The nucleolus is a well-characterized sub-nuclear compartment primarily responsible for ribosomal RNA (rRNA) synthesis and ribosome biogenesis. In addition to these canonical functions, it plays roles in a variety of other cellular processes. Despite its importance, the contributions of the nucleolus to fungal development and pathogenicity remain poorly understood, especially in filamentous fungi. The structure and function of the nucleolus are regulated by numerous proteins that either reside within it or shuttle between the nucleolus and nucleoplasm, often guided by short amino acid motifs known as nucleolar localization signals (NoLSs). However, comprehensive resources cataloguing nucleolar proteins and their localization signals in fungi are currently lacking, hindering systematic investigations of nucleolar function across species. To address this gap, we developed FuNGI (Fungal Nucleolar Genomic Inventory), a web-based interactive database for the exploration of fungal proteins containing predicted nucleolar localization signals. The current version of FuNGI includes proteins containing predicted nucleolar localization signals and their associated NoLSs across 769 fungal proteomes spanning eight phyla. The database offers a user-friendly interface that enables browsing, retrieval, and comparison of NoLS-containing proteins across multiple species. Each entry integrates sequence-based predictions and functional annotations to support comparative and functional analyses. To our knowledge, FuNGI is the first comprehensive and interactive database dedicated to fungal proteins containing predicted nucleolar localization signals. By enabling systematic and cross-species analyses, FuNGI provides a valuable resource for advancing our understanding of fungal nucleoli and their roles in fungal biology and pathogenicity.
Shanmugam et al. (Thu,) studied this question.