ReviewMolecular plant pathology2025
Are Fungal Disease Outbreaks Instigated by Starship Transposons?
Review in Molecular plant pathology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
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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.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- A structurally unique effector shared between vascular wilt fungi drives cotton and olive defoliation.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Spatial structure: shaping the ecology and evolution of microbial communities.FEMS microbiology reviews · 2026Review
- The role of toxin/antidote genes in the maintenance and evolution of accessory chromosomes in Fusarium.Genetics · 2025Article
- Are Fungal Disease Outbreaks Instigated by Starship Transposons?Molecular plant pathology · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
New outbreaks of fungal diseases are an ongoing threat to global agriculture. One known mechanism generating novel diseases is the horizontal transfer of genes between fungal species. Yet we have little understanding of how such transfers are mediated. Here, we raise the possibility that Starships, a recently discovered superfamily of giant transposable elements, might be responsible. To support this hypothesis, we discuss three potential cases where Starships may have mediated disease outbreaks. These are ToxA in wheat pathogens, genes underlying Glomerella leaf spot on apple trees, and the defoliating gene cluster of Verticillium dahliae on cotton. In the Verticillium example, we provide strong evidence for a Starship-mediated mechanism: disease-promoting genes reside in closely related Starships across distantly related species. We aim to spark interest in Starships' roles in fungal pathogens and how this knowledge could inform disease management strategies.
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Registered trials
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