The Ustilaginales as plant pests and model systems.

Area of Science:

• Fungal biology and plant pathology.
• Molecular mechanisms in fungi.

Background:

• Ustilaginales are diverse fungi, including significant agricultural plant pathogens (smuts).
• Ustilago maydis (U. maydis) serves as a key model organism for studying fundamental biological processes.
• These fungi impact global crop production and offer insights into molecular biology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the life cycles and economic significance of Ustilaginales.
• To summarize current literature on U. maydis, focusing on less-covered research areas.
• To highlight U. maydis as a model for mycovirus research, fungicide resistance, and DNA recombination/repair.

Main Methods:

• Literature review and synthesis of existing research.
• Focus on specific research areas including mycoviruses, fungicide resistance, and DNA recombination.
• Discussion of Ustilaginales life cycles and agricultural impact.

Main Results:

• Ustilaginales cause substantial crop losses globally.
• U. maydis is a versatile model for studying mating, morphogenesis, pathogenicity, and genomics.
• The review emphasizes U. maydis's utility in mycovirus research and understanding molecular mechanisms of fungicide resistance and DNA repair.

Conclusions:

• Ustilaginales, particularly U. maydis, are vital for both agricultural pest management and fundamental biological research.
• Further research using U. maydis can elucidate complex molecular pathways relevant to disease, resistance, and genome stability.
• This review consolidates knowledge and directs future research on these important fungi.