Fungal biology in the 21st century

摘要

Fungi are a diverse group of organisms comprising both single-celled and. multicellular filamentous forms. It has been estimated that only a fraction of the diversity that exists is presently known. In the 20th century several species, each with its own special advantages, were introduced in research as simplest eukaryotic model systems that can be studied with the approaches of cell biology, genetics and biochemistry. The genome sequences of a few fungi are now known; those of several other species are underway. In the 21st century, fungi will not only be increasingly used for understanding their unique mode of life,but also for findings of general applicability to higher organisms, such as-assembly of intracellular organelles, adaptation to harsh environmental conditions, defence mechanisms for protection from invasion by foreign DNA, biological rhythms, aging and death. Their ability to be transformed and the transgenic strains to be grown in relatively simple nutrient medium in industrial-sized fermentors, and their extracellular secretion of proteins is likely to be exploited for production of a variety of enzymes (proteins), including,human vaccine.