Member Institutions:

• Bowling Green State U.
• Cleveland State U.
• Kent State U.
• Medical College of Ohio
• Miami U.
• The Ohio State U.
• Ohio U.
• University of Cincinnati
• University of Toledo
• Wright State U.
• Youngstown State U.

Research Interests

Filamentous fungi are defined by an absorptive mode of nutrition, the development of spores, and invasive hyphal growth. The spearlike form of the hypha is superbly adapted for substrate invasion, and this ubiquitous cell type achieves penetration of biological debris and manufactured materials, the living tissues of plant and animal hosts, and even granitic bedrock. When fungi degrade solid materials they encounter myriad obstacles of differing mechanical resistance, and penetration is sustained by a combination of enzyme-catalyzed degradation of specific macromolecules and pressure-driven invasive growth. Research in my laboratory centers on biomechanical aspects of tissue invasion in fungal diseases of humans and plants. In recent years we have developed novel techniques to enable measurements of mechanical parameters from fungal cells. We are currently employing miniature transducers to measure micronewton forces exerted by the tips of individual hyphae, and this method has opened new avenues for inquiry into the mechanical basis of fungal pathogenesis.

The evolution of fungi is a second area of interest. I am haunted by the beauty of the fungal form, from the simplicity of slender hyphae to the extravagance of basidiomycete fruit bodies. How did these structures evolve, and in what way do the intricacies of form reflect adaptations to meet specific environmental challenges? Using a variety of approaches, including wind-tunnel experiments, thermocouple measurements from living mushrooms, and the power of molecular systematics, we hope to learn more about the origin of these intriguing organisms.

Selected References

• Money, N.P. Caesar-TonThat, T.-C., Frederick, B., and Henson, J.M. 1998. Melanin synthesis is associated with changes in hyphopodial permeability, wall rigidity, and turgor pressure in Gaeumannomyces graminis var. graminis. Fungal Genetics and Biology 24: 240-251.
• Money, N. P. 1998. Mechanics of invasive fungal growth and the significance of turgor in plant infection. In: Molecular Genetics of Host-Specific Toxins in Plant Disease. Edited by K. Kohmoto and O. C. Yoder. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, pp. 261-271.
• Daugherty, J., Evans, T. M., Skillom, T., Watson, L. E., and Money, N. P. 1998. Evolution of spore release mechanisms in the Saprolegniaceae (Oomycetes): Evidence from ITS sequences. Fungal Genetics and Biology 24: 354-363.
• Money, N. P. 1998. Why oomycetes have not stopped being fungi. Mycological Research 102: 767-768.
• Money, N.P. 1998. More g's than the Space Shuttle: The mechanism of ballistospore discharge Mycologia 90: 547-558.
• Money, N.P. 1997. Mechanism linking cellular pigmentation and pathogenicity in rice blast disease: A commentary. Fungal Genetics and Biology 22: 151-152.
• Money, N.P. 1997. Wishful thinking of turgor revisited: The mechanics of fungal growth. Fungal Genetics and Biology 21: 173-187.
• Money, N.P. and Hill, T.W. 1997. Correlation between endoglucanase secretion and cell wall strength in oomycete fungi: Implications for growth and morphogenesis. Mycologia 89: 777-785.

Dr. Money's homepage
Miami University Department of Botany
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