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On the move: endosomes in fungal growth and pathogenicity

Gero Steinberg1

  • 1Max-Planck-Institut für terrestrische Mikrobiologie, Karl-von-Frisch Strabe D-35043 Marburg, Germany. Gero.Steinberg@mpi-marburg.mpg.de

Nature Reviews. Microbiology
|February 28, 2007
PubMed

Insights

The corn smut fungus Ustilago maydis uses early endosomes for hyphal tip growth and pathogenicity. This involves rapid, bi-directional organelle movement essential for fungal invasion and development.

Area of Science:

  • Mycology
  • Cell Biology
  • Plant Pathology

Background:

  • Fungal pathogens invade host tissues via hyphal tip growth.
  • Understanding the cellular mechanisms of fungal growth is crucial for developing control strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of early endosomes in the hyphal tip growth and pathogenicity of Ustilago maydis.
  • To elucidate the mechanism of early endosome motility during fungal invasion.

Main Methods:

  • Microscopy techniques to observe early endosome dynamics.
  • Genetic manipulation of Ustilago maydis to study motor protein function.

Main Results:

  • Early endosomes are essential for apical endocytic recycling in Ustilago maydis.
  • These organelles exhibit rapid, bi-directional movement along microtubules, mediated by opposing molecular motors.
  • This motility is critical for sustained hyphal growth and pathogenicity.

Conclusions:

  • Early endosome motility is a key process for Ustilago maydis hyphal tip growth and pathogenicity.
  • The directed movement of endosomes likely concentrates essential components at the hyphal tip and facilitates cell-to-cell communication.

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