FUNGAL SPORE GERMINATION - INSIGHTS FROM THE MOLECULAR-GENETICS OF ASPERGILLUS-NIDULANS AND NEUROSPORA-CRASSA

Spore germination is an essential developmental stage in the life cycl e of all filamentous fungi. Three important steps can be distinguished during spore germination: activation of the resting spore in response to appropriate environmental conditions, isotropic growth that involv es water uptake and the resumption of numerous metabolic activities, a nd polarized growth that results in the formation of a germ tube from which the new mycelium originates. Recent molecular genetics studies h ave brought new information regarding the participation of different c ellular processes (trehalose metabolism, gene expression, cell wall bi ogenesis, cell cycle) in the control of conidial germination in two mo del filamentous ascomycetes, Aspergillus nidulans and Neurospora crass a. Although the mechanisms of fungal spore germination still remain un clear, new research directions emerge that will contribute answers to more general questions of cell biology. (C) 1997 Academic Press.