The Balance and Interplay between Asexual and Sexual Reproduction in Fungi

Chamberlain, Maria; Ingram, D. S.

doi:10.1016/s0065-2296(08)60071-3

Cited by 21 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…With limited resources, the strategy of such pathogens is to optimize host exploitation by allocating the energy pumped from the host into either growth or reproduction (Kozlowski, 1992; Perrin & Sibly, 1993). When both asexual and sexual reproductions are possible, the switch between both reproductive modes is determined largely by the availability of resources (Chamberlain & Ingram, 1997) and by the presence of compatible sexual partners in species with separate sexes. Depending on host features, particularly host resistance, the time window for resource exploitation could be very variable in length, so the growth–reproduction allocation strategy of the pathogen can also be affected.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alteration of pathogenicity‐linked life‐history traits by resistance of its host Solanum tuberosum impacts sexual reproduction of the plant pathogenic oomycete Phytophthora infestans

Clément

Magalon

Pellé³

et al. 2010

J of Evolutionary Biology

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Although sexual reproduction implies a cost, it represents an evolutionary advantage for the adaptation and survival of facultative sexual pathogens. Understanding the maintenance of sex in pathogens requires to analyse how host resistance will impact their sexual reproduction through the alteration of their life‐history traits. We explored this experimentally using potato (Solanum tuberosum) and one of its pathogens, the heterothallic oomycete Phytophthora infestans. Sexual reproduction was highest on hosts favouring asexual multiplication of the pathogen, suggesting similar nutritional requirements for both sexual and asexual sporulation. Sexual reproduction was also highest on hosts decreasing the latent period, probably because of a trade‐off between growth and reproduction. Distinguishing host effects on each pathogenic trait remains however uneasy, as most life‐history traits linked to pathogenicity were not independent of each other. We argue that sexual reproduction of P. infestans is an adaptation to survive when the host is susceptible and rapidly destroyed.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alteration of pathogenicity‐linked life‐history traits by resistance of its host Solanum tuberosum impacts sexual reproduction of the plant pathogenic oomycete Phytophthora infestans

Clément

Magalon

Pellé³

et al. 2010

J of Evolutionary Biology

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“…Low concentrations of carbon or nitrogen can promote sexual reproduction of filamentous ascomycetes (Han et al, 1994(Han et al, , 2003. Gelasinospora reticulospora and Alternaria species could both produce a large number of perithecia under the light or dark conditions (Simmons & Roberts, 1993;Chamberlain & Ingram, 1997).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determination of the reference genes for qRT-PCR normalization and expression levels of MAT genes under various conditions in Ulocladium

Geng

2020

PeerJ

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The genus Ulocladium is thought to be strictly asexual. One of the possible reasons for the lack of sexuality in Ulocladium species is the absence of the stimulus of environmental factors. Sexual reproduction in ascomycetes is controlled by a specific region in the genome referred to as mating-type locus (MAT) that consists of two dissimilar DNA sequences in the mating partners, termed MAT1-1 and MAT1-2 idiomorphs. To identify the response of MAT loci to environmental conditions, the mRNA transcription level of MAT1-1-1 and MAT1-2-1 genes was tested using qRT-PCR under different temperatures (−20 °C, −10 °C, 0 °C, 10 °C, 20 °C, 30 °C and 40 °C), culture medias (CM, OA, HAY, PCA, PDA and V8), photoperiods (24 h light, 24 h dark, 12 h light/12 h dark, 10 h light/14 h dark and 8 h light/16 h dark), and CO2 concentrations (0.03%, 0.5%, 1%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%). For obtaining reliable results from qRT-PCR, the most stable internal control gene and optimal number of reference genes for normalization were determined under different treatments. The results showed that there is no universal internal control gene that is expressed at a constant level under different experimental treatments. In comparison to various incubation conditions, the relative expression levels of both MAT genes were significantly increased when fungal mycelia were grown on HAY culture media at 0–10 °C with a light/dark cycle, indicating that temperature, culture media, and light might be the key environmental factors for regulating the sexuality in Ulocladium. Moreover, MAT1-1-1 and MAT1-2-1 genes showed similar expression patterns under different treatments, suggesting that the two MAT genes might play an equally important role in the sexual evolutionary process.

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“…And of course, fungi do it-at least, most of them do, some of the time Evolutionary thinking about sex centres around the fact that it causes the genes of two organisms to become recombined in their progeny, so generating genetic diversity. Sex has other evolutionary consequences, notably that the sexual structures of fungi are often adapted for survival or dispersal (Chamberlain and Ingram, 1997), a point to which I shall return in Section Brown 4.4. Almost all theories about the evolution of sex actually concern the evolution and maintenance of recombination, a point which is especially pertinent in mycology, because fungi can undergo parasexual recombination.…”

Section: Sex Recombination and Fungimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…I return briefly to two other functions of sex in fungi, namely that many sexual structures are adapted for dispersal of spores over considerable distances or for survival for long periods of time (Chamberlain and Ingram, 1997). That sexual structures are adaptive in themselves is evident from the simple fact that homothallic fungi are helped to survive or disperse by these structures but do not form recombinant genotypes.…”

Section: Survival and Dispersalmentioning

confidence: 99%