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The Structure of a Virally Encoded Fungal Toxin from Ustilago Maydis that Inhibits Fungal and Mammalian Calcium Channels

  • Chapter
Protein Toxin Structure

Part of the book series: Molecular Biology Intelligence Unit ((MBIU))

Abstract

Several strains of Ustilago maydis (corn smut fungus) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast) have been classified as “killer strains” by their ability to kill similar strains of fungi in culture. This killer phenotype is due to secretion of toxins produced by dsRNA virions that persistently infect the host cell. The fungal toxins do not affect the host cell strain but do kill similar strains of fungi in that locale. These fungal viruses are unusual in that they are not expressed externally but instead are transmitted vertically through basidiospores or horizontally through anastomosis.1,2 Therefore, unlike most nonfungal viruses, the killer dsRNA fungal viruses have a symbiotic relationship with their host. The viruses are solely dependent upon host cell survival for replication and lend the host a selective advantage by encoding small toxins that are secreted by the host cell.

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Authors
  1. Fei Gu
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  2. Anis Khimani
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  3. Stan Rane
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  4. William H. Flurkey
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  5. Robert F. Bozarth
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  6. Thomas J. Smith
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© 1996 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Gu, F., Khimani, A., Rane, S., Flurkey, W.H., Bozarth, R.F., Smith, T.J. (1996). The Structure of a Virally Encoded Fungal Toxin from Ustilago Maydis that Inhibits Fungal and Mammalian Calcium Channels. In: Protein Toxin Structure. Molecular Biology Intelligence Unit. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-22352-9_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-22352-9_15

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-662-22354-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-22352-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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