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Cell Wall Biosynthesis in Filamentous Fungi

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Stress Biology of Yeasts and Fungi

Abstract

The cell wall provides physical strength to cells and defines the morphology of fungi. During hyphal development of filamentous fungi, the apical region and the branching sites of the cell are remodeled to support hyphal extension and formation of a new hypha. The cell wall has contact with the environment and thus is the place of first contact with external stresses originating outside of the cells. The cell wall also acts as a matrix for various extracellular proteins such as enzymes and sensor proteins. Budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and filamentous fungi (Aspergillus species) are industrially and medically important fungi belonging to the Ascomycota. These fungi share similar composition in the cell wall although they are morphologically different. Fungal cell walls are usually composed of glucose, mannose, N-acetyl-d-glucosamine, proteins, and lipids. Some glycans composed of galactofuranose or N-acetyl-d-galactosamine are found characteristically in the cell wall of Aspergillus species. In this chapter, we present an overview of current knowledge on cell wall biogenesis and wall-stress sensing in fungi, particularly focusing on recent findings in filamentous fungi.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Microbial Technology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Life Science, Sojo University, Kumamoto, Japan

    Takuji Oka

  2. Education and Research Center for Fermentation Studies, Faculty of Agriculture, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan

    Taiki Futagami & Masatoshi Goto

  3. Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan

    Taiki Futagami & Masatoshi Goto

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  1. Takuji Oka
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  2. Taiki Futagami
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  3. Masatoshi Goto
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Correspondence to Masatoshi Goto .

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  1. Nara Institute of Science and Technology Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Nara, Japan

    Hiroshi Takagi

  2. Faculty of Agriculture Saga University, Saga, Japan

    Hiroshi Kitagaki

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Oka, T., Futagami, T., Goto, M. (2015). Cell Wall Biosynthesis in Filamentous Fungi. In: Takagi, H., Kitagaki, H. (eds) Stress Biology of Yeasts and Fungi. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-55248-2_10

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