Biotrophic fungal plant pathogens establish an intimate relationship with their host to support
the infection process. Central to this strategy is the secretion of a range of protein effectors …

▪ Abstract Infection structures of phytopathogenic fungi are modified hyphae specialized for
the invasion of plant tissues. Initial events are adhesion to the cuticle and directed growth of …

The Ustilago maydis–maize pathosystem has emerged as the current model for plant
pathogenic basidiomycetes and as one of the few models for a true biotrophic interaction …

The basidiomycete Ustilago maydis causes smut disease in maize. Colonization of the host
plant is initiated by direct penetration of cuticle and cell wall of maize epidermis cells. The …

Ustilago maydis is a dimorphic fungus with a yeast-like non-pathogenic form and a
filamentous (hyphal) pathogenic form that induces tumor formation in maize. Within mature …

Rapid developments in the field of plant genome editing using clustered regularly
interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein (Cas) systems …

The fungus Ustilago maydis is a biotrophic pathogen of maize (Zea mays). In its genome we
have identified an ortholog of YAP1 (for Yeast AP-1-like) from Saccharomyces cerevisae that …

Pathogenic development of Ustilago maydis, the causative agent of corn smut disease, is a
multistep process. Compatible yeast-like cells fuse and this generates the infectious …

Ustilago maydis induces tumors in maize. It is dimorphic, with a unicellular, nonpathogenic
form, and a dikaryotic, filamentous, pathogenic form that requires the plant for its growth. The …

Plant pathogenic fungi colonizing living plant tissue secrete a cocktail of effector proteins to
suppress plant immunity and reprogramme host cells. Although many of these effectors …