A detailed examination of the rediscovered type of Tulostoma volvulatum leads to the conclusion that it represents an earlier name for T. giovanellae. The former name will be proposed for rejection and the latter for conservation. Tulostoma volvulatum s. auct. becomes T. obesum.

The thermophilic fungus Thermomyces lanuginosus was cultivated in shake-flasks for up to 120 h with low-molecular-weight dextran as carbon source. Maximal biomass was attained after 48 h of growth whereas extracellular α-amylase activity was highest in the stationary phase with maximum activity after 96 h of cultivation. A similar pattern was found for total extracellular protein. Pulse-labeling of proteins showed that α-amylase and other unidentified proteins were de novo synthesised in the stationary phase. Using specific primers with sequences from α-amylase from T. lanuginosus, RT-PCR analysis showed that α-amylase transcription did not start until late in the growth phase and reached a maximum more than 24 h after maximal biomass was obtained.

Description and illustration of Chaetasbolisia indica sp. nov. collected on Shorea robusta from India is given.

Over 70% of zygospores of M. piriformis collected from 10 day-old cultures germinated in water and on acidified water agar. Germination originated either through a crack on the zygosporangial wall or through one of the suspensors. The germination percentage was highest when newly matured zygospores were used. Zygospores from cultures older than one month either did not germinate or germinated poorly. The mode of zygospore germination was affected by nutrients and germination condition. Germ-sporangial, germ-sporangial-mycelial and mycelial germination were observed on solid media while germination with an elongated germ-tube was observed in water. Zygospores of M. piriformis germinated under light as well as in darkness. Although low pH is not required for zygospore germination in water, zygospore germination on solid media is favoured by low pH.

Ascospore appendages of two species of Linocarpon and three species of Neolinocarpon are illustrated using electron microscopy. The structure of these appendages can be used to distinguish between species. The ascospore appendages of species in both genera, however, were found to have similar structure. Thus, species of Linocarpon and Neolinocarpon could not be delineated at the generic level based on ascospore appendage structure.

A new rust fungus on Dioscorea, Cerotelium dioscoreae, sp. nov. is described from Ecuador. Similarity with other phakopsoraceous genera and the assignment of the new fungus to Cerotelium is discussed.

Schizophyllum commune produces a variety of mycelial proteolytic enzymes. The specific functions of many of these enzymes are unknown, but several have elevated activity when the mycelium is grown in nitrogen-limiting conditions, suggesting a role in mycelial autolysis. We have purified one of these nitrogen-limitation induced enzymes, a small serine protease, ScPrI, from S. commune mycelial extracts. ScPrI has an apparent molecular mass of 22 kDa and is active against classical substrates for chymotrypsin and subtilisin proteases. The pH optimum for activity is neutral to slightly alkaline and the protein denatures above 50 °C. The enzyme is inhibited by PMSF, TPCK and chymostatin, and it shows little dependence on metal ions. Hydrolysis of oxidized insulin B-chain peptide by ScPrI demonstrated cleavage following aromatic amino acids and leucine. Kinetic analysis of hydrolysis of N- succinyl-AAPF-pNA and N-succinyl-AAPL-pNA revealed similar Kms for both substrates but the Vmax was nearly 3-fold higher for the substrate with phenylalanine in the P1 position.

Phaeoramularia braunii sp. nov., P. trigonellae sp. nov., Stenella capparidiicola sp. nov. and S. hyptiantherae sp. nov., collected on Chloroxylum sp., Trigonella foenum-graecum, Capparis zeylanica and Hyptianthera stricta, respectively are described, illustrated and compared with related species.

Bulbocatenospora complanata gen. et sp. nov. is described and illustrated. The fungus is characterized by the production of inconspicuous, brown conidiophores, usually reduced to the conidiogenous cells, which are monotretic, ventricose, dark brown, with a well-defined pore. The conidia are muriform, broadly ovoid to irregular, complanate, brown, forming short, acropetal chains. The fungus was found on rotten leaves of Bactris setulosa in an undisturbed rainforest in Venezuela. Comparisons are made with some morphologically similar genera, Piricauda, Chuppia and Janetia.

The uredinial stage of Skierka agallocha was detected on leaves of Excoecaria agallocha, collected for the first time from mangroves of the Sundarbans during 1992. This communication deals with light microscope and scanning electron microscope characters of this mangrove rust.

Stratiphoromyces brunneisporus gen. et sp. nov. occurring on decaying petioles of Licuala spp., collected from rain forests in Australia and Brunei, is described and illustrated. It is unique in producing a globose mass of brown, uniseptate, curved, setulate conidia, from percurrently proliferating conidiogenous cells at the apex of solitary, erect, unbranched, brown conidiophores. The genus is briefly compared with Dictyochaeta and other similar hyphomycetes.

Using degenerated primers for conserved regions of RecA homologs we have isolated a gene from Pleurotus ostreatus that shows characteristic features of RAD51 homologs. The encoded amino acid sequence of P. ostreatusRAD51 (PoRAD51) shows greatest sequence similarities with RAD51 from Coprinus cinereus (89% identity). Furthermore the genomic organisation of PoRAD51 is almost identical to that of RAD51 from C. cinereus. Northern analysis shows that the expression of PoRAD51 is found in vegetative mycelium, and fruit body tissue, and that it is expressed at elevated levels in lamellae/basidia and following DNA damage. A sporulation deficient mutant strain of P. ostreatus (ATTC 58937) showed expression patterns of the RAD51 gene that are similar those of the normal sporulating strain.

Cytoplasmic extracts of Fusarium moniliforme contained a peptidase activity, able to cleave preferentially L-Leu-7-amino-4-methylcoumarin fluorogenic substrate. No activity towards this substrate was detected in various culture media of F. moniliforme supplemented or not with different substrates (bovine serum albumin, bovine haemoglobin, collagen or gelatin), proving that the peptidase was not secreted in these conditions. The cytoplasmic enzyme was purified by high performance liquid chromatography using a combination of an anionic exchange and gel filtration columns. The purified activity gave a single band on sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, estimated at Mr 45000 under reducing conditions. The aminopeptidase showed an optimum activity at pH 7·2, an isoelectric point at 4·1, the Michaelis constant was at 50 μm and the Vmax at 12 mM AMC released min−1 mg−1 of protein for L-Leu-AMC. Since this natural peptidase is sensitive to the protease inhibitors 1,10-phenantroline and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, it is considered as a metallopeptidase.

Antrodia lalashana sp. nov. and Antrodiella formosana sp. nov. found growing saprotrophically on the decayed stems of Persea zuilhoensis and Abies kawakamii, respectively, in Taiwan, are described and illustrated. Cultural characters are described for the two species.

Polygalacturonases (PGs) are important pectolytic enzymes produced by phytopathogenic fungi during the process of infection and colonisation of the host plants. In this work, PGs produced by isolates of seven Fusarium species associated to Pinus pinea have been analysed for: activity, isoform pattern observed by isoelectric focusing, endo- or exo-mode of action and their production in cultures growing on pectin and galacturonic acid. Of the seven isolates, those of F. oxysporum and F. moniliforme exhibited high PG activity and the most complex isoform patterns including acidic ones. These isolates were also more efficient in degrading the PG substrate, during which both endo and exo type polygalacturonase activities were detected. It is suggested that these features could be useful to the fungus during infection and colonisation of its host, specially during seed germination and early development.

Turturconchata reticulata gen. et sp. nov., isolated from the decaying stem of an herbaceous dicotyledon, is described and illustrated. It is characterized by dorsiventrally flattened olive brown conidia composed of 19–58 cells. The conidia are borne horizontally on a cuneiform basal cell originating from flexuous, curved to spiral, septate, simple or branched, indeterminate conidiogenous cells. The differences between T. reticulata and the morphologically or ontogenically somewhat related Canalisporium, Hermatomyces, Mycoenterolobium and Oncopodium are briefly discussed.

Proteolytic activities were detected in a cytosoluble 100000 g extract of Cryptococcus neoformans using 7-amido-4-methylcoumarin substrates. The main proteolytic activity cleaved the L-arginine-AMC substrate. This protease was purified by high performance liquid chromatography and had a molecular weight of 80 kDa as demonstrated by SDS-PAGE in the presence of reducing conditions. The enzyme was inhibited by EDTA and o-phenanthroline which are metallopeptidase inhibitors. The protease displayed high enzymatic activity between pH 5·8 and 7, and its pI was localised at pH 5·04. Furthermore, this metallopeptidase was not secreted in culture supernatants, but was able to degrade partially or totally some of the extracellular matrix components, as fibronectin or laminin, and host IgG.