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Signal exchange and integration during self-fusion in filamentous fungi

André Fleißner1, Stephanie Herzog1

  • 1Institut für Genetik, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany.

Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology
|April 2, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Filamentous fungi like Neurospora crassa use a "cell dialog" for vegetative cell fusion during growth. This process involves alternating signal exchange between cells, crucial for colony development.

Area of Science:

  • Mycology
  • Cell Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Vegetative cell fusion is vital for filamentous ascomycete fungi, including Neurospora crassa, impacting colony formation and mycelial development.
  • Fusion occurs between germinating spores and hyphal branches, enabling the fungal colony to function as a supra-cellular network.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent advances in understanding the molecular mechanisms of cell fusion in filamentous fungi.
  • To discuss the current working model of the
  • cell dialog
  • involved in germling and hyphal fusion.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of molecular factors mediating cell fusion.
  • Identification of conserved signal transmission pathways and ascomycete-specific proteins.
  • Investigation of intricate signaling networks governing cell interactions.

Main Results:

  • Numerous molecular factors and signaling pathways involved in cell fusion have been identified.
  • An intricate signaling network with complex interconnections underlies the cell fusion process.
  • The
  • cell dialog
  • model, involving alternating signal emission and reception, is central to fusion.

Conclusions:

  • Germling and hyphal fusion in N. crassa are experimentally tractable systems.
  • These fusion processes can serve as paradigms for studying signal transmission and cell fusion.
  • Further research continues to unfold the sophisticated signaling network mediating fungal cell fusion.
Keywords:
Cell communicationCell fusionFilamentous fungiMAP kinase signaling

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