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1. Classification

a. Higher order taxa

Eukaryota; Fungi; Ascomycota; Leotiomycetes; Helotiales; Hyaloscyphaceae; Hyaloscypha; Hyaloscypha hepaticiola/Rhizoscyphus ericae species complex

b. Species

Rhizoscyphus ericae

Some consider it a species complex, known as the Rhizoscyphus ericae species complex/aggregate (REA). This complex includes several fungal taxa isolated from ericoid mycorrhizal roots that are phylogenetically close to R. ericae[1].

2. Description and significance

Describe the appearance, habitat, etc. of the organism, and why you think it is important.

Include as many headings as are relevant to your microbe. Consider using the headings below, as they will allow readers to quickly locate specific information of major interest*

3. Genome structure

Describe the size and content of the genome. How many chromosomes? Circular or linear? Other interesting features? What is known about its sequence?

4. Cell structure

Interesting features of cell structure. Can be combined with “metabolic processes”

5. Metabolic processes

Describe important sources of energy, electrons, and carbon (i.e. trophy) for the organism/organisms you are focusing on, as well as important molecules it/they synthesize(s).

6. Ecology

Habitat; symbiosis; contributions to the environment.

7. Pathology

How does this organism cause disease? Human, animal, plant hosts? Virulence factors, as well as patient symptoms.

8. Current Research

Toxin Removal

Currently, the effectiveness of Rhizoscyphus ericae -mediated wastewater treatments are under investigation. Rhizoscyphus ericae exhibits a potential capability to eliminate ground and wastewater contaminants7. R. ericae is able to use substrates with amine and amide groups, many of which are toxic and carcinogenic to humans, as nutrients7. Therefore, R. ericae could provide a possible eco-friendly method of breaking down harmful chemicals and removing toxins from the ground and wastewaters. This has not yet been applied to real wastewater treatment, as more in-depth studies are needed to supplement this introductory one.

Pharmaceutical Biodegradation

Rhizoscyphus ericae decomposition of the antibiotic neomycin has been of recent interest. While most neomycin is excreted into wastewater, the antibiotic has a complex chemical structure that cannot be broken down by traditional treatments and causes a level of antibiotic resistance10. Unique to R. ericae, biodegradation of neomycin is possible in the presence and absence of other nutrient sources10. In future applications, R. ericae could serve as a natural alternative for water waste treatment plants to reduce antibiotic resistance in the human population.

9. References

1. Hyaloscypha hepaticicola [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US), National Center for Biotechnology Information; 2004 – [cited 2023 Oct 13]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?mode=Info&id=2082293&lvl=3&lin=f&keep=1&srchmode=1&unlock 2. Genome assembly Rhier1 [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US), National Center for Biotechnology Information; 2004 – [cited 2023 Oct 13]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/datasets/genome/GCA_002865625.1/ 3. Ericoid mycorrhiza. (2023, August 16). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ericoid_mycorrhiza 4. Bruzone, M.C., Fehrer, J., Fontenla, S.B., & Vohník, M. (2017). First record of Rhizoscyphus ericae in Southern Hemisphere’s Ericaceae. Mycorrhiza, 27, 147–163. https://doi-org.ezproxy.bu.edu/10.1007/s00572-016-0738-8 5. Perotto, S., Martino, E., Abbà, S., & Vallino, M. (2012). 14 Genetic Diversity and Functional Aspects of Ericoid Mycorrhizal Fungi. In: Hock, B. (Eds.), The Mycota, vol 9: Fungal Associations (pp. 255-285). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-30826-0_14 6. Martino, E., Morin, E., Grelet, G.-A., Kuo, A., Kohler, A., Daghino, S., Barry, K.W., Cichocki, N., Clum, A., Dockter, R.B., Hainaut, M., Kuo, R.C., LaButti, K., Lindahl, B.D., Lindquist, E.A., Lipzen, A., Khouja, H.-R., Magnuson, J., Murat, C., Ohm, R.A., Singer, S.W., Spatafora, J.W., Wang, M., Veneault-Fourrey, C., Henrissat, B., Grigoriev, I.V., Martin, F.M., & Perotto, S. (2018). Comparative genomics and transcriptomics depict ericoid mycorrhizal fungi as versatile saprotrophs and plant mutualists. New Phytologist, 217(3): 1213-1229. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.14974 7. Stenholm, Å., Backlund, A., Holmström, S., Backlund, M., Hedeland, M., & Fransson, P. (2021). Survival and growth of saprotrophic and mycorrhizal fungi in recalcitrant amine, amide and ammonium containing media. PloS One, 16(9), e0244910. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0244910 8. Martino, E., Turnau, K., Girlanda, M., Bonfante, P., & Perotto, S. (2000). Ericoid mycorrhizal fungi from heavy metal polluted soils: Their identification and growth in the presence of zinc ions. Mycological Research, 104(3), 338-344. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0953756299001252 9. Cairney, J.W.G., & Meharg, A.A. (2003). Ericoid mycorrhiza: A partnership that exploits harsh edaphic conditions. European Journal of Soil Science, 54(4), 735-740. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1351-0754.2003.0555.x 10. Stenholm, Å., Hedeland, M. & Pettersson, C.E. (2022). Investigation of neomycin biodegradation conditions using ericoid mycorrhizal and white rot fungal species. BMC Biotechnology, 22(1), 29. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12896-022-00759-1 11. Hyaloscypha hepaticicola strain UAMH 7357 small subunit ribosomal RNA gene, partial sequence; internal transcribed spacer 1, 5.8S ribosomal RNA gene, and internal transcribed spacer 2, complete sequence; and large subunit ribosomal RNA gene, partial sequence [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US), National Center for Biotechnology Information; 2004 – [cited 2023 Oct 20]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/OM238143.1 12. Fehrer, J., Réblová, M., Bambasová, V., & Vohník, M. (2019). The root-symbiotic Rhizoscyphus ericae aggregate and Hyaloscypha (Leotiomycetes) are congeneric: Phylogenetic and experimental evidence. Studies in Mycology, 92, 195-225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.simyco.2018.10.004 13. Wei, X., Zhang, W., Zulfiqar, F., Zhang, C., & Chen, J. (2022). Ericoid mycorrhizal fungi as biostimulants for improving propagation and production of ericaceous plants. Frontiers in Plant Science, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.1027390 14. Nordberg, H., Cantor, M., Dusheyko, S., Hua, S., Poliakov, A., Shabalov, I., Smirnova, T., Grigoriev IV, & Dubchak, I. (2018). Rhizoscyphus ericae UAMH 7357 v1.0, Joint Genome Institute. https://mycocosm.jgi.doe.gov/Rhier1/Rhier1.home.html 15. Drula, E., Garron, M.L., Dogan, S., Lombard, V., Henrissat, B., & Terrapon, N. (2022) The carbohydrate-active enzyme database: functions and literature. Nucleic Acids Res, 50(D1):D571-D577. https://doi:10.1093/nar/gkab1045 16. Kariman, K., Barker, S. J., & Tibbett, M. (2018). Structural plasticity in root-fungal symbioses: diverse interactions lead to improved plant fitness. PeerJ, 6, e6030. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6030 17. Vohník, M., Sadowsky, J.J., Kohout, P., Lhotáková, Z., Nestby, R., & Kolařík, M. (2012). Novel root-fungus symbiosis in Ericaceae: sheathed ericoid mycorrhiza formed by a hitherto undescribed basidiomycete with affinities to Trechisporales. PloS One, 7(6), e39524. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0039524