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Eukaryotic Cell, June 2003, p. 494-500, Vol. 2, No. 3
1535-9778/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/EC.2.3.494-500.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Pheromone-Induced G2 Arrest in the Phytopathogenic Fungus Ustilago maydis

Tatiana García-Muse,1 Gero Steinberg,2 and José Pérez-Martín1*

Department of Microbial Biotechnology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología CSIC, Campus de Cantoblanco-UAM, 28049 Madrid, Spain,1 Max-Planck-Institut für Terrestrische Mikrobiologie, D-35043 Marburg, Germany2

Received 25 November 2002/ Accepted 14 February 2003

In the corn smut fungus Ustilago maydis, pathogenic development is initiated when two compatible haploid cells fuse and form the infectious dikaryon. Mating is dependent on pheromone recognition by compatible cells. In this report, we set out to evaluate the relationship between the cell cycle and the pheromone response in U. maydis. To achieve this, we designed a haploid pheromone-responsive strain that is able to faithfully reproduce the native mating response in nutrient-rich medium. Addition of synthetic pheromone to the responsive strain induces the formation of mating structures, and this response is abolished by mutations in genes encoding components of the pheromone signal transduction cascade. After recognition of pheromone, U. maydis cells arrest the cell cycle in a postreplicative stage. Visualization of the nucleus and microtubule organization indicates that the arrest takes place at the G2 phase. Chemical-induced cell cycle arrest and release in the presence of pheromone further support this conclusion.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbial Biotechnology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología-CSIC, Campus de Cantoblanco-UAM, 28049 Madrid, Spain. Phone: 34 91-585 4704. Fax: 34 91-585 4506. E-mail: jperez{at}cnb.uam.es.

Eukaryotic Cell, June 2003, p. 494-500, Vol. 2, No. 3
1535-9778/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/EC.2.3.494-500.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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