The chlamydospores are very resistant spores produced by some species of fungi of the genera Candida, Panus, Mortierellales and many others. They are produced in response to conditions adverse to the survival of the fungus.
When looking at a chlamydospore under the microscope, it is typically seen as a spherical or ovoid cell delimited by a very thick pigmented cell wall..
Chlamydospore formation can be stimulated by different factors:
Once the chlamydospores achieve favorable conditions, they are able to "germinate" and give rise to a new, fully functional individual. This individual is exactly the same as the individual that gave rise to the chlamydospore, since the new individual is a clone of the previous one..
The name of these spores is a compound name that describes the thickness of the cell wall: the word chlamys means "mantle" in Latin and refers to the thick cell wall that covers them, while the word spora, which means "seed", it refers to the typical reproductive structure of fungi.
Paleontologists have identified chlamydospores as the strongest and best-preserved structures of fungi over time. In addition, they have observed that mycorrhizal fungi have chlamydospores with much more complex cell walls..
Chlamydospores have a series of characteristics:
- They are propagation structures.
- They are usually survival / resistance structures that function in the multiplication of the species that produces it after an adverse condition disappears..
- They are produced exclusively by organisms of the Fungi kingdom, that is, fungi.
- They have a thickened cell wall, which means that they can withstand long periods of time in drought conditions, strong solar radiation, low temperature, etc..
- They generally germinate with increasing humidity and temperature.
- Unlike other fungal spores, these are produced by asexual reproduction.
- They are formed from parts of the fungus that are not specialized for spore formation.
- They typically have pigmentation (especially in the cell coat).
- The external wall can be rough, smooth or with protrusions (the surfaces of the walls of the chlamydospores of the same fungus can vary between them).
- They can occur in groups (in chains or in disordered clusters) or as individual structures.
- In many areas they represent a health and sanitation problem.
In almost all fungi, the formation of chlamydospores begins with the thickening of a segment of the hyphae, which takes a more or less circular shape and then produces a greater thickening of the cell wall..
It continues with an increase in the volume of the cytoplasm and the amount of biomolecules in it, which gives a kind of pigmentation to the developing chlamydospore. Sometimes DNA can condense, making chromatin visible in the form of well-defined chromosomes.
All the preparations of the DNA, the cytoplasm and the other organelles take place simultaneously while the cell wall thickens.
When the thickening in this section of the hypha ends, the chlamydospore is ready to survive the adverse conditions of the environment, so the body of the fungus is shed and is able to remain in a state of dormancy for years, until the conditions are favorable.
The formation of the chlamydospores varies according to the species of fungus, but generally occurs in the most superficial hyphae. In fungi like those of the genus Candida, Chlamydospore formation is often more like a budding process than a spore differentiation.
In some unicellular fungi, many cells in the same fungal colony can thicken their cell wall and transform into chlamydospores; many of these fungi are pathogenic and it is these spores of the main factors why they can be so difficult to eliminate.
One of the main interests of the industry is focused on preventing the spread of fungi through chlamydospores, since these usually represent a major health problem in different connections.
Currently, many entities are focused on developing materials that limit the germination of chlamydospores on products.
Recent research has attempted to incorporate nanotechnology into materials to eradicate chlamydospores from the packaging in which food products are marketed without causing harm to consumers..
These technologies consist of exposing materials to biodegradable nanoparticles capable of breaking down water molecules and preventing chlamydospores from hydrating and germinating..
However, there are many species of unicellular and multicellular fungi of commercial interest, such as beer yeasts or the molds that produce penicillin, which are capable of being reproduced by chlamydospores..
What results in many companies in the food industry not only focus on controlling them, but also finance research to stimulate the germination of chlamydospores of some species of interest.
Mushrooms Candida dubliniensis Y Candida albicans they are opportunistic pathogens of the oral cavity of mammals. The chlamydospores of these remain for a long time housed on different surfaces and once they reach the mouth they trigger the infection by their germination.
The blight disease, produced by the fungus Ustilago crameri, it is perhaps the disease that causes the greatest losses in cereal crops in the world. The chlamydospores of this fungus are capable of remaining viable for up to 10 years at extremely cold temperatures..
One of the fungi that represent the greatest health risk for vegetables is Pochonia chlamydosporia, why pesticide "designers" are constantly developing active compounds that can kill chlamydospores on the crop surface.
Fusarium oxysporum is another fungus that represents a major problem for crops, especially for banana trees. However, so far there is no pesticide strong enough to kill its chlamydospores.
Species of mycorrhizal fungi of the genus Glomus are very important for the sustainability of forests, which are very sensitive to pollution and deforestation.
These fungi generally reproduce by chlamydospores and many of the reforestation studies focus on germinating these spores to accelerate the recovery of forest ecosystems..
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