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Cargo sorting into, and the interactive effects of, membrane vesicles: knowledge pool and gaps in fungal phytopathogens
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  • Thabiso Motaung E,
  • Francinah Ratsoma M,
  • Quentin Santana C,
  • Brenda Wingfield D,
  • Emma Steenkamp T
Thabiso Motaung E
University of Pretoria

Corresponding Author:thabiso.motaung@up.ac.za

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Francinah Ratsoma M
University of Pretoria
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Quentin Santana C
University of Pretoria
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Brenda Wingfield D
University of Pretoria
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Emma Steenkamp T
University of Pretoria
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Abstract

Organisms from all kingdoms of life release membrane vesicles, which are tiny and spherical structures made of a lipid bilayer. Membrane vesicles carry out a number of functions, such as forming new cell membranes, removing waste products from the cell, and transporting lipids and other substances from parent to recipient cells. The payloads often contained in the vesicles are sorted via the endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) pathway in a stepwise manner. Alterations to this endomembrane system reduces formation of vesicles and aberrant endosomal compartments. Furthermore, in pathogenic fungi, the deletion of ESCRT genes negatively effects virulence and growth, suggesting the ESCRT pathway has links to disease. However, only a few fungal species have to date been evaluated for the ESCRT pathway. In this review, we evaluate recent developments in the ESCRT pathway of fungi that infect plant hosts and its role in pathogenesis. This will provide an overview of EV-mediated cell-cell communication during host-pathogen interactions.