Electron Microscopy of Spindle Pole Bodies in Pathogenic Fungi

Abstract

Morphology and dynamics of the spindle pole bodies (SPBs) in Exophiala dermatitidis and Cryptococcus neoformans were examined by freeze-substitution and serial ultrathin sectioning electron microscopy. The SPBs showed double forms and were located on the nuclear envelope in G1 phase, entered the nuclear membrane or the periphery of nucleus in M phase, and appeared to duplicate in early G1 phase in these yeasts. Thus, the SPBs in these yeasts are clearly different from those of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.