Fungi represent an ancient ubiquitous and interesting kingdom that can be
classified into Phycomycota, Oomycota, Microsporidiomycota, Zygomycota,
Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Deuteromycota divisions. These microorganisms
are considered as a reservoir of bioactive compounds that can be exploited in crucial
fields: food, pharmaceutical, and agricultural industries. Non-alkaloid nitrogenated
compounds are considered a prolific bouquet composed of proteins such as enzymes
playing an essential role in the synthesis of compounds that are involved in vital life
processes, lytic enzymes possessing depleting effects, antibiotics, toxins applied as
antimicrobials and antifungals, immunosuppressive molecules, etc. Moreover, a
number of species found in phyla like Oomycota and Microsporidiomycota have
been and are still used as biological control agents for crops as a counterpart to
chemical products.
The research leading to these results was supported by MICINN supporting
the Ramón y Cajal grant for M.A. Prieto (RYC-2017-22891), the post-doctoral grant of M. Fraga-
Corral (ED481B-2019/096), and L. Cassani (ED481B-2021/152), and the pre-doctoral grant of
A.G. Pereira (ED481A-2019/0228). Authors are grateful to Ibero-American Program on Science
and Technology (CYTED-AQUA-CIBUS, P317RT0003), to the Bio Based Industries Joint Undertaking
(JU) under grant agreement No 888003 UP4HEALTH Project (H2020-BBI-JTI-2019). The
JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program and
the Bio Based Industries Consortium. The project SYSTEMIC Knowledge hub on Nutrition and
Food Security, has received funding from national research funding parties in Belgium (FWO),
France (INRA), Germany (BLE), Italy (MIPAAF), Latvia (IZM), Norway (RCN), Portugal (FCT),
and Spain (AEI) in a joint action of JPI HDHL, JPI-OCEANS and FACCE-JPI launched in 2019
under the ERA-NET ERA-HDHL (n° 696295). The authors are grateful to the Foundation for
Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support through national funds FCT/MCTES
to the CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020). I. Oliveira thanks FCT for her PhD grant (BD/06017/2020).
M. Carocho thanks FCT for his individual scientific contract (CEEC-IND/00831/2018).
