Plant and Fungal Interactions Research

The RNA virome of intertidal kelp in New Zealand reveals novel viral lineages associated with unhealthy kelp

The study identifies novel viruses in New Zealand kelp, finding higher viral diversity in unhealthy kelp at a polluted site.

A Novel Mycovirus Identified in Clinical Isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans

The paper identifies a novel mycovirus in clinical isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans, showing its presence in six isolates from HIV-positive patients with meningitis.

Monoclonal anti-dsRNA antibody-based metagenomics (MADAM) reveal Pyricularia oryzae mycovirome

This paper introduces MADAM, a metagenomics approach for detecting fungal viruses, and identifies 18 RNA viruses in Pyricularia oryzae.

A viroid-like RNA can be transmitted among different Trichoderma species affecting their antagonistic capacity

This paper identifies and characterizes TsvlRNA1, a viroid-like RNA in Trichoderma spirale that transmits between species and modulates biocontrol capacity against plant pathogens.

Novel RNA viruses reveal a complex mycovirome in the smut fungus Thecaphora thlaspeos

The paper identifies eight novel RNA viruses in the smut fungus Thecaphora thlaspeos, revealing a complex mycovirome and intraspecific variation in virome composition.

Two-Year Field Testing of Genetically Engineered American Chestnut Reveals Fungal Blight Tolerance

A two-year field trial of genetically engineered American chestnut trees shows greater blight tolerance compared to non-transgenic siblings and Chinese chestnut controls.

The yeast mitochondrial Porin represses Snf1/AMP Kinase signaling to attenuate viral replication

The paper identifies Por1 as a mitochondrial protein that represses Snf1/AMP Kinase signaling to limit L-A mycovirus replication in yeast.

A Beneficial Endornavirus Enhances the Fitness of Phytopathogenic Fungus Rhizotonia solani

This study identifies an endornavirus that enhances fungal virulence and ecological fitness by improving growth, stress tolerance, and pathogenicity in Rhizoctonia solani.

Atkinsonella hypoxylon virus capsid structure highlights the diversity of capsid proteins among the Partitiviridae

The paper determines the capsid structure of Atkinsonella hypoxylon virus using cryo-EM and identifies conserved and divergent features among partitiviruses.

A single-stranded DNA virus replicates in the mitochondria of a marine oomycete

This study identifies a single-stranded DNA virus replicating in oomycete mitochondria, expands DNA virus diversity, and highlights marine environments as underexplored virus reservoirs.

A Novel Partitivirus Confers Dual Contradictory Effect to Its Host Fungus: Growth Attenuation and Virulence Enhancement

This paper identifies a novel partitivirus in a tea-pathogenic fungus that reduces growth but enhances virulence, revealing a dual effect on its host.

Loss of Vertically-Inherited Totiviruses and Toxin-Encoding Satellites in Killer Yeast Evidences Intracellular Conflict in Natural Populations

The paper examines the stability of totivirus-satellite infections in yeast populations over time, finding that host genotypes cluster by infection states despite some transitions.

Genome-wide screen uncovers novel host factors for L-A virus maintenance and a mutualistic-symbiosis relationship in yeast

The paper identifies 96 yeast host genes essential for L-A virus maintenance and shows the virus enhances host stress tolerance, revealing a mutualistic relationship.

Zymoseptoria tritici effectors structurally related to killer proteins UmV-KP4 and UmV-KP6 are toxic to fungi, and define extended protein families in fungi

The paper determines the structures of fungal effectors from Zymoseptoria tritici, identifies their homology to viral killer toxins, and classifies them into structural families.

Novel endornaviruses infecting Phytophthora cactorum that attenuate vegetative growth, promote sporangia formation, and confer hypervirulence to the host oomycete.

This study identifies two novel endornaviruses in Phytophthora cactorum that enhance virulence and alter stress responses in the host oomycete.

Characterization of the Tuta absoluta virome reveals higher viral diversity in field populations

This study characterizes the RNA virome of Tuta absoluta, identifying ten novel insect-specific viruses and highlighting greater viral diversity in field populations compared to lab samples.

Fitness effects of killer virus infection on wild Saccharomyces paradoxus

The paper examines how killer virus infection affects the fitness of wild Saccharomyces paradoxus in both laboratory and forest environments.

Zymocin-like killer toxin gene clusters in the nuclear genomes of filamentous fungi

The paper identifies zymocin-like toxin gene clusters in filamentous fungi, showing their evolutionary origin and horizontal transfer in mushrooms.

Diversity and impact of single-stranded RNA viruses in Czech Heterobasidion populations

The paper identifies a diverse virome in Heterobasidion populations from Czechia, including novel viruses, and shows some cause growth reduction and proteome changes in the host.

Identification of a novel mycovirus belonging to the ''flexivirus''-related family with icosahedral virion

The paper identifies a novel icosahedral virus, FoIV1, challenging the classification of Deltaflexiviridae as capsidless and suggesting most deltaflexiviruses have icosahedral virions.

The role of Dicer-dependent RNA interference in regulating cross-species communication during fungus-fungus interactions

This study investigates the role of Dicer-dependent RNA interference in mycoparasitism by analyzing transcriptome and secondary metabolome changes in a dcl2 mutant of Clonostachys rosea, revealing cross-species regulatory functions of fungal small RNAs.

The Species-specific Acquisition and Diversification of a Novel Family of Killer Toxins in Budding Yeasts of the Saccharomycotina.

The paper identifies a novel family of killer toxins in Saccharomyces yeasts, showing their acquisition via horizontal gene transfer and diversification through positive selection and gene amplification.

Discovery of New Mycoviral Genomes Within Publicly Available Fungal Transcriptomic Datasets

The paper identifies 59 new mycoviral genomes from fungal transcriptomic datasets using RNA-seq data, revealing four new virus families and two new genera.

Meiotic viral attenuation through an ancestral apoptotic pathway

This study shows that budding yeast uses a mitochondrial endonuclease homologue to attenuate a cytosolic virus during meiosis, revealing an ancestral role for apoptotic pathways in viral defense.