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Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Microfluidic Tools for Probing Fungal-Microbial Interactions at the Cellular Level
Published on: June 23, 2022
Hydrophobins and the interactions between fungi and plants
James R Whiteford1, Pietro D Spanu
1Department of Biological Sciences, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, Imperial College Road, London, UK.
Abstract:
Summary Hydrophobins are small proteins thought to be ubiquitous in filamentous fungi. They are usually secreted and are found on the outer surfaces of cell walls of hyphae and conidia where they mediate interactions between the fungus and the environment. We review here what is currently known about the primary and secondary structure of these proteins, as well as their post-translational modifications. We also discuss the diverse functions of hydrophobins in biology and development, with particular attention to fungi involved in pathogenesis and symbiosis.
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