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Chemotropism and Cell-Cell Fusion in Fungi.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Clark-Cotton, MR; Jacobs, KC; Lew, DJ
Published in: Microbiol Mol Biol Rev
March 16, 2022

Fungi exhibit an enormous variety of morphologies, including yeast colonies, hyphal mycelia, and elaborate fruiting bodies. This diversity arises through a combination of polar growth, cell division, and cell fusion. Because fungal cells are nonmotile and surrounded by a protective cell wall that is essential for cell integrity, potential fusion partners must grow toward each other until they touch and then degrade the intervening cell walls without impacting cell integrity. Here, we review recent progress on understanding how fungi overcome these challenges. Extracellular chemoattractants, including small peptide pheromones, mediate communication between potential fusion partners, promoting the local activation of core cell polarity regulators to orient polar growth and cell wall degradation. However, in crowded environments, pheromone gradients can be complex and potentially confusing, raising the question of how cells can effectively find their partners. Recent findings suggest that the cell polarity circuit exhibits searching behavior that can respond to pheromone cues through a remarkably flexible and effective strategy called exploratory polarization.

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Published In

Microbiol Mol Biol Rev

DOI

EISSN

1098-5557

Publication Date

March 16, 2022

Volume

86

Issue

1

Start / End Page

e0016521

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae
  • Pheromones
  • Microbiology
  • Chemotaxis
  • Cell Fusion
  • Cell Communication
  • 3107 Microbiology
  • 11 Medical and Health Sciences
  • 10 Technology
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
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Clark-Cotton, M. R., Jacobs, K. C., & Lew, D. J. (2022). Chemotropism and Cell-Cell Fusion in Fungi. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev, 86(1), e0016521. https://doi.org/10.1128/mmbr.00165-21
Clark-Cotton, Manuella R., Katherine C. Jacobs, and Daniel J. Lew. “Chemotropism and Cell-Cell Fusion in Fungi.Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 86, no. 1 (March 16, 2022): e0016521. https://doi.org/10.1128/mmbr.00165-21.
Clark-Cotton MR, Jacobs KC, Lew DJ. Chemotropism and Cell-Cell Fusion in Fungi. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev. 2022 Mar 16;86(1):e0016521.
Clark-Cotton, Manuella R., et al. “Chemotropism and Cell-Cell Fusion in Fungi.Microbiol Mol Biol Rev, vol. 86, no. 1, Mar. 2022, p. e0016521. Pubmed, doi:10.1128/mmbr.00165-21.
Clark-Cotton MR, Jacobs KC, Lew DJ. Chemotropism and Cell-Cell Fusion in Fungi. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev. 2022 Mar 16;86(1):e0016521.

Published In

Microbiol Mol Biol Rev

DOI

EISSN

1098-5557

Publication Date

March 16, 2022

Volume

86

Issue

1

Start / End Page

e0016521

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae
  • Pheromones
  • Microbiology
  • Chemotaxis
  • Cell Fusion
  • Cell Communication
  • 3107 Microbiology
  • 11 Medical and Health Sciences
  • 10 Technology