Morphology, Phylogeny and Pathogenicity of Fusarium

A special issue of Journal of Fungi (ISSN 2309-608X). This special issue belongs to the section "Fungi in Agriculture and Biotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 5547

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Instituto de Investigación en Micología y Micotoxicología, (IMICO), CONICET-UNRC, Ruta 36 Km 601, Río Cuarto 5800, Córdoba, Argentina
Interests: Fusarium; phylogenetic; diversity; endophytes; natural ecosystems; mycotoxins; Fusarium head blight.

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Instituto de Investigación en Micología y Micotoxicología, (IMICO), CONICET-UNRC, Ruta 36 Km 601, Río Cuarto 5800, Córdoba, Argentina
Interests: Fusarium; grassland; diversity; fungal endophytes; natural ecosystems; mycotoxins.

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fusarium represents a large cosmopolitan genus comprising more than 70 species capable of producing a wide array of active metabolites. Representatives of this genus can be isolated from most bioclimatic regions and ecosystems on earth. From an ecological perspective, Fusarium includes epiphytes, endophytes, pathogens and saprophytes. As pathogens, Fusarium species cause plant diseases in most economically important crops. Additionally, many Fusarium species produce mycotoxins and contaminate crops, threatening human and animal health. There is no doubt that Fusarium species will continue to be of substantial social, biological and economic importance in the coming decades and beyond. Thus, the aim of the present Special Issue is to present some of the latest works on Fusarium taxonomy, identification, phylogenetic studies, population genetics, diversity and virulence mechanisms, pathogen–host interactions and the evaluation of the prevalence of Fusarium fungi, among other relevant topics.

  1. Fusarium;
  2. Phylogeny;
  3. Pathogens;
  4. Endophytes;
  5. Diversity;
  6. Mycotoxins;
  7. Virulence;
  8. Taxonomy.

Reviews, original research articles, and communications are welcome.

Dr. Maria Laura Ramirez
Dr. Eugenia Cendoya
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Fusarium
  • pathogens
  • mycotoxins
  • taxonomy
  • virulence

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 4153 KiB  
Article
Molecular Identification of Fusarium Isolates from Bozcaada Çavuş and Karalahna Grapes in Türkiye
by Gülçin Özcan Ateş
J. Fungi 2025, 11(5), 373; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof11050373 - 14 May 2025
Viewed by 432
Abstract
Contamination of agricultural products by Fusarium species is a significant concern and is commonly found in various agricultural products. They cause severe economic losses in the products, and contaminate and threaten human and animal health due to the toxins they produce. Therefore, determining [...] Read more.
Contamination of agricultural products by Fusarium species is a significant concern and is commonly found in various agricultural products. They cause severe economic losses in the products, and contaminate and threaten human and animal health due to the toxins they produce. Therefore, determining species diversity in various agricultural products is crucial. Bozcaada is well suited for cultivating the highest quality Çavuş grape due to its unique location and climate. Therefore, in this study, the sequencing of the tef1 and tub2 genes in Fusarium isolates from table Çavuş and wine grapes Karalahna, which are specific to Bozcaada, was performed, and their phylogenetic relationships were examined. As a result, it was determined that 11 of the 17 isolates were Fusarium annulatum from the Fusarium fujikuroi species complex (FFSC), 2 were Fusarium nirenbergiae from the Fusarium oxysporum species complex (FOSC), 2 were Fusarium fabacearum from the FOSC, and the last 2 isolates were Fusarium makinsoniae and Fusarium clavus (as ‘clavum’) from the F. incarnatum-equiseti species complex (FIESC). The F. makinsoniae and F. fabacearum species obtained in the study are the first recorded for Türkiye. This research highlights the variety of Fusarium species identified in Bozcaada vineyards in Türkiye. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Morphology, Phylogeny and Pathogenicity of Fusarium)
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17 pages, 3404 KiB  
Article
Proteomic Analysis of the Fusarium graminearum Secretory Proteins in Wheat Apoplast Reveals a Cell-Death-Inducing M43 Peptidase
by Pengfeng Li, Ruihua Zhao, Ying Fang, Yujin Fan, Qianyong Hu, Wei Huang, Wujun Ma and Cuijun Zhang
J. Fungi 2025, 11(4), 240; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof11040240 - 21 Mar 2025
Viewed by 828
Abstract
Fusarium graminearum, a highly destructive fungal pathogen, poses a major threat to wheat production. The apoplast is an important space for plant–pathogen interactions. However, no studies have been reported on the secretory proteins of F. graminearum in the wheat apoplast. In this [...] Read more.
Fusarium graminearum, a highly destructive fungal pathogen, poses a major threat to wheat production. The apoplast is an important space for plant–pathogen interactions. However, no studies have been reported on the secretory proteins of F. graminearum in the wheat apoplast. In this study, we performed mass spectrometry analysis of F. graminearum secretory proteins in wheat apoplast and identified 79 potential secretory proteins. We identified a metalloprotease (referred to as Fg28) and demonstrated its capacity to induce cell death and reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation in Nicotiana benthamiana. Fg28 is strongly up-regulated in the early stages of infection and is secreted into the intercellular space of wheat cells. Full-length Fg28 is required to induce cell death in N. benthamiana. In addition, Fg28 induces an immune response that is independent of BAK1/SOBIR1 and EDS1/PAD4. Furthermore, knocking out Fg28 had no effect on morphology or pathogenicity. In conclusion, we have identified a set of F. graminearum secreted proteins in the wheat apoplast and a metalloproteinase that triggers immune response, providing new insights into understanding the interaction between F. graminearum and wheat. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Morphology, Phylogeny and Pathogenicity of Fusarium)
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17 pages, 6521 KiB  
Article
Histone H3 N-Terminal Lysine Acetylation Governs Fungal Growth, Conidiation, and Pathogenicity through Regulating Gene Expression in Fusarium pseudograminearum
by Hang Jiang, Lifang Yuan, Liguo Ma, Kai Qi, Yueli Zhang, Bo Zhang, Guoping Ma and Junshan Qi
J. Fungi 2024, 10(6), 379; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof10060379 - 25 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1650
Abstract
The acetylation of histone lysine residues regulates multiple life processes, including growth, conidiation, and pathogenicity in filamentous pathogenic fungi. However, the specific function of each lysine residue at the N-terminus of histone H3 in phytopathogenic fungi remains unclear. In this study, we mutated [...] Read more.
The acetylation of histone lysine residues regulates multiple life processes, including growth, conidiation, and pathogenicity in filamentous pathogenic fungi. However, the specific function of each lysine residue at the N-terminus of histone H3 in phytopathogenic fungi remains unclear. In this study, we mutated the N-terminal lysine residues of histone H3 in Fusarium pseudograminearum, the main causal agent of Fusarium crown rot of wheat in China, which also produces deoxynivalenol (DON) toxins harmful to humans and animals. Our findings reveal that all the FpH3K9R, FpH3K14R, FpH3K18R, and FpH3K23R mutants are vital for vegetative growth and conidiation. Additionally, FpH3K14 regulates the pathogen’s sensitivity to various stresses and fungicides. Despite the slowed growth of the FpH3K9R and FpH3K23R mutants, their pathogenicity towards wheat stems and heads remains unchanged. However, the FpH3K9R mutant produces more DON. Furthermore, the FpH3K14R and FpH3K18R mutants exhibit significantly reduced virulence, with the FpH3K18R mutant producing minimal DON. In the FpH3K9R, FpH3K14R, FpH3K18R, and FpH3K23R mutants, there are 1863, 1400, 1688, and 1806 downregulated genes, respectively, compared to the wild type. These downregulated genes include many that are crucial for growth, conidiation, pathogenicity, and DON production, as well as some essential genes. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis indicates that genes downregulated in the FpH3K14R and FpH3K18R mutants are enriched for ribosome biogenesis, rRNA processing, and rRNA metabolic process. This suggests that the translation machinery is abnormal in the FpH3K14R and FpH3K18R mutants. Overall, our findings suggest that H3 N-terminal lysine residues are involved in regulating the expression of genes with important functions and are critical for fungal development and pathogenicity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Morphology, Phylogeny and Pathogenicity of Fusarium)
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13 pages, 1949 KiB  
Communication
Identification and Pathogenicity of Fusarium Species Associated with Onion Basal Rot in the Moscow Region of Russian Federation
by Svetlana Vetrova, Ksenia Alyokhina, Irina Engalycheva, Elena Kozar, Kseniya Mukhina, Maria Sletova, Leonid Krivenkov, Tatyana Tikhonova, Alina Kameneva, Svetlana Frolova, Vera Chizhik and Viktor Martynov
J. Fungi 2024, 10(5), 331; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof10050331 - 4 May 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1807
Abstract
Fusarium basal rot of onions causes large losses during storage of commercial production of onion bulbs, which in turn adversely affects the food market situation in the off-season period. There are no data on the composition of Fusarium spp., which causes onion basal [...] Read more.
Fusarium basal rot of onions causes large losses during storage of commercial production of onion bulbs, which in turn adversely affects the food market situation in the off-season period. There are no data on the composition of Fusarium spp., which causes onion basal rot in the Russian Federation. Therefore, our research was aimed at Fusarium spp. causing onion basal rot in the Moscow Region of the Russian Federation and studying the pathogenicity of these species for the host plant. We studied 20 isolates of Fusarium spp. collected from affected mature bulbs and seed bulbs. Species identification of the isolates was carried out using analysis of the nucleotide sequences of the three genetic loci ITS, tef1 and rpb2, as well as was based on the macro- and micromorphological characteristics of these isolates. As a result, the species F. annulatum (F. fujikuroi species complex), F. oxysporum (F. oxysporum species complex), F. acuminatum (F. tricinctum species complex) and F. solani (F. solani species complex) were identified to involve in the pathogenesis of Fusarium basal rot. We have shown for the first time that the species F. annulatum and F. acuminatum are highly aggressive and capable of causing onion basal rot. The predominant species were F. annulatum and F. oxysporum. The proportion of these species in the total number of analyzed isolates was 60% and 25%, respectively. The largest proportion (33%) of highly aggressive on mature bulbs isolates was found in the species F. annulatum. The data obtained provide practical insights for developing strategies to manage Fusarium fungi responsible for onion basal rot Moscow Region of the Russian Federation. In addition, data about species composition and aggressive isolates may be used in onion breeding for resistance to Fusarium basal rot. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Morphology, Phylogeny and Pathogenicity of Fusarium)
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