Toward a molecular interpretation of the surface stress theory for yeast morphogenesis

The surface stress theory was proposed more than twenty years ago to explain morphogenesis of walled organisms. This theory makes simple assumptions on the force that drives microbial growth and how a cell's response to this force generates shape. This classic formulation may now be explained in more detailed molecular terms due to recent advances in the study of yeast morphogenesis with respect to the mechanism of cell polarization, the fine tuning of polarized growth to allocate necessary components to proper locations, and the local and global responses to turgor that provide control over the location and duration of growth.