Fungal spore germination is the first step in the development of most mycotic infections. Furthermore, spore germination can serve as a useful model for studying cellular development in a simple eukaryotic organism. We have recently obtained evidence that dormant spores of the fungus, Botryodiplodia theobromae, contain a protein which comprises ca. 23% of the total protein present in the spores. The protein decreases in concentration during germination and is present in very low concentrations, if at all, in the hyphae. Since this is the first indication that a fungal spore contains a major stage-specific protein we propose to: (i) determine the cellular location of the protein, (ii) determine when the protein is synthesized during sporulation, (iii) determine the fate of the protein during spore germination, (iv) isolate and determine the properties of the proteins messenger RNA and (v) synthesize complementary DNA to the protein's messenger RNA which will be used to investigate its transcription.