Morphology of the rust fungusPuccinia boroniaerevisited

Abstract

Puccinia boroniae Henns. is a rust fungus endemic to Australia, infecting various Boronia spp. This study describes and illustrates, using light and scanning electron microscopy, the telial stage, teliospore germination and basidiospore production of specimens collected from commercial Boronia plantations in Western Australia. Unusual formation of a single basidiospore per germinating teliospore, and the pycnial stage, observed on Boronia megastigma leaves, are reported for the first time for P. boroniae.

Transcriptome analysis of poplar rust telia reveals overwintering adaptation and tightly coordinated karyogamy and meiosis processes

“…The telial stage of rust fungi plays a crucial role in the fungal life cycle as it produces overwintering spores (i.e., teliospores) in which karyogamy and meiosis take place. Numerous ultrastructural studies have been conducted on telia and teliospores (Longo et al, 1979 ; Mendgen, 1984 ; Moriondo et al, 1989 ; Mims et al, 1996 ; Berndt, 1999 ; Driessen et al, 2005 ; Mims and Richardson, 2005 ), however, the functions activated by rust fungi during teliospores production and maturation remain poorly described. In the present study, we report in the poplar-poplar rust model pathosystem (Duplessis et al, 2009 ; Hacquard et al, 2011a ) the transcriptome of telia produced by the rust fungus M. larici-populina using whole genome exon oligoarrays and RT-qPCR.…”

“…Teliospore ontogeny has been described in several rust fungi genera including Cronartium, Chrysomyxa, Puccinia , and Melampsora (Longo et al, 1979 ; Moriondo et al, 1989 ; Mims et al, 1996 ; Berndt, 1999 ; Driessen et al, 2005 ). Maturation of the teliospores is marked by an increase of the cytoplasmic density, an accumulation of lipid droplets and glycogen-like structures, and disappearance of vacuoles (Harder, 1984 ; Mendgen, 1984 ).…”