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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Molecules

Chemical Characterization of Secondary Metabolites of Escovopsioides nivea and Their Antagonistic Activity Against the Leaf-Cutter Ant Fungal Mutualist Leucoagaricus gongylophorus

  • Tania Pérez1
  • Belén Z. Hernández1
  • Eyleen Vega Gibbs2
  • Ricardo Santamaría3
  • Daniel Torres-Mendoza1,4
  • Marc G. Chevrette5
  • Hermógenes Fernández-Marín6,7
  • Humberto E. Ortega1,7,8
8 affiliations
  1. 1Laboratorio de Bioorgánica Tropical, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Exactas y Tecnología, Universidad de Panamá, Panama 0824, Panama
  2. 2Escuela de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Exactas y Tecnología, Universidad de Panamá, Panama 0824, Panama
  3. 3División de Bioprospección y Descubrimiento de Fármacos, Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta Tecnología (INDICASAT AIP), Panama 0843-01103, Panama
  4. 4Vicerrectoría de Investigación y Postgrado, Universidad de Panamá, Panama 0824, Panama
  5. 5Department of Plant Pathology and Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53715, USA
  6. 6División de Biodiversidad, Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta Tecnología (INDICASAT AIP), Panama 0843-01103, Panama
  7. 7Sistema Nacional de Investigación (SNI), Secretaría Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación, Ciudad del Saber, Clayton, Panama 0816, Panama
  8. 8Departamento de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Exactas y Tecnología, Universidad de Panamá, Panama 0824, Panama
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Abstract

Microfungi of the genus Escovopsioides are antagonists within the obligate symbiosis between fungus-growing ants (Tribe Attini) and their fungal cultivars, yet the chemical basis of their interactions remains largely unexplored. Similar to species of the closely related genus Escovopsis, Escovopsioides species frequently exhibit antagonistic interactions with the basidiomycete Leucoagaricus gongylophorus, the fungal cultivar maintained by attine ants. In this study, Escovopsioides nivea strains were isolated from nests of the higher attine ants Acromyrmex octospinosus and Mycetomoellerius mikromelanos collected in central Panama. One strain isolated from an A. octospinosus nest was selected for chemical investigation and evaluation of its antagonistic activity against L. gongylophorus. Chemical analysis using one- and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy in combination with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESIMS) led to the identification of five known secondary metabolites from Escovopsioides nivea: rugulotrosin A (1), microthecin (2), 2-(1-oxo-2-hydroxyethyl)furan (3), chrysophanol (4), and physcion (5). Bioassays against L. gongylophorus revealed that rugulotrosin A (1), chrysophanol (4), and physcion (5) exhibited moderate antagonistic activity at 100 μg concentrations. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing secondary metabolites produced by a member of the genus Escovopsioides and demonstrating their antagonistic activity against the mutualistic fungal cultivar of fungus-growing ants. These findings broaden the known chemical diversity of Escovopsioides and provide new insights into the ecological functions and evolutionary significance of microfungal antagonists associated with the fungus-growing ant symbiosis.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{perez2026chemical,
  title = {{Chemical Characterization of Secondary Metabolites of Escovopsioides nivea and Their Antagonistic Activity Against the Leaf-Cutter Ant Fungal Mutualist Leucoagaricus gongylophorus}},
  author = {Tania Pérez and Belén Z. Hernández and Eyleen Vega Gibbs and Ricardo Santamaría and Daniel Torres-Mendoza and Marc G. Chevrette and Hermógenes Fernández-Marín and Humberto E. Ortega},
  journal = {Molecules},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.3390/molecules31213847},
  url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/21/3847},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Chemical Characterization of Secondary Metabolites of Escovopsioides nivea and Their Antagonistic Activity Against the Leaf-Cutter Ant Fungal Mutualist Leucoagaricus gongylophorus
AU  - Tania Pérez
AU  - Belén Z. Hernández
AU  - Eyleen Vega Gibbs
AU  - Ricardo Santamaría
AU  - Daniel Torres-Mendoza
AU  - Marc G. Chevrette
AU  - Hermógenes Fernández-Marín
AU  - Humberto E. Ortega
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/25
JO  - Molecules
DO  - 10.3390/molecules31213847
UR  - https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/21/3847
AB  - Microfungi of the genus Escovopsioides are antagonists within the obligate symbiosis between fungus-growing ants (Tribe Attini) and their fungal cultivars, yet the chemical basis of their interactions remains largely unexplored. Similar to species of the closely related genus Escovopsis, Escovopsioides species frequently exhibit antagonistic interactions with the basidiomycete Leucoagaricus gongylophorus, the fungal cultivar maintained by attine ants. In this study, Escovopsioides nivea strains were isolated from nests of the higher attine ants Acromyrmex octospinosus and Mycetomoellerius mikromelanos collected in central Panama. One strain isolated from an A. octospinosus nest was selected for chemical investigation and evaluation of its antagonistic activity against L. gongylophorus. Chemical analysis using one- and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy in combination with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESIMS) led to the identification of five known secondary metabolites from Escovopsioides nivea: rugulotrosin A (1), microthecin (2), 2-(1-oxo-2-hydroxyethyl)furan (3), chrysophanol (4), and physcion (5). Bioassays against L. gongylophorus revealed that rugulotrosin A (1), chrysophanol (4), and physcion (5) exhibited moderate antagonistic activity at 100 μg concentrations. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing secondary metabolites produced by a member of the genus Escovopsioides and demonstrating their antagonistic activity against the mutualistic fungal cultivar of fungus-growing ants. These findings broaden the known chemical diversity of Escovopsioides and provide new insights into the ecological functions and evolutionary significance of microfungal antagonists associated with the fungus-growing ant symbiosis.
SN  - 1420-3049
ER  -