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Identification of Feldin, an Antifungal Polyyne from the Beefsteak Fungus Fistulina hepatica

Summary

This research identified a new antifungal compound called feldin from the beefsteak fungus, which could potentially lead to new antifungal medications or agricultural treatments. The compound specifically targets certain types of fungi while having less effect on others, suggesting possible selective applications. Impacts on everyday life: • Could lead to new antifungal medications for treating fungal infections • May help develop new agricultural fungicides to protect crops • Demonstrates nature’s potential as a source of new therapeutic compounds • Contributes to understanding how mushrooms defend themselves against competitors in nature • Could help improve mushroom cultivation by better understanding fungal defense mechanisms

Background

Fruiting body-forming members of the Basidiomycota maintain their ecological fitness against various antagonists like ascomycetous mycoparasites by producing bioactive compounds. Some of these compounds are now being used as agrochemicals or pharmaceutical lead structures.

Objective

To screen ethyl acetate crude extracts from cultures of thirty-five mushroom species for antifungal bioactivity against Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Ustilago maydis, and identify bioactive compounds through bioactivity-guided fractionation.

Results

One extract from Fistulina hepatica showed selective antifungal activity against S. cerevisiae while having minimal effect on U. maydis. Through bioactivity-guided fractionation and structure elucidation, a novel polyyne compound named feldin was identified as the active component. The molecular formula of feldin was established as C13H18O2Na with structural similarity to other known polyynes.

Conclusion

The study characterized an unstable bioactive mushroom polyyne named feldin that appears more toxic to the ascomycete S. cerevisiae than to the basidiomycete U. maydis. This suggests potential applications in developing new antifungal compounds and exploring U. maydis as a host for heterologous expression of mushroom-derived biologicals.
  • Published in:Biomolecules,
  • Study Type:Laboratory Research,
  • Source: 10.3390/biom10111502
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