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Eukaryot Cell

Title:		Pheromones are essential for male fertility and sufficient to direct chemotropic polarized growth of trichogynes during mating in Neurospora crassa
Author(s):		Kim H; Borkovich KA;
Address:		"Department of Plant Pathology, 1415 Boyce Hall, 900 University Avenue, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA"
Journal Title:		Eukaryot Cell
Year:		2006
Volume:		5
Issue:		3
Page Number:		544 - 554
DOI:		10.1128/EC.5.3.544-554.2006
ISSN/ISBN:		1535-9778 (Print) 1535-9786 (Electronic) 1535-9786 (Linking)
Abstract:		"Neurospora crassa is a self-sterile filamentous fungus with two mating types, mat A and mat a. Its mating involves chemotropic polarized growth of female-specific hyphae (trichogynes) toward male cells of the opposite mating type in a process involving pheromones and receptors. mat A cells express the ccg-4 pheromone and the pre-1 receptor, while mat a strains produce mRNA for the pheromone mfa-1 and the pre-2 receptor; MFA-1 and CCG-4 are the predicted ligands for PRE-1 and PRE-2, respectively. In this study, we generated Deltaccg-4 and Deltamfa-1 mutants and engineered a mat a strain to coexpress ccg-4 and its receptor, pre-2. As males, Deltaccg-4 mat A and Deltamfa-1 mat a mutants were unable to attract mat a and mat A trichogynes, respectively, and consequently failed to initiate fruiting body (perithecial) development or produce meiotic spores (ascospores). In contrast, Deltaccg-4 mat a and Deltamfa-1 mat A mutants exhibited normal chemotropic attraction and male fertility. Deltaccg-4 Deltamfa-1 double mutants displayed defective chemotropism and male sterility in both mating types. Heterologous expression of ccg-4 enabled mat a males to attract mat a trichogynes, although subsequent perithecial differentiation did not occur. Expression of ccg-4 and pre-2 in the same strain triggered self-stimulation, resulting in formation of barren perithecia with no ascospores. Our results indicate that CCG-4 and MFA-1 are required for mating-type-specific male fertility and that pheromones (and receptors) are initial determinants for sexual identity during mate recognition. Furthermore, a self-attraction signal can be transmitted within a strain that expresses a pheromone and its cognate receptor"
Keywords:		"DNA, Fungal Fertility Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal *Genes, Fungal *Genes, Mating Type, Fungal Genetic Engineering Genetic Markers Genome Ligands Neurospora crassa/cytology/*genetics/*growth & development/physiology Open Reading Frames Pheromones/che;"
Notes:		"MedlineKim, Hyojeong Borkovich, Katherine A eng R01 GM048626/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/ R01 GM 48626/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/ Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural 2006/03/10 Eukaryot Cell. 2006 Mar; 5(3):544-54. doi: 10.1128/EC.5.3.544-554.2006"