Pathogenic Fungi: Morphogenesis, Pathogenicity and Biosynthesis of Secondary Metabolites—3rd Edition

A Special Issue of Journal of Fungi (ISSN 2309-608X) belonging to the section "Fungal Genomics, Genetics and Molecular Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 January 2027 | Viewed by 539

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Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, Proteomic Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Interests: morphogenesis; mycotoxin; biological activity; biological function; pathogenicity; metabolic regulation; contamination
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

There are an estimated 1.5 million species of fungi, among which pathogenic fungi can cause diseases to humans, plants, animals and even other fungi. Morphological changes are required for pathogenic fungi to cause disease. Physiological and environmental stimuli regulate morphogenic differentiation through conserved signaling pathways. In addition to cell size and shape, morphogenesis is linked to changes in cell surface composition, which are required by diverse microbes to be successful as pathogens. Pathogenic fungi utilize various pathogenic effectors to infect their hosts. The effectors are important virulence determinants of pathogenic fungi and play important roles in successful pathogenesis, predominantly by avoiding the host surveillance system. However, besides being important for pathogenesis, fungal effectors might be recognized by resistant cultivars of the host, which produce a strong immune response to ward off pathogens. Pathogenic fungi, such as Aspergillus, Penicillium, Fusarium and Alternaria toxigenic species, are found to produce a wide variety of toxic secondary metabolites, which seriously threaten human health and green agricultural practices.

In recent years, the development of molecular biology tools has led to the development of faster, more reliable detection techniques, providing valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying the adaptation and speciation of pathogenic fungi. The aim of this Special Issue is to characterize the morphogenesis, pathogenicity and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites of pathogenic fungi through comprehensive reviews, original studies and novel perspectives.

Prof. Dr. Zhenhong Zhuang
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • pathogenic fungi
  • morphogenesis
  • pathogenicity
  • secondary metabolites

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

23 pages, 12997 KB  
Article
Comparative Whole-Genome Sequence Analysis of Alternaria alternata KACC 411286 That Produces Alternariol-Derived Toxins and Its Secondary Metabolite Biosynthetic Potential
by Sung-Yong Hong, Ji-Su Kim and Ae-Son Om
J. Fungi 2026, 12(9), 634; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof12090634 - 24 Aug 2026
Viewed by 375
Abstract
Alternaria alternata can produce alternariol (AOH), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), altenusin (ALN), and altenuene (ALT) on fruits and vegetables. Much is unknown about the biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) of secondary metabolites (SMs) including ALT in A. alternata isolated from strawberries. In the current [...] Read more.
Alternaria alternata can produce alternariol (AOH), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), altenusin (ALN), and altenuene (ALT) on fruits and vegetables. Much is unknown about the biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) of secondary metabolites (SMs) including ALT in A. alternata isolated from strawberries. In the current study, we sequenced the whole genome of AOH- and AME-producing A. alternata KACC 411286 isolated from strawberry jam and carried out comparative analyses of the ALT BGC in its genome with those of other fungal strains after verification of its production of ALN and ALT. Our data showed that the assembled genome of A. alternata KACC 411286 is 34.2 Mb in size with 10 chromosomes. Gene Ontology analysis showed that genes involved in RNA transcription and protein synthesis and turnover are enriched in the genome of A. alternata KACC 411286. We identified a total of 40 SM BGCs, including the ALT BGC, in A. alternata KACC 411286. The comparative analysis showed that ALT BGCs are highly conserved between two A. alternata (KACC 411286 and ATCC 66981) and A. arborescens EGS 39–128. The functional conservation analyses of all six ALT biosynthetic genes also revealed that each gene in A. alternata KACC 411286 shares high amino acid and DNA sequence identity (above 78% identity) with its corresponding gene in four other Alternaria spp. except pksI in A. arborescens EGS 39–128 (55% identity at both the protein and DNA levels) and pksI in A. tenuissima BMP 0304 (53% at the DNA level). Our findings could provide a molecular basis for understanding the biosynthetic mechanisms of SMs, including ALT, in A. alternata KACC 411286 to reduce the contamination of fruits with multiple mycotoxins. Full article
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