Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-g8jcs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T05:39:50.507Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Sexuality in Neurospora crassa I. Mutations to male sterility

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 April 2009

J. Weijer
Affiliation:
Department of Genetics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
N. V. Vigfusson
Affiliation:
Department of Genetics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Mutations giving rise to sexual sterility were induced in Neurospora crassa macroconidia by ultraviolet-light irradiation. Thirty mutants were isolated on the basis of their male sterility in crosses with a wild-type strain. When used as the male parent these mutants exhibited a wide spectrum of sexual behaviour patterns ranging from the production of only small brown protoperithecia (complete male sterility) to the production of large and normally pigmented perithecia but with an undeveloped ostiole and very few if any spores. For many of the mutants the behaviour pattern is different when the strain is used as the female parent. Segregation data reveal that none of these mutants represent mutations of the mating-type locus. These findings suggest that the sexual development cycle is blocked at various stages in the different mutant strains. All attempts to restore fertility by supplying various additives to the medium or by varying the incubation time and temperature were unsuccessful. Conidial viability tests carried out on many of the strains revealed no abnormality in this respect. The aberrant segregation patterns exhibited by many of the mutants are discussed.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1972

References

REFERENCES

Bistis, G. (1956). Sexuality in Ascobolus stercorarius. I. Morphology of the ascogonium. plasmogamy; evidence for a sexual hormonal mechanism. American Journal of Botany 43, 389394.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bistis, G. (1957). Preliminary experiments on various aspects of the sexual process. American Journal of Botany 44, 436443.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bistis, G. N. & Raper, J. R. (1963). Heterothallism and sexuality in Ascobolus stercorarius. American Journal of Botany 50, 880891.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burnett, J. H. (1956). The mating systems in fungi. I. New Phytologist 55, 5090.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carr, A. J. H. & Olive, L. S. (1959). Genetics of Sordaria fimicola. III. Cross-compatibility among self-fertile and self-sterile cultures. American Journal of Botany 46, 8191.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Colson, B. (1934). The cytology and morphology of Neurospora tetrasperma Dodge. Annals of Botany 48, 211224.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dodge, B. O. (1935). The mechanics of sexual reproduction in Neurospora Mycologia 27, 418438.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Esser, K. & Straub, J. (1956). Fertilität im Heterokaryon aus zwei sterilen Mutanten von Sordaria macrospora. Zeit schrift für Vererb. ungslehre 87, 625626.Google ScholarPubMed
Esser, K. & Straub, J. (1958). Genetische Untersuchungen an Sordaria macrospora. Kompensation und Induktion bei genbedingten Entwicklungsdefekten. Zeit schrift für Vererb. ungslehre 89, 729746.Google Scholar
Fitzgerald, P. H. (1963). Genetic and epigenetic factors controlling female sterility in Neurospora crassa. Heredity 18, 4762.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hirsch, H. M. (1954). Environmental factors influencing the differentiation of protoperithecia and their relation to tyrosine and melanin formation in Neurospora crassa. Physiologia Plantarum 7, 7297.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McClintock, B. (1945). Preliminary observations of the chromosomes of Neurospora crassa. American Journal of Botany 32, 671678.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McGahen, J. W. & Wheeler, H. E. (1951). Genetics of Glomerella IX. Perithecial development and plasmogamy. American Journal of Botany 38, 610617.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nelson, R. R. (1959 a). Genetics of Cochliobolus heterostrophus II. Genetic factors inhibiting ascospore formation. Mycologia 51, 2430.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nelson, R. R. (1959 b). Genetics of Cochliobolus heterostrophus. III. Genetic factors inhibiting ascus formation. Mycologia 51, 132137.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nelson, R. R. (1959 c). Genetics of Cochliobolus heterostrophus. IV. A mutant gene which prevents perithecial formation. Phytopathology 49, 384386.Google Scholar
Olive, L. S. (1956). Genetics of Sordaria fimicola. I. Ascospore color mutants. American Journal of Botany 43, 97107.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pinchiera, G. & Srb, A. M. (1969). Genetic variation in the orientation of nuclear spindles during the development of asci in Neurospora American Journal of Botany 56, 846853.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Raper, J. R. (1940). Sexuality in Achyla ambisexualis. Mycologia 32, 710727.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Raper, J. R. (1951). Sexual hormones in Achlya. American Scientist 39, 110121.Google Scholar
Raper, J. R. (1957). Hormones and sexuality in lower plants. Symposium of the Society of Experimental Biology 11, 143165.Google Scholar
Raper, J. R. (1960). The control of sex in fungi. American Journal of Botany 47, 794808.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Raper, J. R. & Esser, K. (1964). The fungi. In The Cell vol. VI (ed. Brachet, J. and Mirsky, A. E.), pp. 139244. New York and London: Academic Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ryan, F. J. (1950). Selected methods of Neurospora genetics. Methods in Medical Research. 3, 5175.Google Scholar
Singleton, J. R. (1953). Chromosome morphology and the chromosome cycle in the ascus of Neurospora crassa. American Journal of Botany 40, 124144.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, B. R. (1962). Mating type tests using a plating technique. Neurospora Newsletter 1, 14.Google Scholar
Tan, S. T. & Ho, C. C. (1970). A gene controlling the early development of protoperithecium in Neurospora crassa. Molecular General Genetics 107, 158161.Google Scholar
Tatum, E. L., Barratt, R. W. & Cutter, V. M. (1949). Chemical induction of colonial paramorphs in Neurospora and Syncephalastrum. Science 109, 509511.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vigfusson, N. V. & Weijer, J. (1969). Improved method for the isolation of sterility mutants Neurospora Newsletter 14, 9.Google Scholar
Vogel, H. J. (1956). A convenient growth medium for Neurospora. Microbial Genetics Bulletin 13, 4243.Google Scholar
Westergaard, M. & Hirsch, H. M. (1954). Environmental and genetic control of differentiation in Neurospora. In Recent Developments in Cell Physiology. Colston Papers 7, 171183.Google Scholar
Westergaard, M. & Mitchell, H. K. (1947). Neurospora. V. A synthetic medium favoring sexual reproduction. American Journal of Botany 34, 573577.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wheeler, H. E. (1954). Genetics and evolution of heterothallism in Glomerella. Phytopathology 44, 342345.Google Scholar
Wheeler, H. E. & McGahen, J. W. (1952). Genetics of Glomerella X. Genes affecting sexual reproduction. American Journal of Botany 24, 411447.Google Scholar