Species-Specific Differences in the Susceptibility of Fungi to the Antifungal Protein AFP Depend on C-3 Saturation of Glycosylceramides.

AFP is an antimicrobial peptide (AMP) produced by the filamentous fungus and is a very potent inhibitor of fungal growth that does not affect the viability of bacteria, plant, or mammalian cells. It targets chitin synthesis and causes plasma membrane permeabilization in many human- and plant-pathogenic fungi, but its exact mode of action is not known. After adoption of the "damage-response framework of microbial pathogenesis" regarding the analysis of interactions between AMPs and microorganisms, we have recently proposed that the cytotoxic capacity of a given AMP depends not only on the presence/absence of its target(s) in the host and the AMP concentration applied but also on other variables, such as microbial survival strategies.

Response to selection on cold tolerance is constrained by inbreeding.

The evolutionary potential of any given population is of fundamental importance for its longer term prospects. Modern land-use practices often result in small and isolated populations, increasing the risk of extinction through reduced genetic diversity as a consequence of inbreeding or drift. Such genetic erosion may also interfere with a population's evolutionary potential.

Extraction and quantification of "condensed tannins" as a measure of plant anti-herbivore defence? Revisiting an old problem.

Contents of phenolic compounds in leaf extracts often serve as a measure of plant anti-herbivore defence. This method suffers from the multifunctionality of phenolics and from problems with their colorimetric quantification. Here we present further evidence for the pertinence of these problems.