Genetic and Molecular Signaling Associated with Cell-cell Fusion in Fungi

与真菌细胞间融合相关的遗传和分子信号转导

• 批准号: 1412411
• 负责人: N Louise Glass
• 金额: $ 74.92万
• 依托单位: University of California-Berkeley
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-08-01 至 2019-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1412411&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Genetic; Molecular; Signaling; Associated; Cell

Cell-cell fusion is an essential process in most multicellular organisms. In filamentous fungi, formation of cellular networks via fusion of cells is essential for movement of nutrients, which has an immediate applicability to industrial fungus control. In order to interact with one another and respond to environmental cues, these fungi communicate via chemical languages using extracellular signals and cellular responses. This project will study the molecular mechanisms of specific signaling proteins that localize to sites of interaction between cells in order to provide a model to understand signaling between genetically identical cells. The project offers an interdisciplinary training opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students, and post-doctoral associates (including members of underrepresented groups) who will conduct live cell microscopy, as well as genetics, biochemistry, and molecular biology experiments. They will present their work at national and international conferences, and they will have opportunities to author publications on their research. In addition, biological images and movies developed as a result of the proposed research will be distributed to other Universities and mycological organizations nation-wide as teaching material at undergraduate level and for the public at large. The elucidation of chemical communication in fungi is important for understanding their role in nature and serves as a molecular paradigm for cell-cell communication. Understanding at molecular scale the homotypic fusion of filamentous fungi has the potential to uncover a new paradigm, that is, a novel mode of establishing specific communication and fusion between related cells. In Neurospora crassa, the attraction of cells to each other, and subsequent fusion, requires a precise regulation of protein localization and activation which is dependent upon reception of chemical signals. Analyses of wild specimens of N. crassa indicate that different chemical languages (i.e. dialects) determine whether or not fusion will occur between genetically different specimens. This project will study the molecular mechanisms of specific signaling proteins that localize to sites of interaction between cells in order to provide a model to understand signaling between genetically identical cells. Using genomic comparisons between wild specimens, the genetic basis of the chemical dialects will be determined.

细胞间融合是大多数多细胞生物的基本过程。在丝状真菌中，通过细胞融合形成的细胞网络对于营养物质的移动是必不可少的，这对于工业真菌控制具有直接的适用性。为了相互作用并对环境信号做出反应，这些真菌通过细胞外信号和细胞反应通过化学语言进行交流。该项目将研究定位于细胞之间相互作用位点的特定信号蛋白的分子机制，以提供理解遗传相同细胞之间信号传导的模型。该项目为本科生和研究生以及博士后助理（包括代表性不足的群体成员）提供了跨学科的培训机会，他们将进行活细胞显微镜以及遗传学，生物化学和分子生物学实验。他们将在国家和国际会议上介绍他们的工作，他们将有机会就他们的研究撰写出版物。此外，作为拟议研究的结果开发的生物图像和电影将分发给全国其他大学和真菌学组织，作为本科生和广大公众的教材。阐明真菌中的化学通讯对于理解它们在自然界中的作用是重要的，并且可以作为细胞间通讯的分子范例。在分子水平上理解丝状真菌的同型融合有可能揭示一种新的范式，即在相关细胞之间建立特异性通信和融合的新模式。在粗糙脉孢菌中，细胞相互吸引和随后的融合需要精确调节蛋白质定位和激活，这取决于化学信号的接收。分析了野生N. crassa指出，不同的化学语言（即方言）决定了基因不同的标本之间是否会发生融合。该项目将研究定位于细胞之间相互作用位点的特定信号蛋白的分子机制，以提供理解遗传相同细胞之间信号传导的模型。利用野生标本之间的基因组比较，将确定化学方言的遗传基础。