Stress In Yeast And Filamentous Fungi

Yeasts and filamentous fungi need to cope with stress, whether growing in the laboratory or in the natural environment, whether victims or offenders in interactions with other organisms. These considerations are discussed in this volume that coveres stress in the broad sense, within the context of mycology. * Includes discussions of the stresses associated with organism-organism interactions and stress under controlled conditions * Anthropogenic stress towards fungi in the environment and the impacts that such stressors may have on different organisms and communities in the wild are explained * Encompasses a breadth of information from the bigger picture of stress effects on fungi in their natural habitats, to the recent advances in underlying molecular-level understanding

Yeasts and filamentous fungi need to cope with stress, whether growing in the laboratory or in the natural environment, whether victims or offenders in interactions with other organisms. These considerations are discussed in this volume that coveres stress in the broad sense, within the context of mycology. * Includes discussions of the stresses associated with organism-organism interactions and stress under controlled conditions * Anthropogenic stress towards fungi in the environment and the impacts that such stressors may have on different organisms and communities in the wild are explained * Encompasses a breadth of information from the bigger picture of stress effects on fungi in their natural habitats, to the recent advances in underlying molecular-level understanding.

This book covers both the molecular basics of fungal stress response strategies as well as biotechnological applications thereof. The complex regulatory mechanisms of stress response pathways are presented in a concise and well-readable manner. Also, light will be shed on the interconnection of pathways responding to different types of stress. Profound knowledge of stress responses in yeast and filamentous fungi is crucial for further optimization of industrial processes. Applications are manifold, for example in fungicide development, for improving the resistance of crop plants to fungal pathogens, but also in medicine to help curing fungal infections. The book targets researchers from academia and industry, as well as graduate students interested in microbiology, mycology and biomedicine.

This book describes cutting-edge science and technology of the characterization, breeding, and development of yeasts and fungi used worldwide in fermentation industries such as alcohol beverage brewing, bread making, and bioethanol production. The book also covers numerous topics and important areas the previous literature has missed, ranging widely from molecular mechanisms to biotechnological applications related to stress response/tolerance of yeasts and fungi. During fermentation processes, cells of yeast and fungus, mostly Saccharomyces and Aspergillus oryzae spp., respectively, are exposed to a variety of fermentation “stresses”. Such stresses lead to growth inhibition or cell death. Under severe stress conditions, their fermentation ability and enzyme productivity are rather limited. Therefore, in terms of industrial application, stress tolerance is the key characteristic for yeast and fungal cells. The first part of this book provides stress response/tolerance mechanisms of yeast used for the production of sake, beer, wine, bread, and bioethanol. The second part covers stress response/tolerance mechanisms of fungi during environmental changes and biological processes of industrial fermentation. Readers benefit nicely from the novel understandings and methodologies of these industrial microbes. The book is suitable for both academic scientists and graduate-level students specialized in applied microbiology and biochemistry and biotechnology and for industrial researchers and engineers who are involved in fermentation-based technologies. The fundamental studies described in this book can be applied to the breeding of useful microbes (yeasts, fungi), the production of valuable compounds (ethanol, CO2, amino acids, organic acids, and enzymes) and the development of promising processes to solve environmental issues (bioethanol, biorefinery).

This book provides a comprehensive overview on biotechnological applications of unicellular and multicellular fungi in a variety of industrial branches. Targeted genetic and metabolic engineering of fungi allows production of native and transgenic enzymes and proteins in industrial scales. Those most prominently find application in biorefineries for the production of value-added chemicals and biofuels, in the pharmaceutical industry as well as in biomedicine. Each chapter is dedicated to applications and potential beneficial use of particular strains of yeasts and filamentous fungi and their produced biomolecules. The book targets researchers from both academia and industry and graduate students working in microbial biotechnology.

Several efforts have been made in developing strategies to supply the enzyme market, as well as in reducing its costs. It includes the selection of an appropriate enzyme source and the optimization of enzyme properties and secretion. Carbohydrate-Active Enzymes (CAZymes) are industrially relevant biocatalysts that are capable of degrading plant cell wall biomass. The most important secreted enzymes related to plant cell wall decomposition are cellulases, hemicellulases, and auxiliary enzymes. These enzymes have been applied in the hydrolysis of plant biomass for the production of second-generation (2G) ethanol and several other high added value products. One of the bottlenecks for 2G ethanol production is the cost of enzymes applied on plant biomass hydrolysis. The improvement of proteins production by fungi applying system biology and genetic engineering is an interesting and promising strategy to reduce the enzymes cost and make the 2G ethanol production viable. Fungi play an important role in plant biomass degradation and biotechnology by producing and secreting high yields of enzymes. In spite of the fact that filamentous fungi present several advantages compared to other microorganisms due to the high level of proteins production, heterologous protein production is far from optimal levels and still needs to be improved. Currently, heterologous production of certain proteins is generally considerably lower than the levels obtained to homologous production. Many strategies have been studied in order to improve heterologous production of proteins by filamentous fungi, including the deletion of genes that encode for proteases, the deletion of lectin-like ER-Golgi cargo receptors and the co-expression of specific chaperones. It has been shown that the main bottleneck in the production of heterologous proteins is not caused by the low expression of the target gene. An experimental evidence suggests that most target proteins produced in filamentous fungi are lost or stuck in the secretory pathway due to errors in processing, modification or misfolding that result in their elimination by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) quality control. Misfolded proteins alter homeostasis and proper ER functioning resulting in a state known as ER stress. ER stress activates a conserved signaling pathway called unfolded protein response (UPR) and ER-associated protein degradation (ERAD), which upregulates genes responsible for restoring protein folding homeostasis in the cell and degrades misfolded protein in the cytosol by the ubiquitin-proteasome system. The genetic manipulation of individual genes and changes in the genome seems not to be the best alternative to overcome the main bottlenecks in heterologous protein secretion. However, the understanding of complex interactions of important proteins and genes, as well as how they are regulated is more promising.

Every cell has developed mechanisms to respond to changes in its environment and to adapt its growth and metabolism to unfavorable conditions. The unicellular eukaryote yeast has long proven as a particularly useful model system for the analysis of cellular stress responses, and the completion of the yeast genome sequence has only added to its power This volume comprehensively reviews both the basic features of the yeast genral stress response and the specific adapations to different stress types (nutrient depletion, osmotic and heat shock as well as salt and oxidative stress). It includes the latest findings in the field and discusses the implications for the analysis of stress response mechanisms in higher eukaryotes as well.

Presents an overview on mutualistic and pathogenic interactions between fungi and plants. This book offers reviews on fungal lifestyles, mechanisms of their interactions with their host plants, signal perception and transduction, and plant defense responses directed against attack by fungal pathogens. It is suitable for students in microbiology.