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Article
Tec1, a member of the TEA transcription factors family, is involved in virulence and basidiocarp development in Ustilago maydis
The life cycle of Ustilago maydis involves alternation of a haploid saprophytic yeast-like stage and a dikaryotic hyphal virulent form. Under in vitro conditions, basidiocarps are formed. Analysis of the transcri...
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Article
The UMAG_00031 gene from Ustilago maydis encodes a putative membrane protein involved in pH control and morphogenesis
We report the characterization of the gene UMAG_00031 from Ustilago maydis, previously identified as upregulated at alkaline pH. This gene is located on chromosome 1 and contains an ORF of 1539 bp that encodes a ...
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Article
Multicellular growth of the Basidiomycota phytopathogen fungus Sporisorium reilianum induced by acid conditions
Fungi are considered model organisms for the analysis of important phenomena of eukaryotes. For example, some of them have been described as models to understand the phenomenon of multicellularity acquisition ...
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Article
The signaling mechanisms involved in the dimorphic phenomenon of the Basidiomycota fungus Ustilago maydis
In the present manuscript, we describe the mechanisms involved in the yeast-to-hypha dimorphic transition of the plant pathogenic Basidiomycota fungus Ustilago maydis. During its life cycle, U. maydis presents tw...
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Article
Ztf1, an Ustilago maydis transcription factor involved in virulence
Ustilago maydis (DC.) Cda., the causal agent of common corn smut, is considered an important model to analyze fundamental problems of fungal development and virulence. In this work, we proceeded to analyze the ch...
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Article
Analysis of the photoreceptors involved in the light-depending basidiocarp formation in Ustilago maydis
We have described that formation of basidiocarps by Ustilago maydis requires illumination. In the current research, we have proceeded to analyze what kind of light receptors are involved in this phenomenon. Accor...
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Article
Genotoxic effect of caffeine in Yarrowia lipolytica cells deficient in DNA repair mechanisms
Caffeine is a compound that can exert physiological–beneficial effects in the organism. Nevertheless, there are controversies about its protective-antioxidant and/or its negative genotoxic effect. To abound on...
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Article
The cereal phytopathogen Sporisorium reilianum is able to infect the non-natural host Arabidopsis thaliana
We analyzed the infection of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana by the basidiomycete phytopathogen of cereals Sporisorium reilianum in order to use it as an experimental pathosystem model. Sterile plantlets of
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The Developmental History of Ustilago maydis: A Saprophytic Yeast, a Mycelial Fungus, Mushroom-Like, and a Smut
Ustilago maydis is a basidiomycete fungus of the subphylum Ustilaginomycotina. U. maydis is a biotrophic phytopathogen that causes common smut in maize (Zea mays L) and its ancestor teozintle (Zea mays ssp. parvi...
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Article
Regulation of the expression of the whole genome of Ustilago maydis by a MAPK pathway
The operation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signal transduction pathways is one of the most important mechanisms for the transfer of extracellular information into the cell. These pathways are hig...
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Article
Phylogenetic relationships of the wall-synthesizing enzymes of Basidiomycota confirm the phylogeny of their subphyla
Basidiomycota is one of the phyla of kingdom Fungi. This phylum contains besides non-pathogenic species and mushrooms, the important plant pathogens, smuts and rusts, and has been recently divided into three s...
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Article
Transcriptional Regulation of the Genes Encoding Chitin and β-1,3-Glucan Synthases from Ustilago maydis
Transcriptional regulation of genes encoding chitin synthases (CHS) and β-1,3-glucan synthase (GLS) from Ustilago maydis was studied. Transcript levels were measured during the growth curve of yeast and mycelial ...
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Article
Functional Analysis of the MATB Mating-Type Idiomorph of the Dimorphic Fungus Yarrowia lipolytica
The whole MATA cassette from Yarrowia lipolytica, a dimorphic fungus, was replaced by the URA3 gene through a double homologous recombination. This MAT-less strain lost its mate capacity with A or B Y. lipolytica
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Article
Open AccessInsights from the genome of the biotrophic fungal plant pathogen Ustilago maydis
Ustilago maydis is an important fungal pathogen of maize, causing corn smut. It is well adapted to its host and proliferates in living plant tissue without inducing a defence response. The genome sequence of U. m...
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Article
The Ambient pH Response Rim Pathway in Yarrowia lipolytica: Identification of YlRIM9 and Characterization of Its Role in Dimorphism
Yarrowia lipolytica is a dimorphic fungus that secretes either an acidic or an alkaline protease depending on the environmental pH. Previous results have indicated that secretion of the alkaline protease is under...
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Article
Possible role of ionic gradients in the apical growth of Neurospora crassa
The effects of the Ca2+/H+ exchanger A23187 and the K+/H+ exchanger nigericin on the growth of Neurospora crassa were analyzed. Both ionophores had the same effects on the fungus. They both inhibited growth in li...
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Article
MAP Kinase and cAMP Signaling Pathways Modulate the pH-Induced Yeast-to-Mycelium Dimorphic Transition in the Corn Smut Fungus Ustilago maydis
Acid pH induces the yeast-to-mycelium transition in haploid cells of Ustilago maydis. We tested two signal transduction pathways known to be involved in dimorphism for roles in acid-induced filamentation. In wild...
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Article
Specificity of DNA Methylation Changes During Fungal Dimorphism and Its Relationship to Polyamines
We utilized our modification of the amplified fragment length polymorphism technique for the determination of changes occurring in the DNA methylation patterns during the dimorphic transition of the fungi Mucor r...
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Article
Analysis of phenomena involved in the apical growth of Phycomyces blakesleeanus
The effects of the Ca2+/H+ exchanger A23187 and the K+/H+ exchanger nigericin, the electrogenic membrane-potential depleters valinomycin and CCCP, and the calcium channel blockers ruthenium red, nifedipine, and ...
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Article
Cell wall composition and structure of Yarrowia lipolytica transposon mutants affected in calcofluor sensitivity
A collection of transposon-mutagenized strains of Yarrowia lipolytica was screened for wall defects by determination of their sensitivity to calcofluor white. A number of strains were hypersensitive, whereas othe...
