Fungi

Question 1

What are the roles of fungi in the environment/biotech/health?

Answer 1

1. decomposition of waste
2. Food
3. Drugs (penicillin)
4. Enhanced plant growth

Question 2

Fungi are primarily pathogens of:

Answer 2

plants

Question 3

mycorrhizae

Answer 3

symbiotic growths between fungi and plants

Question 4

What is mycosis?

Answer 4

Disease caused by fungi

Question 5

What’s notable about the cell wall of fungi?

Answer 5

1. outer glycoproteins heavily modified with carbs
2. inner glucan layer beta 1,3 glucan carb
3. cytoplasmic membrane with ergosterol

Question 6

What is the importance of carbohydrates to fungi cell wall?

Answer 6

1. carbs on outer cell wall

2. glucan and chitin confer cell wall rigidity

Question 7

Major basis of selectivity of anti-fungal drugs is based on:

Answer 7

Ergosterol

Question 8

Triazole drugs: How do they work?

Answer 8

Block the synthesis of ergosterol

Question 9

Amphotericin B (polyene)

Answer 9

Binds to fungi cell wall and perforates it

Question 10

Flucytosine

Answer 10

Works by preventing replication of DNA

Question 11

Echinocandins

Answer 11

Prevent the synthesis of glucan

Question 12

Exogenous vs endogenous fungi

Answer 12

exogenous=pathogen

endogenous=normal flora (candida albicans)

Question 13

What do fungi grow on?

Answer 13

Survive in acidic environments. Heterotrophs-does not fix carbon

Question 14

What kind of media do fungi grow on?

Answer 14

sabouraud’s agar

Question 15

Two basic forms of yeast growth?

Answer 15

Yeast=cell cycle with polarisome turning into bud

hyphae