Aphanomyces invadans, the causal agent of Epizootic Ulcerative Syndrome, is a global threat to wild and farmed fish
Publication date: Available online 21 May 2018Source: Fungal Biology ReviewsAuthor(s): Nurul Aqilah Iberahim, Franziska Trusch, Pieter van WestAbstractAphanomyces invadans is a eukaryotic pathogen and the causative agent of Epizootic Ulcerative Syndrome (EUS) in fish and is responsible for mortalities of up to 100% in aquaculture. A. invadans was first discovered in Japan in 1971, and since then it has been found in Australia, North America, Southern African countries and Asia. Methods for the correct identification of A. invadans are well established now and involve PCR-based detection and microscopy. However, the pathoge...
Source: Fungal Biology Reviews - July 5, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Fungal cytochrome P450 protein Cyp51: What we can learn from its evolution, regulons and Cyp51-based azole resistance
Publication date: Available online 25 May 2018Source: Fungal Biology ReviewsAuthor(s): Jinxing Song, Shizhu Zhang, Ling LuAbstractCyp51 (Sterol 14α-demethylase) is the single cytochrome P450 (Cyp) required for sterol biosynthesis in different phyla. Among hundreds of P450 proteins, Cyp51 is evolutionarily the oldest P450 protein and is the only cytochrome P450 protein present in most biological kingdoms including fungi, bacteria, plants and animals. A valuable class of antifungals such as azoles, amphotericin B, specifically target the fungal Cyp51 (Erg11), a lanosterol demethylase that is critical for the specific compon...
Source: Fungal Biology Reviews - July 5, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Biological, biochemical and molecular aspects of Scedosporium aurantiacum, a primary and opportunistic fungal pathogen
Publication date: Available online 4 April 2018 Source:Fungal Biology Reviews Author(s): Helena Nevalainen, Jashanpreet Kaur, Zhiping Han, Liisa Kautto, Marc Ramsperger, Wieland Meyer, Sharon C.-A. Chen The present review summarises the current knowledge of the biology, biochemistry and molecular aspects of S. aurantiacum in context with the broader knowledge on Scedosporium spp, generated over the past decade. Recently, the genus has undergone two taxonomical reviews. S. aurantiacum is widely distributed in all ecological niches and geographical locations. It is a highly pathogenic opportunist capable of causing ...
Source: Fungal Biology Reviews - April 4, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Influences of environmental factors on fruiting body induction, development and maturation in mushroom-forming fungi
Publication date: Available online 17 March 2018 Source:Fungal Biology Reviews Author(s): Yuichi Sakamoto Mushroom-forming fungi (restricted to basidiomycetous fungi in this review) differentiate by sensing several environmental factors for fruiting body formation. For fruiting body induction, nutrient, temperature and light conditions are critical environmental factors. Higher nitrogen and carbon sources in the media will suppress fruiting body induction in many mushroom-forming fungi, with induction being triggered by lower nitrogen and carbon concentrations. Low temperature or temperature downshift is another critica...
Source: Fungal Biology Reviews - March 19, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Carotenoid pigments in rust fungi: Extraction, separation, quantification and characterisation
Publication date: Available online 9 March 2018 Source:Fungal Biology Reviews Author(s): Erpei Wang, Chongmei Dong, Robert F. Park, Thomas H. Roberts Diseases caused by rust fungi represent critical constraints to global plant production. A characteristic feature of rust pathogens is the striking pigments they produce in one or more spore forms, which give them a rusty appearance. Here, we review the literature published to date on the extraction, separation, quantification and characterisation of carotenoid pigments in rust fungi. These pigments are thought to protect rust fungi against UV radiation and oxidative st...
Source: Fungal Biology Reviews - March 10, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Genomics and transcriptomics to study fruiting body development: An update
Publication date: Available online 10 March 2018 Source:Fungal Biology Reviews Author(s): Minou Nowrousian Fruiting bodies of asco- and basidiomycetes are complex three-dimensional structures that protect and disperse the sexual spores. Their differentiation requires the concerted action of many genes, therefore "omics" techniques to analyze fungal genomes and gene expression at a genome-wide level provide excellent means to gain insights into this differentiation process. This review summarizes some recent examples of the use of “omics” techniques to study fruiting body morphogenesis. These include genome-centered ...
Source: Fungal Biology Reviews - March 10, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Using evolutionary genomics, transcriptomics, and systems biology to reveal gene networks underlying fungal development
Publication date: Available online 2 March 2018 Source:Fungal Biology Reviews Author(s): Zheng Wang, Aditya Gudibanda, Ugochukwu Ugwuowo, Frances Trail, Jeffrey P. Townsend Fungal model species have contributed to many aspects of modern biology, from biochemistry and cell biology to molecular genetics. Nevertheless, only a few genes associated with morphological development in fungi have been functionally characterized in terms of their genetic or molecular interactions. Evolutionary developmental biology in fungi faces challenges from a lack of fossil records and unresolved species phylogeny, to homoplasy associate...
Source: Fungal Biology Reviews - March 2, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Cryptococcus neoformans mutant screening: a genome-scale's worth of function discovery
Publication date: Available online 9 February 2018 Source:Fungal Biology Reviews Author(s): Thabiso E. Motaung Described in humans in 1894, Cryptococcus neoformans, a medically-important basidiomycete fungus, has since been studied in order to identify the factors that enable it to cause disease. Large-scale collections of mutants have been created, and mutant strains deposited in biorepositories. Studying these collections provides deeper functional insights for genes controlling biological processes, and ultimately complements a wealth of genomics and transcriptomics information. Therefore, to many laboratories use of...
Source: Fungal Biology Reviews - February 9, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Molecular dialogues between Trichoderma and roots: Role of the fungal secretome
Publication date: Available online 19 January 2018 Source:Fungal Biology Reviews Author(s): Artemio Mendoza-Mendoza, Rinat Zaid, Robert Lawry, Rosa Hermosa, Enrique Monte, Benjamin A. Horwitz, Prasun K. Mukherjee Trichoderma species are opportunistic fungi residing primarily in soil, tree bark and on wild mushrooms. Trichoderma is capable of killing other fungi and penetrating plant roots, and is commonly used as both a biofungicide and inducer of plant defence against pathogens. These fungi also exert other beneficial effects on plants including growth promotion and tolerance to abiotic stresses, primarily mediat...
Source: Fungal Biology Reviews - January 31, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Warfare and defense: The host response to Cryptococcus infection
Publication date: Available online 5 October 2017 Source:Fungal Biology Reviews Author(s): Fabianno F. Dutra, Priscila C. Albuquerque, Marcio L. Rodrigues, Fernanda L. Fonseca Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gatti are the etiological agents of cryptococcosis, a life-threatening mycosis affecting the central nervous system. Cryptococcal meningoencephalitis is the most fatal mycosis in AIDS patients, resulting almost 200 000 deaths annually. High cost, side effects and drug resistance are constant elements during treatment of cryptococcosis, encouraging the development of novel therapeutic strategies including...
Source: Fungal Biology Reviews - January 3, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Fungal species and their boundaries matter – Definitions, mechanisms and practical implications
Publication date: Available online 18 December 2017 Source:Fungal Biology Reviews Author(s): Emma T. Steenkamp, Michael J. Wingfield, Alistair R. McTaggart, Brenda D. Wingfield Recent scientific and technological advances have improved and streamlined our ability to recognise and describe fungal species. Detailed comparative genomics studies have also expanded our understanding of species boundaries. Against this background, we explore the nature of fungal species and consider how this impacts our understanding of their genetics and evolution. The current body of evidence suggests that fungal species are unique evolu...
Source: Fungal Biology Reviews - December 21, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: research
LOVe across kingdoms: Blue light perception vital for growth and development in plant –fungal interactions
Publication date: Available online 16 December 2017 Source:Fungal Biology Reviews Author(s): Johan Liversage, Martin P.A. Coetzee, Burt H. Bluhm, Dave K. Berger, Bridget G. Crampton Blue light plays an important role in the growth and development of fungi. Environmental cues enable plant pathogenic fungi to synchronise essential metabolic pathways to that of their hosts to gain a competitive advantage. Phylogenetic analysis of the LOV domain present in blue light receptors across all three kingdoms suggests that these receptors in fungal lineages have undergone convergent evolution to use the same domain for control...
Source: Fungal Biology Reviews - December 17, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Current updates on fungal endocarditis
Publication date: Available online 28 November 2017 Source:Fungal Biology Reviews Author(s): Neema Negi, Aijaz Ahmad Fungal endocarditis (FE) is a rare disease but in recent years its incidence as well as mortality is increasing particularly in developing nations. Candida and Aspergillus species occupy the prominent position as etiological agents of this invasive disease. Intravenous devices such as pacemakers, central line related thrombosis and prolonged use of antibiotics are major risk factors for FE. The epidemiology of endocarditis cases is also evolving over time with exceptionally rare species causing more inva...
Source: Fungal Biology Reviews - December 7, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: research
What has happened to the “aquatic phycomycetes” (sensu Sparrow)? Part II: Shared properties of zoosporic true fungi and fungus-like microorganisms
Publication date: Available online 6 November 2017 Source:Fungal Biology Reviews Author(s): Frank H. Gleason, Osu Lilje, Lene Lange Many species of zoosporic heterotrophic parasites, saprotrophs and mutualists in the Phyla Perkinsozoa (dinoflagellates), Oomycota, Hyphochytriomycota, Labyrinthulomycota and Phyomyxea share morphological characteristics with zoosporic true fungi especially with some of the Chytridiomycota and with fungus-like organisms in the Phyla Mesomycetozoea, Chytridiomycota and Aphelidae. These characteristics include chemotactic motile zoospores, zoosporangia which produce zoospores, thick walled ...
Source: Fungal Biology Reviews - November 7, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: research
The role of anaerobic fungi in fundamental biogeochemical cycles in the deep biosphere
Publication date: Available online 2 November 2017 Source:Fungal Biology Reviews Author(s): Henrik Drake, Magnus Ivarsson A major part of the biologic activity on Earth is hidden underneath our feet in an environment coined the deep biosphere which stretches several kilometers down into the bedrock. The knowledge about life in this vast energy-poor deep system is, however, extremely scarce, particularly for micro-eukaryotes such as fungi, as most studies have focused on prokaryotes. Recent findings suggest that anaerobic fungi indeed thrive at great depth in fractures and cavities of igneous rocks in both the oceanic a...
Source: Fungal Biology Reviews - November 4, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: research
