The Filamentous Fungus Sordaria macrospora as a Genetic Model to Study Fruiting Body Development

Teichert, Ines; Nowrousian, Minou; Pöggeler, Stefanie; Kück, Ulrich

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-800149-3.00004-4

Cited by 57 publications

(85 citation statements)

References 175 publications

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“…While S. macrospora is a Sordariomycete and develops perithecia as fruiting bodies similar to F. graminearum , P. confluens is a member of the Pezizomycetes, one of the earliest-diverging lineages of filamentous ascomycetes that produce apothecia as fruiting bodies (Gwynne-Vaughan and Williamson 1931, Teichert et al. 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

RNA Editing During Sexual Development Occurs in Distantly Related Filamentous Ascomycetes

Teichert

Dahlmann

Kück

et al. 2017

Genome Biology and Evolution

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RNA editing is a post-transcriptional process that modifies RNA molecules leading to transcript sequences that differ from their template DNA. A-to-I editing was found to be widely distributed in nuclear transcripts of metazoa, but was detected in fungi only recently in a study of the filamentous ascomycete Fusarium graminearum that revealed extensive A-to-I editing of mRNAs in sexual structures (fruiting bodies). Here, we searched for putative RNA editing events in RNA-seq data from Sordaria macrospora and Pyronema confluens, two distantly related filamentous ascomycetes, and in data from the Taphrinomycete Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Like F. graminearum, S. macrospora is a member of the Sordariomycetes, whereas P. confluens belongs to the early-diverging group of Pezizomycetes. We found extensive A-to-I editing in RNA-seq data from sexual mycelium from both filamentous ascomycetes, but not in vegetative structures. A-to-I editing was not detected in different stages of meiosis of S. pombe. A comparison of A-to-I editing in S. macrospora with F. graminearum and P. confluens, respectively, revealed little conservation of individual editing sites. An analysis of RNA-seq data from two sterile developmental mutants of S. macrospora showed that A-to-I editing is strongly reduced in these strains. Sequencing of cDNA fragments containing more than one editing site from P. confluens showed that at the beginning of sexual development, transcripts were incompletely edited or unedited, whereas in later stages transcripts were more extensively edited. Taken together, these data suggest that A-to-I RNA editing is an evolutionary conserved feature during fruiting body development in filamentous ascomycetes.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

RNA Editing During Sexual Development Occurs in Distantly Related Filamentous Ascomycetes

Teichert

Dahlmann

Kück

et al. 2017

Genome Biology and Evolution

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“…[34,35] and in the plant pathogen Fusarium graminearum [36]. Neurospora and Fusarium species belong to the orders Sordariales and Hypocreales, respectively, of the Sordariomycetes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The ancestral levels of transcription and the evolution of sexual phenotypes in filamentous fungi

Trail¹,

Wang²,

Stefanko³

et al. 2017

PLoS Genet

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Changes in gene expression have been hypothesized to play an important role in the evolution of divergent morphologies. To test this hypothesis in a model system, we examined differences in fruiting body morphology of five filamentous fungi in the Sordariomycetes, culturing them in a common garden environment and profiling genome-wide gene expression at five developmental stages. We reconstructed ancestral gene expression phenotypes, identifying genes with the largest evolved increases in gene expression across development. Conducting knockouts and performing phenotypic analysis in two divergent species typically demonstrated altered fruiting body development in the species that had evolved increased expression. Our evolutionary approach to finding relevant genes proved far more efficient than other gene deletion studies targeting whole genomes or gene families. Combining gene expression measurements with knockout phenotypes facilitated the refinement of Bayesian networks of the genes underlying fruiting body development, regulation of which is one of the least understood processes of multicellular development.

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“…These fungi are characterized by the formation of dikaryotic hyphae and include the phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. Fruiting body formation is independent of the lifestyle (saprotrophic or biotrophic) of these fungi and sometimes coupled to the preceding formation of sclerotia-compact masses of hardened mycelium containing food reserves (Martin et al 2008;Stajich et al 2010;Teichert et al 2014;Yin et al 2012). Since the fruiting bodies produce and disperse the sexual spores, defense of these structures against fungivores, including predators, grazers, and parasites, is essential for fungal reproduction.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Entomotoxic and nematotoxic lectins and protease inhibitors from fungal fruiting bodies

Sabotič

Ohm

Künzler

2015

Appl Microbiol Biotechnol

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Fruiting bodies or sporocarps of dikaryotic (ascomycetous and basidiomycetous) fungi, commonly referred to as mushrooms, are often rich in entomotoxic and nematotoxic proteins that include lectins and protease inhibitors. These protein toxins are thought to act as effectors of an innate defense system of mushrooms against animal predators including fungivorous insects and nematodes. In this review, we summarize current knowledge about the structures, target molecules, and regulation of the biosynthesis of the best characterized representatives of these fungal defense proteins, including galectins, beta-trefoil-type lectins, actinoporin-type lectins, beta-propeller-type lectins and beta-trefoil-type chimerolectins, as well as mycospin and mycocypin families of protease inhibitors. We also present an overview of the phylogenetic distribution of these proteins among a selection of fungal genomes and draw some conclusions about their evolution and physiological function. Finally, we present an outlook for future research directions in this field and their potential applications in medicine and crop protection.

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The Filamentous Fungus Sordaria macrospora as a Genetic Model to Study Fruiting Body Development

Cited by 57 publications

References 175 publications

RNA Editing During Sexual Development Occurs in Distantly Related Filamentous Ascomycetes

RNA Editing During Sexual Development Occurs in Distantly Related Filamentous Ascomycetes

The ancestral levels of transcription and the evolution of sexual phenotypes in filamentous fungi

Entomotoxic and nematotoxic lectins and protease inhibitors from fungal fruiting bodies

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