from Myron L. Smith and Denis L. Lafontaine writing in Neurospora: Genomics and Molecular Biology:
Fungal incompatibility systems are intricate and complicated, but unifying patterns are emerging that provide a better understanding of the basis for the fungal "sense of nonself". This chapter explores recent advances in understanding fungal vegetative incompatibility (VI) within the broader context of fungal nonself recognition systems. The initial molecular characterization of a limited number of VI factors in N. crassa and P. anserina has provided a set of search images that can be used to find incompatibility genes in other species. The common features discussed include shared structural aspects and sequence motifs of VI complexes, and the downstream processes triggered by nonself recognition, including VI-associated Programmed Cell Death. Finally, we speculate on the role and origin fungal VI systems.
Further reading: Neurospora: Genomics and Molecular Biology