Fungal proteinaceous compounds with multiple biological activities

Abstract

Fungi comprise organisms like molds, yeasts and mushrooms. They have been used as food or medicine for a long time. A large number of fungal proteins or peptides with diverse biological activities are considered as antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and anticancer agents. They encompass proteases, ribosome inactivating proteins, defensins, hemolysins, lectins, laccases, ribonucleases, immunomodulatory proteins, and polysaccharopeptides. The target of the present review is to update the status of the various bioactivities of these fungal proteins and peptides and discuss their therapeutic potential.

Anti-Obesity Effects of Medicinal and Edible Mushrooms

“…Dietary and medicinal mushrooms are widely recognized for their immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, antiviral, antinociceptive, antitumor, anticancer, antidiabetic, and antimicrobial properties [ 66 , 67 ]. Mushrooms constitute 22,000 well-known species, extensively present on Earth and about 10% of them have been investigated [ 27 ].…”

Use of the Secreted Proteome of Trametes versicolor for Controlling the Cereal Pathogen Fusarium langsethiae

“…The rapid emergence of resistant microbial pathogens to currently available antibiotics has gained considerable attention from the scientific community in trying to isolate and investigate the mode of action of antimicrobial proteins (peptides) of natural origin (i.e., plants, fungi, bacteria) in consideration of the minor side effects in comparison with other drugs [21]. However, the majority of studies [1] concern peptides and/or proteins from fungi with antimicrobial and antibiotic properties applied mainly to human pathology. Some examples are plectasin, an antibiotic peptide from the saprophytic ascomycete Pseudoplectania nigrella [22] that demonstrated activity against Streptococcus pneumoniae , even against strains resistant to conventional antibiotics and RIP (ribosome inactivating proteins) from Russula paludosa that showed HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitory activity [23].…”

“…Some examples are plectasin, an antibiotic peptide from the saprophytic ascomycete Pseudoplectania nigrella [22] that demonstrated activity against Streptococcus pneumoniae , even against strains resistant to conventional antibiotics and RIP (ribosome inactivating proteins) from Russula paludosa that showed HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitory activity [23]. However, some examples also regard the proteinaceous compounds from filamentous fungi applied in agriculture notably against plant pathogens—restrictocin, ribonuclease and ribosome inactivating protein from Aspergillus fumigatus and A. restrictus demonstrated suppressive activity toward Fusarium oxysporum , Colletotrichum gloeosporioides , Trichoderma viride and others [1].…”

“…Fungi are organisms comprising yeasts, molds and mushrooms and they have been used for long time both in medicine as co-therapy and as food for their nutritional value. Notably, traditional Chinese medicine considered mushrooms (in particular basidiomycetes) as a useful source of bioactive compounds of large interest in medicine and to strengthen the welfare of the human body [1]. Polysaccharides, proteins, glycoproteins and peptides from different mushrooms (i.e., Lentinula edodes , Ganoderma lucidum , Trametes versicolor ) demonstrated antibacterial, antiviral, antitumor and immune modulatory activity.…”

“…Another group of molecules with medicinal properties, such as proteins and peptides from higher basidiomycetes, has attracted the interest of the scientific community. In particular proteases, defensins, lectins, laccases, polysaccharopeptides and immune modulatory proteins showed different medicinal properties [1]. A particular family of immune modulatory proteins similar to phytohemagglutinins and immunoglobulins from Ganoderma lucidum and other mushrooms are denominated FIP (fungal immunomodulatory proteins).…”