Recent investigations carried out all over the world have disclosed the capacity of a multitude of endophytic fungal species/strains to produce bioactive compounds which are the same or structurally related to those synthesized by their host plants. This intriguing phenomenon has implemented huge research activity aimed at ascertaining the nature of the biological processes underlying this convergence, as well as to characterize the genetic bases of the biosynthetic schemes. Insights on these basic issues may support the biotechnological exploitation of wild strains, and their eventual improvement through genome editing. Aspects concerning the use of next generation sequencing technologies for the comparative elucidation of the biosynthetic pathways operating in endophytic fungi and their host plants are reviewed in this paper in view of applicative perspectives. Our literature search yielded 21 references dealing with at least 26 strains which have been the subject of experimental activities involving massively parallel genome and transcriptome sequencing methods in the last eight years.

Neoplastic diseases are still a major medical challenge, requiring a constant search for new therapeutic options. A serious problem of many cancers is resistance to anticancer drugs and disease progression in metastases or local recurrence. These characteristics of cancer cells may be related to the specific properties of cancer stem cells (CSC). CSCs are involved in inhibiting cells’ maturation, which is essential for maintaining their self-renewal capacity and pluripotency. They show increased expression of transcription factor proteins, which were defined as stemness-related markers. This group of proteins includes OCT4, SOX2, KLF4, Nanog, and SALL4. It has been noticed that the metabolism of cancer cells is changed, and the demand for iron is significantly increased. Iron chelators have been proven to have antitumor activity and influence the expression of stemness-related markers, thus reducing chemoresistance and the risk of tumor cell progression. This prompts further investigation of these agents as promising anticancer novel drugs. The article presents the characteristics of stemness markers and their influence on the development and course of neoplastic disease. Available iron chelators were also described, and their effects on cancer cells and expression of stemness-related markers were analyzed.

Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) remains a cornerstone method for analyzing gene expression due to its high sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility. However, for reliable results in relative quantification studies, the choice of an appropriate reference gene is critical to ensure accurate normalization. The expression of commonly used reference genes can vary depending on developmental stage and experimental conditions, making their validation essential. To date, no validated reference genes have been reported for Agrostemma githago L. (corn cockle, Caryophyllaceae). To facilitate research on genes involved in natural product biosynthesis and specialized metabolism regulation, we aimed to identify the most stable reference genes across various plant organs and cultivation conditions of this species. Drawing on previous literature, we have selected seven housekeeping genes widely used for evaluation: actin, β-tubulin, elongation factor 1α, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, histone H3, translation elongation factor 1, and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5A1 (for which two primer sets were tested). The nucleotide sequences of these potential reference genes were identified from the A. githago transcriptome. Using qRT-PCR, transcript levels of seven potential reference genes were estimated in 40 different A. githago samples, including 25 in vitro samples under various treatment conditions and 15 soil-grown samples representing A. githago organs in different developmental stages. Expression stability of candidate reference genes was assessed using the RefFinder platform, which combines four commonly applied statistical algorithms: geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, and the comparative Δ-Ct method. The results revealed that the selection of optimal reference genes varied based on the particular organ, developmental stage and condition being examined. TIF5A1-2 (one of the two primer pairs tested) and GAPHD consistently exhibited the most stable expression under various conditions in vitro. EF1α and H3 exhibited superior performance across different organs of soil-grown plants. Moreover, our integrated analysis enabled the identification of the two most stable, universal reference genes suitable for normalization in A. githago under all tested conditions—H3 and TIF5A1-2. Our work provides a robust foundation for future transcriptomic and functional studies of the specialized metabolism of A. githago and other related species.

The antimicrobial resistance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) is an increasing public health concern, highlighted by the fact that gonococcus is considered as a ‘high’-priority pathogen by the WHO for research and development of new therapeutic options. According to the data of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) in 2022, the rate of NG infections is the highest recorded since European surveillance of sexually transmitted infections began in 2009. We report a brief description of a patient infected with two different isolates of drug-resistant N. gonorrhoeae. N. gonorrhoeae cultures were positive from oropharyngeal and urethral swabs and isolates had different antimicrobial susceptibility. We investigated the antimicrobial susceptibility of these isolates to six antimicrobials (ceftriaxone, cefixime, azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, and benzylpenicillin), and minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs; mg/L) were determined using Etest on gonococcal isolates. Oropharyngeal isolate was resistant to azithromycin while urethral was resistant to penicillin, ciprofloxacin, and tetracycline. Two different and phylogenetically distinct sequence types of NG isolates were identified. Understanding the dynamics and drivers of resistance spread can provide an improved rationale for antibiotic management, and the level of NG resistance should be monitored closely.

(1) Background: Meyerozyma guilliermondii is a yeast species widely distributed in the natural environment and one of the rare emerging pathogens capable of causing difficult to treat, severe infections. The species’ susceptibility profile is not fully defined; however, the species could be more prone to develop resistance than other Candida species. The objective of this research was to determine the susceptibility of a local collection of Meyerozyma guilliermondii clinical isolates to classical antifungal drugs as well as a new one—manogepix. (2) Methods: The study included 20 clinical isolates identified using the MALDI–TOF method followed with sequencing of ITS1-2 region of DNA. Overall, the susceptibility to 12 antifungal drugs was tested. Nine drugs (amphotericin B, flucytosine, fluconazole, itraconazole, posaconazole, voriconazole, anidulafungin, caspofungin, and micafungin) were assessed using the MICRONAUT–AT test. The susceptibility to the new drug, manogepix, as well as isavuconazole, clotrimazole and anidulafungin, was determined using the microdilution method recommended by EUCAST. Additionally, anidulafungin and voriconazole MIC was also examined with commercial gradient tests. (3) Results: Overall, the isolates showed low MIC values for amphotericin B (0.125 to 1 mg/L) and for flucytosine (≤0.06 to 32 mg/L), with the exception of one isolate with a high MIC value. The MIC ranges for azoles were 2–64 mg/L (fluconazole), 0.008–0.5 mg/L (voriconazole), ≤0.03–≥4 mg/L (itraconazole) and 0.008–0.5 mg/L (posaconazole). One isolate showed non-WT phenotype to all tested azoles. For anidulafungin, the MIC values ranged from ≤0.06 to 0.25 mg/L; however, in the reference method, higher values were observed, but they did not exceed 2 mg/L (ECOFF value). For manogepix, the MIC values ranged from 0.002 to 0.125 mg/L. Finally, the comparison of the obtained and published susceptibility data was conducted. (4) Conclusions: The data obtained in this study are consistent with reports by other authors and indicate that resistance to azoles or 5-fluorocytosine among clinical isolates of Meyerozyma guilliermondii should be considered. The low MIC values of manogepix suggest the potentially good efficacy of this drug against Meyerozyma guilliermondii species.