Ustilago
Encyclopedia
Ustilago is a genus
of approximately 200 smut fungi
parasitic on grasses
.
There is a large research community that works on Ustilago maydis including researchers at the University of Georgia
, Philipps-Universität Marburg, University of British Columbia
and others. Research with this organism has led to better understanding of the genetics
underlying self-non-self recognition through elucidation of the mating type system as well as fundamental aspects of signal transduction
and cell-cycle regulation.
U. maydis is also eaten as a traditional Mexican food known as huitlacoche
.
The genome
of U. maydis has been sequenced.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of approximately 200 smut fungi
Smut (fungus)
The smuts are multicellular fungi, that are characterized by their large numbers of teliospores. The smuts get their name from a Germanic word for dirt because of their dark, thick-walled and dust-like teliospores. They are mostly Ustilaginomycetes and can cause plant disease...
parasitic on grasses
Poaceae
The Poaceae is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called grasses, although the term "grass" is also applied to plants that are not in the Poaceae lineage, including the rushes and sedges...
.
There is a large research community that works on Ustilago maydis including researchers at the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
, Philipps-Universität Marburg, University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
and others. Research with this organism has led to better understanding of the genetics
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
underlying self-non-self recognition through elucidation of the mating type system as well as fundamental aspects of signal transduction
Signal transduction
Signal transduction occurs when an extracellular signaling molecule activates a cell surface receptor. In turn, this receptor alters intracellular molecules creating a response...
and cell-cycle regulation.
U. maydis is also eaten as a traditional Mexican food known as huitlacoche
Corn smut
Corn smut is a pathogenic plant fungus that causes smut disease on maize and teosinte...
.
The genome
Genome
In modern molecular biology and genetics, the genome is the entirety of an organism's hereditary information. It is encoded either in DNA or, for many types of virus, in RNA. The genome includes both the genes and the non-coding sequences of the DNA/RNA....
of U. maydis has been sequenced.
External links
- Ustilago at Index FungorumIndex FungorumIndex Fungorum, an international project to index all formal names in the Fungi Kingdom. Somewhat comparable to the IPNI, but with more contributing institutions....