Biology of the Fungal Cell

Biology of the Fungal Cell offers a select sampling of current knowledge and direction of fundamental research into the cellular structure, morphogenesis and development of fungi. Topics range from the mechanisms of invasive growth and controls of polarity, to the nature of extracellular matrices and the various connections through the cell wall to the cytoskeleton and beyond. The fungal cell is considered in the context of colony formation, as well as from a molecular point of view - from signal transduction to the vast tubular matrix that comprises the vacuole system - with an over-riding emphasis on biology. The volume concludes with a forward-looking consideration of genomics as perhaps the most powerful tool available for studies of the fungal cell. Each chapter, some lavishly illustrated, authored by highly respected scientists in the field, offers an in-depth review of the subject that is key to a basic understanding on how these organisms develop as cells, colonies and pathogens. TOC:Biomechanics of Invasive Hyphal Growth.- Controls of Cell Polarity and Shape.- Signal Transduction and Morphogenesis in Candida albicans.- Ions as Regulators of Growth and Development.- Cell Biology of Fungal Infection of Plants.- Colonial Growth of Fungi.- Fungal Hydrophobins.- The Extracellular Matrix of Human Pathogenic Fungi.- Molecular Organization and Construction of the Fungal Cell Wall.- Bridging the Divide: Cytoskeleton-Plasma Membrane-Cell Wall Interactions in Growth and Development.- Microtubules and Molecular Motors.- Motile Tubular Vacuole Systems.- Genomics for Fungi.