Pathogen Protection And Virulence: Dark Side Of Fungal Membrane Protein Revealed

The scientists looked at two different fungal pathogens: Alternaria brassicicola, which causes widespread damage in crops like canola, cabbage and broccoli, and Aspergillus fumigatus, a human pathogen that often leads to fatal disease in immunocompromised patients. Infection with A. fumigatus can lead to invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, the leading cause of death due to invasive fungal infections in humans. The current study shows that TmpL is essential for both types of fungi to cause disease in their host cells. Lawrence said: "In this study, we provide the first evidence that a certain type of disease-related protein from both a plant and animal fungal pathogen is critical for protecting the pathogen and for causing infection of healthy host tissue. As such, this protein represents a good starting point as a potential target for the development of efficient and novel therapeutics for both plant and animal fungal diseases."