Fungal microbiota-related macromolecules and their relation to human health

Abstract

Being one of the most peculiar biodiversity resources in the biosphere,fungi contribute to humankind in enormous ways (Webster and Weber, 2007).Understanding fungal biology, including nutrition, metabolism, growth, reproduction, and their contribution to human life, is becoming increasingly important (Kavanagh, 2018). Fungi are generally able to thrive in warm, sugary, acidic, and aerobic conditions (Kavanagh, 2018). Although the optimum temperature for most fungi is around 25掳C, extreme low-temperature psychrophilic fungi and high-temperature thermophilic fungi are also found in nature (Kavanagh, 2018). Fungi have a heterotrophic mode of nutrition. They obtain nutrients by extracellular digestion using enzymes followed by absorption of solubilized breakdown products (Webster and Weber,2007).These chemo-organotrophs, which acquire energy from the breakdown of organic compounds, survive on a wide variety of nutrients and exploit diverse nutrient acquisition strategies (Kavanagh, 2018). Thus, fungi conquered an extraordinarily wide range of habitats and sustained their existence in the process of evolution (Webster and Weber, 2007; Bills and Gloer, 2016). Generally, it is also pertinent to consider the interaction of fungi with their biotic and abiotic environment when referring to fungal biology (Kavanagh, 2018). In relation to ecological aspects, fungi play important roles as mutualistic symbionts, pathogens, and saprophytes in the way they function in nature (Kavanagh, 2018). They can develop intimate and dynamic interactions with the environment that might be influenced by the availability of nutrients (Webster and Weber, 2007). [excerpt]