Author Description

Biology of the Fungal Cell offers a select sampling of current knowledge and direction of fundamental research into the cellular structure, morphogenesis and development of fungi. Topics range from the mechanisms of invasive growth and controls of polarity, to the nature of extracellular matrices and the various connections through the cell wall to the cytoskeleton and beyond. The fungal cell is considered in the context of colony formation, as well as from a molecular point of view - from signal transduction to the vast tubular matrix that comprises the vacuole system - with an over-riding emphasis on biology. The volume concludes with a forward-looking consideration of genomics as perhaps the most powerful tool available for studies of the fungal cell. Each chapter, some lavishly illustrated, authored by highly respected scientists in the field, offers an in-depth review of the subject that is key to a basic understanding on how these organisms develop as cells, colonies and pathogens.