Preliminary Studies on Fungal Contamination of Two Rupestrian Churches from Matera (Southern Italy)

The Sassi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and its rupestrian churches, are richly decorated and visited by thousands of visitors every year. It is important to preserve this heritage which shows signs of deterioration due to abiotic and/or biotic factors. Aiming to carry out in the future an environmental-friendly restoration, a screening of the fungi present on walls and frescoes of two rupestrian churches “Santa Lucia alle Malve” and “La Madonna dei derelitti” located, respectively, in the “Sasso Caveoso” and in the “Sasso Barisano” was performed. Isolation and characterization of fungal species from investigated sites was carried out. Total genomic DNA (gDNA) was extracted from pure fungal cultures and subsequently utilized in PCRs using primers that amplify a portion of the ribosomal DNA (ITS5/ITS4) or the β-tubulin gene (Bt2a/Bt2b). The amplicons were directly sequenced. Obtained nucleotide sequences were compared to those present in the GenBank (NCBI) showing a very high similarity (99–100%) with the following species: Parengyodontium album, Alternaria alternata, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Lecanicillium psalliotae, Meyerozyma guilliermondii and Botryotrichum atrogriseum. All sequences from this study were deposited in the EMBL database. Detailed knowledge about fungi isolated from stone is indispensable not only to counter/reduce the structural and aesthetic damage but also to protect the health of both guardians and visitors who may develop different pathologies due to the spores diffused in the environment.

PATHOGENIC POTENTIAL OF ENTOMOPATHOGENIC FUNGI OF THE GENUS LECANICILLIUM AGAINST HEMIPTERA

The virulence of the species of the entomopathogenic fungi Lecanicillium psalliotae (strain Vl 78), L. dimorphum (Vl 79) and L. pissodis (ARSEF 8057) against bean aphid Megoura viciae Buckt and greenhouse whitefly Trialeurodes vaporariorum Westwood has been compared with the virulence of well-studied species L. muscarium (Vl 21, Vl 72), L. lecanii (Vl 5), L. longisporum (Vl 13). Species L. longisporum (Vl 13), L. muscarium (Vl 72), L. psalliotae (Vl 78) had a virulence of more than 80% against bean aphid, other strains showed the virulence less than 60%. All strains except L. longisporum (Vl 13) had a high virulence about 75–100% against the greenhouse whitefly. As appeared, the species L. psalliotae (Vl 78) has the perspectives against the both insect species. Its virulence corresponds to the similar level of mortality caused by the well-studied species L. muscarium.

Draft Genome Sequence of the Fungus Lecanicillium psalliotae Strain HWLR35, Isolated from a Wheat Leaf Infected with Leaf Rust (Caused by Puccinia triticina)

ABSTRACT Lecanicillium psalliotae is an entomopathogenic, mycoparasitical, and nematophagous fungus known to produce antibiotic and antifungal compounds. Here, we report the first 36-Mb draft genome sequence of L. psalliotae strain HWLR35. The draft genome contains 197 scaffolds and is predicted to have 11,009 protein-coding genes.