[Cyclic nucleotides and membrane electrogenesis in cell differentiation in Neurospora crassa].

Significance of membrane electrogenic system and cyclic nucleotides for developmental regulation in lower eukaryotes was studied in Neurospora crassa. Despite of their morphological uniformity, hyphal cells were differentiated by their electrophysiological parameters--membrane potential and input resistance. The cells maintained regulated electric communication through septal pores. Such electric communication allowed the apical "cell" to compensate the energy requirements for membrane transport by means of the electrogenic mechanism of proximal zone. The photoinduced gene expression related to differentiation of reproductive structures has been shown to be mediated via cAMP. The changes of electric parameters observed in illuminated hyphal cells were controlled by the same photoregulation mechanism but were not involved in direct control of photoinduced gene expression.