Current and Future Development of Mycology: The 10th Anniversary of Journal of Fungi

A special issue of Journal of Fungi (ISSN 2309-608X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 2830

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Hackensack Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation, 340 Kingsland Street, Nutley, NJ 07110, USA
Interests: antifungal drug resistance; molecular diagnostics; antifungal drug discovery

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Journal of Fungi (JoF), a peer-reviewed, open access journal dedicated to pathogenic fungi, fungal biology, and all aspects of fungal research. Over the past decade, the journal has published more than 5000 papers from over 20,000 authors. Additionally, more than 6,000 reviewers have contributed their expertise to evaluating submissions. We deeply appreciate the invaluable contributions of our editors, authors, and reviewers. Please explore our achievements through the interactive dashboard on our anniversary website: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/jof/anniversary.

To commemorate this milestone, we are launching a Special Issue covering ten key topics in mycology.

  1. Medical Mycology:
    • Addressing antifungal drug resistance and emerging mechanisms of resistance;
    • Developing new antifungal drugs to combat emerging fungal infections;
    • Understanding the mechanisms of fungal pathogenicity;
    • Investigating the role of fungi in chronic diseases.
  2. Agricultural Mycology:
    • Developing sustainable biocontrol agents for plant diseases;
    • Improving crop yields through fungal–plant interactions;
    • Understanding the role of fungi in soil health.
  3. Environmental Mycology:
    • Studying the role of fungi in carbon cycling and climate change;
    • Investigating fungal diversity in extreme environments;
    • Developing fungal-based bioremediation technologies.
  4. Fungal Genomics and Bioinformatics:
    • Sequencing and analyzing fungal genomes to understand their biology;
    • Developing tools for fungal identification and classification;
    • Using genomics to identify new fungal species and bioactive compounds.
  5. Fungal Ecology:
    • Studying fungal interactions with other organisms (e.g., plants, animals, bacteria);
    • Understanding the role of fungi in ecosystem functioning;
    • Investigating the impact of human activities on fungal diversity.
  6. Fungal Biotechnology:
    • Engineering fungi to produce valuable products (e.g., pharmaceuticals, biofuels);
    • Developing synthetic biology tools for fungal research;
    • Exploring the potential of fungi for biocomputing and biosensing;
    • Producing biofuels and biomaterials from fungal biomass and developing fungal-based enzymes for industrial applications;
    • Utilizing fungi in food and beverage production.
  7. Mycotoxins and Fungal Toxins:
    • Investigating the health risks associated with mycotoxins;
    • Developing methods for mycotoxin detection and prevention;
    • Understanding the mechanisms of fungal toxin production.
  8. Fungal Evolution and Phylogeny:
    • Reconstructing the evolutionary history of fungi;
    • Understanding the relationships between different fungal groups;
    • Investigating the origins of fungal traits and adaptations.
  9. Fungal Biodiversity and Conservation:
    • Documenting fungal diversity and distribution;
    • Assessing the conservation status of fungal species;
    • Developing strategies for fungal conservation.
  10. Fungal Signal Transduction and Metabolites
    • Unveiling the signal transduction processes in fungal system;
    • Exploring fungal pathogenesis in terms of cellular and molecular aspects;
    • Discovering new fungal secondary metabolites and bioactive compounds.

These areas represent just a few of the many exciting and important research directions in the field of mycology. As our understanding of fungi continues to grow, we can expect to see even more innovative applications and discoveries in the future.

Prof. Dr. David S. Perlin
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

  • medical mycology
  • agricultural mycology
  • environmental mycology
  • fungal genomics and bioinformatics
  • fungal ecology
  • fungal biotechnology
  • mycotoxins and fungal toxins
  • fungal evolution and phylogeny
  • fungal biodiversity and conservation
  • fungal signal transduction and metabolites

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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16 pages, 2522 KB  
Article
The Predicted Structure of S. cerevisiae Ssp1 Reveals Parallel Evolution in the Pil1 BAR Domain Family Proteins of Ascomycetes
by Yasuyuki Suda and Aaron M. Neiman
J. Fungi 2025, 11(9), 661; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof11090661 - 9 Sep 2025
Viewed by 637
Abstract
BAR domains are a superfamily of widely conserved membrane binding motifs. In fungi, Pil1 family proteins are BAR domain containing proteins involved in organizing the plasma membrane. S. pombe encodes a sporulation-specific Pil1 family protein, Meu14, which has a specialized role in shaping [...] Read more.
BAR domains are a superfamily of widely conserved membrane binding motifs. In fungi, Pil1 family proteins are BAR domain containing proteins involved in organizing the plasma membrane. S. pombe encodes a sporulation-specific Pil1 family protein, Meu14, which has a specialized role in shaping the forespore membrane during sporulation. The functional analog of Meu14 in S. cerevisiae is Ssp1. While Ssp1 has no primary sequence homology to Pil1 or Meu14, AlphaFold predicts that it contains a Pil1-related BAR domain. Consistent with this structural prediction, mutation of residues in the putative lipid binding face of Ssp1 or in a residue implicated in multimerization disrupt sporulation. Characterization of the mutant proteins indicates that the BAR domain is necessary for recruitment of Ssp1 to the highly curved leading edge of the prospore membrane and multimerization of Ssp1 at that location is required for assembly of the leading edge complex. The distribution of Pil1 family proteins across an evolutionary tree of Ascomycetes reveals that Meu14 and Ssp1 arose independently in the lineages leading to S. pombe and S. cerevisiae, respectively. Full article
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26 pages, 14851 KB  
Article
Degradation of Synthetic Restoration Materials by Xerotolerant/Xerophilic Fungi Contaminating Canvas Paintings
by Amela Kujović, Katja Kavkler, Michel Alexander Wilson-Hernandez, Miloš Vittori, Luen Zidar, Cene Gostinčar, Kristina Sepčić, Yordanis Pérez-Llano, Ramón Alberto Batista-García, Nina Gunde-Cimerman and Polona Zalar
J. Fungi 2025, 11(8), 568; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof11080568 - 30 Jul 2025
Viewed by 686
Abstract
Canvas paintings are prone to biodeterioration due to their complex chemical composition, which can support fungal growth even under controlled conditions. This study evaluated the susceptibility of common synthetic restoration materials—Lascaux glues (303 HV, 498 HV), Acrylharz P550, BEVA 371, Laropal A81, and [...] Read more.
Canvas paintings are prone to biodeterioration due to their complex chemical composition, which can support fungal growth even under controlled conditions. This study evaluated the susceptibility of common synthetic restoration materials—Lascaux glues (303 HV, 498 HV), Acrylharz P550, BEVA 371, Laropal A81, and Regalrez 1094—to degradation by fourteen xerotolerant/xerophilic fungal strains. All tested Aspergillus and Penicillium species extensively colonized, especially artificially aged materials. FTIR-PAS analysis revealed chemical changes in carbonyl and C–H bonds in Laropal A81 and Regalrez 1094 colonized by Aspergillus spp. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging showed thinning of Lascaux glues and deformation of Regalrez 1094. Transcriptomic profiling of A. puulaauensis grown on Lascaux 498 HV and Regalrez 1094 identified altered expression of genes coding for esterases and oxidases, enzymes involved in synthetic polymer degradation. Esterase activity assays using 4-nitrophenol-based substrates confirmed significant enzymatic activity correlating with the presence of ester bonds. These findings highlight the vulnerability of synthetic restoration materials, specifically Laropal A81, Regalrez 1094, and Lascaux glues, to extremophilic fungi thriving in environments with low water activity. The results emphasize the urgent need for specific knowledge on fungi and their metabolic pathways to use/develop more durable conservation materials and strategies to protect cultural heritage objects from biodeterioration. Full article
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10 pages, 646 KB  
Perspective
Can We Have Guidelines or Just Guidance for Rare Fungal Infections?
by Nancy N. Vuong and Dimitrios P. Kontoyiannis
J. Fungi 2025, 11(9), 666; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof11090666 - 11 Sep 2025
Viewed by 624
Abstract
In this perspective, we discuss the limitations of medical guidelines as it relates to the management of uncommon invasive fungal infections (IFIs) or infrequent manifestations of more common IFIs. We emphasize the difficulties to define “gold standards” for diagnostics and treatment based on [...] Read more.
In this perspective, we discuss the limitations of medical guidelines as it relates to the management of uncommon invasive fungal infections (IFIs) or infrequent manifestations of more common IFIs. We emphasize the difficulties to define “gold standards” for diagnostics and treatment based on limited and low-quality evidence. We posit that such “guidelines” based on scarce data may be suboptimal and could be in some cases even harmful. Specifically, guidelines are often seen as rigid rules to follow which can prevent a critical examination of the nuanced management of individual patients with rare IFIs. We also emphasize that guidelines are often not updated frequently enough and therefore may not reflect the current treatment landscape. For all those reasons, we suggest that the term “guidance” may be more appropriate than “guidelines” for rare IFIs. Finally, we pose several questions regarding constructing future “Guidelines”/“Guidance for such entities”. Full article
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