Gero Steinberg

The fungus Ustilago maydisand humans share disease-related proteins that are not found in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (2007)

Münsterkötter, Martin, Steinberg, Gero

Abstract Background The corn smut fungus Ustilago maydis is a well-established model system for molecular phytopathology. In addition, it recently became evident that U. maydis and humans share...

Insights from the genome of the biotrophic fungal plant pathogen Ustilago maydis (2006)

Kahmann, Regine, Bölker, Michael, Ma, Li-Jun, Brefort, Thomas, Saville, Barry J, ...

Ustilago maydis is a ubiquitous pathogen of maize and a well-established model organism for the study of plant-microbe interactions. This basidiomycete fungus does not use aggressive virulence...

Dynein-mediated pulling forces drive rapid mitotic spindle elongation in Ustilago maydis. (2006)

Fink, Gero, Schuchardt, Isabel, Colombelli, Julien, Stelzer, Ernst, Steinberg, Gero

Spindle elongation segregates chromosomes and occurs in anaphase, an essential step in mitosis. Dynein-mediated pulling forces position the spindle, but their role in anaphase is a matter of debate....

Conventional Kinesin Mediates Microtubule-Microtubule Interactions In VivoV⃞

Straube, Anne, Hause, Gerd, Fink, Gero, Steinberg, Gero

Conventional kinesin is a ubiquitous organelle transporter that moves cargo toward the plus-ends of microtubules. In addition, several in vitro studies indicated a role of conventional kinesin in...

Dynein Supports Motility of Endoplasmic Reticulum in the Fungus Ustilago maydisV⃞

Wedlich-Söldner, Roland, Schulz, Irene, Straube, Anne, Steinberg, Gero

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of most vertebrate cells is spread out by kinesin-dependent transport along microtubules, whereas studies in Saccharomyces cerevisiae indicated that motility of fungal...

A split motor domain in a cytoplasmic dynein

Straube, Anne, Enard, Wolfgang, Berner, Alexandra, Wedlich-Söldner, Roland, Kahmann, Regine, Steinberg, Gero

The heavy chain of dynein forms a globular motor domain that tightly couples the ATP-cleavage region and the microtubule-binding site to transform chemical energy into motion along the cytoskeleton....

A balance of KIF1A-like kinesin and dynein organizes early endosomes in the fungus Ustilago maydis

Wedlich-Söldner, Roland, Straube, Anne, Friedrich, Michael W., Steinberg, Gero

In Ustilago maydis, bidirectional transport of early endosomes is microtubule dependent and supports growth and cell separation. During early budding, endosomes accumulate at putative microtubule...

Microtubule Organization Requires Cell Cycle-dependent Nucleation at Dispersed Cytoplasmic Sites: Polar and Perinuclear Microtubule Organizing Centers in the Plant Pathogen Ustilago maydisV⃞

Straube, Anne, Brill, Marianne, Oakley, Berl R., Horio, Tetsuya, Steinberg, Gero

Growth of most eukaryotic cells requires directed transport along microtubules (MTs) that are nucleated at nuclear-associated microtubule organizing centers (MTOCs), such as the centrosome and the...

Pheromone-Induced G2 Arrest in the Phytopathogenic Fungus Ustilago maydis

García-Muse, Tatiana, Steinberg, Gero, Pérez-Martín, José

In the corn smut fungus Ustilago maydis, pathogenic development is initiated when two compatible haploid cells fuse and form the infectious dikaryon. Mating is dependent on pheromone recognition by...

A Class-V Myosin Required for Mating, Hyphal Growth, and Pathogenicity in the Dimorphic Plant Pathogen Ustilago maydisW⃞

Weber, Isabella, Gruber, Christian, Steinberg, Gero

In the early stages of plant infection, yeast-like haploid sporidia of Ustilago maydis respond to pheromone secreted by compatible partners by forming conjugation tubes. These then fuse to generate a...

A putative endosomal t-SNARE links exo- and endocytosis in the phytopathogenic fungus Ustilago maydis

Wedlich-Söldner, Roland, Bölker, Michael, Kahmann, Regine, Steinberg, Gero

We identified a temperature-sensitive mutant of the plant pathogenic fungus Ustilago maydis that is defective in the polar distribution of cell wall components and shows abnormal morphology. The...

Calcium Signaling Is Involved in Dynein-dependent Microtubule Organization

Adamíková, L'ubica, Straube, Anne, Schulz, Irene, Steinberg, Gero

The microtubule cytoskeleton supports cellular morphogenesis and polar growth, but the underlying mechanisms are not understood. In a screen for morphology mutants defective in microtubule...

Microtubules Are Dispensable for the Initial Pathogenic Development but Required for Long-Distance Hyphal Growth in the Corn Smut Fungus Ustilago maydis

Fuchs, Uta, Manns, Isabel, Steinberg, Gero

Fungal pathogenicity often involves a yeast-to-hypha transition, but the structural basis for this dimorphism is largely unknown. Here we analyze the role of the cytoskeleton in early steps of...

A novel mechanism of nuclear envelope break-down in a fungus: nuclear migration strips off the envelope

Straube, Anne, Weber, Isabella, Steinberg, Gero

In animals, the nuclear envelope disassembles in mitosis, while budding and fission yeast form an intranuclear spindle. Ultrastructural data indicate that basidiomycetes, such as the pathogen...

Myosin-V, Kinesin-1, and Kinesin-3 Cooperate in Hyphal Growth of the Fungus Ustilago maydisD⃞

Schuchardt, Isabel, Aßmann, Daniela, Thines, Eckhard, Schuberth, Christian, Steinberg, Gero

Long-distance transport is crucial for polar-growing cells, such as neurons and fungal hyphae. Kinesins and myosins participate in this process, but their functional interplay is poorly understood....

Dynein-dependent Motility of Microtubules and Nucleation Sites Supports Polarization of the Tubulin Array in the Fungus Ustilago maydis

Fink, Gero, Steinberg, Gero

Microtubules (MTs) are often organized by a nucleus-associated MT organizing center (MTOC). In addition, in neurons and epithelial cells, motor-based transport of assembled MTs determines the...

Endoplasmic Reticulum Glucosidase II Is Required for Pathogenicity of Ustilago maydisW⃞

Schirawski, Jan, Böhnert, Heidi U., Steinberg, Gero, Snetselaar, Karen, Adamikowa, Lubica, Kahmann, Regine

We identified a nonpathogenic strain of Ustilago maydis by tagging mutagenesis. The affected gene, glucosidase1 (gas1), displays similarity to catalytic α-subunits of endoplasmic reticulum (ER)...

Dynein Supports Motility of Endoplasmic Reticulum in the Fungus Ustilago maydisV⃞

Wedlich-Söldner, Roland, Schulz, Irene, Straube, Anne, Steinberg, Gero

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of most vertebrate cells is spread out by kinesin-dependent transport along microtubules, whereas studies in Saccharomyces cerevisiae indicated that motility of fungal...

A split motor domain in a cytoplasmic dynein

Straube, Anne, Enard, Wolfgang, Berner, Alexandra, Wedlich-Söldner, Roland, Kahmann, Regine, Steinberg, Gero

The heavy chain of dynein forms a globular motor domain that tightly couples the ATP-cleavage region and the microtubule-binding site to transform chemical energy into motion along the cytoskeleton....

A balance of KIF1A-like kinesin and dynein organizes early endosomes in the fungus Ustilago maydis

Wedlich-Söldner, Roland, Straube, Anne, Friedrich, Michael W., Steinberg, Gero

In Ustilago maydis, bidirectional transport of early endosomes is microtubule dependent and supports growth and cell separation. During early budding, endosomes accumulate at putative microtubule...

Microtubule Organization Requires Cell Cycle-dependent Nucleation at Dispersed Cytoplasmic Sites: Polar and Perinuclear Microtubule Organizing Centers in the Plant Pathogen Ustilago maydisV⃞

Straube, Anne, Brill, Marianne, Oakley, Berl R., Horio, Tetsuya, Steinberg, Gero

Growth of most eukaryotic cells requires directed transport along microtubules (MTs) that are nucleated at nuclear-associated microtubule organizing centers (MTOCs), such as the centrosome and the...

Pheromone-Induced G2 Arrest in the Phytopathogenic Fungus Ustilago maydis

García-Muse, Tatiana, Steinberg, Gero, Pérez-Martín, José

In the corn smut fungus Ustilago maydis, pathogenic development is initiated when two compatible haploid cells fuse and form the infectious dikaryon. Mating is dependent on pheromone recognition by...

A Class-V Myosin Required for Mating, Hyphal Growth, and Pathogenicity in the Dimorphic Plant Pathogen Ustilago maydisW⃞

Weber, Isabella, Gruber, Christian, Steinberg, Gero

In the early stages of plant infection, yeast-like haploid sporidia of Ustilago maydis respond to pheromone secreted by compatible partners by forming conjugation tubes. These then fuse to generate a...

A putative endosomal t-SNARE links exo- and endocytosis in the phytopathogenic fungus Ustilago maydis

Wedlich-Söldner, Roland, Bölker, Michael, Kahmann, Regine, Steinberg, Gero

We identified a temperature-sensitive mutant of the plant pathogenic fungus Ustilago maydis that is defective in the polar distribution of cell wall components and shows abnormal morphology. The...

Calcium Signaling Is Involved in Dynein-dependent Microtubule Organization

Adamíková, L'ubica, Straube, Anne, Schulz, Irene, Steinberg, Gero

The microtubule cytoskeleton supports cellular morphogenesis and polar growth, but the underlying mechanisms are not understood. In a screen for morphology mutants defective in microtubule...

Microtubules Are Dispensable for the Initial Pathogenic Development but Required for Long-Distance Hyphal Growth in the Corn Smut Fungus Ustilago maydis

Fuchs, Uta, Manns, Isabel, Steinberg, Gero

Fungal pathogenicity often involves a yeast-to-hypha transition, but the structural basis for this dimorphism is largely unknown. Here we analyze the role of the cytoskeleton in early steps of...

A novel mechanism of nuclear envelope break-down in a fungus: nuclear migration strips off the envelope

Straube, Anne, Weber, Isabella, Steinberg, Gero

In animals, the nuclear envelope disassembles in mitosis, while budding and fission yeast form an intranuclear spindle. Ultrastructural data indicate that basidiomycetes, such as the pathogen...

Myosin-V, Kinesin-1, and Kinesin-3 Cooperate in Hyphal Growth of the Fungus Ustilago maydisD⃞

Schuchardt, Isabel, Aßmann, Daniela, Thines, Eckhard, Schuberth, Christian, Steinberg, Gero

Long-distance transport is crucial for polar-growing cells, such as neurons and fungal hyphae. Kinesins and myosins participate in this process, but their functional interplay is poorly understood....

Endoplasmic Reticulum Glucosidase II Is Required for Pathogenicity of Ustilago maydisW⃞

Schirawski, Jan, Böhnert, Heidi U., Steinberg, Gero, Snetselaar, Karen, Adamikowa, Lubica, Kahmann, Regine

We identified a nonpathogenic strain of Ustilago maydis by tagging mutagenesis. The affected gene, glucosidase1 (gas1), displays similarity to catalytic α-subunits of endoplasmic reticulum (ER)...

Conventional Kinesin Mediates Microtubule-Microtubule Interactions In VivoV⃞

Straube, Anne, Hause, Gerd, Fink, Gero, Steinberg, Gero

Conventional kinesin is a ubiquitous organelle transporter that moves cargo toward the plus-ends of microtubules. In addition, several in vitro studies indicated a role of conventional kinesin in...

Dynein-dependent Motility of Microtubules and Nucleation Sites Supports Polarization of the Tubulin Array in the Fungus Ustilago maydis

Fink, Gero, Steinberg, Gero

Microtubules (MTs) are often organized by a nucleus-associated MT organizing center (MTOC). In addition, in neurons and epithelial cells, motor-based transport of assembled MTs determines the...

Polar Localizing Class V Myosin Chitin Synthases Are Essential during Early Plant Infection in the Plant Pathogenic Fungus Ustilago maydisW⃞

Weber, Isabella, Aßmann, Daniela, Thines, Eckhard, Steinberg, Gero

Fungal chitin synthases (CHSs) form fibers of the cell wall and are crucial for substrate invasion and pathogenicity. Filamentous fungi contain up to 10 CHSs, which might reflect redundant functions...

Endocytosis Is Essential for Pathogenic Development in the Corn Smut Fungus Ustilago maydis[W]

Fuchs, Uta, Hause, Gerd, Schuchardt, Isabel, Steinberg, Gero

It is well established that polarized exocytosis is essential for fungal virulence. By contrast, the contribution of endocytosis is unknown. We made use of a temperature-sensitive mutant in the...

Dynein-mediated pulling forces drive rapid mitotic spindle elongation in Ustilago maydis

Fink, Gero, Schuchardt, Isabel, Colombelli, Julien, Stelzer, Ernst, Steinberg, Gero

Spindle elongation segregates chromosomes and occurs in anaphase, an essential step in mitosis. Dynein-mediated pulling forces position the spindle, but their role in anaphase is a matter of debate....

Dynamic Rearrangement of Nucleoporins during Fungal “Open” Mitosis

Theisen, Ulrike, Straube, Anne, Steinberg, Gero

Mitosis in animals starts with the disassembly of the nuclear pore complexes and the breakdown of the nuclear envelope. In contrast to many fungi, the corn smut fungus Ustilago maydis also removes...