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Molecular Processes of Fungi, 2nd Edition
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Molecular Processes of Fungi, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Journal of Fungi (ISSN 2309-608X). This special issue belongs to the section "Fungal Genomics, Genetics and Molecular Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2024) | Viewed by 4492

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Willem JG Melchers

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Interests: pathogenesis of Aspergillus; Aspergillus resistance; molecular aspects of resistance; molecular aspects of adaptaton; germination
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fungi are widespread and may cause a wide spectrum of diseases in humans, with infections occurring by, for example, opportunistic pathogens such as Candida albicans, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Cryptococcus neoformans. Fungi can quickly adapt to new and challenging environments in nature, equipping them with intrinsic defenses to overcome cellular stress induced by external stimuli. Adaptation, in this sense, is described as overcoming environmental challenges by gaining beneficial mutations or adjusting cellular physiology. How quickly these adaptations arise and spread after natural selection, depends on forces that drive evolution itself, such as (a)sexual reproduction, ploidy changes, and genetic stability.

A lot of research has been published concerning the clinical aspects of fungal pathogensis, epidemiology, diagnostics, clinical outcome, clinical breakpoints against antifungals, etc. However, the molecular mechanisms of fungal development and growth, stress adaptation and resistance, fungal–host interactions and gene-functions, non-coding RNA functionality, and so on, is still an underexposed field. This Special Issue “Molecular Processes of Fungi” invites colleagues to contribute with original research or reviews to the Journal of Fungi.

Dr. Willem Melchers
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Fungi is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • molecular basis of fungal development and growth
  • stress adaptation and resistance
  • fungal–host interactions and gene-functions
  • non-coding RNA functionality

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 10196 KiB  
Article
A Chimeric ORF Fusion Phenotypic Reporter for Cryptococcus neoformans
by Louis S. Phillips-Rose, Chendi K. Yu, Nicholas P. West and James A. Fraser
J. Fungi 2024, 10(8), 567; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof10080567 - 12 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1601
Abstract
The plethora of genome sequences produced in the postgenomic age has not resolved many of our most pressing biological questions. Correlating gene expression with an interrogatable and easily observable characteristic such as the surrogate phenotype conferred by a reporter gene is a valuable [...] Read more.
The plethora of genome sequences produced in the postgenomic age has not resolved many of our most pressing biological questions. Correlating gene expression with an interrogatable and easily observable characteristic such as the surrogate phenotype conferred by a reporter gene is a valuable approach to gaining insight into gene function. Many reporters including lacZ, amdS, and the fluorescent proteins mRuby3 and mNeonGreen have been used across all manners of organisms. Described here is an investigation into the creation of a robust, synthetic, fusion reporter system for Cryptococcus neoformans that combines some of the most useful fluorophores available in this system with the versatility of the counter-selectable nature of amdS. The reporters generated include multiple composition and orientation variants, all of which were investigated for differences in expression. Evaluation of known promoters from the TEF1 and GAL7 genes was undertaken, elucidating novel expression tendencies of these biologically relevant C. neoformans regulators of transcription. Smaller than lacZ but providing multiple useful surrogate phenotypes for interrogation, the fusion ORF serves as a superior whole-cell assay compared to traditional systems. Ultimately, the work described here bolsters the array of relevant genetic tools that may be employed in furthering manipulation and understanding of the WHO fungal priority group pathogen C. neoformans. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Processes of Fungi, 2nd Edition)
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12 pages, 1032 KiB  
Article
Aspergillus Outbreak in an Intensive Care Unit: Source Analysis with Whole Genome Sequencing and Short Tandem Repeats
by Stephan J. P. Hiel, Amber C. A. Hendriks, Jos J. A. Eijkenboom, Thijs Bosch, Jordy P. M. Coolen, Willem J. G. Melchers, Paul Anröchte, Simone M. T. Camps, Paul E. Verweij, Jianhua Zhang and Laura van Dommelen
J. Fungi 2024, 10(1), 51; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof10010051 - 6 Jan 2024
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2210
Abstract
Whole genome sequencing (WGS) is widely used for outbreak analysis of bacteriology and virology but is scarcely used in mycology. Here, we used WGS for genotyping Aspergillus fumigatus isolates from a potential Aspergillus outbreak in an intensive care unit (ICU) during construction work. [...] Read more.
Whole genome sequencing (WGS) is widely used for outbreak analysis of bacteriology and virology but is scarcely used in mycology. Here, we used WGS for genotyping Aspergillus fumigatus isolates from a potential Aspergillus outbreak in an intensive care unit (ICU) during construction work. After detecting the outbreak, fungal cultures were performed on all surveillance and/or patient respiratory samples. Environmental samples were obtained throughout the ICU. WGS was performed on 30 isolates, of which six patient samples and four environmental samples were related to the outbreak, and twenty samples were unrelated, using the Illumina NextSeq 550. A SNP-based phylogenetic tree was created from outbreak samples and unrelated samples. Comparative analysis (WGS and short tandem repeats (STRs), microsatellite loci analysis) showed that none of the strains were related to each other. The lack of genetic similarity suggests the accumulation of Aspergillus spores in the hospital environment, rather than a single source that supported growth and reproduction of Aspergillus fumigatus. This supports the hypothesis that the Aspergillus outbreak was likely caused by release of Aspergillus fumigatus spores during construction work. Indeed, no new Aspergillus cases were observed in the ICU after cessation of construction. This study demonstrates that WGS is a suitable technique for examining inter-strain relatedness of Aspergillus fumigatus in the setting of an outbreak investigation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Processes of Fungi, 2nd Edition)
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