Targeting mitochondrial quality control to disarm phytopathogenic fungi.

Disrupting mitochondrial quality control in phytopathogenic fungi is linked to impaired growth, stress adaptation, and pathogenicity, with strongest mechanistic evidence in Magnaporthe oryzae.

• Why it matters: Crop losses from fungal disease and rising fungicide resistance create a need for new antifungal strategies, and MQC is a conserved infection-relevant vulnerability.
• What they did: This synthesis reviews evidence across hemibiotrophic, vascular, and necrotrophic pathogens and infection stages, using mechanistic findings in Magnaporthe oryzae as the main reference while comparing conserved versus lifestyle-specific requirements.
• The result: The review proposes three MQC-targeting strategies—pathogen-specific regulation, MQC–mitochondrial stress interdependencies, and stage-specific mitochondrial needs—while noting limitations that require further resolution.

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