Conserved Regulators of Mating Are Essential for Aspergillus fumigatus Cleistothecium Formation
- 1 May 2010
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Society for Microbiology in Eukaryotic Cell
- Vol. 9 (5), 774-783
- https://doi.org/10.1128/ec.00375-09
Abstract
Sexual reproduction of the human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus (teleomorph: Neosartorya fumigata ) was assumed to be absent or cryptic until recently, when fertile crosses among geographically restricted environmental isolates were described. Here, we provide evidence for mating, fruiting body development, and ascosporogenesis accompanied by genetic recombination between unrelated, clinical isolates of A. fumigatus , and this evidence demonstrates the generality and reproducibility of this long-time-undisclosed phase in the life cycle of this heterothallic fungus. Successful mating requires the presence of both mating-type idiomorphs MAT1 - 1 and MAT1 - 2 , as does expression of genes encoding factors presumably involved in this process. Moreover, analysis of an A. fumigatus mutant deleted for the nsdD gene suggests a role of this conserved regulator of cleistothecium development in hyphal fusion and hence heterokaryon formation.This publication has 60 references indexed in Scilit:
- Sexual reproduction in Aspergillus species of medical or economical importance: why so fastidious?Trends in Microbiology, 2009
- A Regulator of Aspergillus fumigatus Extracellular Proteolytic Activity Is Dispensable for VirulenceInfection and Immunity, 2009
- Sexual reproduction and recombination in the aflatoxin-producing fungus Aspergillus parasiticusFungal Genetics and Biology, 2009
- The Asexual Pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus Expresses Functional Determinants of Aspergillus nidulans Sexual DevelopmentEukaryotic Cell, 2008
- VelB/VeA/LaeA Complex Coordinates Light Signal with Fungal Development and Secondary MetabolismScience, 2008
- Mating Type Protein Mat1-2 from Asexual Aspergillus fumigatus Drives Sexual Reproduction in Fertile Aspergillus nidulansEukaryotic Cell, 2008
- Mating Type and the Genetic Basis of Self-Fertility in the Model Fungus Aspergillus nidulansCurrent Biology, 2007
- CRYPTIC SPECIATION IN THE COSMOPOLITAN AND CLONAL HUMAN PATHOGENIC FUNGUS ASPERGILLUS FUMIGATUSEvolution, 2005
- Sexual Development in Ascomycetes Fruit Body Formation of Aspergillus nidulansPublished by Taylor & Francis Ltd ,2002
- Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reactionHuman Genetics, 2000