Molecular mechanisms behind fungal-fungal and fungal-bacterial interactions.

Abstract

Research on fungi has mostly focused on monocultures, however, fungi are almost always interacting with other fungi and bacteria in natural circumstances. Many such interactions have been described, but knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying these interactions remains very limited. With the development of modern scientific techniques, more and more interactions of fungi with other microbes are beginning to be elucidated. This review will give an overview of research focusing on the molecular mechanisms behind these interactions, separated in two categories; molecular mechanisms underlying fungal-fungal and fungal-bacterial interactions that require direct contact and molecular mechanisms underlying interactions that are mediated by excretory molecules.