Non-conventional infectious elements in filamentous fungi

Area of Science:

• Mycology
• Molecular Biology
• Genetics

Background:

• Historical data suggests non-conventional infectious factors in filamentous fungi.
• Recent findings link yeast cytoplasmic determinants to mammalian prions, involving protein conformational changes.
• This necessitates a re-evaluation of fungal elements and their inheritance mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review fungal elements affecting vegetative incompatibility, conidiogenesis, morphology, and cell growth.
• To explore the potential role of prion analogues in fungal non-conventional inheritance.
• To consider mechanisms initiating non-conventional inheritance via cytoplasmic factors.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of historical and recent studies on fungal elements and inheritance.
• Analysis of prion-like mechanisms in yeast and their potential parallels in fungi.
• Discussion of regulatory loops involving metabolites or macromolecules in the cytoplasm.

Main Results:

• Four fungal elements influencing key developmental and growth processes have been identified.
• One of these elements has been confirmed as a prion analogue.
• The nature and inheritance status of the other three elements remain unclear.

Conclusions:

• Fungal elements, particularly prion analogues, are significant in understanding non-conventional inheritance.
• Further research is needed to clarify the role and mechanisms of the remaining fungal elements.
• Cytoplasmic metabolites or macromolecules, regulated by positive feedback loops, may initiate non-conventional inheritance in fungi.