Fungal development

Compatible solutes and fungal development.

Compatible solutes are components that can be quickly accumulated and degraded inside fungal cells. They do not disturb the functioning of proteins and protect the cell under adverse conditions. In this issue of the Biochemical Journal, Solomon and co-workers evaluate the role of mannitol, one of these components, in Stagonospora nodorum, a plant-pathogenic fungus, and find surprising effects o...

Prospects for the development of fungal vaccines.

In an era that emphasizes the term "cost-effective," vaccines are the ideal solution to preventing disease at a relatively low cost to society. Much of the previous emphasis has been on childhood scourges such as measles, mumps, rubella, poliomyelitis, and Haemophilus influenzae type b. The concept of vaccines for fungal diseases has had less impact because of the perceived limited problem. How...

Relationship between secondary metabolism and fungal development.

Filamentous fungi are unique organisms-rivaled only by actinomycetes and plants-in producing a wide range of natural products called secondary metabolites. These compounds are very diverse in structure and perform functions that are not always known. However, most secondary metabolites are produced after the fungus has completed its initial growth phase and is beginning a stage of development r...

Fungal development and the COP9 signalosome.

The conserved COP9 signalosome (CSN) multiprotein complex is located at the interface between cellular signaling, protein modification, life span and the development of multicellular organisms. CSN is required for light-controlled responses in filamentous fungi. This includes the circadian rhythm of Neurospora crassa or the repression of sexual development by light in Aspergillus nidulans. In c...

Fungal PCR Assays Operons for Development of Broad-Range Sequencing and Analysis of Fungal rRNA