IMMUNOMODULATORY EFFECTS of FUNGAL PROTEINS

For centuries, mushrooms have been found to be a rich source of bioactive compounds for treatment of various diseases. Ganoderma spp. has long been used in traditional Chinese medicines or functional foods in Japan and other Asian countries. Crude extracts and isolated substances such as polysaccharides, polysaccharo-peptides, polysaccharide-proteins and proteins display both in vivo and in vitro immunomodulatory activities. Therefore, mushrooms have attracted attention in research and pharmaceutical fields. In this review, an attempt has been made to summarize the information on the fungal immunomodulatory proteins including the protein coding genes and protein structures, with an emphasis put on their immunomodulation functions and future perspectives.