Institute for Microbiology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
FEMS Microbiol Rev. 2012 Jan;36(1):59-77. doi: 10.1111/j.1574-6976.2011.00296.x. Epub 2011 Aug 1.
The maize pathogen Ustilago maydis has to undergo various morphological transitions for the completion of its sexual life cycle. For example, haploid cells respond to pheromone by forming conjugation tubes that fuse at their tips. The resulting dikaryon grows filamentously, expanding rapidly at the apex and inserting retraction septa at the basal pole. In this review, we present progress on the underlying mechanisms regulating such defined developmental programmes. The key findings of the postgenomic era are as follows: (1) endosomes function not only during receptor recycling, but also as multifunctional transport platforms; (2) a new transcriptional master regulator for pathogenicity is part of an intricate transcriptional network; (3) determinants for uniparental mitochondrial inheritance are encoded at the a2 mating-type locus; (4) microtubule-dependent mRNA transport is important in determining the axis of polarity; and (5) a battery of fungal effectors encoded in gene clusters is crucial for plant infection. Importantly, most processes are tightly controlled at the transcriptional, post-transcriptional and post-translational levels, resulting in a complex regulatory network. This intricate system is crucial for the timing of the correct order of developmental phases. Thus, new insights from all layers of regulation have substantially advanced our understanding of fungal development.
玉米病原菌 Ustilago maydis 必须经历各种形态转变才能完成其有性生命周期。例如，单倍体细胞通过形成在其顶端融合的交配管对信息素做出反应。由此产生的双核体呈丝状生长，在顶端迅速扩展，并在基部极插入收缩隔膜。在这篇综述中，我们介绍了调控这些特定发育程序的潜在机制的研究进展。后基因组时代的主要发现如下：(1) 内体不仅在受体回收过程中起作用，而且还作为多功能运输平台；(2) 一个新的致病性转录主调控因子是复杂转录网络的一部分；(3) 单亲线粒体遗传的决定因素编码在 a2 交配型位点；(4) 微管依赖性 mRNA 运输在确定极性轴方面很重要；(5) 基因簇中编码的一组真菌效应子对于植物感染至关重要。重要的是，大多数过程在转录、转录后和翻译后水平受到严格控制，从而产生一个复杂的调控网络。这个复杂的系统对于正确的发育阶段顺序的时间安排至关重要。因此，来自调控所有层面的新见解极大地促进了我们对真菌发育的理解。
