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G-Protein-Coupled Receptors in Fungi

Summary

This research examines how fungi use special proteins called GPCRs to sense and respond to their environment. These proteins act like cellular antennae that help fungi detect nutrients, respond to stress, and cause infections. Understanding how these proteins work is important for developing new antifungal medications. Impacts on everyday life: – Helps develop better treatments for fungal infections that affect millions globally – Provides insights into preventing food spoilage caused by fungi – Contributes to understanding drug resistance and how to combat it – Could lead to new agricultural treatments to protect crops from fungal diseases – May help develop more effective and safer antifungal medications with fewer side effects

Background

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest family of transmembrane receptors in fungi. These receptors have an important role in transducing extracellular signals into intracellular sites in response to diverse stimuli. They enable fungi to coordinate cell function and metabolism, promoting survival and propagation, and sense fundamentally conserved elements like nutrients, pheromones, and stress for adaptation to their niches, environmental stresses, and host environment.

Objective

This chapter aims to highlight the role of GPCRs in fungi in coordinating cell function and metabolism, and describe in detail how fungal cells sense molecular interactions between extracellular signals through their respective sensory systems.

Results

The review found that fungal GPCRs are involved in diverse cellular processes including nutrient sensing, pheromone detection, stress responses, and virulence. Key findings include: identification of multiple GPCR classes and their specific roles, characterization of downstream signaling pathways, and elucidation of GPCR involvement in fungal pathogenicity. The authors identified GPCRs as potential therapeutic targets due to their fungal-specific nature and importance in virulence.

Conclusion

GPCRs play essential roles in fungal biology by enabling environmental sensing and cellular responses. Their involvement in virulence and unique fungal-specific features make them promising targets for antifungal drug development. However, more research is needed to fully understand their mechanisms and develop effective therapeutic approaches targeting fungal GPCRs.
  • Published in:Fungal Biotechnology and Bioengineering,
  • Study Type:Review,
  • Source: 10.1007/978-3-030-41870-0_3
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