Amauroascus kuehnii and other fungi isolated from a deer horn in Poland

Abstract

Four keratinophilic fungi isolated from deer horn collected in Gorce National Park (Poland) are reported: Amauroascus kuehnii Arx with its malbranchea-like anamorph, Isaria fumosorosea Wize, Mortierella elongata Linnem., and Penicillium spinulosum Thom s.l. The record of Amauroascus kuehnii is its second locality in Europe, and keratin deer horn is a new substrate for this fungus.

Full text

Polish Botanical Journal 61(1): 161–166, 2016
DOI: 10.1515/pbj-2016-0016
AMAUROASCUS KUEHNII AND OTHER FUNGI ISOLATED
FROM A DEER HORN IN POLAND
&
Abstract. Four keratinophilic fungi isolated from deer horn collected in Gorce National Park (Poland) are reported: Amauro-
ascus kuehnii Arx with its malbranchea-like anamorph, Isaria fumosorosea Wize, Mortierella elongata Linnem., and Penicil-
lium spinulosum Thom s.l. The record of Amauroascus kuehnii is its second locality in Europe, and keratin deer horn is a new
substrate for this fungus.
Key words: Amauroascus, ascomycete, dermatophilic fungi, distribution, Malbranchea, mitosporic and anamorphic fungi
Andrzej Chlebicki, W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lubicz 46, 31-512 Kraków, Poland; e-mail:
a.chlebicki@botany.pl
Wojciech Spisak, Research & Development Centre „Alcor” Ltd, Kępska 12, 45-130 Opole, Poland; e-mail: spisak@alcor.pl

 
and pathogenic fungi, including dermatophytes.
That latter group is characterized by the ability
to produce proteolytic and keratinolytic enzymes
-
tures such as hair, horn, feathers, wool, bone, hoof,
-
našek et al. 1967; Garg et al. 1985; Wawrzkiewicz
et al. 1987). They can infect animals, which are
the source of secondary infection to man (Ajello
1974), and some can produce antibiotics (Uri et al.
1957; Wrigth 1956).
Decomposition of keratin into proteins results
in alkalization (Faterpekar et al. 2008). Animal

of the genus Onygena Pers., such as O. corvina
 O. equina (Willd.) Pers.

     
1977; Komorowska 1986). They belong to the
keratinolytic fungi sensu Hubálek (2000): that
is, keratin-decomposing fungi. Other fungi can
grow on keratinized tissues but are not able to
decompose keratin. Here we report four fungi
isolated from a deer horn collected in Gorce
   
species Amauroascus kuehnii-
ously only from a few stations in North America
and Europe.

The fungi were extracted from deer horn with a sterile
scalpel and then grown on MEA and PDA media in
Petri dishes. The inoculated media were incubated
 
(bromothymol blue) was used to indicate the pH of the
fungal products diffused into the medium: 10 drops
of pigment solution and 10 drops of 10% KOH were

the medium color depending on pH: green for the
neutral range, yellow for slightly acidic, and blue
for slightly basic. The morphological characters of
        -
      
  
Micrographs were taken with these microscopes
       
      
3% buffered glutaraldehyde (pH 7), washed twice in
buffer for 10 min and dehydrated in ETOH (ethanol)
and acetone, coated with gold and photographed using
        
distance of ca 10 mm.
Unauthenticated
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162 

Four species of fungi were isolated from the deer
horn. Only one of them (Amauroascus kuehnii) is
a keratinolytic species. The other three keratino-
philic fungi (Isaria fumosorosea, Mortierella elon-
gata, Penicillium spinulosum) cannot decompose
keratin.
Amauroascus kuehnii Arx
Persoonia 6(3): 373. 1971. – Auxarthron kuehnii (Arx)
106: 388. 2002.
. Ascomata gymnothecial, globose
 

peridial hyphae thin-walled, pale brown, septate,
encrusted with pigmented granules, branched, tips
blunt, asci saccate, (14–)15–17 × 9.5–11.5 µm, as-


4–5 µm diam. (Fig. 1D, E & 2), ca 13 bands per
ascospore diameter.

PDA at 18°
whole surface, aerial mycelium cottony, ca 2 mm
high, after month ca 6 mm high (Fig. 4A), with
small umbo in center, pale yellow droplets of ex-
udates appear after two weeks, white sectors of

pale yellow (as color of medium), margin regular.
Hyphae bearing lateral fertile branches straight, ar-
throconidia hyaline, cylindrical with truncate ends
3.7–4.3 ×
PDA medium with dibromothymolsulfonophtalein
Fig. 1. Amauroascus kuehnii  

Unauthenticated
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AMAUROASCUS KUEHNII 163
as pH indicator did not show any change in color
of medium, meaning that this strain not diffuse
acidic products to the medium.
  POLAND, ,
Gorce National Park, 49°34′20″N, 20°12′10″E, in spruce
leg.
A. Chlebicki-

  

 
the malbranchea-like anamorph. The ascomata of
Amauroascus kuehnii appeared after 3 months of
storage. Amauroascus kuehnii is a rare fungus in
North America and Europe. Kuehn (1957) noted
 
(1985) reported its occurrence on lizard and mouse
et al. (1987) isolated it
et al. (2012) re-
ported it from Mexico. Keratin deer horn is a new
substrate for this fungus.
AmauroascusAuxarthron
G. F. Orr & Kuehn, and the distinction between
these two genera has been suggested to be unclear
Auxarthron

 
reticuloperidia of ascospores of the genus Au-
xarthron are easily distinguished from those of
Amauroascuset al. 2002). According to
et al. (2002b) Auxarthron is a monophyletic
genus while Amauroascus is clearly polyphyletic.
et al. (2002) noted that Amauroascus is
split into two lineages, but stated that the genera
Amauroascus and Auxarthron are separate. Amau-
roascus kuehnii is morphologically intermediate
   
   
et al. 2002a).
et al. (2002b) recombined the species to the
genus Auxarthron. Here we consider the species
to be a member of the genus Amauroascus.
Index Fungorum (www.indexfungorum.org)
listed 15 species as accepted in the genus Amau-
roascus

described A. nigerA. aureus
(Eidam) Arx, and A. mutatus
(as A. verrucosus Eidam). Amauroascus kuehnii
is new for Poland.
The anamorphs of Amauroascus were assigned
to the genera ChrysosporiumMalbran-
chea    Chrysosporium
species as well as Malbranchea pulchella
et al.
2008). Malbranchea pulchella, noted in Poland by
Myxotrichum
Kunze. It has tightly coiled fertile branches which
later disarticulate into conidia.
Isaria fumosorosea Wize

Paecilomyces fumosoroseus (Wize)
40: 67. 1957.

hyaline 3.0–3.5 µm wide, phialides smooth-walled,
5.0–6.5 ×     
walled, 3.0 × 1.5–2.0 µm.
  POLAND, ,
Gorce National Park, 49°34′20″N, 20°12′10″E, in spruce
leg.
A. Chlebicki
. Isaria fumosorosea occurs on plant de-
bris, soil and insects at many localities in Poland
Fig. 2. Amauroascus kuehnii Arx, ascospores with thick bands

Unauthenticated
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164 
(Kozak 2008, as Paecilomyces fumosoroseus). In

taxon it should be recognized as a species complex

Isaria fumosorosea is a well known entomopatho-
genic fungus (Xia et al. 2013).
Mortierella elongata Linnem.
23: 21. 1941.
  POLAND, ,
Gorce National Park, 49°34′20″N, 20°12′10″E, in spruce
leg.
A. Chlebicki
 Mortierella elongata was noted in Po-
   
et alet al.
(2014). It is a well known soil fungus also noted as
a bacterial endosymbiont (Dematheis et al. 2012).
Penicillium spinulosum Thom s.l.
 118: 76. 1910. –
Penicillim trzebinskii

  POLAND, ,
Gorce National Park, 49°34′20″N, 20°12′10″E, in spruce
leg.
A. Chlebicki
 This species belongs to the Penicillium
spinulosum clade, section Aspergilloides sensu
Houbraken et al. (2014). Our strain is characterized

branched stipes, yellow exudates and slightly orna-
Fig. 3. Malbranchea-like anamorph of Amauroascus kuehnii   

Unauthenticated
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AMAUROASCUS KUEHNII 165


on MEA were white-rose to pale gray, with a pale
Penicillium spinulosum
has frequently been isolated from the rhizosphere
   -
zarz 2008). The fungus was also the species most
frequently isolated from wood elements of huts
      

related to esophageal cancer in humans (Amadi
& Adenyi 2009).
. We thank the anonymous re-


  
-



. 1974. Natural history of dermatophytes and related
fungi. Mycopathol. Mycol. Appl. 53: 93–110.
& 2009. Mycotoxin production by
fungi isolated from stored grains. African J. Biotechnol.
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&
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Isaria fumosorosea Wize:


Unauthenticated
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