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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Biogenesis of the Fungal Cell Wall

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Cell walls play essential roles in growth, development, and in interactions of fungi with the environment and with other cells. Besides its primary protective role in shielding the cell against osmotic, chemical, and biological harm, the wall is involved in many other functions including morphogenesis, and some activities that may be denominated as “social”, such as morphological responses, antigenic expression, adhesion, and cell-cell interaction (Peberdy 1990; Ruiz-Herrera 1992; Sentandreu et al. 1991). There are many data supporting the idea that temporal and spatial regulation of wall polymer synthesis and assembly are critical for the properties of the walls, which thus do not exclusively depend on their chemical composition, but also on the way that different polymers interact.