Nitric oxide in fungi: is there NO light at the end of the tunnel?

Abstract

Nitric oxide (NO) is a remarkable gaseous molecule with multiple and important roles in different organisms, including fungi. However, the study of the biology of NO in fungi has been hindered by the lack of a complete knowledge on the different metabolic routes that allow a proper NO balance, and the regulation of these routes. Fungi have developed NO detoxification mechanisms to combat nitrosative stress, which have been mainly characterized by their connection to pathogenesis or nitrogen metabolism. However, the progress on the studies of NO anabolic routes in fungi has been hampered by efforts to disrupt candidate genes that gave no conclusive data until recently. This review summarizes the different roles of NO in fungal biology and pathogenesis, with an emphasis on the alternatives to explain fungal NO production and the recent findings on the involvement of nitrate reductase in the synthesis of NO and its regulation during fungal development.