Tetrapolar fungal mating types: Sexes by the thousands

Kothe, Erika

doi:10.1016/0168-6445(96)00003-4

Cited by 31 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 157 publications

(197 reference statements)

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“…The A mating type locus of C. cinereus is homologous to the b mating type locus of U. maydis and to the A mating type locus of S. commune, whereas the B mating type locus of C. cinereus is homologous to the a locus of U. maydis and the B locus of S. commune (79,172,194,245,246,496). It has been proposed to combine the A mating loci of C. cinereus and S. commune and the b locus of U. maydis under the unifying name matT and the B mating type loci of C. cinereus and S. commune and the a locus of U. maydis under the name matP (172).…”

Section: Mating-type Locimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2). Commonly, events prior to mating and cellular fusion are assumed to be independent of the mating-type loci and selfnonself recognition is said to occur only intracellularly (76,79,245). Reports on effects of mating-type loci on hyphal fusions are contradictory.…”

Section: Mating-type Locimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Like these, they belong to the rhodopsin-like receptor family, characterized by seven hydrophobic transmembrane-spanning helices (7TM-type receptors), an extracellular N-terminal tail, three outer and three cytoplasmic loops, and an inner C-terminal tail (33, 72, 108, 153a, 374, 377). Preliminary results with S. commune suggest that the pheromone receptors reside within the outer hyphal membrane (245), and domain swaps between receptors indicate that the first and the third extracellular loops contribute to specificity (166). Analysis of chimeric ␣-factor receptors of S. cerevisiae and Saccharomyces kluyveri suggests that similar interactions occur between pheromones and pheromone receptors in ascomycetous yeasts (436).…”

Section: Vol 64 2000 Developmental Processes In Coprinus Cinereusmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Life History and Developmental Processes in the BasidiomyceteCoprinus cinereus

Kües

2000

Microbiol Mol Biol Rev

435

336

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SUMMARY Coprinus cinereus has two main types of mycelia, the asexual monokaryon and the sexual dikaryon, formed by fusion of compatible monokaryons. Syngamy (plasmogamy) and karyogamy are spatially and temporally separated, which is typical for basidiomycetous fungi. This property of the dikaryon enables an easy exchange of nuclear partners in further dikaryotic-monokaryotic and dikaryotic-dikaryotic mycelial fusions. Fruiting bodies normally develop on the dikaryon, and the cytological process of fruiting-body development has been described in its principles. Within the specialized basidia, present within the gills of the fruiting bodies, karyogamy occurs in a synchronized manner. It is directly followed by meiosis and by the production of the meiotic basidiospores. The synchrony of karyogamy and meiosis has made the fungus a classical object to study meiotic cytology and recombination. Several genes involved in these processes have been identified. Both monokaryons and dikaryons can form multicellular resting bodies (sclerotia) and different types of mitotic spores, the small uninucleate aerial oidia, and, within submerged mycelium, the large thick-walled chlamydospores. The decision about whether a structure will be formed is made on the basis of environmental signals (light, temperature, humidity, and nutrients). Of the intrinsic factors that control development, the products of the two mating type loci are most important. Mutant complementation and PCR approaches identified further genes which possibly link the two mating-type pathways with each other and with nutritional regulation, for example with the cAMP signaling pathway. Among genes specifically expressed within the fruiting body are those for two galectins, β-galactoside binding lectins that probably act in hyphal aggregation. These genes serve as molecular markers to study development in wild-type and mutant strains. The isolation of genes for potential non-DNA methyltransferases, needed for tissue formation within the fruiting body, promises the discovery of new signaling pathways, possibly involving secondary fungal metabolites.

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Section: Mating-type Locimentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mating-type Locimentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Vol 64 2000 Developmental Processes In Coprinus Cinereusmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Life History and Developmental Processes in the BasidiomyceteCoprinus cinereus

Kües

2000

Microbiol Mol Biol Rev

435

336

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“…It has been extensively used to study mating interactions for almost 100 years (47). In addition to studies involving the mushroom Coprinopsis cinerea and the corn smut Ustilago maydis, the mating type genes have been extensively analyzed for this tetrapolar basidiomycete (4,29). The recent publication of the S. commune genome sequence enables global expression analyses (41).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Transcriptome and Functional Analysis of Mating in the Basidiomycete Schizophyllum commune

et al. 2012

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In this study, we undertook a functional characterization and transcriptome analysis that enabled a comprehensive study of the mating type loci of the mushroom Schizophyllum commune. Induced expression of both the bar2 receptor and the bap2(2) pheromone gene within 6 to 12 h after mates' contact was demonstrated by quantitative real-time PCR. Similar temporal expression patterns were confirmed for the allelic bbr1 receptor and bbp1 pheromone-encoding genes by Northern hybridization. Interestingly, the fusion of clamp connections to the subterminal cell was delayed in mating interactions in which one of the compatible partners expressed the bar2 receptor with a truncated C terminus. This developmental delay allowed the visualization of a green fluorescent protein (Gfp)-labeled truncated receptor at the cell periphery, consistent with a localization in the plasma membrane of unfused pseudoclamps. This finding does not support hypotheses envisioning a receptor localization to the nuclear membrane facilitating recognition between the two different nuclei present in each dikaryotic cell. Rather, Gfp fluorescence observed in such pseudoclamps indicated a role of receptor-pheromone interaction in clamp fusion. Transcriptome changes associated with mating interactions were analyzed in order to identify a role for pheromone-receptor interactions. We detected a total of 89 genes that were transcriptionally regulated in a mating type locus A-dependent manner, employing a cutoff of 5-fold changes in transcript abundance. Upregulation in cell cycle-related genes and downregulation of genes involved in metabolism were seen with this set of experiments. In contrast, mating type locus B-dependent transcriptome changes were observed in 208 genes, with a specific impact on genes related to cell wall and membrane metabolism, stress response, and the redox status of the cell.T he filamentous fungus Schizophyllum commune is a widely distributed mushroom that lives saprophytically and can cause white rot on wood. It has been extensively used to study mating interactions for almost 100 years (47). In addition to studies involving the mushroom Coprinopsis cinerea and the corn smut Ustilago maydis, the mating type genes have been extensively analyzed for this tetrapolar basidiomycete (4, 29). The recent publication of the S. commune genome sequence enables global expression analyses (41). During the life cycle of this fungus, compatible haploid monokaryons can mate to produce a fertile dikaryon with two nuclei per cell, one derived from each mating partner. Under appropriate environmental conditions, the dikaryon is able to form the sexual reproductive fruiting bodies (40). While the fusion of two monokaryotic hyphae (plasmogamy) is independent of mating types, specific steps of sexual development are regulated by the mating type genes encoded in the loci A and B (25, 47). For each of these loci, two linked, multiallelic subloci (termed ␣ and ␤) have been determined by recombination analyses (27,49,51,65). The A loci encode homeodomain ...

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“…In contrast to mating in ascomycetes, mating in basidiomycetes is commonly regulated by two independent, unlinked loci, resulting in tetrapolar mating systems (7,37,40). Both mating-type loci can be multiallelic, giving rise to thousands of different mating types in some mushroom fungi (38). The structure of mating-type loci in basidiomycetes has been determined for several model systems, including the mushrooms Coprinus cinereus (41,52,53) and Schizophyllum commune (66)(67)(68)70) and the maize pathogen Ustilago maydis (4,27,39,62).…”

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Mating-Type Locus of Cryptococcus neoformans : a Step in the Evolution of Sex Chromosomes

et al. 2002

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The sexual development and virulence of the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans is controlled by a bipolar mating system determined by a single locus that exists in two alleles, ␣ and a. The ␣ and a mating-type alleles from two divergent varieties were cloned and sequenced. The C. neoformans mating-type locus is unique, spans >100 kb, and contains more than 20 genes. MAT-encoded products include homologs of regulators of sexual development in other fungi, pheromone and pheromone receptors, divergent components of a MAP kinase cascade, and other proteins with no obvious function in mating. The ␣ and a alleles of the mating-type locus have extensively rearranged during evolution and strain divergence but are stable during genetic crosses and in the population. The C. neoformans mating-type locus is strikingly different from the other known fungal mating-type loci, sharing features with the self-incompatibility systems and sex chromosomes of algae, plants, and animals. Our study establishes a new paradigm for mating-type loci in fungi with implications for the evolution of cell identity and self/nonself recognition.Self/nonself recognition events underlie the function of the major histocompatibility locus in defense against infection and organ transplant rejection, the self-incompatibility systems that prevent inbreeding in plants, and the production of offspring by sexual reproduction. During sexual reproduction, specialized genomic regions promote self/nonself interactions. Sexdetermining regions include the mating-type loci in fungi and the sex chromosomes in plants and animals. Dimorphic sex chromosome systems independently evolved in animals, mosses, and dioecious plants. A related but distinct sexual incompatibility system is found in many lower eukaryotes, including algae, protozoans, monoecious plants, and fungi. In these organisms, multiallelic mating-type (MAT) loci monitor cell interactions for sexual compatibility, and if inbreeding is detected, mating is aborted (17,18,50,56).A common theme of sex determinants is the need to be transmitted as a single unit, and recombination within sexdetermining regions is suppressed to avoid generating selffertile or sterile offspring. Several mechanisms operate to suppress recombination. In the fungal MAT loci, extensive sequence divergence prevents recombination between different alleles. In the case of sex chromosomes, both sequence divergence and chromosomal rearrangements suppress recombination. These rearrangements affect nearly the entire sex chromosome in humans or mice, whereas in lower vertebrates and certain dipterous insects, only a limited region of the sex chromosomes is rearranged. These findings suggest that the dimorphic sex chromosomes evolved via accumulation of chromosomal aberrations.Fungal mating-type loci serve as paradigms for understanding gene regulation during sexual development and the determination of cell fate and identity (7,16,32,34,37,40,54). Sexual development of ascomycetous fungi is commonly controlled by a bipolar mating syste...

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Tetrapolar fungal mating types: Sexes by the thousands

Cited by 31 publications

References 157 publications

Life History and Developmental Processes in the BasidiomyceteCoprinus cinereus

Life History and Developmental Processes in the BasidiomyceteCoprinus cinereus

Transcriptome and Functional Analysis of Mating in the Basidiomycete Schizophyllum commune

Mating-Type Locus of Cryptococcus neoformans : a Step in the Evolution of Sex Chromosomes

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