Multiple Pathways to Homothallism in Closely Related Yeast Lineages in the Basidiomycota.

Sexual reproduction in fungi relies on proteins with well-known functions encoded by the mating type () loci. In the Basidiomycota, loci are often bipartite, with the locus encoding pheromone precursors and pheromone receptors and the locus encoding heterodimerizing homeodomain transcription factors (Hd1/Hd2). The interplay between different alleles of these genes within a single species usually generates at least two compatible mating types.