Role of melatonin in fungi, with special emphasis to morphogenesis and stress tolerance

Melatonin performs a critical part in the reduction of biotic and abiotic stressors of plants, triggering defence systems and pathogen diminutions. As there are lot of reports available on the effects on melatonin on plants and animals, our decision is to focus primarily on fungi. A diverse group of melatonin producer fungi from unicellular Saccharomyces to filamentous Trichoderma , even the advanced basidiomycetous edible mushroom Agaricus, Pleurotus etc. provide an enriched panorama for exploration. This review article is composed of the report about the properties of melatonin, their role on the plant-fungal interactions, covering its effects on fungi from various ecological niche viz. soil/leaf-borne pathogenic fungi, endophytes as well as the fungi occurring in arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM). There were both positive as well as negative impacts of melatonin on the fungal mycelia, primordia, fruiting bodies and spores. The biotechnological applications of melatonin in enhancing abiotic stress responses, signalling pathways, antioxidant and probable secondary metabolite productions and developing biocontrol agents have also been discussed. Melatonin plays an essential role in cultivation of edible mushroom. Melatonin and its homologues also possess anti-cancerous activity and can be used in different therapeutic applications as an anti-fungal, antibacterial, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory and anti-ageing agents.