During an expedition to the Lentochnye pine forests (Altai Territory), biologists discovered a new species of slime-like fungal protists (mucus molds or myxomycetes) containing more than 100 different biologically active substances, most of which exhibit high antibacterial activity. This was reported to socialbites.ca by the Ministry of Education and Science.
Anastasia Vlasenko and Vyacheslav Vlasenko, employees of the Laboratory of Mycology, Algology and Lichenology of the Central Siberian Botanical Garden of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, together with a colleague from abroad, described a new fungal protist species.
“The species we found differs significantly from previously known species with a number of morphological features studied using light and scanning electron microscopes at the Central Siberian Botanical Garden of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The new species has reticulated spores, a partially preserved membranous peridium, and an ancient Greek It has an expanding column in the shape of an amphora, so we named it. Stemonitis amphoracolumellaAnastasia Vlasenko, head of the laboratory of mycology, algology and lichenology, candidate of biological sciences, explained to Gazeta.ru.
As the scientists noted, extracts from the fruit bodies and plasmodia of myxomycetes contain more than 100 different biologically active substances, most of which exhibit high antibacterial activity, including antibiotic-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus. The discovery will help develop new drugs against resistant bacteria.
Molecular genetic studies have confirmed that the described species are new to science. Mushroom-like slime molds usually have small fruit bodies and usually do not exceed a few millimeters. They feed mainly on bacteria and yeasts and live in the soil, leaf litter, dead wood and bark of living trees. Slime molds are of great importance for regulating the decomposition process of organic matter and also have a significant effect on the number of bacteria, yeast and serve as food for a number of insects.
Previously biologists “deciphered” the genome of sea sponges with a unique silicon dioxide skeleton.