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Updated: Aug 17, 2026

Microscopy of Fission Yeast Sexual Lifecycle
Published on: March 9, 2016
Hyphal Growth in the Fission Yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe
Evelyn Amoah-Buahin1, Neil Bone, John Armstrong
1Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QG, England.
Abstract:
The fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe grows in a single-celled form or can mate and undergo meiosis and sporulation. Here we show that wild-type S. pombe can also differentiate to form elaborately branched hyphae which invade deep into solid medium. Branches appear in the hyphae adjacent to unseparated septa. Electron microscopy reveals unusual multivesicular structures within the hyphae. Nitrogen deprivation appears to be the main stimulus for hyphal growth. No mitogen-activated protein kinase is necessary for the response. Inhibition of cyclic AMP (cAMP) production or signaling prevents the response, and exogenous cAMP promotes it, suggesting that detection of a good carbon source is required for hyphal growth but not for mating.
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