title: RNA interference in fungi: pathways, functions, and applications.
abstract: Small RNA molecules of about 20 to 30 nucleotides function in gene regulation and genomic defense via conserved eukaryotic RNA interference (RNAi)-related pathways. The RNAi machinery consists of three core components: Dicer, Argonaute, and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. In fungi, the RNAi-related pathways have three major functions: genomic defense, heterochromatin formation, and gene regulation. Studies of Schizosaccharomyces pombe and Neurospora, and other fungi have uncovered surprisingly diverse small RNA biogenesis pathways, suggesting that fungi utilize RNAi-related pathways in various cellular processes to adapt to different environmental conditions. These studies also provided important insights into how RNAi functions in eukaryotic systems in general. In this review, we will discuss our current understanding of the fungal RNAi-related pathways and their functions, with a focus on filamentous fungi. We will also discuss how RNAi can be used as a tool in fungal research.
authors: Department of Physiology, ND13.214A, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75390-9040, USA. Yi.Liu@UTsouthwestern.edu
authors: Yunkun
authors: Y
authors: Dang
authors: Qiuying
authors: Q
authors: Yang
authors: Zhihong
authors: Z
authors: Xue
authors: Yi
authors: Y
authors: Liu
mesh_terms: D005658:Fungi / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D020868:Gene Silencing; D016678:Genome; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D008957:Models, Genetic; D009492:Neurospora crassa / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D034622:RNA Interference; D012331:RNA, Fungal / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D012324:RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase / Q000235:genetics; D012568:Schizosaccharomyces / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs; D012331:RNA, Fungal; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D012324:RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase