Molecular analysis of fungal gene expression upon interkingdom competition with insects

Abstract

Fungi produce an astonishing variety of secondary metabolites, some of which belong to the most toxic compounds in the living world. However, the benefits of secondary metabolites for fungi are often obscure. Here we describe a method that will aid in the analysis of fungal gene expression upon interkingdom competition with insects. It allows for isolation of fungal RNA from surface-grown mycelium after confrontation with insect larvae, and subsequent molecular analysis. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.