title: The chestnut blight fungus for studies on virus/host and virus/virus interactions: from a natural to a model host.
abstract: The chestnut blight fungus, Cryphonectria parasitica, is an important plant pathogenic ascomycete. The fungus hosts a wide range of viruses and now has been established as a model filamentous fungus for studying virus/host and virus/virus interactions. This is based on the development of methods for artificial virus introduction and elimination, host genome manipulability, available host genome sequence with annotations, host mutant strains, and molecular tools. Molecular tools include sub-cellular distribution markers, gene expression reporters, and vectors with regulatable promoters that have been long available for unicellular organisms, cultured cells, individuals of animals and plants, and certain filamentous fungi. A comparison with other filamentous fungi such as Neurospora crassa has been made to establish clear advantages and disadvantages of C. parasitica as a virus host. In addition, a few recent studies on RNA silencing vs. viruses in this fungus are introduced.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Plant Science and Resources (IPSR), Okayama University, Chuou 2-20-1, Kurashiki, Okayama 710-0046, Japan. Electronic address: anacope2004@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eusebio-Cope
authors.affiliation: College of Plant Protection, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, Shananxi, China. Electronic address: sunly_de@126.com.
authors.forename: Liying
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Institute of Plant Science and Resources (IPSR), Okayama University, Chuou 2-20-1, Kurashiki, Okayama 710-0046, Japan. Electronic address: dns421419@s.okayama-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.affiliation: Institute of Plant Science and Resources (IPSR), Okayama University, Chuou 2-20-1, Kurashiki, Okayama 710-0046, Japan. Electronic address: chiba@rib.okayama-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Sotaro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chiba
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Sciences, Miyagi University, Sendai 982-215, Japan. Electronic address: kasahara@myu.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Shin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kasahara
authors.affiliation: Institute of Plant Science and Resources (IPSR), Okayama University, Chuou 2-20-1, Kurashiki, Okayama 710-0046, Japan. Electronic address: nsuzuki@rib.okayama-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Nobuhiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Suzuki
mesh_terms: D001203:Ascomycota / Q000821:virology*; D005658:Fungi / Q000821:virology; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D008967:Molecular Biology / Q000379:methods; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D014762:Viral Interference; D014780:Viruses / Q000254:growth & development*
keywords: Chestnut blight fungus; Cryphonectria parasitica; Fungal virus; Hypovirus; Model organism; Mycoreovirus; Mycovirus; RNA silencing; Virus-host interaction; dsRNA