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Hyphal Fusion

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Morphogenesis and Pathogenicity in Fungi

Part of the book series: Topics in Current Genetics ((TCG,volume 22))

Abstract

Since the early days of mycology, hyphal fusion or anastomosis has been recognized as a common feature of colony establishment and development in filamentous fungi. However, the role and function of this process remained mostly unclear. In recent years, much progress in understanding the molecular basis of anastomosis has been made, and numerous genes and proteins essential for fusion were identified. Insights emerging from these studies include the notion that hyphal fusion employs conserved signaling pathways, but adopts them in unusually dynamic fashions. In addition, increasing evidence suggests that anastomosis formation and pathogenic hyphal development share common machineries to some extent. Future challenges in studying hyphal fusion include deciphering the molecular networks controlling this complex cellular process and understanding the biological function of anastomosis.

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Acknowledgments

I thank Dr. Carolyn Rasmussen and Timo Schürg for critical reading of the manuscript.

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  1. Institut für Genetik, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany

    André Fleißner

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  1. André Fleißner
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Correspondence to André Fleißner .

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  1. , Department of Microbial Biotechnology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnologia CSIC, Madrid, 28049, Spain

    José Pérez-Martín

  2. , Department of Genetics, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, 14071, Spain

    Antonio Di Pietro

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Fleißner, A. (2012). Hyphal Fusion. In: Pérez-Martín, J., Di Pietro, A. (eds) Morphogenesis and Pathogenicity in Fungi. Topics in Current Genetics, vol 22. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-22916-9_3

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