Fungi are important experimental organisms

• easily cultured, occupy little space, multiply rapidly, short life cycle.

• study metabolite pathways

• study growth, development, and differentiation

• mechanisms of cell division and development

• microbial assays of vitamins and amino acids

• genetics-- e.g. “one gene one enzyme” in Neurospora won Beadle and Tatum the Nobel prize

Previous slide

Next slide

Back to first slide

View graphic version

Many fungi are used as model organisms for genetics, cell biology and molecular biology. Remember that just because someone happens to work with fungi doesn’t make them a Mycologist!