found to be the same species so Elaphocordyceps subsessilis was made a synonym of Tolypocladium inflatum. The genome of the T. inflatum strain/isolate NRRL 8044 (ATCC 34921) was sequenced and published in 2013 by Bushley and colleagues. This was the same strain from which the ciclosporin was first isolated. Metabolite productionTolypocladium inflatum is similar to other fungi in the order Hypocreales in generating a variety of biologically active secondary metabolites. Two significant groups of metabolites are produced from T. inflatum: ciclosporins and efrapeptins. Ciclosporin exhibits insecticidal and antifungal properties and is a key immunosuppressant drug used to prevent the rejection of transplanted organs. Ciclosporin A also has the potential use in the treatment of autoimmune diseases. The genome of filamentous T. inflatum contains a 12-gene cluster associated with a repetitive element. Efrapeptins are mitochondrial and prokaryotic ATPase inhibitors that also have insecticidal and antifungal properties. Little is known about the role of these metabolites in the ecology of the fungus. In 2011, Linn and co-workers studied crude extracts of T. inflatum and found that the fungus produced six new secondary metabolites and four other chlamydosporol derivatives. Pathogenicity Although Tolypocladium inflatum is chiefly as a soil fungus its sexual state has been encountered as a pathogen of insects, specifically beetle larvae. Hodge and co-workers suggested that the fungus may have originated as an insect pathogen but evolved over time survive asexually as a facultative soil saprobe. Although T. inflatum has not been shown to affect nematodes, researchers Samson and Soares hypothesized that the Tolypocladium species may have a nematode alternate host. Tolypocladium inflatum has also shown to produce substances that inhibit the in vitro growth of a number of fungal species. Some suggest that T. inflatum may also have the ability to inhibit certain fungal plant pathogens from colonizing their hosts. For example, T. inflatum had a small but significant effect on inhibiting mycorrhiza formation. Furthermore, secondary metabolites isolated from the crude extract of T. inflatum have shown modest cytotoxicity against eight human tumour cell lines including A549 (human lung adenocarcinoma), A375 (human malignant melanoma), and MCF-7 (human breast cancer). Medical usesTolypocladium inflatum has long been of interest in biotechnology due to its production of a relatively non-cytotoxic, natural 11 amino acid cyclic peptide named Ciclosporin A. Ciclosporin is an immunosuppressant drug used in the management of autoimmune diseases and the prevention of rejection in organ transplantation. Ciclosporin A works by