Regulating the transition between the two major fungal cell types; yeast cells and filamentous hyphal cells

Abstract

Fungi are a large group of eukaryotic microorganisms that are of medical, agricultural and biotechnological importance. They are a diverse group, occupying their own kingdom, and range from single cells to what is arguably the largest mutlicellular organism on earth. Despite this diversity, fungi exhibit two predominant growth forms; unicellular yeast and multicellular filamentous hyphae. Some fungi can alternate between these two forms in response to an intrinsic or extrinsic stimulus, a process known as dimorphic switching.