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Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Genetic Manipulation of the Plant Pathogen Ustilago maydis to Study Fungal Biology and Plant Microbe Interactions
Published on: September 30, 2016
The a mating type locus of U. maydis specifies cell signaling components
1Institut für Genbiologische Forschung Berlin GmbH, Federal Republic of Germany.
Abstract:
The a mating type locus of the phytopathogenic fungus U. maydis controls fusion of haploid cells and filamentous growth of the dikaryotic mycelium. The a locus exists in two alleles, termed a1 and a2, which are defined by nonhomologous DNA regions comprising 4.5 kb for a1 and 8 kb for a2, flanked by identical sequences. Based on functional assays, mutants, and sequencing, we demonstrate that the mating type in each allele is determined by a set of two genes. One encodes a precursor for a lipopeptide mating factor, and the other specifies the receptor for the pheromone secreted by cells of opposite mating type. Thus, U. maydis employs a novel strategy to determine its mating type by providing the primary determinants of cell-cell recognition directly from the mating type locus.
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