain of unknown function DUF501 (Pfam PF04417), is essential by transposon mutagenesis and vulnerable by CRISPR interference, an attractive but neglected drug target, yet has never been functionally described. The family (4,370 proteins, no Gene Ontology term, no solved structure) is uncharacterised across all organisms and essential in three Actinobacterial genera. A Foldseek search of the AlphaFold model against complete structural databases finds no significant homolog, indicating a novel fold. The operon eno-divIC-Rv1025-ppx2 is conserved across the Actinobacteria phylum, yet AlphaFold-Multimer finds no direct complex between Rv1025 and its neighbour DivIC. Instead, conservation across 8,700 homologous sequences reveals a near-invariant Cys113-His115-Glu59 cluster forming a pocket. Holo AlphaFold3 predictions with Zn, Fe and Mn confidently place a divalent metal on this triad at 2.25-2.47 A; mutating the triad relocates the metal, and an independent backbone-geometry predictor recovers the same site, confirming specificity. The triad is universal across the family: present in all 1,472 near-complete bacterial sequences of the Pfam alignment, with no non-conservative substitution among the 2,228 sequences examined, a defining feature of bacterial DUF501 rather than a mycobacterial peculiarity. We propose that DUF501 is a metal-binding protein and candidate metalloenzyme, the first functional hypothesis for this family, whose conserved, essential metal pocket is a promising drug target. As the predictions build on a conservation-defined site within a fully computational study, they are supportive rather than proof of metal occupancy and warrant experimental validation.

microbiology↗
bioRxiv2026

Mycoplasmal endosymbionts of Trichomonas vaginalis are associated with reduced risk for Chlamydia trachomatis endometrial infection in asymptomatic, coinfected, women.

Trichomonas vaginalis is a protozoan parasite that causes trichomoniasis, the most common curable non-viral sexually transmitted infection, and Chlamydia trachomatis is a bacterial pathogen that can ascend to the upper genital tract and cause pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, and ectopic pregnancy. T. vaginalis harbors bacterial endosymbionts, including Candidatus Malacoplasma girerdii, an obligate symbiont, and Metamycoplasma hominis, which can live freely or symbiotically. In a 16S rRNA sequencing study of the cervicovaginal microbiome of women at high risk for chlamydial infection, Ca. M. girerdii abundance was one of 13 features predicting lack of chlamydial spread to the endometrium, despite no direct association between T. vaginalis infection and reduced chlamydial ascension. Investigating the relationship between these microorganisms further, we found that T. vaginalis vaginal abundance correlated positively with chlamydial burden in women whose infection was confined to the cervix, while a nonsignificant inverse relationship was seen in women with endometrial spread. Among participants with high chlamydial burden, Ca. M. girerdii was detected exclusively in women without endometrial infection. Both endosymbionts trended toward more frequent detection, and higher abundance, in coinfected women without endometrial spread, while M. hominis abundance correlated strongly with T. vaginalis burden in this group. These findings suggest that mycoplasmal endosymbionts of T. vaginalis, rather than T. vaginalis itself, are microbial factors limiting chlamydial ascension, and point to a three-way interaction between parasite, endosymbiont, and bacterial pathogen that shapes upper genital tract C. trachomatis infection risk.

microbiology↗
bioRxiv2026

Understanding the physiological alterations of Vibrio cholerae upon exposure to L-ascorbic acid

The scourge of cholera remains a major global public health threat. It affects up to 4 million people worldwide and causes tens of thousands of deaths each year. The disease is experiencing a concerning resurgence in many parts of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. To effectively tackle cholera and circumvent rising antimicrobial resistance, targeted biological and preventive approaches, complementing traditional rehydration, are urgently needed. In this regard, our group has demonstrated the efficacy of L-ascorbic acid in controlling the growth and pathogenesis of Vibrio cholerae in vitro. The present work further provides a mechanistic elucidation of the L-ascorbic acid-mediated physiological changes in V. cholerae and also bolsters such a non-antibiotic approach to control cholera.

microbiology↗