Colletotrichum - A model genus for studies on pathology and fungal-plant interactions

Species of Colletotrichum use diverse strategies for invading host tissue, ranging from intracellular hemibiotrophy to subcuticular intramural necrotr ophy, In addition, these pathogens develop a series of specialized infectio n structures, including germ tubes, appressoria, intracellular hyphae, and secondary necrotrophic hyphae, Colletotrichum species provide excellent mod els for studying the molecular basis of infection structure differentiation and fungal-plant interactions. In this review we cover the various stages of the infection processes of Colletotrichum species, including spore adhes ion and germination, germ tube and appressorium differentiation and functio ns, and biotrophic and necrotrophic development. The contribution of molecu lar, biochemical, and immunological approaches to the identification of gen es and proteins relevant to each stage of fungal development will be consid ered, As well as reviewing results from several groups, we also describe ou r own work on the hemibiotrophic pathogen, C. lindemuthianum. (C) 1999 Acad emic Press.