Mass Spectrometry Metabolomics in Natural Products Research themed collection – Natural Products Blog

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Aquatic Fungi Diversity 2026

YouTube video by FUNACTION

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Natural product target identification of wheldone, a fungal metabolite, as a KIF11 inhibitor in ovarian cancer using the DiffPOP (Differential Protein Precipitation) method.

Wheldone, a fungal metabolite, was identified as a cytotoxic compound in high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC). Wheldone induced caspase 3/7–depend…

sciencedirect.com

Complex life started with fungi, not plants or animals

Well before plants and animals, there were fungi.

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An antimicrobial daptide from human skin commensal Staphylococcus hominis protects against skin pathogens - Nature Communications

Coagulase-negative staphylococci secrete natural products that prevent pathogen colonization. Here, the authors identify hominicin, a daptide bacteriocin produced by Staphylococcus hominis that has an...

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A new family of freshwater ascomycetes from Australia: Rivulataceae fam. nov. , Rivulatus australiensis gen. et. sp. nov. (Diaporthomycetidae) | Phytotaxa

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Nature's Tiny Chemists: fungi and herbs for drug discovery, energy - UNCG Research Magazine

Dr. Nick Oberlies’ UNCG lab explores cancer-fighting compounds in fungi, the chemistry of medicinal herbs, and energy from nature.

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Phylogeny Research Hits the Mainstream in Popular Science Book

Max Telford translated the technical effort behind studying evolution into a relatable story for every reader in The Tree of Life: Solving Science’s Greatest Puzzle.

the-scientist.com

Soudanones H and I from a freshwater fungus Hongkongmyces sp.

Two new compounds were isolated from a freshwater fungus [Hongkongmyces sp. (strain G892)] by bioactivity-directed fractionation against Plasmodium fa…

sciencedirect.com

2025 UNCG Research Magazine

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Machine-Readable Structural Information Is Essential for Natural Products Research

Structural drawings of secondary metabolites encapsulate a wealth of information, but their static nature hinders their sharing and reuse. At a time when research increasingly relies on, and benefits from, access to comprehensive natural products “big data”, this hindrance is contrary to the norms of science. This Perspective discusses current challenges in sharing and accessing structure data and offers a simple solution, namely, publishing machine-readable text descriptors for new secondary metabolites. Requiring such descriptors will be straightforward to implement for both authors and publishers and will help derive even greater value from the efforts expended to understand the chemistry of Nature.

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Microbial conservation is essential for sustaining ecosystem functions and services | PNAS

Microbial conservation is essential for sustaining ecosystem functions and services

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Scaling up the production of fungal perylenequinones and investigating their biosynthesis through stable isotope labeling - Microbial Cell Factories

Background Perylenequinones, such as hypocrellins and hypomycins, are fungal secondary metabolites with potential for pharmaceutical and industrial applications due to both their physical and biological properties. This study focused on their sustainable production. Additionally, stable isotope labeling was used to probe the biosynthesis of these compounds, demonstrating how sugars are likely incorporated into the perylenequinone scaffold. Methods Shiraia sp. (strain MSX60519; Shiraiaceae, Pleosporales) was cultivated under varying nutrient conditions to evaluate the production of perylenequinones, with sugars serving as primary carbon sources. Five metabolites were isolated (from oatmeal cultures) using environmentally friendly solvent-based techniques, and the process was further optimized to maximize yields. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC–HRMS) were employed to detect, characterize, and quantify the major compounds. Furthermore, feeding experiments were performed using 13C-labeled glucose, with droplet probe mass spectrometry used to monitor stable isotope incorporation in situ. Results This study yielded three key findings. First, the production of perylenequinones was significantly enhanced by supplementing fermentation media with sugars, and disaccharides significantly enhanced the production of perylenequinones compared to monosaccharides. Optimizing sugar concentrations during the fermentation further influenced the profile of secondary metabolites. Second, stable isotope labeling experiments confirmed that sugars are the primary building blocks of perylenequinones, as noted by tracing 13C-labeling into ent-shiraiachrome A (1). Finally, a green, scalable, and sustainable strategy for producing these compounds on the gram scale was developed by optimizing fermentation conditions, refining purification methods, and improving extraction efficiency. Conclusion These findings provide critical insights into optimizing fermentation conditions for the scaled and sustainable production of perylenequinones. This approach offers a cost-effective and environmentally friendly pipeline for harnessing these valuable compounds, paving the way for broader pharmaceutical and industrial applications. Graphical abstract

microbialcellfactories.biomedcentral.com

Indianapolis Zoo Grant Fungi Discovery

Two Indianapolis Zoo grant recipients and a team of Conservation Coordinators with the Global Center for Species Survival have discovered an entirely new kind of freshwater fungus in Indiana.

indianapoliszoo.com

Assistant Professor- Department of Plant Biology

Duties & Responsibilities

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