Smart fungus disarms plant, animal and human immunity
Friday, August 20, 2010 - 05:21
in Biology & Nature
Fungal and bacterial pathogens are well capable of infecting plants, animals and humans despite their immune systems. Fungi penetrate leafs, stalks and roots, or skin, intestines and lungs, to infect their hosts. Researchers of Wageningen UR (University and Research centre) discovered, together with Japanese colleagues, how this is possible. They found that the fungus secretes a protein that makes stray building blocks of the fungal cell wall invisible for the immune system of the plant, such that infection remains unnoticed. In Science of August 20th they report their findings...