In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the PMT, KRE2/MNT1, and MNN1 mannosyltransferase protein families catalyze the steps of the O-mannosylation pathway, sequentially adding mannoses to target proteins. We have identified members of all three families and analyzed their roles in pathogenesis of the maize smut fungus Ustilago maydis. Furthermore, we have shown that PMT4, one of the three PMT family memb...

BACKGROUND Septins are a highly conserved family of GTP-binding proteins involved in multiple cellular functions, including cell division and morphogenesis. Studies of septins in fungal cells underpin a clear correlation between septin-based structures and fungal morphology, providing clues to understand the molecular frame behind the varied morphologies found in fungal world. METHODOLOGY/PRI...

Glycosylation is a conserved set of post-translational modifications that exists in all eukaryotic cells. During the last decade, role glycosylation plant pathogenic fungi has received significant attention and considerable progress been made especially Ustilago maydis Magnaporthe oryzae. Here, we review recent advances our understanding N-glycosylation, O-glycosylation glycosylphosphatidylinos...

MAP kinases (mitogen-activated protein kinases) are activated by dual phosphorylation on specific threonine and specific tyrosine residues that are separated by a single residue, and the TXY activation motif is a hallmark of MAP kinases. In the fungus Ustilago maydis, which causes corn smut disease, the Crk1 protein, a kinase previously described to have roles in morphogenesis, carries a TXY mo...

In the phytopathogenic fungus Ustilago maydis, the dikaryotic state dominates the period of growth occurring during the infectious phase. Dikaryons are cells in which two nuclei, one from each parent cell, share a single cytoplasm for a period of time without undergoing nuclear fusion. In fungal cells, maintenance of the dikaryotic state requires an intricate cell division process that often in...

Ustilago maydis is a dimorphic fungus with a yeast-like non-pathogenic form and a filamentous (hyphal) pathogenic form that induces tumor formation in maize. Within mature tumors, hyphae give rise to teliospores, which are round, diploid cells surrounded by a specialized cell wall. Here we describe the time course of fungal development in the plant with a focus on the morphological changes in t...