Fungal pathogenesis articles from across Nature Portfolio

Plant PR-1 proteins participate in defense responses against pathogens. Here, the authors show that PR-1-like proteins from the plant pathogenic fungus Ustilago maydis are important for virulence by detecting plant-derived phenolics and modulating plant PR-1-mediated defenses.

Fungal cell walls release β-1,3-glucan fragments that trigger plant immunity. Here, the authors show that a glucanase (Ebg1) of the blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae suppresses plant immunity by hydrolyzing β-1,3-glucan. At the same time, Ebg1 induces plant immune responses that are dampened by a fungal protein that interacts with Ebg1.

The blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae produces invasive hyphae in living rice cells during early infection. Here, the authors show that a fungal protein kinase promotes this biotrophic growth phase by coordinating cycles of autophagy and glutaminolysis in invasive hyphae.

The rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae uses transfer RNA modifications to fine-tune effector protein secretion into host plant cells.

This study shows that healthy individuals are reservoirs for genotypically and phenotypically diverse Candida albicans strains that retain their capacity to cause disease.

A recent study characterizes an inducible morphotype of Cryptococcus neoformans that is critical for extrapulmonary organ entry.

This study reports viral transmission between two phytopathogenic species that have similar ecological niches on oilseed rape.

A study in mice shows that antibiotic treatment predisposes to invasive fungal infection through gut dysbiosis and barrier dysfunction.

A recent paper in Nature describes how CRISPR-based engineering of wheat confers robust resistance to powdery mildew disease without negatively impacting crop growth and yields.