Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a human respiratory pathogen which remains a leading viral cause of hospitalizations and mortality among infants in their first year of life. Here, we review the ...biology of RSV, the primary laboratory isolates or strains which have been used to best characterize the virus since its discovery in 1956, and discuss the implications for genetic and functional variations between the established laboratory strains and the recently identified clinical isolates.
infection of wheat (
) has become an increasing problem in organic wheat agriculture throughout the world. Little is known about how this pathogen alters host metabolism to ensure a successful ...infection. We investigated how
allocates resources from wheat for its growth over the life cycle of the pathogen. An untargeted metabolomics approach that combined gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry and ultraperformance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry platforms was used to determine which primary or specialized metabolite pathways are targeted and altered during
infection. We found that
does not dramatically alter the global metabolome of wheat but instead alters key metabolites for its own nutrient uptake and to antagonize host defenses by reducing wheat's sweet immunity response and other related pathways. Our results highlight metabolic characteristics needed for selecting wheat varieties that are resistant to
infection for organic agriculture. In addition, several wheat metabolites were identified that could be used in developing a diagnostic tool for early detection of
infection.
Species delimitation is one of the most fundamental processes in biology. Biodiversity undertakings, for instance, require explicit species concepts and criteria for species delimitation in order to ...be relevant and translatable. However, a perfect species concept does not exist for Fungi. Here, we review the species concepts commonly used in Basidiomycota, the second largest phylum of Fungi that contains some of the best known species of mushrooms, rusts, smuts, and jelly fungi. In general, best practice is to delimitate species, publish new taxa, and conduct taxonomic revisions based on as many independent lines of evidence as possible, that is, by applying a so-called unifying (or integrative) conceptual framework. However, the types of data used vary considerably from group to group. For this reason we discuss the different classes of Basidiomycota, and for each provide: (i) a general introduction with difficulties faced in species recognition, (ii) species concepts and methods for species delimitation, and (iii) community recommendations and conclusions.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
The morphology and phylogenetic relationships of a species of Urocystis on Dichelostemma capitatum (Themidaceae, Asparagales) collected in the Tucson Mountains in Arizona, United States, were studied ...using microscopy and ITS rDNA sequence analyses. This
is a first record for smut fungi on hosts from Themidaceae. Molecular phylogenetic analyses based on ITS sequence data revealed its basal position in relation to species on Poaceae. As a result, the smut in leaves of Dichelostemma capitatum is described and illustrated
here as a new species, Urocystis cumminsii.
Smut and rust fungi are two groups of phytopathogenic Basidiomycetes. Vánky (2011) in his monograph dedicated to a worldwide revision of smut fungi described 93 genera and 1650 species. According to ...the last edition of the “Dictionary of Fungi”, the order Pucciniales numbers 7798 species belonging to 166 genera (Kirk et al. 2008). Smut and rust fungi occupy a special place in natural plant associations due to the unique connections of these organisms with their host plants.Apart from being an important component of any ecosystem, smuts and rusts are of great practical interest. Being obligatory phytotrophic parasites, species of smuts and rusts cause a number of dangerous plant diseases, affecting field and agricultural crops, ornamental plants, and forage grasses.In view of this, investigations of smut and rust fungi species diversity, distribution, biology, and host plants are critical for the reconstruction of natural system connections, prevention of epiphytoties, and biodiversity conservation.As every floristic area is characterized by specific, constantly changing mycobiota, periodic investigations of specific areas with the purpose of discovering new or little known pathogens of plant are of vital necessity.Although the importance of detailed investigations of smut and rust fungi are widely acknowledged, only a few regions of the world are well-studied, particularly, Europe, North America, Japan, China, Australia, New Zealand, some of the Latin American countries, whereas Africa and most of the Middle Eastern countries are in need of extensive studies.The objectives of this study were:1) Critical investigation of biodiversity of smut fungi in Israel2) Critical investigation of biodiversity of rust fungi in Israel3) Revision of Entyloma species on Eryngium4) Revision of Entyloma species on Scandix in Israel5) Analysis of the taxonomy and molecular phylogeny of Ustilago striiformis species complexInvestigation of biodiversity of smut and rust fungi composed the first part of the present work. Samples were collected throughout different natural regions of Israel in three years of the study period 2010-2013. In addition, herbarium collections and literature data regarding species of smut and rust fungi known before the current investigation were studied and critically reviewed. During the course of study, the checklists of smut and rust fungi in Israel increased by 20 and 23 species, respectively. Among the species of smuts, Entyloma carmeli, E. eryngii-cretici, and E. scandicis are described as new for science, and Antherospora vaillantii, Anthracocystis cenchri, Entyloma ficariae, Entyloma gaillardianum, Entyloma linariae, Entyloma magocsyanum, Macalpinomyces neglectus, Melanustilospora ari, Microbotryum anomalum, Microbotryum holostei, Moesziomyces bullatus, Schizonella melanogramma, Sporisorium montaniense, Tilletia lolii, Urocystis magica, Urocystis muscaridis, and Ustilago bromina were recorded in Israel for the first time. Three new species of rusts were described, i.e., Caeoma origami, Puccinia biteliana, and P. rayssiae and Uromyces coronillae, U. croci, and U. junci were found to be new for Asia, Pucciniastrum epilobii is new for the Middle East, and Cumminsiella mirabilissima, Melampsora cf. amygdalinae, M. cf. salicis-albae, Ochropsora ariae, Puccinia cecnhri var. africana, P. gundeliae, P. jasmini, P. kuehnii, P. levis, P. pelargonii-zonalis, P. polygoni-amphibii, P. pulverulenta, P. punctata, Uromyces acantholimonis, U. baeumlerianus, and U. lilii are new for Israel.
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