MycoWeekly Newsletter

Your Weekly Dose of Mycology Research

Neonatal fungi promote lifelong metabolic health through macrophage-dependent β cell development.

2025-03-07
Science • Level 3 (24 panels)
J. Hill, Rickesha Bell, Logan A Barrios, Halli Baird, Kyla S. Ost, Morgan Greenewood, Josh K Monts, Erin Tracy, Casey H. Meili, Tyson R. Chiaro, Allison M. Weis, Karen Guillemin, AE Beaudin, L. C. Murtaugh, W. Stephens, June L. Round

The study explores the role of neonatal fungi in metabolic health, focusing on β cells, crucial for insulin production. It reveals a pivotal neonatal period in mice where microbial diversity, notably fungi like Candida dubliniensis, supports β cell growth via macrophage activation, reducing diabetes risk. This suggests fungi's significant role in metabolic disease prevention, with implications for human health.

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Genome duplication in a long-term multicellularity evolution experiment.

2025-03-05
Nature • Level 3 (24 panels)
Kai Tong, Sayantan Datta, Vivian Cheng, Daniella J. Haas, Saranya Gourisetti, Harley L. Yopp, Thomas C Day, Dung T Lac, Ahmad S. Khalil, Peter L. Conlin, G. Bozdag, W. Ratcliff

In mycology, genome duplication refers to the process in which organisms duplicate their genetic material, resulting in cells with double the usual number of chromosomes—termed tetraploidy. This study demonstrates that tetraploidy rapidly evolves under specific selection pressures by promoting increased cell and cluster size, thereby offering immediate fitness advantages in a controlled multicellularity evolution experiment.

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Outsmarted by fungi.

2025-02-28
Science • Level 3 (24 panels)
Caroline Gutjahr

In a compelling study, researchers reveal the cunning strategy of a fungal pathogen that deceives plant cells into perceiving a state of phosphate starvation, thereby enhancing its virulence. This manipulation hampers the plant's nutrient signaling pathways, facilitating pathogen invasion and growth. The findings highlight a novel angle of plant-pathogen interactions, with implications for developing resistant crops.

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Plant pathogenic fungi hijack phosphate signaling with conserved enzymatic effectors.

2025-02-28
Science • Level 3 (24 panels)
Carl L. McCombe, Alex Wegner, Louisa Wirtz, Chenie S Zamora, Florencia Casanova, Shouvik Aditya, Julian R. Greenwood, samuel de paula, Eleanor England, Sascha Shang, D. Ericsson, Ely Oliveira-Garcia, Simon J. Williams, U. Schaffrath

Inorganic phosphate (Pi) is crucial for cellular functions, and plants sense Pi availability through inositol pyrophosphates (PP-InsP). This study reveals that plant pathogenic fungi, including Magnaporthe and Colletotrichum species, exploit this system using Nudix hydrolase effectors to hydrolyze PP-InsP, triggering phosphate starvation responses and intensifying disease symptoms.

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