Endophytic fungi in symbiotic association with their host plant are well known to improve plant growth and reduce the adverse effects of both biotic and abiotic stresses. Therefore, fungal endophytes are beginning to receive increased attention in an effort to find growth-promoting strains that could be applied to enhance crop yield and quality. In our study, the plant growth-promoting activities of endophytic fungi isolated from various parts of Sophora flavescens (a medicinally important plant in Mongolia and China) have been revealed and investigated. Fungal isolates were identified using molecular taxonomical methods, while their plant growth-promoting abilities were evaluated in plate assays. Altogether, 15 strains were isolated, representing the genera Alternaria, Didymella, Fusarium and Xylogone. Five of the isolates possessed phosphate solubilization activities and twelve secreted siderophores, while all of them were able to produce indoleacetic acid (IAA) in the presence or absence of tryptophan. The endogenous and exogenous accumulation of IAA were also monitored in liquid cultures using the HPLC-MS/MS technique to refine the plate assay results. Furthermore, for the highest IAA producer fungi, the effects of their extracts were also examined in plant bioassays. In these tests, the primary root lengths of the model Arabidopsis thaliana were increased in several cases, while the biomasses were significantly lower than the control IAA treatment. Significant alterations have also been detected in the photosynthetic pigment (chlorophyll-a, -b and carotenoids) content due to the fungal extract treatments, but these changes did not show any specific trends.

Aflatoxins are mycotoxins that are produced by several species of filamentous fungi. In the European Union, the concentration limits for this group of mycotoxins in food and feed products are very low (on the order of parts per billion). Thus, relatively high amounts of these substances in their pure forms are required as reference standards. Chromatographic techniques based on solid stationary phases are generally used to purify these molecules; however, liquid–liquid chromatographic separations may be a promising alternative. Therefore, this study proposes a liquid–liquid chromatographic method for the separation of four aflatoxins and impurities. To optimise the method, numerous biphasic solvent systems (chloroform-, acetone- and acetic acid-based systems) were tested and evaluated in terms of their effectiveness at partitioning aflatoxins; the toluene/acetic acid/water (30:24:50, v/v/v/%) system was found to be the most efficient for application in centrifugal partition chromatographic instrument. Using liquid–liquid instrumental separation, the four aflatoxins, namely B₁ (400 mg), B₂ (34 mg), G₁ (817 mg) and G₂ (100 mg), were successfully isolated with 96.3%–98.2% purity from 4.5 L of Aspergillus parasiticus fermented material in a 250 mL centrifugal partition chromatography column. The identities and purities of the purified components were confirmed, and the performance parameters of each separation step and the whole procedure was determined. The developed method could be effectively used to purify aflatoxins for analytical applications.

(1) Background: Bacillus velezensis and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens are closely related members of the “operational group B. amyloliquefaciens”, a taxonomical unit above species level within the ”Bacillus subtilis species complex”. They have similar morphological, physiological, biochemical, phenotypic, and phylogenetic characteristics. Thus, separating these two taxa from each another has proven to be difficult to implement and could not be pushed easily into the line of routine analyses. (2) Methods: The aim of this study was to determine whether whole FAME profiling could be used to distinguish between these two species, using both type strains and environmental isolates. Initially, the classification was determined by partial sequences of the gyrA and rpoB genes and the classified isolates and type strains were considered as samples to develop the identification method, based on FAME profiles. (3) Results: The dissimilarities in 16:0, 17:0 iso, and 17:0 FA components have drawn a distinction between the two species and minor differences in FA 14:0, 15:0 iso, and 16:0 iso were also visible. The statistical analysis of the FA profiles confirmed that the two taxa can be distinguished into two separate groups, where the isolates are identified without misreading. (4) Conclusions: Our study proposes that the developed easy and fast-automated identification tool based on cellular FA profiles can be routinely applied to distinguish B. velezensis and B. amyloliquefaciens.

Endophyte microorganisms are vital in protecting plants from pathogens and environmental stressors, such as abiotic and biotic stresses. They produce various useful compounds, including phytohormones, siderophores, and bioactive substances that can protect against insects, microbes, and viruses. Climate change is a significant threat to plant communities, but despite numerous studies investigating the impact of climate change on plants, there has been relatively little research on the role of the plant microbiome in helping plants adapt to changing conditions. This is a significant issue because global agriculture will face significant challenges due to worsening drought conditions caused by climate change. However, research has shown that plant microbiomes, particularly fungal endophytes, can help crops cope with drought stress. To understand the role of these endophytes and their diversity in plant symbiosis is essential to anticipate their function in a changing climate, Ургамал эндофит бичил биетэнтэй харилцан үйлчлэх нь түүний уур амьсгалын өөрчлөлтөд дасан зохицох болон стресс тэсвэрлэх чадварт нөлөөлөх нь Хураангуй. Эндофит бичил биетнүүд нь өвчин үүсгэгчдээс болон хүрээлэн буй орчны абиотик, биотик стрессээс ургамлыг хамгаалдаг чухал ач холбогдолтой организмууд юм. Эдгээр бичил биетнүүд нь шавж, бактери болон вирусүүдийн эсрэг хамгаалах фитогормонууд, төмөр, фосфат болон биологийн идэвхт олон төрлийн бодисуудыг нийлэгжүүлдэг. Уур амьсгалын өөрчлөлт нь ургамлын бүлгэмдэлд томоохон аюулыг учруулж байгаа бөгөөд ургамалд үзүүлэх нөлөөллийг судалсан олон судалгаа байгаа хэдий ч ургамлын орчны өөрчлөлтөд дасан зохицоход ургамал доторх бичил биетний гүйцэтгэх үүргийн талаар харьцангуй бага судалгаа хийгдсэн байна. Уур амьсгалын өөрчлөлтөөс үүдэлтэй ган гачгийн нөхцөл байдал улам хүндэрч, дэлхийн хөдөө аж ахуй салбарууд томоохон сорилтуудтай нүүр тулгарах тул энэ нь их чухал асуудал болж байгаа юм. Гэсэн хэдий ч судлаачид ургамал дахь бичил биетнүүд ялангуяа эндофит мөөгөнцрүүд нь үр тарианд гангийн стрессийг даван туулахад тусалдаг болохыг олж мэдсэн. Тиймээс эдгээр эндофит мөөгөнцрүүдийн үүрэг, олон янз байдлыг ойлгож уур амьсгалын өөрчлөлтөд бэлэн байх нь нэн чухал юм.Түлхүүр үгс: Стресс тэсвэрлэх, уур амьсгалын өөрчлөлт, эндофит мөөгөнцөр, ургамал хамгаалах, ган гачиг

The species Candidozyma auris (formerly known as Candida auris) can be subdivided into four major and two minor clades. It is considered an emerging multidrug-resistant pathogen that causes invasive outbreaks around the world. Therefore, the accurate identification of this species plays an important role in combating invasion and facilitating pathogenic management. In our study an optional identification method was developed considering the possibility of using cellular fatty acids (FAs) as a taxonomic and diagnostic tool. FAs were recorded in the collected C. auris strains, and the species characteristic components were determined. Within the isolates examined, the clades were also separated in the statistical analysis. Furthermore, FAs from strains belonging to clade I and II have been divided into two distinct clusters. In testing the performance of the method, all identified samples showed good matches with the established C. auris record in the database without misreading. Taken together, cellular fatty acids were investigated as potential discriminatory biomarkers. The results suggest that this approach can distinguish C. auris from related species and provides distinctive fatty acid profiles for the investigated C. auris clades. The present findings revealed the first report on the application of whole cell FA components as taxonomic features in C. auris.