Genetics of fruit body production in higher basidiomycetes

Ståhl, Ulf; Esser, Karl

doi:10.1007/bf00268384

Cited by 81 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 39 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…These authors suggested that C. neoformans cells either shrink and/or lose their capsule thereby becoming small enough for alveolar deposition. Additional evidence in support of the yeast cell being the infectious particle was proposed by Jong et al (6) (14) suggested that haploid fruiting ensures spore production if the ability to fuse with the opposite mating type is lost, thereby increasing the chances of survival. This characteristic would be important in organisms such as Ustilago maydis, which requires a dikaryon to complete the life cycle (22).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 94%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Dimorphism and haploid fruiting in Cryptococcus neoformans: association with the alpha-mating type.

Wickes

Mayorga

Edman

et al. 1996

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

295

298

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Cryptococcus neoformans is a major opportunistic fungal pathogen in AIDS and other immunosuppressed patients. We have shown that wild-type haploid C. neoformans can develop an extensive hyphal phase under appropriate conditions. Hyphae produced under these conditions are monokaryotic, possess unfused clamp connections, and develop basidia with viable basidiospores. The ability to undergo this transition is determined by the presence of the a-mating type locus and is independent of serotype. The association of the hyphal phase with the a-mating type may explain the preponderance of this mating type in the environment and the nature of the infectious propagule of C. neoformans.Since the discovery of the sexual or perfect state of the human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans by Kwon-Chung (1, 2), it has been considered a bipolar heterothallic basidiomycete with two mating types, a and a (MA Ta and MA Ta The ability of hyphae to form fruiting body-like structures in the vegetative phase is called monokaryotic, homokaryotic, or haploid fruiting (13). Although haploid fruiting is common in the higher basidiomycetes (13-15), it has not been characterized in C. neoformans, and association with mating type has never been described. Recent observations made in this laboratory and a reassessment of past studies (5, 10, 16) allow us to propose a new hypothesis for the biased mating type ratios and the nature of the infectious propagule of C. neoformans. We show here that a strains of C. neoformans can undergo a true dimorphic transition from a haploid yeast phase to a hyphal phase from which vegetative growth can continue indefinitely. The hyphal phase is induced by nitrogen starvation on a solid surface. Basidia bearing viable basidiospores are also produced, all of which are a in mating type. The ability of a but not a cells to form basidiospores under these conditions provides an attractive explanation for both the mating type bias and the nature of the infectious propagule of C. neoformans. MATERIALS AND METHODSStrains. The strains used in this study are listed in Table 1. Auxotrophic strains were derived from JEC20 (MA Ta) and JEC21 (MA Ta). JEC20 and JEC21 are a well-characterized, haploid, congenic pair of prototrophic laboratory strains that presumably differ only at the mating type locus (17).Media 7327The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge payment. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. §1734 solely to indicate this fact.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Although haploid fruiting is common in the higher basidiomycetes (13)(14)(15), it has not been characterized in C. neoformans, and association with mating type has never been described. Recent observations made in this laboratory and a reassessment of past studies (5,10,16) The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge payment.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Dimorphism and haploid fruiting in Cryptococcus neoformans: association with the alpha-mating type.

Wickes

Mayorga

Edman

et al. 1996

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

295

298

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In basidiomycetes, it has been reported that the fruiting body formation is not limited to dikaryotic mycelia, but observed on monokaryotic mycelia (Stahl and Esser 1976). Genetic studies have been made on mutants forming monokaryotic fruiting bodies, e.g., fist in Coprinus macrorhizus (Uno and Ishikawa 1971), fi+ in Polyporus ciliatus (Stahl and Esser 1976) and hap+ in Schizophyllum commune (Leonard and Raper 1969).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Genetic studies have been made on mutants forming monokaryotic fruiting bodies, e.g., fist in Coprinus macrorhizus (Uno and Ishikawa 1971), fi+ in Polyporus ciliatus (Stahl and Esser 1976) and hap+ in Schizophyllum commune (Leonard and Raper 1969). Formation of fruiting bodies is initiated as an appearance of small knots of undifferentiated hyphae.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Formation of fruiting bodies is initiated as an appearance of small knots of undifferentiated hyphae. Unusual hyphal morphology has been found among basidiomycetes, and regarded as a result of an abnormal control of fruiting body formation (Raper 1976;Stahl and Esser 1976). A mutant of S. commune designated as mound was described to form hemispherical masses of hyphae which are composed of transformed cells resulting from a localized hyperplasia (Leonard 1975).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation