Pigmented fungi derived from hot and cold deserts ecosystems: taxonomy, genomic and biotechnological approach.

Safer and more efficient products and processes are current global demands that drive the field of bioprospective research. Microbial sources are the main natural alternative solutions that have contributed to this biotechnological line, with environmental fungi representing important promising forces. Particularly, those inhabiting the most unexplored extreme geographical areas of the planet, marked by severe aridity, with hot and/or cold thermal profiles, e.g., the Atacama Desert, Saudi Arabia, Taklamakan Desert, semi-arid regions (Caatinga and Mexico), and polar and alpine ecosystems. In these habitats, many abiotic stressors are present, and fungi thrive through a combination of adaptations, including the production of pigmented secondary metabolites with diverse active biological functions that have high potential for innovative industrial applications, which is being explored in greater depth at the present time. In this sense, this article has aimed to review pigmented fungi from extreme arid environments from a taxonomic, genomic and biotechnological perspective. An attempt has been made to compile information on pigmented fungi in pure culture, their chromatic aspects, chemical classes, genomic data and application across diverse domains. There were more ascomycete and basidiomycete representatives producing a wide spectrum of endo- and extracellular colors categorized as melanins, carotenoids, and polyketides. Furthermore, they prove useful across multiple biotechnological sectors, ranging from agriculture, food, cosmetics, and medicine to astrobiology. Those with investigated genomes showed genes linked to the biosynthesis of these pigments and to environmental adaptation. Thus, with this initiative, we accessed the bioprospective importance of extremophilic colored fungi from arid habitats.