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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Davis, California » Crops Pathology and Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #258337
Title: Temporal and Spatial Regulation of Gene Expression during Asexual Development of Neurospora crassa

Author
item GREENWALD, CHARLES - Texas A&M University
item Kasuga, Takao
item GLASS, N.LOUISE - University Of California
item SHAW, BRIAN - Texas A&M University
item EBBOLE, DANIEL - Texas A&M University
item WILKINSON, HEATHER - Texas A&M University

Submitted to: Genetics
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/1/2010
Publication Date: 12/1/2010
Citation: Greenwald, C.J., Kasuga, T., Glass, N., Shaw, B.D., Ebbole, D.J., Wilkinson, H.H. 2010. Temporal and Spatial Regulation of Gene Expression during Asexual Development of Neurospora crassa. Genetics. 186: 1217-1230.

Interpretive Summary: Production of asexual spores or conidia is one of the most important parts of the life in fungi. In a model fungus, Neurospora crassa, the sequence of events during conidium development is well document, however, genetic mechanisms underlying the phenomenon is poorly understood. We used expression microarrays and monitored thousands of gene activities during conidial development.

Technical Abstract: In this study we profiled spatial and temporal transcriptional changes during asexual sporulation in the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa. Aerial tissue was separated from the mycelium to allow detection of genes specific to each tissue. We identified 2641 genes that were differentially expressed during development. Based on the distribution of functional annotations of 1101 of these differentially regulated genes, we defined physiological and regulatory events controlling development. Not surprisingly, genes encoding transcription factors, cell wall remodeling proteins, and proteins involved in signal transduction were differentially regulated during asexual development. Strains containing deletions of several differentially expressed genes encoding transcription factors exhibited asexual-development associated phenotypes. Gene expression patterns during asexual development suggested that cAMP signaling plays a critical role in the transition from aerial growth to pro-conidial chain formation. Furthermore, we determined that a strain containing a deletion of the gene encoding a high-affinity cAMP phosphodiesterase (NCU00487) resulted in an aconidial phenotype. NCU00487 was determined to be allelic to aconidiate-2, a previously identified genetic locus involved in conidiation.