Dikaryon

About: Dikaryon is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 322 publications have been published within this topic receiving 8933 citations.

Life History and Developmental Processes in the Basidiomycete Coprinus cinereus

Abstract: 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.

Dimorphism and haploid fruiting in Cryptococcus neoformans: association with the alpha-mating type

Abstract: Cryptococcus neoformans is a major opportunistic fungal pathogen in AIDS and other immunosuppressed patients. We have shown that wild-type haploid C. neoformans can develop an extensive hyphal phase under appropriate conditions. Hyphae produced under these conditions are monokaryotic, possess unfused clamp connections, and develop basidia with viable basidiospores. The ability to undergo this transition is determined by the presence of the alpha-mating type locus and is independent of serotype. The association of the hyphal phase with the alpha-mating type may explain the preponderance of this mating type in the environment and the nature of the infectious propagule of C. neoformans.

Green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a new vital marker in the phytopathogenic fungus Ustilago maydis.

Abstract: Pathogenic development ofUstilago maydis, the causative agent of corn smut disease, is a multistep process. Compatible yeast-like cells fuse and this generates the infectious dikaryon which grows filamentously. Having entered the plant the dikaryon induces tumors in its host in which massive proliferation of fungal material, karyogamy and spore formation occur. In order to follow fungal development from the initial steps to the final stage we have expressed the green fluorescent protein (GFP) fromAequorea victoria as a vital marker inU. maydis and demonstrate that GFP-tagged strains can be used to study host-pathogen interactions in vivo.

Comparative incompatibility in angiosperms and fungi.

Abstract: Publisher Summary Incompatibility in angiosperms is distinguished from other outbreeding mechanisms, but in fungi the distinction between separation of the sexes (dioecy) and incompatibility is a fine one. An incompatibility system is operating when all mating groups have the attributes and potentialities of both sexes. The most satisfactory method of classifying the different systems in angiosperms and fungi is by the genetic control—di-allelic or multi-allelic. With one possible exception, this division coincides with a morphological classification, heterohomomorphic in angiosperms, and with systematic orders in the fungi. The di-allelic system has developed a super gene that controls secondary characters such as morphological differences in angiosperms and nutritional or pathological characters in fungi. The di-allelic fungi with two monokaryons and one permanently heterozygous dikaryon develop a system of complementary genes—linked with the incompatibility gene—that are necessary for the dikaryon. The multi-allelic systems do not develop such secondary characters; this is a consequence of having a multiplicity of different heterozygotes.

Identification of fuz7, a Ustilago maydis MEK/MAPKK homolog required for a-locus-dependent and -independent steps in the fungal life cycle.

Abstract: Ustilago maydis is a plant pathogenic Basidiomycete fungus that exhibits dimorphism--it has a haploid, yeast-like phase and a dikaryotic, filamentous phase that is pathogenic. Establishment and maintenance of these two forms are controlled by two mating type loci, a and b. The a locus is thought to govern fusion of haploid cells to form a dikaryon and is also required for filamentous growth of the dikaryon. It encodes two components of a pheromone response pathway: pheromones and receptors. We report the identification of the U. maydis fuz7 gene, which codes for a putative dual specificity serine/threonine tyrosine kinase of the MAP kinase kinase (MAPKK/MEK) family, by homology with other members of the family. Analysis of mutants deleted for fuz7 shows that it participates in different facets of the life cycle: It is necessary for a-locus-dependent processes, such as conjugation tube formation, filament formation, and maintenance of filamentous growth, and for a-locus-independent processes, such as tumor induction and teliospore germination. fuz7 is the first U. maydis gene distinct from the b locus required for fungal pathogenicity. We propose that fuz7 is involved in at least two pathways, one of which responds to the pheromones coded by the a locus and the other to putative signals from the plant.