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Small RNAs in Fungi

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Genetics and Biotechnology

Part of the book series: The Mycota ((MYCOTA,volume 2))

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Abstract

RNA interference is a conserved eukaryotic mechanism that uses small RNAs to silence gene expression at the transcriptional or posttranscriptional level. In fungi, this mechanism has evolved leading to a wide range of pathways and different types of small RNAs that carry out specific functions. Some of these RNA interference pathways are devoted to protecting the genome integrity acting at both vegetative and sexual cycle. Many others have assumed regulatory roles in fungal development and physiology, unveiling a heterogeneous world of regulatory mechanisms that use different classes of small RNAs. Interestingly, these regulatory mechanisms can provide an adaptive advantage to fungi in threatening situations by the generation of phenotypic plasticity or by the control of the gene expression in interacting organisms. This chapter summarizes the recent findings about the function of the different small RNA classes in fungal biology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain

    Francisco E. Nicolás, Laura Murcia, Eusebio Navarro, José T. Cánovas-Márquez & Victoriano Garre

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  1. Francisco E. Nicolás
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  2. Laura Murcia
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  3. Eusebio Navarro
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  4. José T. Cánovas-Márquez
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  5. Victoriano Garre
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Correspondence to Victoriano Garre .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Holzforschung München – Fungal Biotechnology in Wood Science, Technische Universität München, Freising, Germany

    J. Philipp Benz

  2. Institut für Mikrobiologie, Department Biologie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

    Kerstin Schipper

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Nicolás, F.E., Murcia, L., Navarro, E., Cánovas-Márquez, J.T., Garre, V. (2020). Small RNAs in Fungi. In: Benz, J.P., Schipper, K. (eds) Genetics and Biotechnology. The Mycota, vol 2. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-49924-2_5

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