Genetic and Molecular Dissection of Hyphal Anastomosis

菌丝吻合的遗传和分子解剖

• 批准号: 0517660
• 负责人: N Louise Glass
• 金额: $ 49.5万
• 依托单位: University of California-Berkeley
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-08-15 至 2009-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0517660&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Genetic; Molecular; Dissection; Hyphal; Anastomosis

Filamentous fungi grow by tip extension, branching and hyphal fusion to form a hyphal network that makes up a fungal individual. Some fungal colonies are microscopic, while others can be acres in size. Although tip growth and branching have been extensively studied in filamentous fungi, little is known about the mechanism of hyphal fusion or the function of the formation of a hyphal network. Previous studies on the hyphal fusion process by live cell imaging and confocal microscopy in the filamentous fungus, Neurospora crassa, have revealed a complex and carefully regulated biological process with obvious consequences to the fungal individual. Hyphal anastomosis is a way to increase cytoplasmic flow and interconnectedness of hypha, which may be important in intra-hyphal communication that influences hyphal pattern formation and developmental processes. Hyphal fusion in filamentous fungi is comparable to cell fusion events in other organisms, such as fertilization events between egg and sperm and somatic cell fusion events that result in syncytia, such as myoblast fusion during muscle differentiation and between osteoclasts during bone formation. The identification of hyphal anastomosis mutants in filamentous fungi will provide information and tools by which to genetically and molecularly characterize the signaling aspects and the machinery of the fusion process, in addition to illuminating the phenotypic consequences to the fungal individual of the inability to form a hyphal network. The studies will be performed on Neurospora crassa because of its tractability for live cell imaging techniques, full genome sequence information, the ease of genetic and molecular techniques and the positive interactions of the Neurospora community. The goal is to dissect the process of hyphal fusion by using a combination of live cell imaging, genetic analysis and biochemical tools to elucidate the mechanisms of self-signaling, polarization and fusion. Broader Impacts: Students at various levels will be involved in this project and they will learn a variety of techniques in genetics, cell imaging, genomics and molecular biology. Students from underrepresented groups will be supported through a summer internship program.

丝状真菌通过顶端延伸、分支和菌丝融合来生长，以形成构成真菌个体的菌丝网络。 一些真菌菌落是微观的，而另一些可以是英亩大小。虽然在丝状真菌中已经广泛地研究了顶端生长和分支，但是对菌丝融合的机制或菌丝网络形成的功能知之甚少。 以前的研究菌丝融合过程中的丝状真菌，粗糙脉孢菌，活细胞成像和共聚焦显微镜，揭示了一个复杂的和仔细调节的生物过程，真菌个体的明显后果。 菌丝融合是增加菌丝胞质流动和相互连接的一种方式，这可能在影响菌丝格局形成和发育过程的菌丝内通讯中起重要作用。 丝状真菌中的菌丝融合与其他生物体中的细胞融合事件相当，例如卵子和精子之间的受精事件和导致合胞体的体细胞融合事件，例如肌肉分化期间的成肌细胞融合和骨形成期间的破骨细胞之间的融合。丝状真菌中菌丝融合突变体的鉴定将提供信息和工具，通过这些信息和工具，除了阐明不能形成菌丝网络的真菌个体的表型后果之外，还可以从遗传和分子上表征融合过程的信号传导方面和机制。这些研究将在粗糙脉孢菌上进行，因为它易于活细胞成像技术、全基因组序列信息、遗传和分子技术的简便性以及脉孢菌群落的积极相互作用。目的是通过活细胞成像，遗传分析和生物化学工具的组合来剖析菌丝融合的过程，以阐明自我信号，极化和融合的机制。更广泛的影响：不同层次的学生将参与这个项目，他们将学习遗传学，细胞成像，基因组学和分子生物学的各种技术。来自代表性不足群体的学生将通过暑期实习计划获得支持。