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Frontiers in Immunology 2022Since ancient times, has been proposed to have medicinal and food benefits. Modern phytochemistry and pharmacological studies have demonstrated that polysaccharides,... (Review)
Review
Since ancient times, has been proposed to have medicinal and food benefits. Modern phytochemistry and pharmacological studies have demonstrated that polysaccharides, the main components from appear to be an all-round talent resisting a variety of chronic inflammatory diseases and protecting against different types of tumors, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. These health and pharmacological benefits have gained much attention from scholars around the world. Further, more and more methods for polysaccharides extraction, purification, structure identification have been proposed. Significantly, the bioactivity of fungus polysaccharides is affected by many factors such as extraction and purification conditions and chemical structure. This paper provides an overview of recent advances in the isolation, structural features and biological effects of polysaccharides derived from , covers recent advances in the field and outlines future research and applications of these polysaccharides.
Topics: Basidiomycota; Polysaccharides; Fungal Polysaccharides; Food
PubMed: 36569950
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1091210 -
Molecular Plant Pathology May 2018Puccinia coronata f. sp. avenae (Pca) causes crown rust disease in cultivated and wild oat (Avena spp.). The significant yield losses inflicted by this pathogen make... (Review)
Review
UNLABELLED
Puccinia coronata f. sp. avenae (Pca) causes crown rust disease in cultivated and wild oat (Avena spp.). The significant yield losses inflicted by this pathogen make crown rust the most devastating disease in the oat industry. Pca is a basidiomycete fungus with an obligate biotrophic lifestyle, and is classified as a typical macrocyclic and heteroecious fungus. The asexual phase in the life cycle of Pca occurs in oat, whereas the sexual phase takes place primarily in Rhamnus species as the alternative host. Epidemics of crown rust happens in areas with warm temperatures (20-25 °C) and high humidity. Infection by the pathogen leads to plant lodging and shrivelled grain of poor quality. Disease symptoms: Infection of susceptible oat varieties gives rise to orange-yellow round to oblong uredinia (pustules) containing newly formed urediniospores. Pustules vary in size and can be larger than 5 mm in length. Infection occurs primarily on the surfaces of leaves, although occasional symptoms develop in the oat leaf sheaths and/or floral structures, such as awns. Symptoms in resistant oat varieties vary from flecks to small pustules, typically accompanied by chlorotic halos and/or necrosis. The pycnial and aecial stages are mostly present in the leaves of Rhamnus species, but occasionally symptoms can also be observed in petioles, young stems and floral structures. Aecial structures display a characteristic hypertrophy and can differ in size, occasionally reaching more than 5 mm in diameter. Taxonomy: Pca belongs to the kingdom Fungi, phylum Basidiomycota, class Pucciniomycetes, order Pucciniales and family Pucciniaceae. Host range: Puccinia coronata sensu lato can infect 290 species of grass hosts. Pca is prevalent in all oat-growing regions and, compared with other cereal rusts, displays a broad telial host range. The most common grass hosts of Pca include cultivated hexaploid oat (Avena sativa) and wild relatives, such as bluejoint grass, perennial ryegrass and fescue. Alternative hosts include several species of Rhamnus, with R. cathartica (common buckthorn) as the most important alternative host in Europe and North America.
CONTROL
Most crown rust management strategies involve the use of rust-resistant crop varieties and the application of fungicides. The attainment of the durability of resistance against Pca is difficult as it is a highly variable pathogen with a great propensity to overcome the genetic resistance of varieties. Thus, adult plant resistance is often exploited in oat breeding programmes to develop new crown rust-resistant varieties. Useful website: https://www.ars.usda.gov/midwest-area/st-paul-mn/cereal-disease-lab/docs/cereal-rusts/race-surveys/.
Topics: Avena; Basidiomycota; Disease Resistance; Plant Diseases
PubMed: 28846186
DOI: 10.1111/mpp.12608 -
The New Phytologist May 2019Contents Summary 1190 I. Introduction 1190 II. Rust fungi: a diverse and serious threat to agriculture 1191 III. The different facets of rust life cycles and unresolved... (Review)
Review
Contents Summary 1190 I. Introduction 1190 II. Rust fungi: a diverse and serious threat to agriculture 1191 III. The different facets of rust life cycles and unresolved questions about their evolution 1191 IV. The biology of rust infection 1192 V. Rusts in the genomics era: the ever-expanding list of candidate effector genes 1195 VI. Functional characterization of rust effectors 1197 VII. Putting rusts to sleep: Pucciniales research outlooks 1201 Acknowledgements 1202 References 1202 SUMMARY: Rust fungi (Pucciniales) are the largest group of plant pathogens and represent one of the most devastating threats to agricultural crops worldwide. Despite the economic importance of these highly specialized pathogens, many aspects of their biology remain obscure, largely because rust fungi are obligate biotrophs. The rise of genomics and advances in high-throughput sequencing technology have presented new options for identifying candidate effector genes involved in pathogenicity mechanisms of rust fungi. Transcriptome analysis and integrated bioinformatics tools have led to the identification of key genetic determinants of host susceptibility to infection by rusts. Thousands of genes encoding secreted proteins highly expressed during host infection have been reported for different rust species, which represents significant potential towards understanding rust effector function. Recent high-throughput in planta expression screen approaches (effectoromics) have pushed the field ahead even further towards predicting high-priority effectors and identifying avirulence genes. These new insights into rust effector biology promise to inform future research and spur the development of effective and sustainable strategies for managing rust diseases.
Topics: Agriculture; Basidiomycota; Biological Evolution; Fungal Proteins; Genomics; Plant Diseases
PubMed: 30554421
DOI: 10.1111/nph.15641 -
Microbiology and Molecular Biology... Mar 2022The development of sexual fruiting bodies is one of the most complex morphogenetic processes in fungi. Mycologists have long been fascinated by the morphological and... (Review)
Review
The development of sexual fruiting bodies is one of the most complex morphogenetic processes in fungi. Mycologists have long been fascinated by the morphological and developmental diversity of fruiting bodies; however, evolutionary developmental biology of fungi still lags significantly behind that of animals or plants. Here, we summarize the current state of knowledge on fruiting bodies of mushroom-forming Basidiomycota, focusing on phylogenetic and developmental biology. Phylogenetic approaches have revealed a complex history of morphological transformations and convergence in fruiting body morphologies. Frequent transformations and convergence is characteristic of fruiting bodies in contrast to animals or plants, where main body plans are highly conserved. At the same time, insights into the genetic bases of fruiting body development have been achieved using forward and reverse genetic approaches in selected model systems. Phylogenetic and developmental studies of fruiting bodies have each yielded major advances, but they have produced largely disjunct bodies of knowledge. An integrative approach, combining phylogenetic, developmental, and functional biology, is needed to achieve a true fungal evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo) synthesis for fungal fruiting bodies.
Topics: Animals; Ascomycota; Basidiomycota; Biological Evolution; Fruiting Bodies, Fungal; Morphogenesis; Phylogeny
PubMed: 34817241
DOI: 10.1128/MMBR.00019-21 -
The New Phytologist Jul 201620 I 21 II 21 III 23 IV 29 V 33 VI 35 36 36 References 36 SUMMARY: Root endophytism and mycorrhizal associations are complex derived traits in fungi that shape plant... (Review)
Review
20 I 21 II 21 III 23 IV 29 V 33 VI 35 36 36 References 36 SUMMARY: Root endophytism and mycorrhizal associations are complex derived traits in fungi that shape plant physiology. Sebacinales (Agaricomycetes, Basidiomycota) display highly diverse interactions with plants. Although early-diverging Sebacinales lineages are root endophytes and/or have saprotrophic abilities, several more derived clades harbour obligate biotrophs forming mycorrhizal associations. Sebacinales thus display transitions from saprotrophy to endophytism and to mycorrhizal nutrition within one fungal order. This review discusses the genomic traits possibly associated with these transitions. We also show how molecular ecology revealed the hyperdiversity of Sebacinales and their evolutionary diversification into two sister families: Sebacinaceae encompasses mainly ectomycorrhizal and early-diverging saprotrophic species; the second family includes endophytes and lineages that repeatedly evolved ericoid, orchid and ectomycorrhizal abilities. We propose the name Serendipitaceae for this family and, within it, we transfer to the genus Serendipita the endophytic cultivable species Piriformospora indica and P. williamsii. Such cultivable Serendipitaceae species provide excellent models for root endophytism, especially because of available genomes, genetic tractability, and broad host plant range including important crop plants and the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. We review insights gained with endophytic Serendipitaceae species into the molecular mechanisms of endophytism and of beneficial effects on host plants, including enhanced resistance to abiotic and pathogen stress.
Topics: Adaptation, Biological; Basidiomycota; Biodiversity; Biological Evolution; Embryophyta; Endophytes; Phylogeny
PubMed: 27193559
DOI: 10.1111/nph.13977 -
Phytopathology Nov 2016The smut fungi form a large, diverse, and nonmonophyletic group of plant pathogens that have long served as both important pests of human agriculture and, also, as... (Review)
Review
The smut fungi form a large, diverse, and nonmonophyletic group of plant pathogens that have long served as both important pests of human agriculture and, also, as fertile organisms of scientific investigation. As modern techniques of molecular genetic analysis became available, many previously studied species that proved refractive to these techniques fell by the wayside and were neglected. Now, as the advent of rapid and affordable next-generation sequencing provides genomic and transcriptomic resources for even these "forgotten" fungi, several species are making a comeback and retaking prominent places in phytopathogenic research. In this review, we highlight several of these smut fungi, with special emphasis on Microbotryum lychnidis-dioicae, an anther smut whose molecular genetic tools have finally begun to catch up with its historical importance in classical genetics and now provide mechanistic insights for ecological studies, evolution of host-pathogen interaction, and investigations of emerging infectious disease.
Topics: Basidiomycota; Ecology; Gene Expression Profiling; Genomics; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Plant Diseases
PubMed: 27111800
DOI: 10.1094/PHYTO-02-16-0075-RVW -
Acta Biochimica Et Biophysica Sinica Mar 2019The beneficial endophytic microorganisms have received significant attention in agriculture because of their exceptional capabilities to facilitate functions like... (Review)
Review
The beneficial endophytic microorganisms have received significant attention in agriculture because of their exceptional capabilities to facilitate functions like nutrient enrichment, water status, and stress tolerance (biotic and abiotic). This review signifies the molecular mechanisms to better understand the Piriformospora indica-mediated plants improvement or protection for sustainable agriculture. P. indica, an endophytic fungus, belonging to the order Sebacinales (Basidiomycota), is versatile in building mutualistic associations with a variety of plants including pteridophytes, bryophytes, gymnosperms, and angiosperms. P. indica has enormous potential to manipulate the hormonal pathway such as the production of indole-3-acetic acid which in turn increases root proliferation and subsequently improves plant nutrient acquisition. P. indica also enhances components of the antioxidant system and expression of stress-related genes which induce plant stress tolerance under adverse environmental conditions. P. indica has tremendous potential for crop improvement because of its multi-dimensional functions such as plant growth promotion, immunomodulatory effect, biofertilizer, obviates biotic (pathogens) and abiotic (metal toxicity, water stress, soil structure, salt, and pH) stresses, phytoremediator, and bio-herbicide. Considering the above points, herein, we reviewed the physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying P. indica-mediated plants improvement or protection under diverse agricultural environment. The first part of the review focuses on the symbiotic association of P. indica with special reference to biotic and abiotic stress tolerance and host plant root colonization mechanisms, respectively. Emphasis is given to the expression level of essential genes involved in the processes that induce changes at the cellular level. The last half emphasizes critical aspects related to the seed germination, plant yield, and nutrients acquisition.
Topics: Agriculture; Basidiomycota; Endophytes; Germination; Plant Development; Plant Roots; Stress, Physiological; Sustainable Growth
PubMed: 30883651
DOI: 10.1093/abbs/gmz004 -
BioTechniques Sep 2023Technological advancements in genome sequencing, assembly and annotation platforms and algorithms that resulted in several genomic studies have created an opportunity to... (Review)
Review
Technological advancements in genome sequencing, assembly and annotation platforms and algorithms that resulted in several genomic studies have created an opportunity to further our understanding of the biology of phytopathogens, including species. Most species are facultative necrotrophs that cause root- and stem-rot, usually on woody plants, significantly impacting agriculture and forestry worldwide. Genome sequencing, assembly and annotation in terms of samples used and methods applied in genome projects are evaluated in this review. Infographic guidelines and a database of resources to facilitate future genome projects were developed. Knowledge gained from genomic studies of species is summarized and prospects for further research are provided. This guide can be applied to other diploid and dikaryotic fungal genomics.
Topics: Armillaria; Basidiomycota; Algorithms; Databases, Factual; Diploidy
PubMed: 37681497
DOI: 10.2144/btn-2023-0023 -
Current Opinion in Microbiology Aug 2016Mutualistic interactions between plants and fungi often occur in the rhizosphere, although examples exist where shoot-endophytes support host growth and increase... (Review)
Review
Mutualistic interactions between plants and fungi often occur in the rhizosphere, although examples exist where shoot-endophytes support host growth and increase resistance to pathogens and herbivores. Fungal endophytes which colonize their hosts without any visible disease symptoms have been recognized to be fundamental components of various ecosystems. Initial efforts have been taken to decipher the genetic basis of beneficial plant-fungus interactions and of lifestyle transitions. This review gives a short overview on well established experimental systems amenable to genetic manipulation and of known genome sequence for dissecting plant-fungal endophyte interactions with a special focus on Arabidopsis thaliana associations.
Topics: Arabidopsis; Ascomycota; Basidiomycota; Endophytes; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Plant Diseases; Plant Immunity; Rhizosphere; Symbiosis
PubMed: 27280851
DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2016.05.008 -
Fungal Biology Apr 2023Ballistospory has been a governing factor in mushroom diversification. Modifications to fruit body morphology are subject to a series of fundamental constraints imposed... (Review)
Review
Ballistospory has been a governing factor in mushroom diversification. Modifications to fruit body morphology are subject to a series of fundamental constraints imposed by this uniquely fungal mechanism. Gill spacing in lamellate mushrooms, tube width in poroid species, and other configurations of the hymenium must comply with the distance that spores shoot themselves from their basidia. This reciprocal relationship between the development of fruit bodies and spores may have been maintained by a form of evolutionary seesaw proposed in this article. The necessity of the accurate gravitropic orientation of gills and tubes is another constraint on mushroom development and physiology, along with the importance of evaporative cooling of the hymenium for successful spore discharge and the aerodynamic shaping of the fruit body to aid dispersal. Ballistospory has been lost in secotioid and gasteroid basidiomycetes whose spores are dispersed by animal vectors and has been replaced by alterative mechanisms of active spore discharge in some species. Partnered with the conclusions drawn from molecular phylogenetic research, the biomechanical themes discussed in this review afford new ways to think about the evolution of basidiomycetes.
Topics: Agaricales; Phylogeny; Basidiomycota; Spores, Fungal
PubMed: 37024157
DOI: 10.1016/j.funbio.2023.02.004