Extracellular enzymes and the pathogenesis of nematophagous fungi

Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2007 May;75(1):21-31. doi: 10.1007/s00253-007-0881-4. Epub 2007 Feb 22.

Abstract

Nematophagous fungi are an important group of soil microorganisms that can suppress the populations of plant-parasitic nematodes. The pathogenic mechanisms of nematophagous fungi are diverse: They can be parasitical-mechanical through producing specialized capturing devices, or toxin-dependent. During infections, a variety of virulence factors may be involved against nematodes by nematophagous fungi. In this review, we present up-to-date information on the modes of infection by nematophagous fungi. The roles of extracellular hydrolytic enzymes and other virulence factors involved in infection against nematodes were summarized. The biochemical properties and peptide sequences of a special group of enzymes, the serine proteases, were compared, and their implications in infections were discussed. We also discussed the impact of emerging new techniques on our understanding of this unique group of fungi.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Chitinases / genetics
  • Chitinases / metabolism
  • Collagenases / genetics
  • Collagenases / metabolism
  • Fungi / enzymology*
  • Fungi / pathogenicity*
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Nematoda / microbiology*
  • Pest Control, Biological*
  • Phylogeny
  • Serine Endopeptidases / chemistry
  • Serine Endopeptidases / genetics
  • Serine Endopeptidases / metabolism
  • Virulence
  • Virulence Factors* / chemistry
  • Virulence Factors* / genetics
  • Virulence Factors* / metabolism

Substances

  • Virulence Factors
  • Chitinases
  • Serine Endopeptidases
  • Collagenases