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Microtubule-based transport in filamentous fungi

Martin J Egan1, Mark A McClintock, Samara L Reck-Peterson

  • 1Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States.

Current Opinion in Microbiology
|November 7, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Filamentous fungi like Aspergillus nidulans and Ustilago maydis are excellent models for studying cellular transport. Their similarities to metazoan neurons make them suitable for investigating neuropathologies linked to transport defects.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Neuroscience
  • Mycology

Background:

  • Microtubule-based transport is crucial for cellular function and implicated in neuropathologies.
  • Filamentous fungi offer genetic tractability and conserved transport mechanisms relevant to metazoan systems.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight the utility of Aspergillus nidulans and Ustilago maydis as model organisms for studying microtubule-based transport.
  • To explore the relevance of fungal transport systems to human neuropathologies.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of microtubule-based transport mechanisms in filamentous fungi and metazoan neurons.
  • Leveraging the genetic and biochemical tractability of Aspergillus nidulans and Ustilago maydis.

Main Results:

  • Microtubule-based transport in fungi involves diverse cargos including endosomes, mRNA, and vesicles, mirroring metazoan systems.
  • Similarities in transport mechanisms between fungi and metazoan neurons are evident.

Conclusions:

  • Aspergillus nidulans and Ustilago maydis are suitable models for investigating the molecular basis of transport-related neuropathologies.
  • These fungal models can advance our understanding of diseases such as lissencephaly and motor neuron disease.

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