Single-spore isolate variation: the effect on varietal designation in Phytophthora megasperma

1982 ◽  
Vol 60 (12) ◽  
pp. 2931-2938 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. B. Hamm ◽  
E. M. Hansen

Eight single zoospore isolates (SSI) were collected from each of 35 parent isolates of Phytophthora megasperma from 14 hosts. Morphological characters, hyphal growth patterns, and growth rate at several temperatures were measured and compared to assess variation of characters among the SSI of each parent. Oogonia, usually with paragynous antheridia, were formed by 94% of the SSI. The number of oogonia formed and the proportion of paragynous to amphigynous antheridia varied among SSI. Some SSI differed significantly from their parent in all characters measured. Oogonium (and oospore) diameter and sporangium shape were relatively consistent, but sporangium size varied widely. Parent isolates could not easily be classified as P. megasperma var. megasperma or P. megasperma var. sojae by oogonium diameter. Of the 35 parent isolates, 43% produced some SSI with oogonia averaging < 45 μm and some with oogonia averaging > 45 μm, the spore diameter used for varietal separation. Basing varieties on oogonium diameter is not justified because of such differences among SSI of a single parent and between wild-type isolates. The results supported a revised description of P. megasperma.

Genetics ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 144 (2) ◽  
pp. 533-540 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miriam Krüger ◽  
Reinhard Fischer

Abstract Aspergillus nidulans reproduces asexually with single nucleated conidia. In apsA (anucleate primary sterigmata) strains, nuclear positioning is affected and conidiation is greatly reduced. To get further insights into the cellular functions of apSA, aconidial apsA strains were mutagenized and conidiating suppressor strains were isolated. The suppressors fell into two complementation groups, samA and samB (suppressor of anucleate metulae). samA mapped on linkage group I close to pyrG. The mutant allele was dominant in diploids homozygous for apsA. Viability of conidia of samA suppressor strains (samA  −; apsA  −) was reduced to 50% in comparison to wild-type conidia. Eighty percent of viable spores produced small size colonies that were temperature- and benomyl-sensitive. samB mapped to chromosome VIII and was recessive. Viability of conidia from samB suppressor strains (apSA  −; samB−) was also affected but no small size colonies were observed. Both suppressors produced partial defects in sexual reproduction and both suppressed an apsA deletion mutation. In wild-type background the mutant loci affected hyphal growth rate (samA) or changed the colony morphology (samB) and inhibited sexual spore formation (samA and samB). Only subtle effects on conidiation were found. We conclude that both suppressor genes bypass the apsA function and are involved in microtubule-dependent processes.


Genetics ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 148 (3) ◽  
pp. 1031-1041
Author(s):  
Wei-Chiang Shen ◽  
Jenny Wieser ◽  
Thomas H Adams ◽  
Daniel J Ebbole

Abstract The Aspergillus nidulans flbD gene encodes a protein with a Myb-like DNA-binding domain that is proposed to act in concert with other developmental regulators to control initiation of conidiophore development. We have identified a Neurospora crassa gene called rca-1 (regulator of conidiation in Aspergillus) based on its sequence similarity to flbD. We found that N. crassa rca-1 can complement the conidiation defect of an A. nidulans flbD mutant and that induced expression of rca-1 caused conidiation in submerged A. nidulans cultures just as was previously observed for overexpression of flbD. Thus, the N. crassa gene appears to be a functional homologue of A. nidulans flbD and this is the first demonstration of functional complementation of an A. nidulans sporulation defect using a gene from an evolutionarily distant fungus. However, deletion of the rca-1 gene in N. crassa had no major effect on growth rate, macroconidiation, microconidiation, or ascospore formation. The only phenotype displayed by the rca-1 mutant was straight or counterclockwise hyphal growth rather than the clockwise spiral growth observed for wild type. Thus, if rca-1 is involved in N. crassa development, its role is subtle or redundant.


AMB Express ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Ma ◽  
Xueying Wang ◽  
Ting Zhou ◽  
Rui Hu ◽  
Huawei Zou ◽  
...  

AbstractThis study aimed to investigate the effects of cofD gene knock-out on the synthesis of coenzyme F420 and production of methane in Methanobrevibacter ruminantium (M. ruminantium). The experiment successfully constructed a cofD gene knock-out M. ruminantium via homologous recombination technology. The results showed that the logarithmic phase of mutant M. ruminantium (12 h) was lower than the wild-type (24 h). The maximum biomass and specific growth rate of mutant M. ruminantium were significantly lower (P < 0.05) than those of wild-type, and the maximum biomass of mutant M. ruminantium was approximately half of the wild-type; meanwhile, the proliferation was reduced. The synthesis amount of coenzyme F420 of M. ruminantium was significantly decreased (P < 0.05) after the cofD gene knock-out. Moreover, the maximum amount of H2 consumed and CH4 produced by mutant were 14 and 2% of wild-type M. ruminantium respectively. In conclusion, cofD gene knock-out induced the decreased growth rate and reproductive ability of M. ruminantium. Subsequently, the synthesis of coenzyme F420 was decreased. Ultimately, the production capacity of CH4 in M. ruminantium was reduced. Our research provides evidence that cofD gene plays an indispensable role in the regulation of coenzyme F420 synthesis and CH4 production in M. ruminantium.


Genetics ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 157 (4) ◽  
pp. 1503-1512 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roy A Khalaf ◽  
Richard S Zitomer

AbstractWe have identified a repressor of hyphal growth in the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans. The gene was originally cloned in an attempt to characterize the homologue of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Rox1, a repressor of hypoxic genes. Rox1 is an HMG-domain, DNA binding protein with a repression domain that recruits the Tup1/Ssn6 general repression complex to achieve repression. The C. albicans clone also encoded an HMG protein that was capable of repression of a hypoxic gene in a S. cerevisiae rox1 deletion strain. Gel retardation experiments using the purified HMG domain of this protein demonstrated that it was capable of binding specifically to a S. cerevisiae hypoxic operator DNA sequence. These data seemed to indicate that this gene encoded a hypoxic repressor. However, surprisingly, when a homozygous deletion was generated in C. albicans, the cells became constitutive for hyphal growth. This phenotype was rescued by the reintroduction of the wild-type gene on a plasmid, proving that the hyphal growth phenotype was due to the deletion and not a secondary mutation. Furthermore, oxygen repression of the hypoxic HEM13 gene was not affected by the deletion nor was this putative ROX1 gene regulated positively by oxygen as is the case for the S. cerevisiae gene. All these data indicate that this gene, now designated RFG1 for Repressor of Filamentous Growth, is a repressor of genes required for hyphal growth and not a hypoxic repressor.


2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (23) ◽  
pp. 10315-10328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yukinori Minoshima ◽  
Tetsuya Hori ◽  
Masahiro Okada ◽  
Hiroshi Kimura ◽  
Tokuko Haraguchi ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT We identified CENP-50 as a novel kinetochore component. We found that CENP-50 is a constitutive component of the centromere that colocalizes with CENP-A and CENP-H throughout the cell cycle in vertebrate cells. To determine the precise role of CENP-50, we examined its role in centromere function by generating a loss-of-function mutant in the chicken DT40 cell line. The CENP-50 knockout was not lethal; however, the growth rate of cells with this mutation was slower than that of wild-type cells. We observed that the time for CENP-50-deficient cells to complete mitosis was longer than that for wild-type cells. Centromeric localization of CENP-50 was abolished in both CENP-H- and CENP-I-deficient cells. Coimmunoprecipitation experiments revealed that CENP-50 interacted with the CENP-H/CENP-I complex in chicken DT40 cells. We also observed severe mitotic defects in CENP-50-deficient cells with apparent premature sister chromatid separation when the mitotic checkpoint was activated, indicating that CENP-50 is required for recovery from spindle damage.


2003 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 1287-1289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Varcamonti ◽  
Maria R. Graziano ◽  
Romilde Pezzopane ◽  
Gino Naclerio ◽  
Slavica Arsenijevic ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT An insertional deoD mutant of Streptococcus thermophilus strain SFi39 had a reduced growth rate at 20°C and an enhanced survival capacity to heat shock compared to the wild type, indicating that the deoD product is involved in temperature shock adaptation. We report evidence that ppGpp is implicated in this dual response.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andras Jakab ◽  
Eliane Meuwly ◽  
Maria Feldmann ◽  
Michael von Rhein ◽  
Raimund Kottke ◽  
...  

Congenital heart diseases (CHD) are the most common congenital anomalies, accounting for a third of all congenital anomaly cases. While surgical correction dramatically improved survival rates, the lag behind normal neurodevelopment appears to persist. Deficits of higher cognitive functions are particularly common, including developmental delay in communication and oral-motor apraxia. It remains unclear whether the varying degree of cognitive developmental delay is reflected in variability in brain growth patterns. To answer this question, we aimed to investigate whether the rate of regional brain growth is correlated with later life neurodevelopment. 44 newborns were included in our study, out of whom 33 were diagnosed with dextro-transposition of the great arteries (d-TGA) and 11 with other forms of severe CHD. During the first month of life, neonates underwent corrective or palliative cardiovascular bypass surgery, pre- and postoperative cerebral MRI were performed 18.7 ± 7.03 days apart. MRI was performed in natural sleep on a 3.0T scanner using an 8-channel head coil, fast spin-echo T2-weighted anatomical sequences were acquired in three planes. Based on the principles of deformation based morphometry, we calculated brain growth rate maps that reflected the rate of non-linear deformation that occurs between pre- and post-operative brain images. An explorative, whole-brain, threshold-free cluster enhancement analysis revealed strong correlation between the growth rate of the left planum temporale and the posterior operculum of the left frontal lobe and language score at 12 months of age, corrected for demographic variables (p=0.018, t=5.656). No significant correlation was found between brain growth rates and motor or cognitive scores. Post hoc analysis showed that the length of hospitalization interacts with this correlation with longer hospitalization stay results in faster enlargement of the internal cerebro-spinal fluid spaces. Our study provides evidence to the early importance of left-dominant perisylvian regions in language development even before the direct postnatatal exposure to native language. In CHD patients, the perioperative period results in a critical variability of brain growth rate in this region, which is a reliable neural correlate of language development at one year of age.


Genetics ◽  
1983 ◽  
Vol 105 (4) ◽  
pp. 881-896
Author(s):  
John M Belote

ABSTRACT The male-specific lethal mutations (msl's) identify loci whose wild-type gene products are essential for male, but not female, viability. Earlier studies in which X-linked gene activities were monitored in msl/msl male larvae demonstrated that these genes are responsible for setting and/or maintaining the level of X chromosome transcription in males (i.e., they are necessary for proper dosage compensation). The present study examines several important questions concerning their mode of action during development—The results of an examination of the effects of an msl-1 deficiency on male-lethal phase and female viability suggest that this mutation is an amorph, or a severe hypomorph. The effects of rendering a fly mutant for more than one male-lethal mutation were also examined. Multiply mutant flies were no more severely affected than singly mutant ones. A gynandromorph analysis revealed that the male-limited lethality associated with msl-2 has no single lethal focus. Somatic clones of homozygous msl-2 cells were initiated at various times during development by X-ray-induced mitotic recombination. An examination of the viability, growth patterns and morphology of marked clones demonstrated that: (1) msl-2  + acts in a cell autonomous manner, (2) msl-2  + function is required not only in larval (polytene) cells as was shown in previous work but is also needed in the diploid cells that give rise to adult structures, (3) the msl-2  + gene is needed fairly late in development and perhaps continuously, (4) the msl-2 mutation does not affect sexual differentiation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sehrish Iftikhar ◽  
Aurélie Vigne ◽  
Julia Elisa Sepulveda-Diaz

AbstractFungicides are extensively used in agriculture to control fungal pathogens which are responsible for significant economic impact on plant yield and quality. The conventional antifungal screening techniques, such as water agar and 96-well plates, are based on laborious protocols and bulk analysis, restricting the analysis at the single spore level and are time consuming. In this study, we present a droplet-based microfluidic platform that enables antifungal analysis of single spores of filamentous fungus Alternaria alternata. A droplet-based viability assay was developed, allowing the germination and hyphal growth of single A. alternata spores within droplets. The viability was demonstrated over a period of 24 h and the antifungal screening was achieved using Kunshi/Tezuma as antifungal agent. The efficacy results of the droplet-based antifungal analysis were compared and validated with the results obtained from conventional protocols. The percentage inhibitions assessed by the droplet-based platform were equivalent with those obtained by the other two methods, and the Pearson correlation analysis showed high correlation between the three assays. Taken together, this droplet-based microfluidic platform provides a wide range of potential applications for the analysis of fungicide resistance development as well as combinatorial screening of other antimicrobial agents and even antagonistic fungi.


1999 ◽  
Vol 65 (6) ◽  
pp. 2631-2635 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonja Isken ◽  
Antoine Derks ◽  
Petra F. G. Wolffs ◽  
Jan A. M. de Bont

ABSTRACT Solvent-tolerant microorganisms are useful in biotransformations with whole cells in two-phase solvent-water systems. The results presented here describe the effects that organic solvents have on the growth of these organisms. The maximal growth rate of Pseudomonas putida S12, 0.8 h−1, was not affected by toluene in batch cultures, but in chemostat cultures the solvent decreased the maximal growth rate by nearly 50%. Toluene, ethylbenzene, propylbenzene, xylene, hexane, and cyclohexane reduced the biomass yield, and this effect depended on the concentration of the solvent in the bacterial membrane and not on its chemical structure. The dose response to solvents in terms of yield was linear up to an approximately 200 mM concentration of solvent in the bacterial membrane, both in the wild type and in a mutant lacking an active efflux system for toluene. Above this critical concentration the yield of the wild type remained constant at 0.2 g of protein/g of glucose with increasing concentrations of toluene. The reduction of the yield in the presence of solvents is due to a maintenance higher by a factor of three or four as well as to a decrease of the maximum growth yield by 33%. Therefore, energy-consuming adaptation processes as well as the uncoupling effect of the solvents reduce the yield of the tolerant cells.


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