Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34587206›Full record

ArticlePloS one2021

Crowdsourced analysis of fungal growth and branching on microfluidic platforms.

Alex Hopke, Alex Mela, Felix Ellett, Derreck Carter-House, Jesús F Peña, Jason E Stajich, Sophie Altamirano, Brian Lovett, Martin Egan, Shiv Kale and 9 more

Abstract readComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Guideline
  2. A phase oscillator model of cell cycles reveals nuclear density control in a branched fungal network.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Lab on a chip · 2024
    Article
  7. Article
  8. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

19 authors.

Alex HopkeCenter for Engineering in Medicine and Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
Alex MelaFungal Biology Group and Plant Biology Department, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America.
Felix EllettCenter for Engineering in Medicine and Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
Derreck Carter-HouseDepartment of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California, Riverside, California, United States of America.
Jesús F PeñaDepartment of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California, Riverside, California, United States of America.
Jason E StajichDepartment of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California, Riverside, California, United States of America.ORCID 0000-0002-7591-0020
Sophie AltamiranoDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America.
Brian LovettDivision of Plant and Soil Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, United States of America.
Martin EganDepartment of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States of America.ORCID 0000-0002-1556-8745
Shiv KaleNutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Institute, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America.
Ilkka KronholmDepartment of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.ORCID 0000-0002-4126-0250
Paul GueretteBolt Threads Inc., Emeryville, California, United States of America.
Edyta SzewczykBolt Threads Inc., Emeryville, California, United States of America.ORCID 0000-0002-2054-5855
Kevin McCluskeyBolt Threads Inc., Emeryville, California, United States of America.
David BreslauerBolt Threads Inc., Emeryville, California, United States of America.ORCID 0000-0001-7780-3678
Hiral ShahBharat Chattoo Genome Research Centre, Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology Centre, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara, India.
Bryan R CoadSchool of Agriculture, Food & Wine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-3297-3977
Michelle MomanyFungal Biology Group and Plant Biology Department, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America.
Daniel IrimiaCenter for Engineering in Medicine and Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.

Funding

Bio-MicroElectroMechanical Systems Resource CenterP41EB002503 · NIBIB · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · PI TONER, MEHMET · 2004 to 2018
$17.4M
Training Research Educators in Minnesota (TREM) whilst increasing diversityK12GM119955 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · PI David Irwin Greenstein, Julia Willett · 2017 to 2026
$6.5M
Neutrophil Decision Making in Confined Environments in Health and DiseaseR01GM092804 · NIGMS · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · PI IRIMIA, DANIEL · 2010 to 2022
$4.3M
NIBIB NIH HHS P41 EB002503NIGMS NIH HHS K12 GM119955NIGMS NIH HHS R01 GM092804
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Fungal hyphal growth and branching are essential traits that allow fungi to spread and proliferate in many environments. This sustained growth is essential for a myriad of applications in health, agriculture, and industry. However, comparisons between different fungi are difficult in the absence of standardized metrics. Here, we used a microfluidic device featuring four different maze patterns to compare the growth velocity and branching frequency of fourteen filamentous fungi. These measurements result from the collective work of several labs in the form of a competition named the "Fungus Olympics." The competing fungi included five ascomycete species (ten strains total), two basidiomycete species, and two zygomycete species. We found that growth velocity within a straight channel varied from 1 to 4 μm/min. We also found that the time to complete mazes when fungal hyphae branched or turned at various angles did not correlate with linear growth velocity. We discovered that fungi in our study used one of two distinct strategies to traverse mazes: high-frequency branching in which all possible paths were explored, and low-frequency branching in which only one or two paths were explored. While the high-frequency branching helped fungi escape mazes with sharp turns faster, the low-frequency turning had a significant advantage in mazes with shallower turns. Future work will more systematically examine these trends.

Indexed as

AscomycotaBasidiomycotaBiological PhenomenaCrowdsourcingFungiHyphaeMicrofluidic Analytical TechniquesSpecies Specificity

Identifiers

PMID34587206
PMCPMC8480888

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.