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Updated: Sep 24, 2025

Establishing Fungal Entomopathogens as Endophytes: Towards Endophytic Biological Control
Published on: April 11, 2013
Determinants of endophytic and pathogenic lifestyle in root colonizing fungi
Amey Redkar1, Mugdha Sabale2, Alga Zuccaro3
1Departamento de Genética, Universidad de Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain; Department of Botany, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Ganeshkhind, Pune, 411007, India.
Abstract:
Plant-fungal interactions in the soil crucially impact crop productivity and can range from highly beneficial to detrimental. Accumulating evidence suggests that some root-colonizing fungi shift between endophytic and pathogenic behaviour depending on the host species and that combinations of effector proteins collectively shape the fungal lifestyle on a given plant. In this review we discuss recent advances in our understanding of how fungal infection strategies on roots can lead to contrasting outcomes for the host. We highlight functional similarities and differences in compatibility determinants that control the colonization of specific-cell layers within plant roots, ultimately shaping the continuum between endophytic and pathogenic lifestyle.
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