Fungal adhesion

I. Kottke, Fungal adhesion pad formation and penetration of root cuticle in early stage mycorrhizas of Picea abies and Laccaria amethystea. Protoplasma 196 55 (1997). 

The significance of adhesion to fungal survival and spread, as well as the chemistry of adhesives and extracellular mucilages have been discussed extensively in recent reviews (2, , 5.). Perhaps the most important aspect of fungal adhesion, regardless of the mechanism by which it occurs, is the prevention... 

There is little work that definitively describes the composition of fungal adhesives. However, it is apparent that fungi do not share either common adhesives or mechanisms for adhesion. One factor that does appear with regularity is that the surface of fungal germ tubes are typically ensheathed by a glycoprotein/carbohydrate matrix (41, 51.r JU.) / and... 

Epstein, L. Nicholson, R.L. Fungal adhesion to plants. In Fungal Adhesion and Aggregation Mechanisms and Implications Kennedy, M.J., Ed. Springer Verlag New York, 1989 (in press). 

Changes in cell-wall protein composition may regulate the molecular architecture of protein networks in a manner that allows new developmental outcomes for both fungal cell adhesion and root colonization. Further investigation of the structure and regulation of SRAP wall proteins will provide a more complete picture of their role in developing ectomycorrhizal tissues. Incompatibility between ectomycorrhizal hyphae and the host roots detected during the initial con-... 

Yeast flocculation mechanism can be described as a phenomenon of adhesion to certain surfaces. The ability to adhere to surfaces and to form biofilm is the basis of the pathogenicity of Candida species. Pathogens adhere to mucous membranes and wounds, they stick to medical instruments and prosthesis, and thus contaminate surfaces in food processing facilities. The high mortality rate in disseminated fungal infections caused an increase in the amount of research on the molecular basis of the adhesive phenomena in Candida. This research discovered a considerable overlap in the molecular regulation of all forms of adhesive behavior. ... 

Adhesion of the fungus to specific nematode species and regions of the nematode body is mediated by a fungal lectin specific for N-acetylneuraminic acid (sialic acid) (22) It has since been suggested that steric configuration of sialic acid residues on the nematode surface serve as stimuli for the processes of adhesion and infection (23). ... 

Nicholson, R.L., In lafectlQH Processea of Fungi Roberts, D.W. Aist, J.R., Eds. The Rockefeller Foundation New York, 1984 p. 74. Nicholson, R.L. Epstein, L. Adhesion of Fungi to the Plant Surface Prerequisite for Pathogenesis. In The Fungal Spore and Disease inltlatlQn in-Plants and Animals coie, g.t. Hoch, H.C., Eds. Plenum New York, 1989 (in press). 

The durability assessment may also inelude measurement of the response to inseet and fungal attaek. There would appear to be little inherent resistanee to these forms of attack beyond the eharaeteristies of the wood. A range of inseeticides and fungieides can be added. This is easiest if these ean be mixed with the adhesive system provided that resin performanee is not eompromised. The size of the partieles means that the seleeted material ean be distributed more easily within the panel. However inseet/fungal attaek usually does not beeome a factor unless the moisture content inereases, and it is this response that is most important. 

It should also be mentioned that the majority of microbial airborne particles are dead or noncultivable , which means that they do not grow under the laboratory conditions chosen. This is, for example, true for microorganisms hke Stachybotrys chartarum. To fully survey the indoor microbial situation and to avoid overlooking fungal species which may be indicators of damage, additional samples have to be taken using methods hke direct microscopy which are not dependent on hving, cultivable cultures. Here, for example, microscopic slides with an adhesive surface are inserted in special impactor samplers. The airborne particles collected are stained in the laboratory. EspeciaUy spores with a characteristic shape hke those of S. chartarum are easily detected under the microscope. 

---