A Mutant Defective in Sexual Development Produces Aseptate Ascogonia

作者:Bloemendal Sandra; Lord Kathryn M; Rech Christine; Hoff Birgit; Engh Ines; Read Nick D; Kueck Ulrich
来源:Eukaryotic Cell, 2010, 9(12): 1856-1866.
DOI:10.1128/EC.00186-10

摘要

The transition from the vegetative to the sexual cycle in filamentous ascomycetes is initiated with the formation of ascogonia. Here, we describe a novel type of sterile mutant from Sordaria macrospora with a defect in ascogonial septum formation. This mutant, named pro22, produces only small, defective protoperithecia and carries a point mutation in a gene encoding a protein that is highly conserved throughout eukaryotes. Sequence analyses revealed three putative transmembrane domains and a C-terminal domain of unknown function. Live-cell imaging showed that PRO22 is predominantly localized in the dynamic tubular and vesicular vacuolar network of the peripheral colony region close to growing hyphal tips and in ascogonia; it is absent from the large spherical vacuoles in the vegetative hyphae of the subperipheral region of the colony. This points to a specific role of PRO22 in the tubular and vesicular vacuolar network, and the loss of intercalary septation in ascogonia suggests that PRO22 functions during the initiation of sexual development.

  • 出版日期2010-12