| Title: | Pheromone expression reveals putative mechanism of unisexuality in a saprobic ascomycete fungus |
| Author(s): | Wilson AM; van der Nest MA; Wilken PM; Wingfield MJ; Wingfield BD; |
| Address: | "Department of Genetics, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa" |
| DOI: | 10.1371/journal.pone.0192517 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1932-6203 (Electronic) 1932-6203 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Homothallism (self-fertility) describes a wide variety of sexual strategies that enable a fungus to reproduce in the absence of a mating partner. Unisexual reproduction, a form of homothallism, is a process whereby a fungus can progress through sexual reproduction in the absence of mating genes previously considered essential for self-fertility. In this study, we consider the molecular mechanisms that allow for this unique sexual behaviour in the saprotrophic ascomycete; Huntiella moniliformis. These molecular mechanisms are also compared to the underlying mechanisms that control sex in Huntiella omanensis, a closely related, but self-sterile, species. The main finding was that H. omanensis displayed mating-type dependent expression of the a- and alpha-pheromones. This was in contrast to H. moniliformis where both pheromones were co-expressed during vegetative growth and sexual development. Furthermore, H. moniliformis also expressed the receptors of both pheromones. Consequently, this fungus is likely able to recognize and respond to the endogenously produced pheromones, allowing for self-fertility in the absence of other key mating genes. Overall, these results are concomitant with those reported for other unisexual species, but represent the first detailed study considering the unisexual behaviour of a filamentous fungus" |
| Keywords: | "Ascomycota/*genetics/metabolism/physiology Fertility/genetics Fungal Proteins/genetics/metabolism *Gene Expression Profiling *Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal Gene Ontology Genes, Mating Type, Fungal/*genetics Pheromones/*metabolism Receptors, Pheromone;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineWilson, Andi M van der Nest, Magriet A Wilken, P Markus Wingfield, Michael J Wingfield, Brenda D eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't 2018/03/06 PLoS One. 2018 Mar 5; 13(3):e0192517. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0192517. eCollection 2018" |
