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Updated: Aug 2, 2026

Assay for Adhesion and Agar Invasion in S. cerevisiae
Published on: November 8, 2006
The control of filamentous differentiation and virulence in fungi
1Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Nine Cambridge Center, MA 02142, USA. madhani@wi.mit.edu
Abstract:
Many members of the fungal kingdom have a distinguishing feature, dimorphism, which is the ability to switch between two morphological forms: a cellular yeast form and a multicellular invasive filamentous form. At least three pathways are involved in regulating the transition between these two forms in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and evidence is now emerging that homologous signalling modules are involved in regulating filament formation and virulence in a range of human and plant fungal pathogens. Strikingly, components used to signal sexual differentiation in the response to mating pheromones are often reutilized to regulate dimorphic development, suggesting an ancient link between these processes.
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