QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s):
Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents

First published online 5 August 2008
doi: 10.1242/jcs.026286

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplementary Material All Versions of this Article: jcs.026286v1 121/17/2824    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Google Scholar Articles by Alvarez-Tabarés, I. Articles by Pérez-Martín, J. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Alvarez-Tabarés, I. Articles by Pérez-Martín, J.

Cdk5 kinase regulates the association between adaptor protein Bem1 and GEF Cdc24 in the fungus Ustilago maydis

Departamento de Biotecnología Microbiana, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología-CSIC, 28049 Madrid, Spain

^* Author for correspondence (e-mail: iatabare{at}cnb.csic.es)

Accepted 8 June 2008

Cyclin-dependent kinases from the Cdk5/Pho85 family are thought to play important roles in morphogenesis in species as diverse as yeast and humans. In the phytopathogenic fungus Ustilago maydis Cdk5 has a major role in the maintenance of cell polarity and virulence. This role seems to be related to the ability of the guanine-nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) Cdc24 to localize at the cell tips. However, the elements behind the Cdk5-dependent stabilization of Cdc24 at the cell poles are not well understood. Here we investigate the role of the adaptor protein Bem1 in polarity maintenance in U. maydis. We found that Bem1 and Cdc24 physically interact and colocalize at cell tips and that Cdk5 regulates this interaction. Our data suggest a method by which Cdk5 could regulate polar growth in this phytopathogenic fungus.

Key words: Ustilago maydis, Cdk5, Polar growth, Corn smut