• Bursts of rapid diversification, dispersals out of Southern Africa, and two origins of dioecy punctuate the evolution of asparagus 

  Bentz, Philip C.; Burrows, John E.; Burrows, Sandra M.; Mizrachi, Eshchar; Liu, Zhengjie; Yang, Junbo; Mao, Zichao; Popecki, Margot; Seberg, Ole; Petersen, Gitte; Leebens-Mack, Jim (Oxford University Press, 2024-10)

  The genus Asparagus arose ∼9 to 15 million years ago (Ma), and transitions from hermaphroditism to dioecy (separate sexes) occurred ∼3 to 4 Ma. Roughly 27% of extant Asparagus species are dioecious, while the remaining ...
• Cultures as types and the utility of viable specimens for fungal nomenclature 

  Yurkov, Andrey; Visagie, Cobus M.; Crous, Pedro W.; Hashimoto, Akira; Baschien, Christiane; Begerow, Dominik; Kemler, Martin; Schoutteten, Nathan; Stadler, Marc; Wijayawardene, Nalin N.; Hyde, Kevin D.; Zhang, Ning; Boekhout, Teun; May, Tom W.; Thines, Marco; Hawksworth, David L. (Pensoft Publishers, 2024-07)

  The debates over the requirement of the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICNafp) for a viable specimen to represent the name-bearing type material for a species or infraspecific taxon have ...
• Whole genome sequence analysis of Listeria monocytogenes isolates obtained from the beef production chain in Gauteng Province, South Africa 

  Gana, James; Gcebe, Nomakorinte; Pierneef, Rian E.; Chen, Yi-Liang; Moerane, Rebone; Adesiyun, Abiodun Adewale (MDPI, 2024-05-16)

  The study used whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and bioinformatics analysis for the genomic characterization of 60 isolates of Listeria monocytogenes obtained from the beef production chain (cattle farms, abattoirs, and ...
• Virulence potential and antimicrobial resistance of Listeria monocytogenes isolates obtained from beef and beef-based products deciphered using whole-genome sequencing 

  Manqele, Ayanda; Adesiyun, Abiodun Adewale; Mafuna, Thendo; Pierneef, Rian; Moerane, Rebone; Gcebe, Nomakorinte (MDPI, 2024-06-08)

  Listeria monocytogenes is a ubiquitous bacterial pathogen that threatens the food chain and human health. In this study, whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was used for the genomic characterization of L. monocytogenes (n = ...
• Universal lineage-independent markers of multidrug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis 

  Hlanze, Hleliwe; Mutshembele, Awelani; Reva, Oleg N. (MDPI, 2024-07)

  (1) BACKGROUND : This study was aimed to identify universal genetic markers of multidrug resistance (MDR) in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and establish statistical associations among identified mutations to enhance ...
• Complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the white root rot pathogen Dematophora necatrix (Xylariaceae: Xylariales) 

  Van der Nest, Magrieta Aletta; Steenkamp, Emma Theodora; De Vos, Lieschen; Wienk, Raven; Swart, Velushka; Van den Berg, Noelani (Taylor and Francis Group, 2024)

  The mitochondrial genome of Dematophora necatrix is 121,350 base pairs in length with a GþC content of 30.19%. Phylogenetic analysis showed that D. necatrix grouped with other members of the Xylariaceae, with which its ...
• Investigating the impact that diagnostic screening with lateral flow devices had on the rabies surveillance program in Zanzibar, Tanzania 

  Moh’d, Ali Z.; Coetzer, Andre; Malan, Ayla Janina-Bertha; Scott, Terence P.; Ramadhan, Ramadhan J.; Wright, Nicolette; Nel, Louis Hendrik (MDPI, 2024-06-27)

  With the global impetus for the elimination of canine-mediated human rabies, the need for robust rabies surveillance systems has become ever more important. Many countries are working to improve their rabies surveillance ...
• Biogeographic survey of soil bacterial communities across Antarctica 

  Varliero, Gilda; Lebre, Pedro H.; Adams, Byron; Chown, Steven L.; Convey, Peter; Dennis, Paul G.; Fan, Dandan; Ferrari, Belinda; Frey, Beat; Hogg, Ian D.; Hopkins, David W.; Kong, Weidong; Makhalanyane, Thulani Peter; Matcher, Gwynneth; Newsham, Kevin K.; Stevens, Mark I.; Weigh, Katherine V.; Cowan, Don A. (BioMed Central, 2024-01-12)

  BACKGROUND : Antarctica and its unique biodiversity are increasingly at risk from the effects of global climate change and other human influences. A significant recent element underpinning strategies for Antarctic ...
• Characterisation of Sargassum elegans fucoidans extracted using different technologies : linking their structure to α-glucosidase inhibition 

  Mabate, Blessing; Daub, Chantal Desiree; Malgas, Samkelo; Pletschke, Brett Ivan (Elsevier, 2025-01)

  Fucoidan, a sulphated polysaccharide found in brown seaweeds, has gained attention for its potential as an α-glucosidase inhibitor (AGI), which is significant for managing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Although the use ...
• Four new Geosmithia species from bark beetles infesting indigenous South African trees 

  Aylward, Janneke; Marincowtiz, Seonju; Basson, Renier Johannes; Rippon, William; Wingfield, Michael J.; Roets, Francois (Elsevier, 2024-12)

  Over the past two decades, numerous Geosmithia fungi have been isolated from the bodies and galleries of wood–boring beetles. However, this genus of asexual Sordariomycetes remains taxonomically and ecologically understudied, ...
• New simple sequence repeat markers reveal undetected diversity in Spanish and Californian Diplodia sapinea populations 

  Vilanova, Laura; Caballol, Maria; Zhang, Ke; Olson, Åke; Barnes, Irene; Wingfield, Michael J.; Oliva, Jonas (Elsevier, 2024-12)

  Diplodia sapinea is the causal agent of Diplodia shoot blight, an emerging disease affecting pine forests world wide. The range expansion of this pathogen in northern Europe has been suggested to be partially facilitated ...
• Genome sequences of the 15 bluetongue virus vaccine strains incorporated in the South African live-attenuated vaccine 

  Mlingo, Tendai A.M.; Beeton-Kempen, Natasha; Nthangeni, M. Bethuel; Theron, Jacques; Mokoena, Nobalanda B. (American Society for Microbiology, 2024-06)

  Bluetongue disease in endemic areas is predominantly controlled through vaccination with live-attenuated vaccines. Sequencing of the original master seed viruses used in the production of Onderstepoort Biological Products ...
• Describing and characterizing the WAK/WAKL gene family across plant species : a systematic review 

  Harvey, Aaron Thomas; Van den Berg, Noelani; Swart, Velushka (Frontiers Media, 2024-11)

  Wall-associated kinases (WAKs) and WAK-likes (WAKLs) are transmembrane pectin receptors which have seen rising interest in recent years due to their roles in stress responses and developmental pathways. Consequently, the ...
• Enhancing maize drought and heat tolerance : single vs combined plant growth promoting rhizobacterial inoculation 

  Notununu, Iviwe; Moleleki, Lucy N.; Roopnarain, Ashira; Adeleke, Rasheed Adegbola (Frontiers Media, 2024-12)

  Maize (Zea mays L.), a key staple crop in Sub-Saharan Africa, is particularly vulnerable to concurrent drought and heat stress, which threatens crop yield and food security. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) ...
• An ANI gap within bacterial species that advances the definitions of intra-species units 

  Rodriguez-R, Luis M.; Conrad, Roth E.; Viver, Tomeu; Feistel, Dorian J.; Lindner, Blake G.; Lindner, Blake G.; Venter, S.N. (Stephanus Nicolaas); Orellana, Luis H.; Amann, Rudolf I.; Rossello-Mora, Ramon; Konstantinidis, Konstantinos T. (American Society for Microbiology, 2024-01)

  Large-scale surveys of prokaryotic communities (metagenomes), as well as isolate genomes, have revealed that their diversity is predominantly organized in sequence-discrete units that may be equated to species. Specifically, ...
• Insights into the diversity of grassland soil bacterial communities associated with four contrasting Köppen climatic zones of India 

  Nair, Girish R.; Raja, Suresh Selvapuram Sudalaimuthu (Malaysian Society for Microbiology, 2024-04)

  AIMS : This study investigates the community structure and diversity of terrestrial soil bacterial communities thriving in four contrasting Köppen climatic zones of India using high-throughput sequencing. METHODOLOGY AND ...
• Functional redundancy buffers the effect of poly-extreme environmental conditions on southern African dryland soil microbial communities 

  Sauma-Sánchez, Tomás; Alcorta, Jaime; Tamayo-Leiva, Javier; Diez, Beatriz; Bezuidenhout, Hugo; Cowan, Don A.; Ramond, Jean-Baptiste (Oxford University Press, 2024-12)

  Drylands’ poly-extreme conditions limit edaphic microbial diversity and functionality. Furthermore, climate change exacerbates soil desiccation and salinity in most drylands. To better understand the potential effects of ...
• Characterization of the Fusarium circinatum biofilm environmental response role 

  Ratsoma, Manchela Francinah; Mokoena, Nthabiseng Z.; Santana, Quentin C.; Wingfield, Brenda D.; Steenkamp, Emma Theodora; Motaung, Thabiso Eric (Wiley, 2024-04)

  The capacity to form biofilms is a common trait among many microorganisms present on Earth. In this study, we demonstrate for the first time that the fatal pine pitch canker agent, Fusarium circinatum, can lead a biofilm-like ...
• Understanding cargo sorting and interactive effects of membrane vesicles in fungal phytopathogens : current knowledge and research gaps 

  Ratsoma, Manchela Francinah; Santana, Quentin C.; Wingfield, Brenda D.; Steenkamp, Emma Theodora; Motaung, Thabiso Eric (Elsevier, 2025-03)

  Organisms from all kingdoms of life release membrane vesicles, which are tiny, spherical structures made of a lipid bilayer. These vesicles carry out several functions, such as forming new cell membranes, removing waste ...
• Deciphering the biosynthetic pathway of triterpene saponins in Prunella vulgaris 

  Liu, Si-Jie; Liu, Zhengtai; Shao, Bing-Yan; Li, Tao; Zhu, Xinning; Wang, Ren; Shi, Lei; Xu, Sheng; Van de Peer, Yves; Xue, Jia-Yu (Wiley, 2025-01)

  The traditional Chinese medicinal plant Prunella vulgaris contains numerous triterpene saponin metabolites, notably ursolic and oleanolic acid saponins, which have significant pharmacological values. Despite their importance, ...

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