2 Nuclear Dynamics and Cell Growth in Fungi

Fungal systems provide an especially excellent model for understanding the fundamentals of nuclear behavior in all cells. Fungal nuclei are highly dynamic organelles capable of long-range movements and rapid changes in gene expression as well as large-scale genomic alterations to adapt to their environment. Nuclei are strategically and actively positioned to facilitate their interactions with other cellular components and contribute to successful growth and reproduction of the organism. Each nucleus is a potential unit of selection, and yet different genotypes may come together in one cell to increase the fitness of multinucleate organisms as a whole. Despite the rich history of research into fungal nuclear dynamics, it is clear that we still have much to learn and there are numerous avenues of investigation that have yet to be thoroughly explored.