1. The lipid language of
plant-fungal interactions
Mr. GAURAV KUMAR PANDIT
SCHOOL OF LIFE SCIENCE
UNIVERSITY OF HYDERABAD
gauravbiologist@uohyd.ac.in

2. The lipid language of plant-
fungal interactions
 To understand the cross-kingdom communication
between organism
 Do plants and fungi communicate via oxylipin language?
 How fungi and plants recognize exogenous oxylipins ?
 What is the significance of this discussion ?
OBJECTIVE

3. Introduction
 Lipids play vital roles in numerous physiological processes in
living organisms.
 oxygenated polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA): oxylipins.
 Mammals oxylipins : eicosanoids
 Microbial oxylipins : fungal oxylipins are better understood .
 Oxylipins such as jasmonates are able to regulate signal cross-
talk with other hormones.

4. Similarity in biosynthesis and Structure
of Fungal & Plant Oxylipins

5. Enzymatic & Non-Enzymatic
Biosynthesis of Oxylipin in plant

6.  How fungi induce plant lipid metabolism to utilize plant oxylipins ?
Model for the use of host ligand mimicry ( coronatine ) to manipulate plant
defense response that benefit the fungus.

8. Hypothetical model of oxylipin-mediated signal
communication between plants and fungi
G-Protein mediated regulation - GPCRs

9. What is the significance of this discussion ?
T know about –
 Seed contamination by mycotoxigenic fungi
 mycotoxins such as aflatoxin causing significant economic losses and food
safety concerns.
 Aflatoxin is among the most carcinogenic compound naturally found and
when ingested it has acute toxic, immunosuppressive, mutagenic,
teratogenic and carcinogenic effects, mainly on the liver.
Future Aspect –
 Molecular signaling during plant-pathogen interactions must be
understood to create and apply better forms of disease resistance in
staple crops.
Notes
 Lipoxygenase or LOX, in plants, initiates biosynthesis of most oxylipins
some of which are shown to regulate growth and development, biotic and
abiotic stress defense, sex determination, programmed cell death, and
senescence.
 Fungi have another family of dioxygenases , psi-producing oxygenase
(PPO) that incorporate molecular oxygen into fatty acids to produce Psi
(precocious sexual inducer) factors; they stimulate asexual or sexual
spore development.

10. School of Life Sciences
University of Hyderabad