Cell recognition and mating in the smut fungus Ustilago maydis have been proposed to involve specific pheromones and pheromone receptors. The respective structural genes are located in the a mating type locus that exists in the alleles a1 and a2. We demonstrate that binding of pheromone to the receptor can induce a morphological switch from yeast‐like to filamentous growth in certain strains. Using this as biological assay we were able to purify both the a1 and a2 pheromone. The structure of the secreted pheromones was determined to be 13 amino acids for a1 and nine amino acids for a2. Both pheromones are post‐translationally modified by farnesylation and carboxyl methyl esterification of the C‐terminal cysteine. An unmodified a1 peptide exhibits dramatically reduced activity. The pheromone alone is able to induce characteristic conjugation tubes in cells of opposite mating type and confers mating competence; even cells of the same mating type undergo fusion. We discuss the role of pheromones in initiating filamentous growth and pathogenic development.

Pathogenic development of Ustilago maydis, the causative agent of corn smut disease, is a multistep process. Compatible yeast-like cells fuse and this generates the infectious dikaryon which grows filamentously. Having entered the plant the dikaryon induces tumors in its host in which massive proliferation of fungal material, karyogamy and spore formation occur. In order to follow fungal development from the initial steps to the final stage we have expressed the green fluorescent protein (GFP) from Aequorea victoria as a vital marker in U. maydis and demonstrate that GFP-tagged strains can be used to study host-pathogen interactions in vivo.

Pathogenic development of Ustilago maydis, the causative agent of corn smut disease, is a multistep process. Compatible yeast-like cells fuse and this generates the infectious dikaryon which grows filamentously. Having entered the plant the dikaryon induces tumors in its host in which massive proliferation of fungal material, karyogamy and spore formation occur. In order to follow fungal development from the initial steps to the final stage we have expressed the green fluorescent protein (GFP) from Aequorea victoria as a vital marker in U. maydis and demonstrate that GFP-tagged strains can be used to study host-pathogen interactions in vivo.

In Ustilago maydis the a and b mating type loci control pathogenicity as well as sexual development. We review the function of these loci in controlling the cell fusion step, the switch from yeast-like to filamentous growth and subsequent pathogenic development. Our special emphasis will be the role of pheromones and pheromone signaling in these processes.

The synthesis, biological activities and conformational behaviour of a variety of analogues of the mating pheromones of the basidomycete Ustilago maydis are reported. The pheromone analogues derived from the two allelic forms H‐G‐R‐D‐N‐G‐S‐P‐I‐G‐Y‐S‐S‐Xaa‐Z (a1) and H‐N‐R‐G‐Q‐P‐G‐Y‐Y‐Xaa‐Z (a2), with Xaa‐Z being an unidentified lipophilic cysteine derivative, all differ in the C‐terminal residue and include ‐Cys(farnesyl)‐OMe, ‐Cys(farnesyl)‐OH, ‐Cys(prenyl)‐OMe, ‐Cys‐OMe, ‐Cys(n‐dodecyl)‐OMe and the unnatural residues ‐Ahds‐OMe (Ahds =α‐aminohexadecanoic acid), ‐Ahds‐OH, ‐Ads‐OMe (Ads =α‐aminodecanoic acid) and ‐N‐Hdg‐OMe (N‐Hdg=N‐hexadecylglycine). The synthesis of the unnatural methyl ester analogues was carried out by condensation of the fully protected fragments Fmoc‐G‐R(Pmc)‐D(tBu)‐N(Trt)‐G‐S(tBu)‐P‐I‐G‐Y(tBu)‐S(tBu)‐S(tBu)‐OH (a1′) and Fmoc‐N(Trt)‐R(Pmc)‐G‐Q(Trt)‐P‐G‐Y(tBu)‐Y(tBu)‐OH (a2′) respectively, prepared by Fmoc‐SPPS, with the appropriate methylester compounds and subsequent deprotection with TFA/scavenger and piperidine. Synthesis and physicochemical properties of the unnatural lipophilic amino acid methylesters are described. The preparation of the cysteine analogues was performed by condensation of a1′ or a2′ with H‐Cys(Trt)‐OMe and subsequent deprotection with TFA/scavenger. Alkylation of the thiol function and Fmoc‐deprotection was achieved in a novel one‐pot reaction by treatment with alkyl bromide and DIPEA, quenching with EDT and Fmoc removal by addition of 20% piperidine (v/v). Hydrolysis of the methyl esters was carried out by treatment with NaOH in MeOH/H2O. The results of the biological assay reveal an increase in activity with increasing chain length of the lipophilic anchor, with alkyl being better than prenyl and sulfur being not essential, while the position of the anchor is optimal at Cα and the methyl ester moiety is important. NMR studies of two chosen analogues in DMSO and SDS/water demonstrate that the lipophilic C‐terminal residue has no influence on the structural behaviour of the peptides. Chemical‐shift and NOE patterns indicate a main all‐trans conformation of the peptide backbone and a weakly populated cis conformation around the Xaa‐Pro peptide bond in all eight cases without formation of a defined folded structure. No evidence is seen that the membrane‐simulating system SDS/water has a structure‐inducing effect on the bound peptide. We therefore conclude that the lipomodification in mating pheromones of U. maydis acts to increase the effective concentration of the drug in the target cell membrane without additional structure‐inducing or receptor‐binding effects. © Munksgaard 1996.