Hyphal morphogenesis: an evolutionary perspective

Two modes of cellular morphogenesis predominate within the fungal kingdom; yeast growth and hyphal growth. The availability of complete genome sequences that span the kingdom has made possible the use of comparative approaches that address important questions regarding the evolution of these growth modes. These comparisons have also emphasized the point that not all hyphae are the same despite outward appearances. Topics considered here include the origins of hyphal growth, as well as the potential causes of and the consequences resulting from the loss of hyphal growth in yeast lineages. The mechanisms that enable distinct morphological outputs (i.e., yeast vs. hyphae) using an essentially identical inventory of gene products are also considered. Finally, processes implicated in the regulation of hyphal tip complexes are addressed from an evolutionary perspective.