Fungal Genetics

The Oxford Textbook of Medical Mycology is a comprehensive reference text which brings together the science and medicine of human fungal disease. Written by a leading group of international authors to bring a global expertise, it is divided into sections that deal with the principles of mycology, the organisms, a systems based approach to management, fungal disease in specific patient groups, diagnosis, and treatment. The detailed clinical chapters take account of recent international guidelines on the management of fungal disease. With chapters covering recent developments in taxonomy, fungal genetics and other 'omics', epidemiology, pathogenesis, and immunology, this textbook is well suited to aid both scientists and clinicians. The extensive illustrations, tables, and in-depth coverage of topics, including discussion of the non-infective aspects of allergic and toxin mediated fungal disease, are designed to aid the understanding of mechanisms and pathology, and extend the usual approach to fungal disease. This textbook is essential reading for microbiologists, research scientists, infectious diseases clinicians, respiratory physicians, and those managing immunocompromised patients. Part of the Oxford Textbook in Infectious Disease and Microbiology series, it is also a useful companion text for students and trainees looking to supplement mycology courses and microbiology training.

The significance of genetics in biology today stems to a considerable extent from the knowledge which has been obtained through the use of fungi as experimental objects. As a result of their short generation time, their ease of culture under laboratory conditions, and the possibil ity of identifying the four products of meiosis through tetrad analysis, the fungi have proven themselves in many ways superior to the classic genetic experimental material such as Drosophila and maize. Because they permit investigation of genetic fine structure as well as biochemical analysis of the function of the genetic material, the fungi can be used, just as the bacteria and bacteriophages, for molecular biological research. Further, the fungi, because of their simple organi zation, are suitable for investigation of the genetic and physiological bases of morphogenesis and of extrachromosomal inheritance. This monograph is an attempt to summarize and interpret the results of genetic research on fungi. The reader should be reminded that review and interpretation of original research are inevitably influenced by the authors' own opinions. An understanding of the basic principles of genetics is assumed.

This is a concise guide to the combined use of classical and molecular methods for the genetic analysis and breeding of fungi. It presents basic concepts and experimental designs, and demonstrates the power of fungal genetics for applied research in biotechnology and phytopathology. Case studies of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger, Neurospora crassa, Podospora anserina, Phytophthora infestans and others are included.

This volume details protocols covering nearly all aspects of fungal genomics. New and updated chapters guide the reader through experimental genomics, biotechnologies, and the analysis and processing of data. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Fungal Genomics : Methods and Protocols, Second Edition aims to ensure successful results in the further study of this vital field.

The chromosome theory as illustrated by the genetics of neurospora. Outline of the biology of fungi of genetic interest. The induction, isolation and characterization of mutants. Chromosome mapping-meiotic analysus. Genetic analysis based on mitosis. Polyploidy. The gene as a functional unit. The mechanism of genetic exchange and the fine structure of genes. The genetic control of metabolism. The genetic control of macromolecular structure. Systems of regulation of enzyme synthesis. The genetic control of sexual development. Extra-nuclear inheritance.

This is a concise guide to the combined use of classical and molecular methods for the genetic analysis and breeding of fungi. It presents basic concepts and experimental designs, and demonstrates the power of fungal genetics for applied research in biotechnology and phytopathology. Case studies of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger, Neurospora crassa, Podospora anserina, Phytophthora infestans and others are included.

Most genetics textbooks deal adequately with plant and animal genetics, but tend to neglect fungi. The authors have produced a book that will compensate for this imbalance. This book discusses the genetics of fungi in a way that is attractive and challenging, succinct yet comprehensive, sensitive to commercial and applied aspects, yet also theoretical, dealing with their genetics from molecules to individuals to population. This short text will be an ideal supplement to the established basic genetics texts or can be used as the sole text for an advanced course devoted to fungal genetics.

Research in the genomics of a handful of fungi has matured at an unprecedented rate allowing comprehensive review. Developments in fungal genomics should be of great significance to new strategies in fields where disciplinary crossovers of fungal genomics, genes and their regulation, expression, and engineering will have a strong impact in dealing with agriculture, foods, natural resources, life sciences, biotechnology, informatics, metabolomics, pharmaceuticals and bioactive compounds. This volume analyzes the commonly used molecular markers systems, and elaborates the development of biochemical genetics, which provides a model system that established the relationship between genes and enzymes. Current knowledge about the genomic and genetic variability of Candida albicans, the polymorphic fungus that is an opportunistic human pathogen of increasing medical importance, has been covered in detail. Current understanding of the genetics and functional genomic analysis of the most important fungal pathogens of staple food crops, rice and wheat among others is covered including chapters dealing with the genomics of economically important fungi such asMagnaporthe grisea, Aspergillus, Fusarium, Penicillium, Trichoderma, Rhizoctonia, Mycosphaerella graminicola, and entomopathogenic fungi. With several thousand recent citations, it is hoped that volume four will serve as a useful reference for knowledgeable veterans and beginners as well as those crossing disciplinary boundaries into the exciting field of biotechnology, genomics and bioinformatics of fungi.

This volume focuses on filamentous fungi and highlights the advances of the past decade, both in methodology and in the understanding of genomic organization and regulation of gene and pathway expression. The approaches and techniques of molecular biology enable us to ask and answer fundamental questions about many aspects of fungal biology, and op