Irreversible formation of pseudohyphae by haploid Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Culturing haploid strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in liquid minimal medium with 2% ethanol and 2% leucine resulted in the formation of long anucleate pseudohyphae. This occurred only with the combination of ethanol as carbon source and leucine as nitrogen source and was independent of mating type. The transition to a pseudohyphal form observed under these conditions appears to be irreversible. These findings further extend our view of the developmental alternatives in this important model eukaryote.