Yeast and fungal morphogenesis from an evolutionary perspective

Cellular morphogenesis is a complex process and molecular studies in the last few decades have amassed a large amount of information that is difficult to grasp in any completeness. Fungal systems, in particular the budding and fission yeasts, have been important players in unravelling the basic structural and regulatory elements involved in a wide array of cellular processes. In this article, we address the design principles underlying the various processes of yeast and fungal morphogenesis. We attempt to explain the apparent molecular complexity from the perspective of the evolutionary theory of “facilitated variation”. Following a summary of some of the most studied morphogenetic phenomena, we discuss, using recent examples, the underlying core processes and their associated “weak” regulatory linkages that bring about variation in morphogenetic phenotypes.