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Microbiol. Rev., 09 1995, 345-386, Vol 59, No. 3
VJ Cid, A Duran, F del Rey, MP Snyder, C Nombela and M Sanchez
In fungi and many other organisms, a thick outer cell wall is responsible
for determining the shape of the cell and for maintaining its integrity.
The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been a useful model organism
for the study of cell wall synthesis, and over the past few decades, many
aspects of the composition, structure, and enzymology of the cell wall have
been elucidated. The cell wall of budding yeasts is a complex and dynamic
structure; its arrangement alters as the cell grows, and its composition
changes in response to different environmental conditions and at different
times during the yeast life cycle. In the past few years, we have witnessed
a profilic genetic and molecular characterization of some key aspects of
cell wall polymer synthesis and hydrolysis in the budding yeast.
Furthermore, this organism has been the target of numerous recent studies
on the topic of morphogenesis, which have had an enormous impact on our
understanding of the intracellular events that participate in directed cell
wall synthesis. A number of components that direct polarized secretion,
including those involved in assembly and organization of the actin
cytoskeleton, secretory pathways, and a series of novel signal transduction
systems and regulatory components have been identified. Analysis of these
different components has suggested pathways by which polarized secretion is
directed and controlled. Our aim is to offer an overall view of the current
understanding of cell wall dynamics and of the complex network that
controls polarized growth at particular stages of the budding yeast cell
cycle and life cycle.
Copyright © 1995, American Society for Microbiology
Molecular basis of cell integrity and morphogenesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Departamento de Microbiologia II, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain.
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