Fungal pathogenicity

Hydrophobins in Bipolaris maydis do not contribute to colony hydrophobicity, but their heterologous expressions alter colony hydrophobicity in Aspergillus nidulans

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Researchers studied proteins called hydrophobins in a corn fungal pathogen to understand what they do. Surprisingly, even when they removed all four hydrophobin genes from the fungus, it grew normally and remained just as water-repellent as wild-type. However, when these same proteins were placed into a different fungus species that lacks its own hydrophobins, they worked perfectly to restore water repellency. This suggests that hydrophobins have different roles depending on which fungus they’re in.

NtCML19 Is Recruited by Tobacco to Interact With the Deacetylase Protein RsDN3377 of Rhizoctonia solani AG3-TB, Inhibiting Fungal Infection

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Tobacco plants are under attack from a fungal disease caused by Rhizoctonia solani. Scientists discovered that this fungus produces a protein called RsDN3377 that helps it grow and infect plants. However, tobacco plants have evolved a defense protein called NtCML19 that recognizes RsDN3377 and triggers an immune response to fight off the infection. By engineering tobacco plants to produce more NtCML19, researchers showed they could make the plants more resistant to the disease, suggesting a potential new strategy for protecting crops.

Morphological, molecular, and biological characterization of bulb rot pathogens in stored Lanzhou lily and the in vitro antifungal efficacy of three plant essential oils

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Lanzhou lily is a valuable medicinal and food plant that loses 20-25% of its crop annually due to fungal rot during storage. Researchers identified the main culprit as a fungus called Fusarium oxysporum and found that natural essential oils from cinnamon, tea tree, and angelica plants can effectively inhibit this fungus’s growth. Cinnamon essential oil proved most effective and could serve as a natural alternative to chemical fungicides for protecting stored lily bulbs.

Unveiling Species Diversity of Plectosphaerellaceae (Sordariomycetes) Fungi Involved in Rhizome and Root Rots of Ginger in Shandong Province, China

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Researchers in China identified four fungal species that cause serious diseases in ginger plants, destroying the underground rhizomes and roots. Two of these species are newly discovered and named after the ginger host and the region where they were found. These fungi are major threats to ginger farming in China’s largest ginger-producing region, causing crop losses ranging from 20-100%.

Revisiting the emerging pathosystem of rice sheath blight: deciphering the Rhizoctonia solani virulence, host range, and rice genotype-based resistance

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Researchers studied a fungus that causes rice leaf disease in Egypt by isolating and testing different strains to understand why some were more damaging than others. They found the most aggressive strain produced more enzymes that break down plant cell walls, making it more harmful. The team also tested which rice varieties were naturally resistant to the disease and identified specific genes that could help breeders develop disease-resistant rice varieties without needing fungicide chemicals.

Cell wall remodeling in a fungal pathogen is required for hyphal growth into microspaces

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Researchers discovered how fungi squeeze through tiny spaces inside plant tissues to cause disease. They found that fungi need to soften and remodel their cell walls to reduce their width and fit through spaces that are much narrower than normal fungal filaments. This ability to change shape is critical for the fungus to invade and colonize plants, ultimately causing wilting diseases in crops like tomatoes.

Controlled inoculation provides insight into western redcedar resistance to multiple root- and butt-rot pathogens

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Scientists tested western redcedar trees with eight different wood-decaying fungi to understand which ones cause disease and how resistant the trees are. They used two methods to infect young trees in a greenhouse and tracked disease development over 18 months. They discovered that while some fungi caused visible damage, others caused hidden infections that still harmed tree growth even without obvious symptoms. These findings can help tree breeders develop redcedar varieties that better resist these diseases.

Insight into the Skin Mycobiota of Myotis myotis: How Age, Sex, and Biometric Traits Correlate with Fungal Diversity

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Researchers studied fungal colonies living on the skin of Greater mouse-eared bats in autumn, discovering 39 different fungal species. Wing membranes had more fungal diversity than tail membranes, with males carrying more fungi than females. Interestingly, older male bats accumulated more fungal species, while older female bats showed less fungal diversity. The study found no trace of the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome, suggesting caves rather than bats may be the main source of this disease.

Flood Inoculation of Fusarium eumartii in Tomato Seedlings: Method for Evaluating the Infectivity of Pathogen Spores

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Scientists have developed a simple laboratory method to test how effectively a fungus called Fusarium eumartii infects young tomato plants. The technique involves growing tomato seedlings on special nutrient plates and then exposing them to fungal spores suspended in water, allowing researchers to measure how much damage occurs and how much fungus remains in the plant tissue. This method can be used to quickly test whether different compounds, like chitosan, can prevent fungal infections or help plants defend themselves naturally. The straightforward approach makes it useful for farmers and researchers developing better ways to protect tomato crops from fungal diseases.

Polyphasic characterization and mating type allele distribution of Monilinia laxa in Iranian stone fruit orchards

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Brown rot is a serious fungal disease affecting fruit trees like apricots, cherries, and plums. Researchers collected over 400 fungal isolates from Iranian fruit orchards and identified two main species causing the disease, with one species being far more common. By developing new genetic tests, scientists discovered both male and female forms of the fungi exist in equal proportions, suggesting the disease could evolve through sexual reproduction, which has important implications for managing the disease in orchards.

Anti-Therapeutic Action: Fungal pathogenicity