mycovirus – mycolab.ai

A novel partitivirus confers dual contradictory effects to its host fungus: growth attenuation and virulence enhancement

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Researchers discovered a new virus that infects a fungus causing disease in tea plants. Interestingly, this virus has opposing effects: it slows down the fungus’s growth but makes it more damaging to tea leaves. This unusual combination of effects provides new insights into how viruses interact with fungal pathogens and could inform new strategies for managing tea plant diseases.

Aspergillus fumigatus dsRNA virus promotes fungal fitness and pathogenicity in the mammalian host

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Researchers discovered that a virus infecting the dangerous fungus Aspergillus fumigatus actually helps the fungus survive and cause worse infections in humans. By removing the virus from fungal strains, scientists found that the fungus became weaker and less able to cause disease in mice. Importantly, treating infected mice with an antiviral drug (ribavirin) reduced the viral load and helped the mice survive, suggesting a new approach to treating serious fungal infections.

A mycovirus enhances fitness of an insect pathogenic fungus and potentially modulates virulence through interactions between viral and host proteins

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Scientists discovered a virus that infects a beneficial fungus used to control insect pests. Instead of harming the fungus, this virus makes it much better at its job by doubling spore production, helping it survive harsh conditions like UV radiation and heat, and making it more deadly to target insects. The improvement comes from specific interactions between viral and fungal proteins that work together to enhance the fungus’s natural pest-killing abilities.

Characterization of Mycoviruses in Armillaria ostoyae and A. cepistipes in the Czech Republic

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Researchers in the Czech Republic discovered five new viruses infecting Armillaria mushroom fungi that cause root rot in trees. These viruses could potentially be used as biological control agents to reduce tree disease. The study found that some viruses can spread between different Armillaria species, suggesting they move naturally through forest ecosystems.

Unveiling mycoviral diversity in Ophiocordyceps sinensis through transcriptome analyses

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Chinese cordyceps (a valuable fungus used in traditional medicine) contains multiple viruses that researchers discovered through genetic analysis. Scientists found 13 different viruses living together in the cordyceps, with 9 being newly discovered. These viruses may affect how the fungus grows and develops, which could have implications for cultivating cordyceps artificially and understanding its unique biology.

Aspergillus fumigatus dsRNA virus promotes fungal fitness and pathogenicity in the mammalian host

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A virus that infects the fungus Aspergillus fumigatus makes the fungus more dangerous by helping it survive stress and resist immune cell attack. When researchers removed the virus from the fungus, it became weaker and less harmful to infected mice. Treating infected mice with an antiviral drug called ribavirin reduced the virus, lowering fungal burden and improving survival, suggesting that targeting fungal viruses could be a new way to treat serious fungal infections.

Heterologous expression of the hypovirus CHV1-EP713 full-length cDNA in Botrytis cinerea: transformation with Agrobacterium tumefaciens and evaluation of changes in the fungal phenotype

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Researchers successfully introduced a virus from chestnut blight fungus into gray mold fungus to reduce its ability to cause disease. The transformed fungus grew slower, produced fewer spores, and caused less damage to plants. This discovery suggests viruses could be used as natural biological control agents to protect crops from fungal diseases.

Aspergillus fumigatus dsRNA virus promotes fungal fitness and pathogenicity in the mammalian host

mycolabadmin

A virus that infects the fungus Aspergillus fumigatus (which causes serious lung infections in humans) actually makes the fungus more dangerous by improving its ability to survive stress and spread disease. Scientists found that removing this virus from the fungus made infections less severe in mice. They also discovered that antiviral drugs like ribavirin could potentially be used to weaken these virus-infected fungi and improve patient survival.

Changes in intra-host mycovirus population diversity after vertical and horizontal transmission

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Researchers studied how a virus that helps control chestnut blight disease changes when it spreads between fungal cells. They found that when the virus passes through spores, it becomes less diverse, but when it spreads between fungal cells, diversity is maintained better. The fungal host’s genetics strongly influences how many viral variants survive transmission, which has important implications for using this virus as a disease control strategy.

New insights into temperature-impacted mycovirus-fungus interactions regulated by a microRNA in Lentinula edodes

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When shiitake mushrooms are infected with a virus and exposed to heat stress, the virus replicates more aggressively, which makes the mushrooms more susceptible to heat damage and competitive fungi. Researchers discovered that a small regulatory RNA molecule called led-milR-21 plays a key role in this process by suppressing the mushroom’s heat defense mechanisms when the virus is present. This discovery is important because it shows how viruses can exploit heat stress to overcome fungal defenses, with implications for mushroom cultivation in a warming climate.

Research Keyword: mycovirus