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International Journal of Molecular... Dec 2019Depression is a common and severe neuropsychiatric disorder that is one of the leading causes of global disease burden. Although various anti-depressants are currently... (Review)
Review
Depression is a common and severe neuropsychiatric disorder that is one of the leading causes of global disease burden. Although various anti-depressants are currently available, their efficacies are barely adequate and many have side effects. also known as Lion's mane mushroom, has been shown to have various health benefits, including antioxidative, antidiabetic, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antihyperglycemic, and hypolipidemic effects. It has been used to treat cognitive impairment, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease. Bioactive compounds extracted from the mycelia and fruiting bodies of have been found to promote the expression of neurotrophic factors that are associated with cell proliferation such as nerve growth factors. Although antidepressant effects of have not been validated and compared to the conventional antidepressants, based on the neurotrophic and neurogenic pathophysiology of depression, may be a potential alternative medicine for the treatment of depression. This article critically reviews the current literature on the potential benefits of as a treatment for depressive disorder as well as its mechanisms underlying the antidepressant-like activities.
Topics: Basidiomycota; Biological Products; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; Clinical Trials as Topic; Depressive Disorder; Diterpenes; Humans; Indoles; Mycelium; Nerve Growth Factors
PubMed: 31881712
DOI: 10.3390/ijms21010163 -
Current Biology : CB Jun 2023For more than 400 million years, mycorrhizal fungi and plants have formed partnerships that are crucial to the emergence and functioning of global ecosystems. The... (Review)
Review
For more than 400 million years, mycorrhizal fungi and plants have formed partnerships that are crucial to the emergence and functioning of global ecosystems. The importance of these symbiotic fungi for plant nutrition is well established. However, the role of mycorrhizal fungi in transporting carbon into soil systems on a global scale remains under-explored. This is surprising given that ∼75% of terrestrial carbon is stored belowground and mycorrhizal fungi are stationed at a key entry point of carbon into soil food webs. Here, we analyze nearly 200 datasets to provide the first global quantitative estimates of carbon allocation from plants to the mycelium of mycorrhizal fungi. We estimate that global plant communities allocate 3.93 Gt COe per year to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, 9.07 Gt COe per year to ectomycorrhizal fungi, and 0.12 Gt COe per year to ericoid mycorrhizal fungi. Based on this estimate, 13.12 Gt of COe fixed by terrestrial plants is, at least temporarily, allocated to the underground mycelium of mycorrhizal fungi per year, equating to ∼36% of current annual CO emissions from fossil fuels. We explore the mechanisms by which mycorrhizal fungi affect soil carbon pools and identify approaches to increase our understanding of global carbon fluxes via plant-fungal pathways. Our estimates, although based on the best available evidence, are imperfect and should be interpreted with caution. Nonetheless, our estimations are conservative, and we argue that this work confirms the significant contribution made by mycorrhizal associations to global carbon dynamics. Our findings should motivate their inclusion both within global climate and carbon cycling models, and within conservation policy and practice.
Topics: Mycorrhizae; Ecosystem; Carbon; Fungi; Plants; Soil; Mycelium; Plant Roots; Soil Microbiology
PubMed: 37279689
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.02.027 -
Virulence Dec 2020In the last decades, has served as the leading causal agent of life-threatening invasive infections with mortality rates approaching 40% despite treatment. exists in... (Review)
Review
In the last decades, has served as the leading causal agent of life-threatening invasive infections with mortality rates approaching 40% despite treatment. exists in three biological phases: yeast, pseudohyphae, and hyphae. Hyphae, which represent an important phase in the disease process, can cause tissue damage by invading mucosal epithelial cells then leading to blood infection. In this review, we summarized recent results from different fields of fungal cell biology that are instrumental in understanding hyphal growth. This includes research on the differences among phases; the regulatory mechanism of hyphal growth, extension, and maintaining cutting-edge polarity; cross regulations of hyphal development and the virulence factors that cause serious infection. With a better understanding of the mechanism on mycelium formation, this review provides a theoretical basis for the identification of targets in candidiasis treatment. It also gives some reference to the study of antifungal drugs.
Topics: Candida albicans; Candidiasis; Fungal Proteins; Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; Humans; Hyphae; Virulence
PubMed: 32274962
DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2020.1748930 -
MBio Jun 2022In this study, we investigated the influence of fungal extracellular vesicles (EVs) during biofilm formation and morphogenesis in Candida albicans. Using crystal violet...
In this study, we investigated the influence of fungal extracellular vesicles (EVs) during biofilm formation and morphogenesis in Candida albicans. Using crystal violet staining and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), we demonstrated that C. albicans EVs inhibited biofilm formation . By time-lapse microscopy and SEM, we showed that C. albicans EV treatment stopped filamentation and promoted pseudohyphae formation with multiple budding sites. The ability of C. albicans EVs to regulate dimorphism was further compared to EVs isolated from different C. albicans strains, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Histoplasma capsulatum. C. albicans EVs from distinct strains inhibited yeast-to-hyphae differentiation with morphological changes occurring in less than 4 h. EVs from S. cerevisiae and H. capsulatum modestly reduced morphogenesis, and the effect was evident after 24 h of incubation. The inhibitory activity of C. albicans EVs on phase transition was promoted by a combination of lipid compounds, which were identified by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis as sesquiterpenes, diterpenes, and fatty acids. Remarkably, C. albicans EVs were also able to reverse filamentation. Finally, C. albicans cells treated with C. albicans EVs for 24 h lost their capacity to penetrate agar and were avirulent when inoculated into Galleria mellonella. Our results indicate that fungal EVs can regulate yeast-to-hypha differentiation, thereby inhibiting biofilm formation and attenuating virulence. The ability to undergo morphological changes during adaptation to distinct environments is exploited by Candida albicans and has a direct impact on biofilm formation and virulence. Morphogenesis is controlled by a diversity of stimuli, including osmotic stress, pH, starvation, presence of serum, and microbial components, among others. Apart from external inducers, C. albicans also produces autoregulatory substances. Farnesol and tyrosol are examples of quorum-sensing molecules (QSM) released by C. albicans to regulate yeast-to-hypha conversion. Here, we demonstrate that fungal EVs are messengers impacting biofilm formation, morphogenesis, and virulence in C. albicans. The major players exported in C. albicans EVs included sesquiterpenes, diterpenes, and fatty acids. The understanding of how C. albicans cells communicate to regulate physiology and pathogenesis can lead to novel therapeutic tools to combat candidiasis.
Topics: Biofilms; Candida albicans; Extracellular Vesicles; Fatty Acids; Hyphae; Saccharomyces cerevisiae
PubMed: 35420476
DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00301-22 -
Annual Review of Plant Biology May 2023Parasitic plants use a special organ, the haustorium, to attach to and penetrate host tissues, forming phloem and/or xylem fusion with the host vascular systems. Across... (Review)
Review
Parasitic plants use a special organ, the haustorium, to attach to and penetrate host tissues, forming phloem and/or xylem fusion with the host vascular systems. Across this haustorium-host interface, not only water and nutrients are extracted from the host by the parasitic plant, but also secondary metabolites, messenger RNAs, noncoding RNAs, proteins, and systemic signals are transported between the parasite and host and even among different hosts connected by a parasite. Furthermore, mycorrhizal fungi can form common mycelial networks (CMNs) that simultaneously interconnect multiple plants. Increasing lines of evidence suggest that CMNs can function as conduits, transferring stress-related systemic signals between plants. Between-plant signaling mediated by haustoria and CMNs likely has a profound impact on plant interactions with other organisms and adaptation to environmental factors. Here, we summarize the findings regarding between-plant transfer of biomolecules and systemic signals and the current understanding of the physiological and ecological implications of between-plant signaling.
Topics: Mycorrhizae; Plants; Mycelium; Signal Transduction; Plant Roots
PubMed: 36626804
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-arplant-070122-015430 -
Scientific Reports Jan 2022Electrical activity of fungus Pleurotus ostreatus is characterised by slow (h) irregular waves of baseline potential drift and fast (min) action potential likes spikes...
Electrical activity of fungus Pleurotus ostreatus is characterised by slow (h) irregular waves of baseline potential drift and fast (min) action potential likes spikes of the electrical potential. An exposure of the myceliated substrate to a chloroform vapour lead to several fold decrease of the baseline potential waves and increase of their duration. The chloroform vapour also causes either complete cessation of spiking activity or substantial reduction of the spiking frequency. Removal of the chloroform vapour from the growth containers leads to a gradual restoration of the mycelium electrical activity.
Topics: Action Potentials; Anesthetics, Inhalation; Chloroform; Mycelium; Pleurotus; Time Factors; Volatilization
PubMed: 35013424
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-04172-0 -
International Journal of Molecular... Mar 2022Despite abundant research in the field of antifungal drug discovery, fungal infections remain a significant healthcare burden. There is an emerging need for the... (Review)
Review
Despite abundant research in the field of antifungal drug discovery, fungal infections remain a significant healthcare burden. There is an emerging need for the development of novel antifungals since those currently available are limited and do not completely provide safe and secure protection. Since the current knowledge regarding the physiology of fungal cells and the infection mechanisms is greater than ever, we have the opportunity to use this for the development of novel generations of antifungals. In this review, we selected and summarized recent studies describing agents employing different antifungal mechanisms. These mechanisms include interference with fungal resistance, including impact on the efflux pumps and heat shock protein 90. Additionally, interference with virulence factors, such as biofilms and hyphae; the impact on fungal enzymes, metabolism, mitochondria, and cell wall; and antifungal vaccines are explored. The agents investigated belong to different classes of natural or synthetic molecules with significant attention given also to plant extracts. The efficacy of these antifungals has been studied mainly in vitro with some in vivo, and clinical studies are needed. Nevertheless, there is a large quantity of products employing novel antifungal mechanisms that can be further explored for the development of new generation of antifungals.
Topics: Antifungal Agents; Biofilms; Cell Wall; Drug Resistance, Fungal; Humans; Hyphae; Mycoses
PubMed: 35269898
DOI: 10.3390/ijms23052756 -
Microbes and Environments 2022Filamentous fungi grow by the elongation of tubular cells called hyphae and form mycelia through repeated hyphal tip growth and branching. Since hyphal growth is closely... (Review)
Review
Filamentous fungi grow by the elongation of tubular cells called hyphae and form mycelia through repeated hyphal tip growth and branching. Since hyphal growth is closely related to the ability to secrete large amounts of enzymes or invade host cells, a more detailed understanding and the control of its growth are important in fungal biotechnology, ecology, and pathogenesis. Previous studies using fluorescence imaging revealed many of the molecular mechanisms involved in hyphal growth. Raman microspectroscopy and imaging methods are now attracting increasing attention as powerful alternatives due to their high chemical specificity and label-free, non-destructive properties. Spatially resolved information on the relative abundance, structure, and chemical state of multiple intracellular components may be simultaneously obtained. Although Raman studies on filamentous fungi are still limited, this review introduces recent findings from Raman studies on filamentous fungi and discusses their potential use in the future.
Topics: Cytoplasm; Fungi; Hyphae; Spectrum Analysis
PubMed: 35387945
DOI: 10.1264/jsme2.ME22006 -
Trends in Microbiology Nov 2020Fungal infections are on the rise due to new medical procedures that have increased the number of immune compromised patients, antibacterial antibiotics that disrupt the... (Review)
Review
Fungal infections are on the rise due to new medical procedures that have increased the number of immune compromised patients, antibacterial antibiotics that disrupt the microbiome, and increased use of indwelling medical devices that provide sites for biofilm formation. Key to understanding the mechanisms of pathogenesis is to determine how fungal morphology impacts virulence strategies. For example, small budding cells use very different strategies to disseminate compared with long hyphal filaments. Furthermore, cell morphology must be monitored in the host, as many fungal pathogens change their shape to disseminate into new areas, acquire nutrients, and avoid attack by the immune system. This review describes the shape-shifting alterations in morphogenesis of human fungal pathogens and how they influence virulence strategies.
Topics: Animals; Fungal Proteins; Fungi; Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; Humans; Hyphae; Mycoses; Virulence
PubMed: 32474010
DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2020.05.001 -
Plant Signaling & Behavior Dec 2022Whether through root secretions or by emitting volatile organic compounds, plant communication has been well-documented. While electrical activity has been documented in...
Whether through root secretions or by emitting volatile organic compounds, plant communication has been well-documented. While electrical activity has been documented in plants and mycorrhizal bodies on the individual and ramet, electrical propagation as a means of communication plants has been hypothesized but understudied. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that plants can communicate with one another via conductively isolated mycelial pathways. We created a bio-electric circuit linking two plants using a mycelial network grown from a blend of mycorrhizal fungi which was directly inoculated onto potato dextrose agar, or onto the host plants placed on the agar. The mycelium that grew was forced to cross, or "bridge," an air gap between the two islands of agar - thus forming the isolated conductive pathway between plants. Using this plant-fungal biocircuit we assessed electrical propagation between and . We found that electrical signals were reliably conducted across the mycelial bridges from one plant to another upon the induction of a wound response. Our findings provide evidence that mechanical input can be communicated between plant species and opens the door to testing how this information can affect plant and fungal physiology.
Topics: Agar; Mycorrhizae; Plants; Mycelium
PubMed: 36384396
DOI: 10.1080/15592324.2022.2129291