Peter Hepler University of Massachusets.

PETER K. HEPLER is the Ray Ethan Torrey Professor, Emeritus in the Biology Department at the University of Massachuse�s, Amherst, MA. He has been inves�ga�ng the cytoskeleton in plants for over 50 years. He also studies the role of calcium and protons during signal transduc�on, and is par�cularly interested in the interplay between these ions and the cytoskeleton. Earlier work focused on the mechanism and control of cell division, with par�cular emphasis on cytokinesis. More recently a�en�on has been given to studies on the mechanism and regula�on of pollen tube growth. In his work Dr. Hepler uses a variety of microscopical methods and approaches including both light and electron microscopy. In more recent years an emphasis has been given to the examina�on of structures and dynamic processes as observed in living cells. He and co-workers have been involved in developing the methods and use of fluorescent analog cytochemistry, and as well as transient expression of fluorescent reporters to examine the cytoskeleton in living plant cells. He has also championed the use of ra�ometric ion imaging for examining the loca�on and dynamics of calcium and protons during plant growth and development.

Talk:Polarized growth of the pollen tube: a role for ions and ac�n.

Peter K. HeplerBiology Department, University of Massachuse�s, Amherst, MA 01003.

Pollen tubes are polarized, �p-growing cells that deliver sperm cells to the egg apparatus in higher plants. Their growth is essen�al for sexual reproduc�on, and for the development of the fruits, nuts and seeds that we eat. Herein I report on the mechanism of lily pollen tube growth.Rapid, polarized growth depends on the synthesis and localized secre�on of cell wall components, which are packaged in vesicles, and transported apically along ac�n microfilaments. Controlling factors include ac�n, which is organized as a cor�cal fringe in the pollen tube �p, plus apical gradients of calcium and pH. All these factors demonstrate an oscillatory behavior that correlates with the oscilla�on in growth rate. Quan�ta�ve studies indicate that increases in secre�on, the alkaline band, and ac�n polymeriza�on an�cipate the increases in growth rate, whereas increases in the calcium gradient follow the increases in growth rate.To gain further insight we reversibly inhibited growth with KCN, and followed the effects on calcium, pH, secre�on and the apical ac�n fringe. During recovery the calcium gradient reappears ≈2.5 minutes before growth restarts. However the alkaline band precedes the increase in calcium. Secre�on follows a pa�ern similar to the alkaline band, re-emerging before KCN has been removed. KCN also degrades the ac�n fringe. Secre�on, which restarts in the absence of the fringe, ini�ally lacks focus and causes ballooning of the apex. However, with the re-appearance of the fringe, growth becomes polarized. I suggest that the ac�n fringe delivers vesicles to their secretory locus, thereby giving polarity to the growing pollen tube, while the proton ATPase establishes the membrane poten�al and ion gradients that control the transport of nutrients necessary for growth.

Luis Cárdenas Ins�tuto de Biotecnología, UNAM.

Talk:Reac�ve oxygen species in plant root hair cells as key regulators of the symbio�c interac�ons and in pollen tubes as growth rate modulators.

1 1 1 2 2 1 2Cárdenas, L. , Hernández-Barrera, A. , Velarde-Buendía, A., Sánchez, R. , Johnson E. , Wu, H.M. , Quinto, C. , Cheung, A. .1Ins�tuto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ap. Postal 510-3 Cuernavaca, Morelos, México. luisc@ibt.unam.mx2Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Massachuse�s, Amherst.

In plant cells ROS accumula�on have been involved in several processes such as: development, hypersensi�ve response, hormonal percep�on, gravitropism and stress response. In guard cells from Vicia faba it has been shown to regulates the opening of stomata and in root hair cells from Arabidopsis ROS levels generate and maintain an apical calcium gradient and it has been proposed to play a key role in the cell wall remodeling during polar growth in pollen tubes and other �p growing cells. NADPH oxidases have emerged as the main source of ROS to sustain the polar growth since muta�ons in this genes impairs the ROS genera�on and root hair development. Furthermore, ROS have emerged as a key regulator during the mutualis�c interac�ons and silencing or overexpression of ROS genera�ng enzymes such as NADPH oxidases affect the onset of nodula�on and mycorrhiza�on.Pollen tubes and root hairs exhibit an oscillatory growth with phase of high and low growth rate. It has been shown that extracellular ROS produc�on also oscillate with a similar frequency, but out of phase. However, a clear analysis of intracellular ROS dynamic has not been depicted.Herein we report a new molecular probe to depict the ROS dynamic during root hair cell and pollen tube apical growth. Hyper is a new generated GFP fused to the OxyR domain that result in a hydrogen peroxide specific probe. This molecular probe was expressed in root hair cells from Arabidopsis and tobacco pollen tubes . By using high resolu�on microscopy we depicted an apical H₂O₂ gradient at the �p dome where the polar growth occur, furthermore we were able to visualize dynamic ROS oscilla�ons in root hair cells, which are couple to growth. In pollen tubes we also found a par�cular ROS distribu�on, with clear oscilla�ons couple to growth fluctua�ons. In both �p growing cells, the apical regions are the site where the more dynamic ROS changes were observed, furthermore we describe the localiza�on of the NADPH oxidase in membrane lipid ra�, sugges�ng a pivotal role in polar growth.

LUIS CÁRDENAS is a tenured professor at the Ins�tute of Biotechnology (IBT) of the Na�onal Autonomous University of México (UNAM) and a researcher at the Plant Molecular Biology Department. He earned his PhD from IBT-UNAM and then visited Peter K. Hepler´s lab in the USA for a postdoctoral training. He described that Nod factors (NFs) from Rhizobium induced an extensive fragmenta�on of the ac�n cytoskeleton in living root hair cells. This study, which was as a cover story in Plant Physiology, has been cited over 100 �mes and is emerging as a benchmark for further work on the structure of ac�n in response to NFs. These studies formed the basis for a review in Plant Physiology in 2000, which was highlighted as an Editors' Choice in Science. Perhaps his most insigh�ul work was the discovery that reduced NAD, an important energy co-enzyme associated with mitochondria, oscillated during pollen tube growth, with oxidized NAD an�cipa�ng the increase in growth rate. These studies led to the hypothesis that oscilla�ons in metabolism ini�ate cell growth. This work was published in Plant Physiology and con�nues to be an emerging interes�ng aspect of plant cell growth. This contribu�on was singled out by Faculty of 1000 as an important contribu�on. He was awarded with the Alfonso Caso medal from UNAM as the best PhD student of his genera�on, and his thesis awarded the Weisman prize from the Mexican Academy of Science. He was also awarded an American Society of Microbiology (ASM) fellowship to do summer training in Simon Gilroy's lab. At the moment he is interested in life cell imaging, polar growth, differen�a�on, and plant– microbe interac�on. His work is fully supported by DGAPA UNAM and CONACyT, the two main sources for financial support.

Reinhard FischerKarlsruhe Ins�tute of Technology.

REINHARD FISCHER is a Full Professor at the Karlsruhe Ins�tute of Technology (KIT) in Karlsruhe, Germany. He is leading an independent research group on fungal molecular biology since 1994 and is interna�onally well-recognized. He and his research team analyzes different aspects of fungal biology. Main fields are the photoresponse of Aspergillus nidulans, where he discovered a role for phytochrome in fungi. Another focus is the cell- and molecular biological analysis of polarized growth. In an applied

Talk:

Septal microtubule-organizing centers of Aspergillus nidulans share proteins with the outer plaque of spindle pole bodies and are anchored at septa through the disordered protein Spa10.

1 1 1 1 2 2Ying Zhang , Xiaolei Gao , Raphael Manck , Marjorie Schmid , Aysha H. Osmani , Stephen A. Osmani , Norio 1, 3 11Takeshita and Reinhard Fischer *

1Karlsruhe Ins�tute of Technology (KIT) - South Campus, Ins�tute for Applied Biosciences, Dept. of Microbiology Hertzstrasse 16 D-76187 Karlsruhe Phone: +49-721-6084-4630 Fax: +49-721-6084-4509E-mail: reinhard.fischer@KIT.edu homepage: www.iab.kit.de

Microtubule-organizing centers (MTOCs), such as centrosomes or spindle-pole bodies (SPBs) of fungi, are large, mul�-subunit protein complexes. In the model fungus Aspergillus nidulans septum-associated MTOCs (sMTOCs) nucleate microtubules in addi�on to SPBs. The structure of sMTOCs is poorly understood and how they are targeted to septa is unknown. Here, we show that in A. nidulans several SPB outer plaque proteins are conserved at sMTOCs, while SfiA, a protein required for SPB duplica�on in S. cerevisiae and PcpA, the anchor for γ-TuRC at the SPB inner plaque, were specific for SPBs. The disordered protein Spa18 and the centrosomin-domain (CM) containing protein ApsB were required for recrui�ng the γ-TuRC component GcpC to sMTOCs and for MT forma�on from septa. The disordered protein Spa10 localized to the constric�ng ring during septa�on and at mature septa formed a central disk where Spa18 and ApsB a�ached to the rim. Collec�vely, we present first evidence that a septum-specific, disordered protein serves as an anchor for MTOCs.

research field, he analyzes the secondary metabolism of Alternaria alternata to discover novel compounds and understand the gene�c regula�on of the involved genes. Recently, he started a new line of research with the analysis of the molecular biology of nematode-trapping fungi.Reinhard Fischer has served as editor or associate editor for several journals such as Fungal Gene�cs and Biology (2000-2012), Molecular Microbiology (since 2005), FEMS Microbiol. Le�ers (2005-2007), Molecular Genomics and Gene�cs (since 2006), Eukaryo�c Cell (2013-2015), mSphere (since 2016), and mBio (since 2016). He was the organizer of the annual mee�ng of the German Microbiological Society (VAAM)(1500 par�cipants) in 2011 and of the interna�onal mee�ng on Fungal Biology (FBC)(300 par�cipants) in 2013. He is elected member of the grant review panel for Microbiology, Immunology and Virology at the German Science Founda�on (DFG) since 2012, re-elected 2016. He is liaison professor of the Studiens��ung des deutschen Volkes since 2009. He has educated 35 Ph.D. students and more than 40 Diploma- or Master students.

Rosa Mouriño PérezCICESE, Ensenada

ROSA R. MOURIÑO-PERÉZ is a Research Professor in the Department of Microbiology at the Center for Scien�fic Research and Higher Educa�on of Ensenada (CICESE) since 2003. She is a leader in the combined use of molecular biology and different fluorescence microscopy methods to study basic aspects of the fungal cytoskeleton and hyphal morphogenesis. She has made progress in understanding the structure and func�on of microtubules and ac�n and their associated proteins, as well as processes such as endocytosis during polarized growth of fungal cells. She also studies the diversity of Candida spp and risk factors in women and HIV/AIDS pa�ents in Baja California and the resistance to an�fungal drugs. She is associated editor of Mycologia. She has served in the Mycological Society of America (MSA) as member of the Gene�cs and Cell Biology Commi�ee (2015-2018), and as councilor for . She has served as member of the Cell Biology/Physiology (2013-2015)Biology Commission of CONACYT-Ciencia Basica (2013-2014).

Talk:Membrane asymmetry markers and polarized growth in Neurospora crassa.

1 1 2 2Rosa R. Mouriño Pérez , Ivan Murillo Corona , Zachary Schultzhaus and Brian D. Shaw , Olga A. Callejas-1Negrete .

1Department of Microbiology. Centro de Inves�gación Cien�fica y Educación Superior de Ensenada, Ensenada, B. C. Mexico. Carretera Ensenada-Tijuana 3918, Zona Playitas, 22860. 646-1750590. rmourino@cicese.mx. 2Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Program for the Biology of Filamentous Fungi, 2132 TAMU, Texas A&M University, College Sta�on, TX 77843, USA.

In fungal cells, specialized proteins gather in specific places to break cell symmetry and produce hyphae. This organiza�on includes the orchestra�on of two dis�nct vesicle processes, endocytosis and exocytosis that take place in tandem in different areas of the apical compartment in growing hyphae. Part of the signals for endocytosis and endocytosis include the asymmetry of the plasma membrane phospholipid bilayer. We studied the flippases, DNF-1 and DRS-2 that seem to be responsible for this membrane asymmetry. The muta�on of dnf-1 and drs-2 genes produced altera�on in the maintenance and stability of the Spitzenkörper and affected the ac�n cytoskeleton organiza�on in the apical compartment. Surprisingly, neither of the flippases DNF-1 and DRS-2 was present in the plasma membrane, both were localized in different layers of the Spitzenkörper, associated to different secretory vesicles. DRS-2 was associated to vesicles transpor�ng chi�n synthases. These results indicate that phospholipid flippases (P4 ATPases) may be important for polarity on secretory vesicles, Spitzenkörper integrity and thus for the localiza�on of many �p growing proteins.

.

Michael Freitag Oregon State University, Corvallis.

MICHAEL FREITAG was born and raised in Germany, wandering the world a�er finishing his degree in Forestry, and ending up in Oregon to study biocontrol of wood decay fungi (MS), which lead to a PhD on transla�onal control of gene regula�on in Neurospora. As post-doc Michael spent a decade at the University of Oregon to learn the ins and outs of DNA methyla�on in fungi, and since 2006 has been a professor at the nearby Oregon State University working on centromeres, kinetochores and chroma�n-mediated gene silencing in Neurospora, Fusarium and Zymoseptoria. Michael has been co-author on a dozen genome papers, including the first high-quality dra� genome assembled from short reads alone (Sordaria). Recently his lab published the first high-density chromosome conforma�on capture maps of Neurospora. Most of his current work centers on chroma�n-mediated silencing in Fusarium, where histone H3 lysine 27 methyla�on controls about 33% of all genes, including genes involved in pathogenicity and secondary metabolism. Michael is associate editor of GENETICS, PLOS Gene�cs and PLOS ONE, and was an elected member of the Neurospora Policy Commi�ee (2008-2012) and FusiGroup (2012-2016). He received the 2014 Beadle and Tatum Award.

Talk:Heterochroma�n, kinetochores and polarized growth.

Pallavi Phatale, Jonathan Galazka, Steve Friedman, Kris�na Smith and Michael Freitag.Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA, freitagm@oregonstate.edu

The largest stretches of heterochroma�n, the transcrip�onally silent regions of the genome, are usually found in the centromeric regions of filamentous fungi. Recently we found that heterochroma�n is not required for the proper conforma�on of chromosomes in Neurospora. While absence of important proteins involved in assembly or maintenance of heterochroma�n shi�s the balance of the centromere-specific histone H3, CenH3 (CENP-A), the addi�onal growth defects and differences in vegeta�ve growth are minor. In addi�on, many of the proteins that make up the kinetochore, the machinery involved in chromosome segrega�on, are not essen�al and few dele�on mutants show growth defects. In earlier studies we showed that many nuclei were transported on microtubules that were a�ached to the heterochroma�c centromere-kinetochore region, and dragging the remainder of the nucleus along, resul�ng in pear-shaped nuclei. While some kinetochore muta�ons are lethal, presumably because of defects in division, it now seems unlikely that defec�ve tethering to microtubules influences overall polarized growth.

.

Gerhard BrausGeorg August University, Gö�ngen.

GERHARD BRAUS studied Biology at the University of Freiburg. He

earned a PhD degree (1987) and the habilita�on (1992) at the ETH

Zürich. He was appointed as Assoc. Professor of Biochemistry at

University of Erlangen in 1993 and Full Professor of Microbiology

& Gene�cs in Gö�ngen in 1996. Addi�onal periods included the

Biocenter in Basel, the University of Georgia in Athens GA, and the

BMS Ins�tute of Func�onal Genomics, Princeton NJ. He is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and the Akademie der

Wissenscha�en Gö�ngen. The Braus laboratory focuses on gene�cs, biochemistry and cell biology of

eukaryo�c microorganisms (yeasts and filamentous fungi). The interplay between development

(adhesion, filament forma�on, �ssue forma�on) and secondary metabolism (ac�ng as benign or toxic

bioac�ve molecules) is analysed. A second line of research examines the impact of fungal pathogens

on human health and agriculture. Research topics include: (i) From single cells to filaments (yeast vs.

pseudohyphae). (ii) Control of fungal development & secondary metabolism. (iii) The ubiqui�n family,

the COP9 signalosome, the proteasome & fungal development. (iv)Fungal pathogenicity and human

health: the opportunis�c pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus. (v) Fungal pathogenicity and agriculture:

the vascular plant pathogen Ver�cillium spp. (vi) Fungi as models for neurodegenera�ve diseases

(Morbus Parkinson).

Talk:Pos�ransla�onal modifica�ons in fungal development, virulence and secondary metabolism.

Gerhard H. Braus. Molekulare Mikrobiologie and Gene�k, Georg-August-Universität Gö�ngen, D-37077 Gö�ngen, Germany; gbraus@gwdg.de

Differen�a�on, virulence and secondary metabolism are linked processes in fungi. The control network is complex and includes several layers of regula�on. Transcrip�onal control is linked to controlled protein degrada�on and epigene�c control, which includes different forms of pos�ransla�onal modifica�ons as phosphoryla�on, acetyla�on, methyla�on or ubiqui�n-like modifiers. Current work in the lab about A. nidulans and A. fumigatus will be discussed..

Jesús AguirreUNAM, Mexico City.

JESÚS AGUIRRE is a Biologist. He received his PhD in Biomedical Research from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) in 1988. Then he became postdoctoral associate in the laboratory of Dr. William Timberlake, Department of Gene�cs, University of Georgia (USA) from 1988 to 1991. Since 1991, he has been a researcher at Ins�tuto de Fisiología Celular-UNAM. From 2000-2001 Dr.

Aguirre spent a sabba�cal year at the University of California-Davis. Currently, he is professor and Head of the Department of Cell Biology and Development. Dr. Aguirre works with the model fungi Aspergillus nidulans and Neurospora crassa, to approach ques�ons related to stress signaling and cell differen�a�on. A�er proposing cell differen�a�on as a response to an hyperoxidant state, his research has been focused on studying the mechanisms by which fungi produce, perceive, and detoxify reac�ve oxygen species (ROS), and the roles that ROS have in gene expression and cell differen�a�on. He has published 38 scien�fic ar�cles in indexed interna�onal journals, including Molecular Microbiology, Trends in Microbiology, and The Plant Cell. His papers have been cited more than 2100 �mes. Dr. Aguirre has obtained several na�onal and interna�onal grants to fund his research and is a regular reviewer for interna�onal funding agencies, and journals like Eukaryo�c Cell, Molecular Microbiology, Gene�cs, Fungal Gene�cs and Biology, and was member of the Eukaryo�c Cell Editorial Board.

Talk:Self-self communica�on and polar growth in Aspergillus nidulans.

Gabriela Soid-Raggi, Olivia Sánchez, Jose Luis Ramos-Balderas and Jesús Aguirre. Departamento de Biología Celular y del Desarrollo, Ins�tuto de Fisiología Celular-UNAM. Apartado Postal 70-242, 04510, Cd. de México, México.

Aspergillus nidulans asexual sporula�on (conidia�on) is triggered by different environmental signals and involves the differen�a�on of specialized structures called conidiophores. The elimina�on of genes flbA-E, fluG and tmpA results in a fluffy phenotype characterized by delayed conidiophore development, decreased expression of the conidia�on essen�al gene brlA and con�nuous polarized growth of the conidiophore stalk. While flbA-E encode regulatory proteins, fluG and tmpA encode enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of independent signals needed for normal conidia�on. Here we iden�fy afeA and tmpB as new genes encoding members the adenylate-forming enzyme superfamily, whose inac�va�on cause different fluffy phenotypes and decreased conidia�on and brlA expression. AfeA is most similar to unknown func�on coumarate ligase-like (4CL-Lk) enzymes and consistent with this, a K544N ac�ve site modifica�on eliminates AfeA func�on. TmpB, iden�fied previously as a larger homolog of the oxidoreductase TmpA, contains a NRPS-type adenyla�on domain. A high degree of synteny in the afeA-tmpA and tmpB regions in the Aspergilli suggests that these genes are part of conserved gene clusters. afeA, tmpA and tmpB double and triple mutant analysis as well as afeA overexpression experiments indicate that TmpA and AfeA act in the same conidia�on pathway. Furthermore, AfeA overexpression requires TmpA for conidia�on to take place, indica�ng that TmpA func�ons downstream of AfeA. In contrast, TmpB acts in a different pathway. Fluorescent protein tagging shows that func�onal versions of AfeA are localized in organelle-type lipid bodies and the plasma membrane, while TmpA and TmpB are localized at the plasma membrane. We propose that AfeA par�cipates in the biosynthesis of an acylated compound, either a p-cuomaryl type or a fa�y acid compound, which might be oxidized by TmpA and/or TmpB, while TmpB adenyla�on domain would be involved in the ac�va�on of a hydrophobic amino acid, which in turn would be oxidized by the TmpB oxidoreductase domain. Both, AfeA-TmpA and TmpB signals are involved in self-communica�on and reproduc�on in A. nidulans.

Jörg KämperKarlsruhe Ins�tute of Technology.

JÖRG KÄMPER is a Research Professor in the Department of Gene�cs at the Ins�tute of Applied Biosciences at Karlsruhe Ins�tute of Technology (KIT). His research focuses on the processes during the switch from the saprophy�c to the pathogenic lifestyle of the corn smut fungus Us�lago maydis. His group has iden�fied several transcrip�on factors required to establish of the

biotrophic phase using a combina�on of array analysis and reverse-gene�c approaches. These factors are part of a regulatory network that integrates different signals to coordinate cell cycle (and morphogenesis) and the adapta�on of the hyphae to the environment in the host plant. The group is also interested in carbon acquisi�on of the fungus during biotrophic growth, and the reprogramming of the plant by the fungus to redirect carbon flows. Other interests are novel connec�ons between the RNA splicing machinery to cellular transport processes.

Talk:Controlling the lifestyle of Us�lago maydis: a ma�er of hierarchy, synergy and coopera�on.

Jonas Ulrich, Benjamin Faist, Julia Fortenbacher, Ma�eo Jurca, Jörg Kämper.Department of Gene�cs, Karlsruhe Ins�tute of Technology, 76187 Karlsruhe, Germany.

In Us�lago maydis, the switch from saprophy�c growth to the establishment of the pathogenic stage is controlled via a closely interconnected and cross-controlled network of transcrip�on factors. This network integrates both signaling via a pheromone/receptor system and the control ini�ated by the bE/bW heterodimeric transcrip�on factor, encoded by the a and b-ma�ng type loci, respec�vely. The a and b pathways merge at Rbf1, a key transcrip�onal regulator for pathogenic development, cell cycle control and the ini�a�on of the pathogenic program.Although ectopic expression of Rbf1 is sufficient to ini�ate pathogenic development, further stages require (1) addi�onal factors as the b-dependently expressed Clp1 protein for cell cycle progression and (2) addi�onal b-regulated genes to establish the biotrophic interface.Chip-Seq analysis revealed that the bE/bW-heterodimer binds to the promoters of only few genes (including rbf1) on its own, while Rbf1 binding is found for more than 600 genes. A complex expression pa�ern is achieved by the coopera�ve binding of Rbf1 and bE/bW. Promoter-binding can be found for the one or other protein alone, but more frequently Rbf1 and bE/bW are tethered in a common complex where either DNA-binding of bE/bW, DNA-binding of Rbf1, or DNA-binding of both proteins is required. As binding of Rbf1 alters the expression only of a subset of genes, and Rbf1 expression is deceasing a�er plant penetra�on, we assume that Rbf1 resembles a pla�orm to prime the cells for the regula�on of next development stage in combina�on with addi�onal transcrip�on factors as Hdp2 and Biz1. Both proteins are essen�al for the ini�a�on of pathogenic development as well as for later stages in the host plant when the rbf1 is turned off. Addi�onal control within the network is achieved via Clp1. Interac�on of Clp1 with Rbf1 and bE stalls b-dependent gene regula�on. As the protein/protein interac�on with Clp1 has no impact on bE or Rbf1 DNA-binding, we are currently inves�ga�ng an altera�on of chroma�n structure upon Clp1 binding. The combinatorial control by bE/bW and Rbf1 with other factors in a mul�layered network facilitates the complex regulatory traits of the sexual and pathogenic development in response to the plant environment.

Ulrich KückRuhr-University, Bochum.

ULRICH KÜCK is Full Professor for General and Molecular Botany at the Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany. His main research interest is the field of fungal and organelle gene�cs. In par�cular, he has discovered trans-splicing of chloroplast intron RNA in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhard�i, and a sexual life cycle in the penicillin producing fungus Penicillium chrysogenum. Currently, he is interested

in the func�on of the stria�n-interac�ng phosphatases and kinases (STRIPAK) complex, a highly conserved eukaryo�c protein complex that was recently described for diverse animal and fungal species. In the ascomycete Sordaria macrospora, STRIPAK controls hyphal fusion and frui�ng body forma�on.He is member of several professional socie�es, e.g. German Society for the Associa�on for General and Applied Microbiology (VAAM); American Society for Microbiology (ASM), Gene�cs Society of America (GSA). From 1995 to 1999, he served as dean of the Biological Faculty (Ruhr-University). From 2001 to 2009, he was chairman of the DFG funded Research Ini�a�ve “Molecular Biology of Complex Performances of Botanical Systems” (SFB 480), and since 2014, he is Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology. Currently, he is member of the Grant Panel 201 (Gene�cs) of the German Science Founda�on (DFG).

Talk:Transcrip�on factor PRO1, a master regulator of fungal developmental signaling pathways.

Ulrich Kück. Ruhr-University, Bochum.

The filamentous fungus Sordaria macrospora is a model system to study mul�cellular development during frui�ng body forma�on. Previously, we demonstrated that this major process in the sexual life cycle is controlled by the Zn(II) Cys zinc cluster transcrip�on factor 2 6

PRO1. In this contribu�on, I will provide an inves�ga�on of the genome-wide regulatory network controlled by PRO1. To iden�fy target genes and the corresponding binding sites for PRO1, we employed chroma�n immunoprecipita�on combined with next-genera�on sequencing (ChIP-seq). We iden�fied several target regions that occur in the promoter regions of genes encoding components of diverse signaling pathways. Furthermore, we iden�fied a conserved DNA-binding mo�f that is bound specifically by PRO1 in vitro. In addi�on, PRO1 controls in vivo the expression of a DsRed reporter gene under the control of the esdC target gene promoter. Our ChIP-seq data suggest that PRO1 also controls target genes previously shown to be involved in regula�ng the pathways controlling cell wall integrity, NADPH oxidase (NOX), and pheromone signaling. Our data point to PRO1 ac�ng as a master regulator of genes for signaling components that comprise a developmental cascade controlling frui�ng body forma�on.

Natalia RequenaKarlsruhe Ins�tute of Technology.

NATALIA REQUENA received undergraduate and graduate training at the University of Granada, Spain. Her PhD thesis was on “Restora�on of degraded Ecosystems by the use of microorganisms”, supervised by Jose Miguel Barea. From 1997 to 2000 she was a post-doctoral fellow with Philipp Franken at the Max Planck Ins�tute for terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany. Her research then focused on molecular analyses of the arbuscular mycorrhiza symbiosis. Dr. Requena established her own research group in 2001 at the University of Tübingen where she obtained her Habilita�on for Microbiology and Botany. She then was awarded with a DFG Heisenberg S�pendium and moved to the University of Karlsruhe. She was appointed as associate professor at the Karlsruhe Ins�tute of Technology (KIT) in 2012. Her research currently focuses on the molecular dissec�on of plant-microbial interac�ons, par�cularly on the arbuscular mycorrhiza symbiosis.

Talk:Plant cell rewiring through arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal effectors.

Natalia Requena, Ruben Betz, Sven Heidt, Meike Hartmann and Stefanie WalterMolecular Phytopathology, Karlsruhe Ins�tute of Technology, Fritz Haber-Weg 4, 76131 Karlsruhe.

The arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) symbiosis represents one of the most ancient and widespread symbiosis on the earth, characterized by an in�mate life-long associa�on between Glomeromycotan fungi and most plant roots. The establishment and maintenance of the symbiosis requires a complex communica�on exchange between symbionts and secreted fungal effector proteins might be key to facilitate coloniza�on and nutrient exchange. Compared to other biotrophic fungi, the effectome of the AM fungus Rhizophagus irregularis seems to be rather small, considering the small number of proteins iden�fied containing a secre�on signal. Interes�ngly, R. irregularis is able to colonize the majority of land plants in contrast to most plant colonizing fungi that have a quite narrow host range. We thus hypothezise that the few effector candidates iden�fied are conserved in other AM fungi and might play crucial roles in rewiring the plant physiology.We previously iden�fied the effector SP7 (secreted protein 7) the first characterized AM effector, and a group of related proteins (SP7-like2, SP31 and SPrubi). All members of this family show the same basic protein structure with a central domain of tandem, hydrophilic and imperfect repeats and a nuclear localiza�on signal. Although there is evidence of a posi�ve effect on symbiosis for SP7, the molecular mechanisms underlying the symbio�c func�on of the SP family remain elusive. Detailed in planta co-localiza�on experiments with defined cell markers together with interactomic studies revealed a direct associa�on of the SP effectors with spliceosomal components, the nonsense mediated decay and plasmodesmata. Thereby Processing bodies (specific cytoplasmic RNA-Protein granules) could be iden�fied as a novel plant target of fungal effectors. Our results point out towards a significant involvement of AM fungal SP effectors in the conserved plant mRNA processing machinery leading to transla�onal control. Recent results will be presented.

André FleißnerTechnical University of Braunschweig.

ANDRÉ FLEISSNER studied Biology at the Freie Universität Berlin and the University of Münster, Germany, where he obtained his Diploma in Microbiology in 1999. In 2002 he graduated as Dr. rer. nat. at the University Münster, where he had studied plant-fungus interac�ons. He then joined the group of Louise Glass at the University of California, Berkeley as a postdoctoral researcher. In Berkeley, he inves�gated eukaryo�c cell communica�on and fusion, using Neurospora crassa as a model organism. In 2008, Andre joined the Braunschweig Ins�tute of Technology, Germany, where he was promoted to an associate professor in 2014. In addi�on to cell communica�on and fusion, his group is studying fungal differen�a�on, pathogenic development and biotechnological applica�ons.

Talk:Fungal dialogs: Cell communica�on and fusion in Neurospora crassa.

André FleißnerIns�tut für Gene�k, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Spielmannstraße 7, 38106 Braunschweig, Phone: +49-531-3915795. E-mail: a.fleissner@tu-bs.de

Germina�ng conidia of many filamentous fungi sense each other and fuse. As a result, a germling network is formed, which further develops into the mycelial colony. Gene�c analysis combined with live-cell imaging revealed an unusual mode of communica�on during these spore interac�ons in Neurospora crassa. The two fusion partners appear to switch between signal sending and receiving thereby establishing a kind of “cell-cell dialog”. This interac�on involves the alterna�ng recruitment of the MAK-2 MAP kinase module and the SO protein to the plasma membrane. Our further analysis revealed that the composi�on of the plasma membrane is cri�cal for a proper cell-cell interac�on. Mutants accumula�ng specific ergosterol precursors with a conjugated double bond in the side chain are deficient in germling fusion, par�cularly in the processes a�er cell-cell contact. While the membrane recruitment of MAK-2 is mostly unaffected in these strains, SO strongly mislocalizes. SO interacts with another MAP kinase module, the MAK-1 pathway. In wild type, MAK-1 is recruited to the fusion point a�er cell-cell contact, but fails to accumulate in the sterol mutants. Inhibi�on of MAK-1 in a chemical gene�cs approach reproduces the phenotype of the sterol mutants. Together these data indicate that specific minor changes in the ergosterol molecule structure can exert major effects on specific signal transduc�on pathways.In addi�on, we recently iden�fied a novel SO interac�on partner, SIP-1. While SIP-1 exhibits similar subcellular dynamics as SO during the cell-cell interac�on, it also localizes in an oscilla�ng manner to individual, non-interac�ng cell �ps. This surprising finding indicates that germina�ng spores con�nuously alternate between two physiological stages.We currently extended our inves�ga�ons to the plant pathogenic grey mold Botry�s cinerea. Germling fusion in this fungus also seems to involve the “cell-cell dialog” mechanism. Interes�ngly, spores of both species can also interact with each other via this communica�on mode, indica�ng that it is highly conserved.

Meritxell RiquelmeCICESE, Ensenada.

MERITXELL RIQUELME is a Research Professor in the Department of Microbiology at the Center for Scien�fic Research and Higher Educa�on of Ensenada (CICESE). She is a leader in the combined use of molecular biology and confocal microscopy to study basic aspects of hyphal morphogenesis in fungi. She has made much progress in defining the biochemical role and secretory routes of vesicles involved inthe polar growth of a fungal hypha. She also studies the ecological distribu�on of the human pathogen Coccidioides spp., a fungus that causes Coccidiodomycosis or Valley Fever in the semi-arid regions of Baja California. More recently she has explored the fungal diversity of semiarid ecosystems of Baja California and of deep-sea sediments of the Gulf of México.She is editor of the journals Fungal Biology and Fungal Gene�cs and Biology. She has served in the Mycological Society of America (MSA) as member of the Karling Lecture Commi�ee (chair 2007-2008) and the Gene�cs and Cell Biology Commi�ee (chair 2009-2010), and as councilor for . She has been elected member of the Neurospora Cell Biology/Physiology (2014-2016)Policy Commi�ee (2008-2012), the Fungal Gene�cs Policy Commi�ee (since 2013), the Interna�onal Fungal Biology Conference Steering Commi�ee (since 2014), and the Execu�ve Commi�ee of the Interna�onal Mycological Associa�on (since 2014).

Talk:The making of Neurospora crassa hyphae: behind the scenes of a fungal mo�on picture

Meritxell Riquelme, Leonora Mar�nez-Núñez, Adriana Rico-Ramírez, Anayatzin Aguilar, and Alfredo Figueroa.Departamento de Microbiología, Centro de Inves�gación Cien�fica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada, CICESE.

Filamentous fungi have proven to be a be�er-suited model system than unicellular yeasts when analyzing cellular processes such as polarized growth. Neurospora crassa has been at the vanguard of biochemistry and gene�cs for over a century. We have used this fast-growing organism to iden�fy and analyze by live fluorescence imaging key players of the secretory processes leading to a localized delivery of vesicles at sites of cell growth. Chi�n synthases are contained in microvesicles (chitosomes), which concentrate at the core of the Spitzenkörper (Spk), while β-1,3-glucan synthases are contained in macrovesicles, which occupy the outer layer of the Spk. In contrast, glycoside hydrolases BGT-1 and BGT-2 are transported to the apical PM, without accumula�ng at the Spk. This suggests different delivery routes of cell wall synthesizing and loosening enzymes to coordinately build a plas�c wall at the apex. Small Rab GTPases mediate the vesicular journey along the hyphae towards the apex, where the octameric exocyst complex mediates vesicle tethering at the apical plasma membrane. Some of the most recent research in the lab has allowed us to iden�fy early and late Golgi cisternae, an extensive ER network, early endosomes, vacuoles, and large globular organelles that seem to correspond to prevacuolar compartments or mul�vesicular bodies. Our current efforts are oriented towards understanding the secretory pathway/s followed by the cell wall biosynthe�c nanomachinery.

Leonardo Peraza Reyes.UNAM, Mexico City.

LEONARDO PERAZA REYES is an Associate Research Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology at the Ins�tute of Cell Physiology of the Na�onal Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). His research is intended to understand organelle func�on, dynamics and crosstalk during cellular development. His research has contributed to the understanding of peroxisome and mitochondrion func�on

and regula�on during cell development, and in the elucida�on of cellular processes governing sexual development in fungi. Current research from his laboratory aims to understand the basis, regula�on and role of the interac�ons between organelles –including peroxisomes, mitochondria, the endoplasmic re�culum and endosomes– during fungal development. He is a Na�onal Researcher from the Na�onal System of Researchers of Mexico (SNI), and member of the Mexican Society of Biochemistry. He has been fellowship recipient from the European Leukodystrophy Associa�on (ELA), and has served as reviewer for specialized journals like Molecular Microbiology and Fungal Gene�cs and Biology.

Talk:Role of peroxisomes and the endoplasmic re�culum in meio�c development of Podospora anserina.

Antonio de Jesús López-Fuentes, Karime Naid Nachón-Garduño, Fernando Suaste-Olmos, Harumi Takano-Rojas, Claudia Zirión Mar�nez, Leonardo Peraza-Reyes.

Fungal sexual reproduc�on is a complex process that requires precise coordina�on between the differen�a�on of mul�ple cell types, the forma�on of mul�cellular frui�ng bodies and nuclear progression through karyogamy and meiosis. Research on the filamentous ascomycete Podospora anserina has shown that peroxisomes play important roles at different steps of this process. We have shown that different stages of sexual development depend on specific peroxisome biogenesis factors. In addi�on, we have demonstrated that the func�onal state of the protein machinery that drives the import of proteins into peroxisomes changes along sexual development progression. Furthermore, we discovered a precise regula�on of peroxisome dynamics throughout sexual development, in which peroxisome morphology, distribu�on, size and number change between different cell types, and at different developmental stages. These data suggest that peroxisome cons�tu�on and func�on during development depend on the concerted ac�vity of the proteins driving peroxisome assembly and dynamics. Actually, our data are consistent with the existence of dis�nct peroxisome protein import pathways implicated in different stages of sexual development: whereas progression through meio�c development depends on the canonical peroxisome matrix protein import pathways, the ini�a�on of meio�c development could rely on an alterna�ve peroxisome protein import pathway. Importantly, it is known that peroxisome forma�on and dynamics depend on the endoplasmic re�culum (ER), and we have observed that progression through meio�c development also requires the ac�vity of proteins that shape the ER. Therefore, our research suggests that peroxisomes and the ER act together in the orchestra�on of meio�c development in P. anserina.

Robert RobersonArizona State University.

ROBBY ROBERSON is an Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Director of the Electron Microscopy Facility in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, USA. His interests include polarized growth in eukaryo�c cells; specifically, fungal hyphae where his research focuses on elucida�ng aspects of cytoplasmic structure and mo�lity. Contribu�ons from Roberson's lab include the discovery of aSpitzenkörper and its role as a microtubule organizing center in hyphae of Allomyces, the use of high-resolu�on electron tomography in describing the hyphal apex in Aspergillus, and studies of cytoskeletal dynamics and func�on in Neurospora. Currently he is discovering novel subcellular characteris�cs of the zygomycetes, a poorly known but important group of the Mycota, and is developing methods for imaging vitrified hyphae and spores use cryoEM.He has served as associate editor of Mycologia (2009-2012) and Mycological Research (2000-2005). He has par�cipated in the Mycological Society of America as member of the Gene�cs and Cell Biology Commi�ee (chair 2009-2010), was elected to the Interna�onal Fungal Biology Conference Steering Commi�ee (2003-2010), and has served as a reviewer of mul�ply research ar�cles, chapters, and books.

Talk:Hyphal Tip Organiza�on and Behavior in the Zygomycetous Fungi.

Robert W. Roberson and Karen Fisher School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA.

The zygomycetous fungi (formerly Phylum Zygomycota) represent an extremely diverse group of fungi ranging from saprobes, to plant and insect pathogens, to the symbio�c mycorrhiza, and are morphologically and ecologically dis�nct from other fungi. Zygomycetes are filamentous, non-flagellated fungi and mark the major transi�on away from the aqua�c, zoosporic fungi (Chytridiomycota, Blastocladiomycota) to the non-flagellated, filamentous, mul�cellular Dikarya (Basidiomycota, Ascomycota). As part of an NSF-funded collabora�ve research effort to resolve evolu�onary rela�onships of the zygomycetes, we are inves�ga�ng subcellular hyphal characteris�cs, including the organiza�on of vesicles at hyphal �ps of selected species using light and electron microscope techniques. While hyphal growth in the Dikarya is characterized by the presence of a Spitzenkörper, we found that in most zygomycetes a Spitzenkörper is not present; rather, there is a thin crescent-shaped band of vesicles (the apical vesicle crescent) at the hyphal �p. Bio-imaging data from three phylogene�cally dis�nct zygomycetous fungi will be presented and discussed in terms of phylogeny andmechanisms of hyphal growth.

Gregory JeddTemasek Life Sciences Laboratory.

GREGORY JEDD earned his bachelors degree in biology at the Foothill Community College and Stanford University. He received his PhD from the University of Chicago and did his postdoctoral work at the Rockefeller University where he began to use the filamentous Neurospora crassa to inves�gate fundamental ques�ons in cell, developmental and evolu�onary biology. In 2004 he moved to Singaporeto establish an independent research group at the Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory (TLL) where he is currently a senior principal inves�gator.

Talk:Innova�on and constraint leading to complex mul�cellularity in the Ascomycota

Gregory JeddTemasek Life Sciences Laboratory.

Understanding the emergence of complex mul�cellularity (CM) is a major challenge for evolu�onary biology. In the fungi, CM is based on hyphal cells interconnected through septal pores. In the Ascomycota, it emerged in the Pezizomyco�na. The genus Neolecta defines a fascina�ng enigma: Phylogene�cally placed with early diverging yeasts, Neolecta nevertheless possesses Pezizomyco�na-like CM. In this work, we sequence the Neolecta irregularis genome and iden�fy CM associated genes by searching for sequences conserved in Neolecta and the Pezizomyco�na, which are absent or divergent in budding and fission yeasts. This group of over 1,000 genes is enriched for func�ons related to endomembrane organiza�on, and remarkably, most show evidence for divergence in both yeasts. Func�onal genomics iden�fies new genes playing important roles in hyphal complexifica�on. Together, these data show that mul�cellularity is deeply rooted in the Ascomycota. Extensive parallel gene divergence during simplifica�on and constraint leading to CM suggest a determinis�c evolu�onary process where shared modes of cellular organiza�on select for similarly configured organelle- and transport-related machineries.

Salomón Bartnicki GarcíaCICESE, Ensenada.

SALOMÓN BARTNICKI-GARCIA (Ph.D. 1961) is Professor Emeritus of the Plant Pathology Department of the University of California, Riverside. Since 2000 he has been associated with the Center for Scien�fic Research and Higher Educa�on of Ensenada (CICESE). First, as Head of the Unit of de Experimental and Applied Biology, and later as founder and first director of the Division of Experimental and Applied Biology. He is currently a Research Professor in the Department of Microbiology of CICESE. In his long career, he has covered mul�ple aspects of the physiology and biochemistry of fungi. Together with his students and associates he studied the chemistry of cell walls of a variety of fungi and developed a phylogene�c scheme suppor�ng the existence of two different evolu�onary lines among the Fungi. Studies of cell wall biosynthesis yielded the first and so far the only evidence of microfibril synthesis in vitro, a preamble to the discovery of chitosomes, the microvesicular carriers of chi�n synthase. A cyberne�c excursion into fungal simula�on led to the concept of the vesicle supply center, and an explana�on of the func�on of the Spitzenkörper in the polarized growth of fungal hyphae. He was the co-founder of the journal Experimental Mycology (currently Fungal Gene�cs and Biology) and the author of 158 Research and review ar�cles.

Talk:The VSC/hyphoid model and the interplay between exocytosis and endocytosis in apical growth of fungal hyphae.

Salomón Bartnicki-García. Departamento de Microbiología, Centro de Inves�gación Cien�fica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada.

The vesicle-supply-center (VSC) concept and the underlying hyphoid equa�on have given us a mathema�cal framework to understand how polarized exocytosis can generate a tubular cell with the typical shape of a fungal hypha. Whereas exocytosis is directly responsible for the growth of the cell wall and plasma membrane, the exact role of endocytosis has yet to be clearly defined. By following ac�n dynamics with Lifeact, exocytosis and endocytosis can be seen highly localized in the hyphal apex and the subapical collar of growing cells, respec�vely. We have es�mated that exocytosis can create an excess of plasma membrane and thus the need for its removal by endocytosis. Es�mates of membrane flow from exocytosis and endocytosis are difficult to calculate given the absence of reliable values for some cri�cal parameters. On an interac�ng spreadsheet, we examined the interplay of parameters for which actual data exist such as growth rate, cell shape and size, wall thickness and vesicle size. But in the absence of factual data for other cri�cal factors such as amount of wall generated by each exocy�c discharge, rela�ve contribu�on of macro- vs. microvesicles, propor�on of preformed cell wall vs. polymer synthesized in situ, and vesicle load des�ned for extracellular secre�on vs wall forma�on, we have embodied them into a single factor: “vesicle packing efficiency”. Accordingly, using the best es�mates for cri�cal parameters, an excess of plasma membrane was always produced from exocytosis in a simulated hypha of Neurospora crassa. Actual measurements of endocytosis were made experimentally by photobleaching the subapical endocy�c collar of hyphae of N. crassa tagged with the endocy�c reporters fimbrin-GFP or coronin-GFP. The transient appearance of fluorescent patches, each an endocy�c event, was monitored by confocal microscopy. Accordingly, 4.0 - 10.3 % of exocytosed membrane was endocytosed (depending on the value used for vesicle diameter). While the produc�on of excess membrane is not an issue for the mathema�cal model which generates an “open-end” tubular structure, it is for the closed system of a real hypha which solves it by recycling. But is the recycling provided by endocytosis indispensable? The proximity of the endocy�c sites to the hyphal apex poses the ques�on of interdependence. Dele�on mutants of N. crassa lacking key components of the endocy�c machinery, namely the ac�n-binding proteins coronin, or myosin-1, grow very poorly. Confocal examina�on of the living mutants showed intermi�ent disorganiza�on of the apical growth apparatus. Seemingly, the disorganiza�on of the ac�n cytoskeleton in the endocy�c region affects the orderly deployment of the ac�n cytoskeleton in the apical region (unstable Spitzenkörper). Hence, it seems likely that an interdependence between endo- and exocytosis resides largely in the factors that define the dynamics and integrity of their ac�n cytoskeletons.

Alfredo HerreraLangebio, Irapuato.

ALFREDO HERRERA-ESTRELLA grew up in Mexico City and graduated from Na�onal School of Biological Sciences in 1985. He did his graduate research (1986-1990) with Prof. Marc Van Montagu at the State University of Ghent, Belgium, studying the T-DNA transfer process from Agrobacterium tumefaciens to plants. He described for the first �me Agrobacterium virulence proteins capable of carrying the T-DNA into the plant cell nucleus, and began to study the mycoparasi�c process of the biocontrol agent

Trichoderma atroviride, and con�nued those studies while at the Gene�c Engineering Department of the Irapuato Unit of Cinvestav (1991-2004). Later he began studies towards the elucida�on of the mechanisms involved in light responses in Trichoderma and con�nues on that line of research. In 1998 he was awarded the “Carlos Casas Campillo” prize, and in 2000 the prize of the Mexican Academy of Sciences. By 2004, he became involved in the establishment of the Na�onal Laboratory of Genomics for Biodiversity. Since then he and his group have been involved in Func�onal Genomics Projects, including the elucida�on of the complete maize and bean genomes, and the the study of changes in gene expression in response to environmental signals. In 2009 he was awarded the Agrobio prize for his contribu�ons in the field of Biotechnology. Recently, his group discovered a mechanism of response to mechanical damage in fungi conserved across kingdoms. Dr. Herrera-Estrella has been member of the editorial board of 5 scien�fic interna�onal journals. He is the author and co-author of 13 book chapters and 85 original research papers, and 8 patents.

Talk:Non-coding RNAs shaping the life of Trichoderma

José Manuel Villalobos-Escobedo, Nohemí Carreras-Villaseñor, Cei Abreu-Goodger and Alfredo Herrera-EstrellaLANGEBIO – CINVESTAV. Km 9.6 Libramiento Norte Carretera Irapuato-León. Irapuato, Guanajuato, C.P. 36821. Tel: 01 462 166 3070, email: alfredo.herrera@cinvestav.mx

Filamentous fungi perform highly specialized processes that allow them to survive in adverse condi�ons. Understanding the mechanisms by which filamentous fungi perceive and respond to environmental s�muli can provide knowledge for crop improvement and for new medical treatments.We have studied the biological control agent Trichoderma atroviride, an organism that establishes beneficial interac�ons with plants, enhancing the development of aerial structures and modifying root architecture. In addi�on, Trichoderma has the ability to regenerate and produce spores a�er suffering a mechanical injury. We have previously reported on several lines of evidence that indicate that the central mechanisms of injury response are very similar between plants, animals and fungi.In animals and plants, cell prolifera�on, systemic response, accumula�on of reac�ve oxygen species (ROS) and other essen�al processes to respond to injury can be regulated by microRNAs. We found that RNAi machinery mutants of T. atroviride have defects in the forma�on of conidia and regenera�on. Sequencing small RNAs in both wild type and a Dicer mutant showed that there are poten�al microRNAs involved in the response to injury. To further explore the pathways involved in this response, we also performed RNA-seq in wild type and the Dicer mutant during vegeta�ve growth and a�er receiving an injury. Our results show that nitrogen metabolism and phosphoryla�on signalling pathways are no longer responding to injury in the Dicer mutant. Another interes�ng phenomenon that has been observed when using mutants in the RNAi machinery is that they are altered in their capacity to interact with plants, perhaps due to altera�ons in the profile of secondary metabolites they produce. Such altera�ons appear to be linked to the capacity of the fungus to induce plant defence responses. Interes�ngly, the mechanism by which sRNAs involved in this phenomenon are produced appears to be dicer independent. These results provide evidence for reconsidering the importance of this regulatory mechanism in fungi.Our findings in T. atroviride strongly suggest that microRNAs play a major role in the life of some filamentous fungi, although they had remained elusive when using models such as Aspergillus and Neurospora.

Michael FeldbrüggeHeinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf .

MICHAEL FELDBRÜGGE is a Professor and head of the Ins�tute of Microbiology at the Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf. He is interested in understanding the role of RNA biology in fungal cells. He discovered the process of endosomal mRNA transport along microtubules in Us�lago maydis. Further research interests included plant/microbe interac�ons and applied microbiology using fungi as host for heterologous proteins. Currently, he is a member of CEPLAS (Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences) department head of biology in Düsseldorf, member of the steering commi�ee BioSC (Bio economy science center) in North Rhine Westphalia as well as the VAAM microbial society in Germany.

Talk:News from Mademoiselle domain proteins in Us�lago maydis.

Michael Feldbrügge.Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Centre of Excellence on Plant Sciences, Ins�tute for Microbiology, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.

Ac�ve transport and local transla�on of mRNAs ensure the appropriate spa�al organiza�on of proteins within cells. Recent work has shown that this process is intricately connected to membrane trafficking. We discovered that in hyphae of Us�lago maydis, microtubule-dependent co-transport of mRNAs and endosomes is essen�al for efficient polar growth. Key players are RNA-binding proteins containing RNA recogni�on mo�fs for mRNA binding as well as Mademoiselle domains for protein/protein interac�on. Here, new insights on protein interac�on partners will be presented.