Wielding the subtle weapons of a fungus

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Maize as a fungal host: Ustilago maydis causes maize smut. An international research team working with biologists at the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology has now identified genes of the fungus implicated in the infection of the plant ...
Maize as a fungal host: Ustilago maydis causes maize smut. An international research team working with biologists at the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology has now identified genes of the fungus implicated in the infection of the plant. Image: Christoph Basse

It doesn’t look appetizing: when Ustilago maydis attacks a maize plant, its cobs bear hideous tumours rather than crunchy niblets. So far, no effective means of combating the maize smut pathogen has been found. However, an international team has now made significant progress in the search for a solution.


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