The main difference between hyphae and pseudohyphae is that the hyphae are the elongated, thread-like filaments whereas the pseudohyphae are the newly-divided cells through budding. Furthermore, the hyphae occur in filamentous fungi while the pseudohyphae occur in the unicellular fungi such as yeast.
Hyphae and pseudohyphae are two types of elongated structures in fungi.
Key Areas Covered
1. What is Hyphae
– Definition, Structure, Cell Division
2. What is Pseudohyphae
– Definition, Structure, Cell Division
3. What are the Similarities Between Hyphae and Pseudohyphae
– Outline of Common Features
4. What is the Difference Between Hyphae and Pseudohyphae
– Comparison of Key Differences
Key Terms
Hyphae, Nuclear Division, Pseudohyphae, Septation, Shape
What is Hyphae
Hyphae are the filamentous forms of fungal body made up of tubular cells. It is the main vegetative growth mode of fungi. The cells of the hyphae are protected by a rigid cell wall. Most hyphae consist of internal cross-walls called septa. Small pores on the septa allow the transportation of organelles between the adjacent cells of the hypha. The growth of the hyphae occurs at the apex. Spitzenkörper is the intracellular organelles responsible for this growth. It serves as a part of the endomembrane system, releasing vesicles produced at the Golgi apparatus. The apical growth occurs when spitzenkörper moves forward. Fungal hyphae form haustoria in order to absorb nutrients from the substrate.
Figure 1: Hyphae of Penicillium
The fungi that do not form septa are called the non-septic fungi and hyphae are called aseptate hyphae.
What is Pseudohyphae
Pseudohyphae are the newly-dividing cells through budding. Hence, they occur in unicellular fungi such as yeast. These hyphae remain adhered as chains and branches. The adhering occurs at the constricted septation site. Each cell of the pseudohyphae resembles an elongated ellipsoid. Each cell is separated by an obvious constriction site. Hence, pseudohyphae is made up of conjoined, elongated cells. The extent of elongation depends on the growth conditions.
Figure 2: Pseudohyphae of Candida albicans (1000X magnification)
The cell division of pseudohyphae is more synchronous; hence, each cell in the chain can undergo cell division. Therefore, pseudohyphae exhibit a more branched pattern.
Similarities Between Hyphae and Pseudohyphae
- Hyphae and pseudohyphae are the two types of elongated structures of fungi.
- They undergo cell division.
Difference Between Hyphae and Pseudohyphae
Definition
The hyphae refer to the branching filaments that make up the mycelium of a fungus while the pseudohyphae refer to the chains of easily disrupted fungal cells that are intermediate between a chain of budding cells and a true hypha, marked by constrictions rather than septa at the junctions.
Occur in
Hyphae occur in filamentous fungi while pseudohyphae occur in many yeast species and pleiomorphic fungi, which are in a transition state between filamentous and unicellular forms.
Shape of Cells
The cells of the hyphae are long, skinny and highly polarized while the cells of pseudohyphae are ellipsoid-shaped.
Degree of Cell Separation
There is no constriction between the cells of hyphae but, hyphae possess septa while the cells of pseudohyphae have an obvious constriction between them.
Nuclear Division and Septation
Nuclear division and septation occur in some distance in hyphae while in pseudohyphae, nuclear division of pseudohyphae occurs at the point of maximum constriction and the septation occurs at the point of minimum constriction.
Cell Division
Cell division is apical in hyphae while the cell division is more synchronous in pseudohyphae.
Conclusion
Hyphae are the vegetative form of the filamentous fungi, which possess a thread-like structure. On the other hand, pseudohyphae are the chains of newly-divided cells of unicellular fungi. The main difference between hyphae and pseudohyphae is their formation.
Reference:
1. Veses, Verónica, and Neil A.r. Gow. “Pseudohypha Budding Patterns Of Candida Albicans.” Medical Mycology, vol. 47, no. 3, 2009, pp. 268–275., doi:10.1080/13693780802245474. Available Here
Image Courtesy:
1. “Penicillium” By Y_tambe – Y_tambe’s file (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Candida albicans (1000X magnification)” By Michael R Francisco (CC BY 2.0) via flickr
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