BTN211

Ch 26 - The Fungi: Eumycota

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 Fungi
Referred to by microbiologists as fungus

Greek (mykes = mushroom) Latin (fungus = mushroom)

Mycology
• Study of Fungi

Constitute Fungi
• Eukaryotic
• Spore-forming
• Lack chlorophyll
• Absorptive nutrition
• Reproduce sexually AND asexually

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 Classification
Taxonomy???
• Kingdom Fungi
• Domain Eucarya
• The kingdom is a monophyletic group known as the eumycota (true fungi)
• Limited fossil record thus 18S rRNA and protein-encoding genes
- monophyletic with 8 subgroups

Table1. Fungal groups to be discussed

Subclass (Fungal groups) Examples
Chytridiomycetes Allomyces
Zygomycota Rhizopus
Ascomycota Aspergillus, Candida, Penicillium
Basidiomycota Agaricus, Boletes
Urediniomycetes Uromyces
Ustilaginomycetes Ustilago
Glomeromycota Acaulospora
Microsporidia Amblyospora
Detailed version found in Microbiology textbook, Table 26.3 3
 Nutrition and Metabolism

• Saprophytic, securing nutrients from dead organic material

• Fungi secrete hydrolytic enzymes that promote external digestion

• Chemoorganoheterotrophic (heterotrophs)

• Glycogen is the primary storage polysaccharide

• Most are aerobic (some yeasts are facultatively anaerobic); obligate

anaerobic fungi are found in the rumen of cattle

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 Fun Facts
Table 2. Comparison between fungi and plants and animals
Fungi Plants Animals
Reproduction asexual and sexual asexual and sexual sexual
Motile *non-motile non-motile motile
Mode of digestion digest - ingest absorptive ingest - digest
(absorptive)
Cell walls chitin cellulose + lignin chitin
Food stored as glycogen starch glycogen
Nutrition heterotrophic autotrophic heterotrophic
Cell membranes ergosterol Cholesterol
(mammalian cells)

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 Distribution
Almost ubiquitous
• Water moulds, slime moulds, Rhizopus, yeasts etc.
• Marine, although most are terrestrial
• Dark, moist, organic matter
• Form associations with plant and tree roots; Mychorrizae
• Form associations with algae or cyanobacteria; Lichens
• 90000 species have been described

Most fungi exist as symbiotes

• ~90% of plants have fungal symbiotes that help them to survive

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 Importance
Fungi:
• Beneficial OR Detrimental?
BOTH

A. Beneficial
• Decomposers: break down organic material and return it to environment
• Chemical cycling (C, N, P. . .)
• Industrial fermentation
• Research: fundamental biological processes can be studied in simple
eukaryotic organisms, eg. Saccharomycese cerevisiae (yeast)

B. Detrimental
• Major cause of plant diseases
• Cause of many animal and human diseases

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 When Fungi Go Bad
Importance Cont… • Mycoses: diseases in animals and
humans caused by fungi
• Mycotoxicology: the study of fungal
toxins and their effects on various
organisms

Cutaneous

Tinea corporis - Ringworm of the skin Tinea unguium - Ringworm of the nails
(Trichophyton mentagrophytes) (Trichophyton rubrum)

Subcutaneous

Tinea pedis - athlete’s foot (T. rubrum) Eumycotic mycetoma of the foot (Madurella
mycetomatis) 8
 Mycoses

• Superficial
• Cutaneous
• Subcutaneous
• Systemic
• Opportunistic

Reference: Fungi & Systemic

Mycoses.ppt by Alfred Lewis

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Structure

• Vegetative body: hyphae; microscopic

filamentous units or yeasts; unicellular

• Mycellium: bundle or tangled mass of hyphae

• Thallus: body or vegetative structure of a fungus

• Chitin: the cell wall; nitrogen-containing

polysaccharide consisting of N-acetyl glucosamine
residues

• Sporangium: Sac containing sporangiospores

• Septate/non-septate (coenocytic)

• Dimorphic (YM shift)

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Medically important dimorphic fungi

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 Types
Yeast
• Unicellular fungus with single nucleus; reproduces asexually by spore formation,
budding or fission, or sexually; daughter cells may separate after budding or may
aggregate to form colonies

Mold
• A fungus with long, branched, threadlike
filaments

• Hyphae: the filaments of a mold; may be

coenocytic or septate

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 Types Cont. . .
Mushrooms
• Illustrious natural beauties known for their hallucinogenic properties
• Edible – 1000’s mostly belong to Basidiomycota
• Poisonous

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 Reproduction

A. Asexual reproduction
Several possible mechanisms, including:
1. Transverse fission
2. Budding of vegetative cells or spores

3. Direct spore production:

• Hyphal fragmentation: component cells behave as arthrospores or
chlamydiospores (if enveloped in thick cell wall before separation)
• Sporangiospores are produced in sporangium (sac) at the end of an aerial hypha
(sporangiophore)
• Conidiospores are unenclosed spores produced at the tip or on the sides of aerial
hypha
• Blastospores are produced when a vegetative cell buds off

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• Usually involves the fusion of compatible nuclei

• Occurs between opposite mating types of mycelia

i.e. (+) strain with a (-) strain

• Homothallic and Heterothallic

• Homo – self fertilizing and produce sexually compatible gametes
on same mycelium
• Hetero – fertilization between different but sexually compatible
mycelium

• Nuclei don’t always fuse immediately and

sometimes enter dikaryotic stage (N+N)

• Fungal spores Basidiospores

Ascospores
Zygospores

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 Chytridiomycota
Chytrids

• Produce zoospores with unique whiplash

flagella

• Types - Saprotrophic (free-living species)

- Parasitic

• Sexual and asexual reproduction

• Microscopic – single cell, small multinucleate

mass or true mycelium

• Degradation of Keratins and cellulose

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 Zygomycota
Zygomycetes
• Rhizopus-Burkholderia association,
• Decaying animal/plant matter toxin produced by Burkholderia

• Parasitic ones found on • Uses – anaesthetics, butter colouring,

plants/insects/animals/humans birth control pills, meat tenderizers,
industry
• Asexual and Sexual reproduction

• Produce sporangiospores that Rhizopus stolonifer

develop at tips of hyphae • Carbohydrate rich and moist sources

• Sexual reproduction - opposite

mating mycelia pair

Rhizopus
• Responsible for seedling blight (Rice
disease)

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 Ascomycota
Ascomycetes
• Sac fungi

• Lignin, cellulose and collagen degradation

(ecologically important)

• Eg. Truffels; morels; yeasts (mostly); blue, red,

brown moulds

• Food spoilage

• Sexual and Asexual reproduction

• Research tool (Neurospora crassa)

• Pathological: Ergotism; ergot toxin causes psychotic

delusions, nervous spasms, abortions (40 000
deaths in year 943 in France)

• Pharmacological uses include lowering blood

pressure, inducing labour, ease migraines 21
Reproductive cycle

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 Basidiomycota
Basidiomycetes
• Club fungi e.g. Rusts, puffballs,
stinkhorns, mushrooms. . .

• Most are saprophytic

• Degrade plant debris especially lignin

and cellulose

• Common types include: Polyporous

squamosus, Agricarus campestris,
Russula emetica (top to bottom)

• Sexual reproduction

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 Basidiomycota
Human pathogens
• Amanita phalloides
• “Death angel”
• Produces hallucinogens
• Isolated toxins: Phalloidin and α-
amanitin

• Cryptococcus neoformans
• Disease: Cryptococcosis (lungs and
CNS)
• Virulence factor: Encapsulated

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 Urediniomycetes and Ustilaginomycetes

• Rusts and smuts

• Plant and human pathogens

• Dimorphic and yeast-like

• Cause of billions $ crop damage

annually

• Mostly sexual reproduction

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 Glomeromycota
• Most are symbiotes (Micorrhizal
fungi) – mutualistic relationship

• Of major ecological importance

• Form vital associations with

herbaceous plant and tropical tree
roots

• Deliver nutrients to the roots

• Asexual reproduction

• Propagate by fragmentation and

colonization of neighbouring plant
roots
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 Microsporidia

• Obligate intracellular parasites Common human pathogens

• Enterocystozoon bieneusi
• Host: humans, insects, fish Diarrhoea and pneumonia

• Believed to be Protists by many • Encephaolitozoon cuniculi

Kidney disease (Nephritis and encephalitis)
• rRNA analysis show they are most
closely related to fungi
Structure
• Spores of 1-40µm viable outside the
Wow!!! host
Lack mitochondria, peroxisomes and • Spores germinate when triggered by
centrioles. host cells

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