title: Castles and cuitlacoche: the first international Ustilago conference.
abstract: The first international Ustilago conference was held in Marburg, Germany from August 22 to 25, 2002. The meeting focused on molecular genetic and cell biology research with Ustilago maydis, the causative agent of common smut of maize. This fungus has emerged as a useful experimental organism for studying the biology of basidiomycete fungi, with a particular emphasis on the interaction of the fungus with the host plant. Thus presentations at the meeting covered the range of current research topics including DNA recombination and repair, mating and sexual development, phytopathology, cell biology, the cell cycle, signaling, and genomics. The meeting also highlighted historical aspects of U. maydis research with presentations by pioneers in the field including Robin Holiday (recombination), Yigal Koltin (killer phenomenon) and Peter Day (plant pathology).
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology and Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of British Columbia, 237-6174 University Boulevard, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z3. kronstad@interchange.ubc.ca
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Kronstad
mesh_terms: D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D009183:Mycotoxins / Q000378:metabolism; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014588:Ustilago / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology; D003313:Zea mays / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D009183:Mycotoxins