Scholars@Duke
Jun Huang

Selected Publications

Distinct evolutionary trajectories following loss of RNA interference in Cryptococcus neoformans.

Journal Article Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A · November 19, 2024 While increased mutation rates typically have negative consequences in multicellular organisms, hypermutation can be advantageous for microbes adapting to the environment. Previously, we identified two hypermutator Cryptococcus neoformans clinical isolates ... Full text Link to item Cite

Using recurrent neural networks to detect supernumerary chromosomes in fungal strains causing blast diseases.

Journal Article NAR genomics and bioinformatics · September 2024 The genomes of the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae that causes blast diseases on diverse grass species, including major crops, have indispensable core-chromosomes and may contain supernumerary chromosomes, also known as mini-chromosomes. These mini-chromo ... Full text Cite

Dynamic Genomes - Mechanisms and consequences of genomic diversity impacting plant-fungal interactions

Journal Article Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology · May 1, 2023 The evolution of plant and microbial interactions helps to shape our planet. A major driver of plant and microbial evolution is the selection of beneficial traits borne out of genetic variation. The impact of genetic variation on plant-microbe interactions ... Full text Cite

Transcriptome analysis of maize pathogen Fusarium verticillioides revealed FvLcp1, a secreted protein with type-D fungal LysM and chitin-binding domains, that plays important roles in pathogenesis and mycotoxin production.

Journal Article Microbiological research · December 2022 Fusarium verticillioides is a key maize pathogen and produces fumonisins, a group of mycotoxins detrimental to humans and animals. Unfortunately, our understanding on how this fungus interacts with maize to trigger mycotoxin biosynthesis is limited. We per ... Full text Cite

CRISPR-Cas12a induced DNA double-strand breaks are repaired by multiple pathways with different mutation profiles in Magnaporthe oryzae.

Journal Article Nature communications · November 2022 CRISPR-Cas mediated genome engineering has revolutionized functional genomics. However, understanding of DNA repair following Cas-mediated DNA cleavage remains incomplete. Using Cas12a ribonucleoprotein genome editing in the fungal pathogen, Magnaporthe or ... Full text Cite

The contribution of DNA repair pathways to genome editing and evolution in filamentous pathogens.

Journal Article FEMS microbiology reviews · November 2022 DNA double-strand breaks require repair or risk corrupting the language of life. To ensure genome integrity and viability, multiple DNA double-strand break repair pathways function in eukaryotes. Two such repair pathways, canonical non-homologous end joini ... Full text Cite

CRISPR-Cas12a ribonucleoprotein-mediated gene editing in the plant pathogenic fungus Magnaporthe oryzae.

Journal Article STAR protocols · March 2022 Gene replacements through homologous recombination (HR) have been extensively used for functional genomic studies. However, the general efficiency of HR repair can be low in filamentous fungi and the process laborious. Here, we provide a detailed protocol ... Full text Cite

CRISPR guides induce gene silencing in plants in the absence of Cas.

Journal Article Genome biology · January 2022 BackgroundRNA-targeting CRISPR-Cas can provide potential advantages over DNA editing, such as avoiding pleiotropic effects of genome editing, providing precise spatiotemporal regulation, and expanded function including antiviral immunity.Resul ... Full text Cite

Histone modification dynamics at H3K27 are associated with altered transcription of in planta induced genes in Magnaporthe oryzae.

Journal Article PLoS genetics · February 2021 Transcriptional dynamic in response to environmental and developmental cues are fundamental to biology, yet many mechanistic aspects are poorly understood. One such example is fungal plant pathogens, which use secreted proteins and small molecules, termed ... Full text Cite

CRISPR-Cas RNA Targeting Using Transient Cas13a Expression in Nicotiana benthamiana.

Journal Article Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) · January 2021 Application of the CRISPR-Cas prokaryotic immune system for single-stranded RNA targeting will have significant impacts on RNA analysis and engineering. The class 2 Type VI CRISPR-Cas13 system is an RNA-guided RNA-nuclease system capable of binding and cle ... Full text Cite

A Rab GTPase protein FvSec4 is necessary for fumonisin B1 biosynthesis and virulence in Fusarium verticillioides.

Journal Article Current genetics · February 2020 Rab GTPases are responsible for a variety of membrane trafficking and vesicular transportation in fungi. But the role of Rab GTPases in Fusarium verticillioides, one of the key corn pathogens worldwide, remains elusive. These Small GTPases in fungi, partic ... Full text Cite

Putative Interaction Proteins of the Ubiquitin Ligase Hrd1 in Magnaporthe oryzae.

Journal Article Evolutionary bioinformatics online · January 2018 The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is the entry portal of the conventional secretory pathway where the newly synthesized polypeptides fold, modify, and assemble. The ER responses to the unfolded proteins in its lumen (ER stress) by triggering intracellular sig ... Full text Cite

A HOPS Protein, MoVps41, Is Crucially Important for Vacuolar Morphogenesis, Vegetative Growth, Reproduction and Virulence in Magnaporthe oryzae.

Journal Article Frontiers in plant science · January 2017 The homotypic fusion and protein sorting protein complex (HOPS) is the first known tether complex identified in the endocytic system that plays a key role in promoting homotypic vacuolar fusion, vacuolar biogenesis and trafficking in a wide range of organi ... Full text Cite

Directional Selection from Host Plants Is a Major Force Driving Host Specificity in Magnaporthe Species.

Journal Article Scientific reports · May 2016 One major threat to global food security that requires immediate attention, is the increasing incidence of host shift and host expansion in growing number of pathogenic fungi and emergence of new pathogens. The threat is more alarming because, yield qualit ... Full text Cite