- Email: [email protected]
Dictionary of the Fungi
mycological research 113 (2009) 908–910
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/mycres
Book Reviews* Dictionary of the Fungi Ainsworth & Bisby’s Dictionary of the Fungi, Paul M. Kirk, Paul F. Cannon, David W. Minter, Joost A. Stalpers (eds), 10th edn, CAB International, Wallingford, UK, 2008, ISBN 978085199-826-8, Pp. xi þ 771, figs 31, tables 4. Price: £ 70, US$ 140, 110 V. The Dictionary of the Fungi contains an exhaustive collection of everything you need to know about systematic mycology. Groups covered include the ‘true’ fungi, the macro- and microfungi, yeasts, and lichenized fungi, plus the chromistan and protistan fungal analogues – which now appear in two separate sections. The 10th edition successfully continues the link between the old and the new hierarchies, despite the rapid speed of changes brought about particularly by molecular sequence data. This is well-illustrated by the changes seen in the taxonomy of the anamorphic fungi. In the 9th edition of 2001, the separate classification of the anamorphic and teleomorphic groups was abandoned, but assignment could only be made to subphylum level, whilst in the 10th edition over 30 % of the anamorphs are assigned at class level. It seems reasonable that by the 11th edition, assignments of all anamorphs will be complete. A browse through the entries finds generic names (followed by the author and year of publication), terms, important activities such as toxin or antibiotic production, and sundry mycological topics in ecology and applied mycology. In comparison to earlier editions, there is a much more international flavour to the biographical entries, and some new topic entries are included, including bioterrorism and fungi, and phylogenetic analysis. However, the systematic arrangement provided at the end of the previous two editions has been dropped. The Dictionary is easy to use and well-structured, however there are a few niggling issues. A list of figures would be most helpful to avoid tedious searches through this rather large tome, and greater cross referencing of entries to the illustrations would maximize the usefulness of these simple, clear figures (for example including a cross reference from conidiogenesis to Figs 1 and 2). This is especially so as the figures do not all appear in numerical sequence (e.g. Fig 31 is on p. 530 and Fig 23 on p. 637).
Overall, this is an absolute must for any serious mycologist’s bookshelf. Jane I. Faull School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Birkbeck University of London Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX, UK E-mail: [email protected]
Mycoremediation Mycoremediation: Fungal Bioremediation, Harbhajan Singh, Wiley-Interscience, Hoboken, NJ, 2006, ISBN 0-471-75501-X, Pp. xxi þ 592. Price: £ 71.50, US$ 125. Contrary to the cover blurb, this is not the first work on the application of fungi in bioremediation and is a successor to Fungi in Bioremediation (Gadd 2001). In contrast to the latter edited work, written by a selection of international experts in their fields, this is a single-authored work that attempts to cover all the salient topics previously covered under this heading. An introductory chapter provides a simple overview of fungal morphology and growth, bioreactor principles and white-rot fungi among other topics. Subsequent chapters deal with treatment of waste waters, distillery and brewery wastes, petroleum hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls and dioxins, pesticides, phenols and chlorinated phenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, lignin degradation and decolorization of pulp and paper mill effluents, dyes, metal biosorption and mycorrhizal fungi in rhizosphere remediation. The chapters are clearly written although some degree of overlap occurs between several topics, e.g. accounts of the various bioreactors employed in treatment systems. There is also a large number of subsections to each chapter, not all of which are justified for the sake of coherence, or the importance of the topic under discussion. It is also not made fully clear to the reader which of the processes under discussion are currently being exploited in an applied context, or are still speculative or at the laboratory stage. For example, some topics, like metal biosorption, are unlikely ever to receive commercial application despite years of previous research. The chapters have an extensive bibliography although many references seem dated, perhaps a reflection of the time required to compile and publish this large volume. I am not
* This section is compiled by the Associate Senior Editor, David L. Hawksworth. Books for consideration for review should be sent to him at: Milford House, The Mead, PO Box 152, Ashtead, Surrey KT21 9BB, UK (e-mail: [email protected]). Unsigned items are by the Associate Senior Editor. 0953-7562/$ – see front matter doi:10.1016/j.mycres.2009.07.003
Book Reviews
sure whether this book provides any more insight or novelty from other books on this topic or the many relevant reviews that exist in the literature. As a large, clearly written literature review it has some merit and is likely to be useful for students, newcomers to the field, and teachers wishing to include material in courses. Experienced researchers may find the book of limited value. Gadd GM (ed) 2001. Fungi in Bioremediation. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Geoffrey M. Gadd Division of Molecular and Environmental Microbiology College of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK E-mail: [email protected]
Recent mycological books Exploitation of Fungi, Geoffrey D Robson, Pieter van West, Geoffrey M Gadd (eds), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 2007, ISBN 978-0-521-85935-6, Pp. xvi þ 345. Price: £ 80. This volume comprises papers from a symposium of the British Mycological Society which was held at the University of Manchester in September 2005. Seventeen papers involving 75 authors from ten countries are arranged in five groups: Comparative and functional fungal genomics (2 papers); Bioactive molecules (4); Protein folding and secretion (3); Fungal bioremediation (4); and Fungal control of pests (4). Highlights for me were the contributions on the genome of the rice blast fungus in relation to function (R A Dean et al.), genomics and fungal product metabolism in Aspergillus (G Turner), metal stress and the single yeast cell (S V Avery), and metal and mineral transformations (M Fomina, G M Gadd). Several of the contributions are reviews, and consequently the book will be of value to final year and graduate students either preparing essays or embarking on projects in these different areas of mycology. However, as is almost unavoidable in a volume arising from a symposium, not all ways in which fungi can be exploited to human benefit could be covered, for example the production of organic acids and enzymes, and use as food. Nevertheless, this will be a useful addition to college and university libraries where applied mycology is taught.
909
These toxins are a family of fungal extracellular ribonucleases produced by some species of Aspergillus which inactivate ribosomes by cleaving a particular bond in rRNA; it includes numerous 3D images which illustrate structures and docking. Ribotoxins are considered as potential therapeutic agents against various human pathogens, with possible application in the treatment of Aspergillus-related allergic syndromes and also carcinomas. These are clearly fascinating compounds, and the chapter can serve as an example to show students of how fungal toxins can act and of possible new ways in which such fungal products can be exploited. The Lichens of Great Britain and Ireland, Clifford W Smith, Andre´ Aptroot, Brian J Coppins, Anthony Fletcher, Oliver L Gilbert, Peter W James, Patricia A Wolseley (eds), British Lichen Society, London, UK, 2009, ISBN 978-0-9540418-6-5, Pp. ix þ 1046. Price: £ 65. The Lichen Flora of Great Britain and Ireland (Purvis et al. 1992) was a landmark achievement, providing keys and descriptions covering all recognized species in the countries. That a revision was necessary and should be embarked on was agreed by the British Lichen Society in 2000, and this has at last been realized through the determination and collaboration of many members of the Society. The new volume is 336 pages longer, and now includes 1873 species – an increase of 386 on the 1992 work. In addition to lichen-forming fungi, it covers non-lichenized genera traditionally studied by lichenologists, and lichenicolous and non-lichenized species that belong to genera also including lichens. The keys have been thoroughly revised and tested, and every one of the 327 generic accounts has been updated. New for this revision are references under each species as to where illustrations can be found. This is a must-have for all mycologists working with lichens, and perhaps also a model for what should be attempted for other fungal groups in the region. Purvis OW, Coppins BJ, Hawksworth DL, James PW, Moore DM. 1992. The Lichen Flora of Great Britain and Ireland. Natural History Museum Publications, London.
Microbial Toxins: current research and future trends, Thomas Proft (ed.), Caister Academic Press, Caister, Norfolk, UK, 2009, ISBN 978-1-904455-44-8, Pp. vii þ 192. Price: £ 150.
Natural Compounds as Drugs, Frank Petersen, Rene´ Amstutz (eds), Birkha¨user, Basel, Switzerland, 2008, 2 vols [Progress in Drug Research Vols 65 and 66], ISBN 978-3-7643-8098-4 and 978-3-7643-8594-1, Pp. xii þ 377, x þ 427. Price: CHF 329, 189 V, £ 145.50 (per volume).
Mycologists who specialize on mycotoxins will find this new book of value as a demonstration of the detailed information now available on how other microbial toxins are harmful at the functional genomics level. Eight chapters concern toxins carried by mobile genetic elements, botulinum neurotoxins, anthrax toxin, subtilase cytotoxin, the Pastuerella multocida toxin, RTX toxins of vibrios, the Helicobacter pyrlori VacA toxin, and staphylococcal immune evasion toxins. A ninth chapter is, however, of special interest to mycologists. Prepared by Elias Herrero-Gala´n and colleagues in the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, this concerns fungal ribotoxins.
This two-volume work comprises a wide-ranging series of studies that address the whole natural compound drug discovery field, including products from fungi. Each volume comprises a series of separately authored chapters which range from general reviews of approaches and technologies to particular examples. There is speculation on the numbers of antibiotics to be found, and the suggestion that less than 5 % of those from microbial groups have yet been discovered (Singh & Pelaez, 1: 145). Many of the contributions are concerned with strategies for drug discovery, including high throughput screening methods. Especially interesting is the speculation
910
that activation of silent gene clusters in fungi could provide a new avenue in drug discovery (Brakhage et al. 2: 3). A specific fungal case reported on is that of fingolimod, the first in a new class of immune-modulators, obtained from an unidentified ascomycete, that has potential in the control of multiple sclerosis (Hiestand et al. 2: 363). Those involved in bioprospecting for drugs from fungi, will find much of interest here, especially if they think ‘‘out of the box’’. However, ‘‘These proven
D. L. Hawksworth
technologies require experts in ecology, botany, microbiology, genetics, physiology, fermentation technologies, chemistry, etc to be effective and successful in the search for new drugs from nature’’ (Foreword 1: ix). Assembling such teams of experts will require considerable investment, assuming that there are appropriately trained specialists available to be employed. Sadly, I suspect this will be an increasing constraint to the discovery of novel drugs from fungi.
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/mycres
Book Reviews* Dictionary of the Fungi Ainsworth & Bisby’s Dictionary of the Fungi, Paul M. Kirk, Paul F. Cannon, David W. Minter, Joost A. Stalpers (eds), 10th edn, CAB International, Wallingford, UK, 2008, ISBN 978085199-826-8, Pp. xi þ 771, figs 31, tables 4. Price: £ 70, US$ 140, 110 V. The Dictionary of the Fungi contains an exhaustive collection of everything you need to know about systematic mycology. Groups covered include the ‘true’ fungi, the macro- and microfungi, yeasts, and lichenized fungi, plus the chromistan and protistan fungal analogues – which now appear in two separate sections. The 10th edition successfully continues the link between the old and the new hierarchies, despite the rapid speed of changes brought about particularly by molecular sequence data. This is well-illustrated by the changes seen in the taxonomy of the anamorphic fungi. In the 9th edition of 2001, the separate classification of the anamorphic and teleomorphic groups was abandoned, but assignment could only be made to subphylum level, whilst in the 10th edition over 30 % of the anamorphs are assigned at class level. It seems reasonable that by the 11th edition, assignments of all anamorphs will be complete. A browse through the entries finds generic names (followed by the author and year of publication), terms, important activities such as toxin or antibiotic production, and sundry mycological topics in ecology and applied mycology. In comparison to earlier editions, there is a much more international flavour to the biographical entries, and some new topic entries are included, including bioterrorism and fungi, and phylogenetic analysis. However, the systematic arrangement provided at the end of the previous two editions has been dropped. The Dictionary is easy to use and well-structured, however there are a few niggling issues. A list of figures would be most helpful to avoid tedious searches through this rather large tome, and greater cross referencing of entries to the illustrations would maximize the usefulness of these simple, clear figures (for example including a cross reference from conidiogenesis to Figs 1 and 2). This is especially so as the figures do not all appear in numerical sequence (e.g. Fig 31 is on p. 530 and Fig 23 on p. 637).
Overall, this is an absolute must for any serious mycologist’s bookshelf. Jane I. Faull School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Birkbeck University of London Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX, UK E-mail: [email protected]
Mycoremediation Mycoremediation: Fungal Bioremediation, Harbhajan Singh, Wiley-Interscience, Hoboken, NJ, 2006, ISBN 0-471-75501-X, Pp. xxi þ 592. Price: £ 71.50, US$ 125. Contrary to the cover blurb, this is not the first work on the application of fungi in bioremediation and is a successor to Fungi in Bioremediation (Gadd 2001). In contrast to the latter edited work, written by a selection of international experts in their fields, this is a single-authored work that attempts to cover all the salient topics previously covered under this heading. An introductory chapter provides a simple overview of fungal morphology and growth, bioreactor principles and white-rot fungi among other topics. Subsequent chapters deal with treatment of waste waters, distillery and brewery wastes, petroleum hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls and dioxins, pesticides, phenols and chlorinated phenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, lignin degradation and decolorization of pulp and paper mill effluents, dyes, metal biosorption and mycorrhizal fungi in rhizosphere remediation. The chapters are clearly written although some degree of overlap occurs between several topics, e.g. accounts of the various bioreactors employed in treatment systems. There is also a large number of subsections to each chapter, not all of which are justified for the sake of coherence, or the importance of the topic under discussion. It is also not made fully clear to the reader which of the processes under discussion are currently being exploited in an applied context, or are still speculative or at the laboratory stage. For example, some topics, like metal biosorption, are unlikely ever to receive commercial application despite years of previous research. The chapters have an extensive bibliography although many references seem dated, perhaps a reflection of the time required to compile and publish this large volume. I am not
* This section is compiled by the Associate Senior Editor, David L. Hawksworth. Books for consideration for review should be sent to him at: Milford House, The Mead, PO Box 152, Ashtead, Surrey KT21 9BB, UK (e-mail: [email protected]). Unsigned items are by the Associate Senior Editor. 0953-7562/$ – see front matter doi:10.1016/j.mycres.2009.07.003
Book Reviews
sure whether this book provides any more insight or novelty from other books on this topic or the many relevant reviews that exist in the literature. As a large, clearly written literature review it has some merit and is likely to be useful for students, newcomers to the field, and teachers wishing to include material in courses. Experienced researchers may find the book of limited value. Gadd GM (ed) 2001. Fungi in Bioremediation. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Geoffrey M. Gadd Division of Molecular and Environmental Microbiology College of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK E-mail: [email protected]
Recent mycological books Exploitation of Fungi, Geoffrey D Robson, Pieter van West, Geoffrey M Gadd (eds), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 2007, ISBN 978-0-521-85935-6, Pp. xvi þ 345. Price: £ 80. This volume comprises papers from a symposium of the British Mycological Society which was held at the University of Manchester in September 2005. Seventeen papers involving 75 authors from ten countries are arranged in five groups: Comparative and functional fungal genomics (2 papers); Bioactive molecules (4); Protein folding and secretion (3); Fungal bioremediation (4); and Fungal control of pests (4). Highlights for me were the contributions on the genome of the rice blast fungus in relation to function (R A Dean et al.), genomics and fungal product metabolism in Aspergillus (G Turner), metal stress and the single yeast cell (S V Avery), and metal and mineral transformations (M Fomina, G M Gadd). Several of the contributions are reviews, and consequently the book will be of value to final year and graduate students either preparing essays or embarking on projects in these different areas of mycology. However, as is almost unavoidable in a volume arising from a symposium, not all ways in which fungi can be exploited to human benefit could be covered, for example the production of organic acids and enzymes, and use as food. Nevertheless, this will be a useful addition to college and university libraries where applied mycology is taught.
909
These toxins are a family of fungal extracellular ribonucleases produced by some species of Aspergillus which inactivate ribosomes by cleaving a particular bond in rRNA; it includes numerous 3D images which illustrate structures and docking. Ribotoxins are considered as potential therapeutic agents against various human pathogens, with possible application in the treatment of Aspergillus-related allergic syndromes and also carcinomas. These are clearly fascinating compounds, and the chapter can serve as an example to show students of how fungal toxins can act and of possible new ways in which such fungal products can be exploited. The Lichens of Great Britain and Ireland, Clifford W Smith, Andre´ Aptroot, Brian J Coppins, Anthony Fletcher, Oliver L Gilbert, Peter W James, Patricia A Wolseley (eds), British Lichen Society, London, UK, 2009, ISBN 978-0-9540418-6-5, Pp. ix þ 1046. Price: £ 65. The Lichen Flora of Great Britain and Ireland (Purvis et al. 1992) was a landmark achievement, providing keys and descriptions covering all recognized species in the countries. That a revision was necessary and should be embarked on was agreed by the British Lichen Society in 2000, and this has at last been realized through the determination and collaboration of many members of the Society. The new volume is 336 pages longer, and now includes 1873 species – an increase of 386 on the 1992 work. In addition to lichen-forming fungi, it covers non-lichenized genera traditionally studied by lichenologists, and lichenicolous and non-lichenized species that belong to genera also including lichens. The keys have been thoroughly revised and tested, and every one of the 327 generic accounts has been updated. New for this revision are references under each species as to where illustrations can be found. This is a must-have for all mycologists working with lichens, and perhaps also a model for what should be attempted for other fungal groups in the region. Purvis OW, Coppins BJ, Hawksworth DL, James PW, Moore DM. 1992. The Lichen Flora of Great Britain and Ireland. Natural History Museum Publications, London.
Microbial Toxins: current research and future trends, Thomas Proft (ed.), Caister Academic Press, Caister, Norfolk, UK, 2009, ISBN 978-1-904455-44-8, Pp. vii þ 192. Price: £ 150.
Natural Compounds as Drugs, Frank Petersen, Rene´ Amstutz (eds), Birkha¨user, Basel, Switzerland, 2008, 2 vols [Progress in Drug Research Vols 65 and 66], ISBN 978-3-7643-8098-4 and 978-3-7643-8594-1, Pp. xii þ 377, x þ 427. Price: CHF 329, 189 V, £ 145.50 (per volume).
Mycologists who specialize on mycotoxins will find this new book of value as a demonstration of the detailed information now available on how other microbial toxins are harmful at the functional genomics level. Eight chapters concern toxins carried by mobile genetic elements, botulinum neurotoxins, anthrax toxin, subtilase cytotoxin, the Pastuerella multocida toxin, RTX toxins of vibrios, the Helicobacter pyrlori VacA toxin, and staphylococcal immune evasion toxins. A ninth chapter is, however, of special interest to mycologists. Prepared by Elias Herrero-Gala´n and colleagues in the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, this concerns fungal ribotoxins.
This two-volume work comprises a wide-ranging series of studies that address the whole natural compound drug discovery field, including products from fungi. Each volume comprises a series of separately authored chapters which range from general reviews of approaches and technologies to particular examples. There is speculation on the numbers of antibiotics to be found, and the suggestion that less than 5 % of those from microbial groups have yet been discovered (Singh & Pelaez, 1: 145). Many of the contributions are concerned with strategies for drug discovery, including high throughput screening methods. Especially interesting is the speculation
910
that activation of silent gene clusters in fungi could provide a new avenue in drug discovery (Brakhage et al. 2: 3). A specific fungal case reported on is that of fingolimod, the first in a new class of immune-modulators, obtained from an unidentified ascomycete, that has potential in the control of multiple sclerosis (Hiestand et al. 2: 363). Those involved in bioprospecting for drugs from fungi, will find much of interest here, especially if they think ‘‘out of the box’’. However, ‘‘These proven
D. L. Hawksworth
technologies require experts in ecology, botany, microbiology, genetics, physiology, fermentation technologies, chemistry, etc to be effective and successful in the search for new drugs from nature’’ (Foreword 1: ix). Assembling such teams of experts will require considerable investment, assuming that there are appropriately trained specialists available to be employed. Sadly, I suspect this will be an increasing constraint to the discovery of novel drugs from fungi.