Three new ascomycetous yeasts from insect-associated arboreal habitats

A new species of Pichia and two new species of Candida are described and were determined to be genetically isolated from all other currently recognized ascomycetous yeasts from their sequence divergence in the species-variable D1/D2 domain of large subunit (26S) ribosomal DNA. The three species were primarily isolated from the frass of wood-boring insects living in pine and spruce trees. The new species and their type strains are the following: Pichia ramenticola NRRL YB-1985 (CBS 8699), mating type alpha (NRRL YB-3835, CBS 8700, mating type a), Candida piceae NRRL YB-2107 (CBS 8701), and Candida wyomingensis NRRL YB-2152 (CBS 8703). Pichia ramenticola and C. piceae assimilate methanol as a carbon source; P. ramenticola is the first known heterothallic ascomycetous yeast to utilize this compound.     

Pichia angophorae,sp.n. from the exudate of an Australian Red Gum tree

A new species ofPichia has been described.Pichia angophorae sp.n. was the only yeast present in an exudate ofAngophora costata collected near North Ryde, N. S. W., Australia. The new species exists in both the homo- and heterothallic state. Heterothallic mating types have been isolated as segregants from originally homothallic cultures.     

Heterothallism in Pichia kudriavzevii and Pichia terricola

Pichia kudriavzevii and P. terricola were found to be heterothallic, but not interfertile with one another; nor did they mate with P. membranaefaciens, P. scutulata, Candida lambica, C. diversa, C. ingens, C. silvae, C. valida, C. vini, C. norvegensis, or Torulopsis inconspicua. Limited conjugation occurred between mating types of P. kudriavzevii and C. krusei and conjugation and sporulation occurred in mixtures with C. sorbosa. The data indicate C. krusei and C. sorbosa to be the same species and to represent imperfect forms of P. kudriavzevii.     

Two Different h Mating Types in SCHIZOSACCHAROMYCES POMBE

In the strains of Schizosaccharomyces pombe introduced by Leupold (1950, 1958) into genetic research, heterothallic and homothallic mating types are known. The mating types are determined by two closely linked genes. We show that two distinct heterothallic - mating types exist: a stable one (h(-S)) and an unstable one (h(-U)), which can mutate to heterothallism + and homothallism. A proposal for incorporation of the new mating type h(-U) into Leupold's two-gene scheme is discussed.     

Both mating types in the heterothallic fungus Ophiostoma quercus contain MAT1-1 and MAT1-2 genes

In heterothallic Ascomycota, two opposite but distinct mating types control all sexual processes. Using mating crosses, mating types were assigned to ten isolates of the heterothallic fungal species Ophiostoma quercus. Primers were subsequently designed to target the MAT1-1-1, MAT1-1-3 (of the mating type 1 idiomorph), and MAT1-2-1 (of the mating type 2 idiomorph) genes in these isolates. Results showed that all isolates contained the full gene sequence for the MAT1-2-1 gene. In addition, fragments of the MAT1-1-1 and MAT1-1-3 genes were sequenced from all isolates. These results were unexpected, as each isolate from a heterothallic species would typically contain only one of the two possible MAT idiomorphs.     

中国疫霉属异宗配合种的交配型

在疫霉属真菌中,很多种是重要的经济植物的病原菌,寄主范围广泛,包括乔木、灌木和各种农作物;为害性大,常带来严重的经济损失。本文主要研究疫霉异宗配合种的交配型。根据疫霉在纯培养和成对培养(dual culture)中产生有性器官的能力,疫霉属可分为同宗配合种和异宗配合种两大类群。异宗配合种的A~1交配型与同一种或其它种的A~2交配型进行成对培养时,可以形成有性器官。两个可亲合菌系配合而形成有性器官时,可能发生基因重组,其结果将使病原菌具有更强的生存能力、致病力以及更广泛的寄主范围。因此,研究疫霉两种不同的交配型的分布,不仅对认识病害的发生发展规律,进一步设计防治措施有着重要意义,而且对疫霉属的起源、演化和移栖也有着深远的理论意义。作者对收集到的7个异宗配合种:Phytophthora capsici,P.cinnamomi,P.citrophthora,P.colocasiae,P.infestans,P.nicotianae,P.palmivora的38个分离物进行了交配型的研究,测定工作使用澄清的Campbell蔬菜汁琼脂培养基(V8C),用于确定交配型的菌系有P.nicotianae var.parasitica A~1,P.nicotianae var.parasitica A~2,P.cinnamomi A~1,P.cinnamomi A~2,P.palmivora A~1,P.palmivora A~2.每个分离物分别与已知种的A~1和A~2两个菌系成对接种于同一V8C平板上,放入25℃温箱中培养,2周后在两个菌落的连线上检查有性器官的产生情况。实验结果表明,中国疫霉属异宗配合种的这些分离物的交配型与寄主或地理分布似无相关性,同一种植物上分离到的同种疫霉可以是A~1交配型,也可以为A~2交配型;同一地区可以出现两种交配型,不同地区又有相同的交配型。云南西双版纳橡胶园中的分离物(P.citrophthora,P.colocasiae,P.palmivora)都表现为中性。     

Sexual Reproduction as the Cause of Heat Resistance in the Food Spoilage Fungus Byssochlamys spectabilis (Anamorph Paecilomyces variotii)

Paecilomyces variotii is a common cosmopolitan species that is able to spoil various food- and feedstuffs and is frequently encountered in heat-treated products. However, isolates from heat-treated products rarely form ascospores. In this study we examined by using molecular techniques and mating tests whether this species can undergo a sexual cycle and form ascospores. The population structure of this species was examined by analyzing the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) and ITS2 and the 5.8S rRNA gene, as well as partial β-tubulin, actin, and calmodulin gene sequences. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that P. variotii is a highly variable species. Partition homogeneity tests revealed that P. variotii has a recombining population structure. In addition to sequence analyses, mating experiments indicated that P. variotii is able to form ascomata and ascospores in culture in a heterothallic manner. The distribution of MAT1-1 and MAT1-2 genes showed a 1:1 ratio in the progeny of the mating experiments. From the sequence analyses and mating data we conclude that P. variotii is the anamorph of Talaromyces spectabilis and that it has a biallelic heterothallic mating system. Since Paecilomyces sensu stricto anamorphs group within Byssochlamys, a new combination Byssochlamys spectabilis is proposed.     

The Mating System in Saccharomyces

Many, but not all, Saccharomyces species are heterothallic.The mating types in heterothallic species are determined bytwo allelic genes. The mating-type genes occasionally mutatefrom one to the other. Vegetative cells of opposite mating typewere found in some single ascospore colonies. They show conjugationtubes, stimulated by the proximity of cells of the other matingtype. The cultures alao show zygotes, which on sporulation yieldplus(+) and minus(–) progenies. The zygotes bud off diploid vegetative cells which grow fasterthan the original haploid cells and so tend to replace them.If mutation occurs early, replacement is complete and the culturegives no mating reaction but sporulates. If it occurs late,the culture is a mixture of haploid cells giving a mating reactionand diploid cells that will sporulate.     

DNA damage induced mating type switching in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Haploid cells of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae are able to undergo a differentiation-like process: they can switch their mating type between the a and the alpha state. The molecular mechanism of this interconversion of mating types is intrachromosomal gene conversion. It has been shown in a variety of studies that mating type switching in heterothallic strains can be induced by DNA damaging agents, and that different DNA damaging agents differ in the length of incubation after treatment required for induction. Because X-rays induce switching immediately after irradiation and because the DNA double-strand break repair pathway is required for switching, the event initiating heterothallic mating type switching is likely to be a DNA double-strand break. Therefore the assay for heterothallic mating type switching may screen for the induction of DNA double-strand breaks. Several aspects indicating a relationship of mating type switching to mechanisms associated with carcinogenesis are discussed.     

Mating types inPichia membranaefaciens

Mating types have been found in a strain ofPichia membranaefaciens. The implication of this finding for the classification of some heterothallic species provisionally placed in the genusEndomycopsis is considered.     

Unidirectional evolutionary transitions in fungal mating systems and the role of transposable elements

In the fungal kingdom, the evolution of mating systems is highly dynamic, varying even among closely related species. Rearrangements in the mating-type (mat) locus, which contains the major regulators of sexual development, are expected to underlie the transitions between self-sterility (heterothallism) and self-fertility (homothallism). However, both the genetic mechanisms and the direction of evolutionary transitions in fungal mating systems are under debate. Here, we present new sequences of the mat locus of four homothallic and one heterothallic species of the model genus Neurospora (Ascomycota). By examining the patterns of synteny among these sequences and previously published data, we show that the locus is conserved among heterothallic species belonging to distinct phylogenetic clades, while different gene arrangements characterize the four homothallic species. These results allowed us to ascertain a heterothallic ancestor for the genus, confirming the prediction of the dead-end theory on unidirectional transitions toward selfing. We show that at least four shifts from heterothallism to homothallism have occurred in Neurospora, three of which involve the acquisition of sequences of both mating types into the same haploid genome. We present evidence for two genetic mechanisms allowing these shifts: translocation and unequal crossover. Finally, we identified two novel retrotransposons and suggest that these have played a major role in mating-system transitions, by facilitating multiple rearrangements of the mat locus.     

On the biogeography of yeasts in the Wickerhamiella clade and description of Wickerhamiella lipophila sp. nov., the teleomorph of Candida lipophila

We describe the new yeast species Wickerhamiella lipophila, the teleomorph of Candida lipophila, a haploid heterothallic yeast previously isolated from insects associated with morning glories in Hawaii. Both mating types were recovered in the eastern region of Maui, and a single strain was found in the Waimea region of Kauai. We reexamined the mating compatibility of the several strains of Candida lipophila previously collected on the island of Hawaii and found them to be fertile mating types that had been overlooked because of the unpredictability of mating and ascus formation. The type culture of Candida lipophila [UWO(PS)91-681.3 = CBS 8458, h+] is transferred to the genus Wickerhamiella, and strain UWO(PS)00-340.1 (CBS 8812, h-) is designated as isotype. Also found on Maui and Kauai were strains of Candida drosophilae that produced a strong extracellular protease. An update on the global distribution of members of the Wickerhamiella clade is given.     

Aspergillus genomes: secret sex and the secrets of sex

The genomic sequences of three species of Aspergillus, including the model organism A. nidulans (which is homothallic: having no differentiated mating types, a strain being able to cross with itself), suggest that A. fumigatus and A. oryzae, considered to be asexual, might in fact be heterothallic (having two differentiated mating types, a strain being able to cross only with strains of opposite mating type). The genomic data have implications for the understanding of the evolution and the mechanism of sexual reproduction in this genus. We propose a model of epigenetic heterothallism to account for the reproductive patterns observed in Aspergillus nidulans.     

Fusarium temperatum sp. nov. from maize, an emergent species closely related to Fusarium subglutinans

A large number of Fusarium isolates closely related to F. subglutinans were collected from maize in Belgium. We used a robust polyphasic approach to describe a new biological species, Fusarium temperatum, within the Gibberella fujikuroi species complex. F. temperatum can be distinguished from F. subglutinans and from other Fusarium species within the Gibberella fujikuroi species complex with AFLP fingerprint profile, differences in the translation elongation factor 1-α and β-tubulin DNA sequence and interspecies mating compatibility analyses. Intraspecies mating compatibility suggests that sexual reproduction might be common for field isolates of F. temperatum, and reliable female fertile mating population tester strains were proposed for this heterothallic species.     

Mating type and the differentiated state in Physarum polycephalum.

In the acellular slime mold, Physarum polycephalum, the differentiation of amoebae into plasmodia is controlled by a mating type locus, mt. Amoebae carrying heterothallic alleles usually do not differentiate within clones; plasmodia form when two amoebae carrying different alleles fuse and undergo karyogamy. In this paper, we show that amoebae heterozygous for heterothallic alleles can be isolated and maintained as amoebae; the amoebae form plasmodia in clones without a change in ploidy. Plasmodia were also found to be formed, infrequently, by heterothallic amoebae of a single mating type. The plasmodia are healthy and are also formed without a change in ploidy. Thus, the presence of two different heterothallic mating type genes in a single nucleus is compatible with the amoebal state and one heterothallic mating type gene is compatible with the plasmodial state, once established.     

A taxonomic revision of two dictyostelid species, Polysphondylium pallidum and P. album

To reevaluate two dictyostelid species, namely, Polysphondylium pallidum and P. album, 92 isolates of the P. pallidum complex from their type localities were examined based on mating relationships and morphological characteristics. In the mating tests three heterothallic mating groups were found among the isolates. They also were different morphologically from each other. These results suggested that they belonged to distinct taxa. By comparison of the three mating groups with the type specimens of P. pallidum and P. album, two of them were identified as P. pallidum and P. album. Based on the examined isolates P. pallidum and P. album were redescribed in detail.     

Cylindrocladium buxicola, a new species affecting Buxus spp., and its phylogenetic status

A leaf and twig blight disease of Buxus spp. was found to be associated with a new species of Cylindrocladium. The novel species status was confirmed using morphological characters, sequencing of the ribosomal 5.8S RNA gene and the flanking internal transcribed spacers (ITS), the β-tubulin gene, and the high mobility group (HMG) of the MAT2 mating type gene. Cylindrocladium buxicola is proposed as a new name. Fifteen isolates from the UK and one isolate from New Zealand were paired in all combinations but no fertile perithecia were obtained suggesting that C. buxicola is heterothallic and all isolates belonged to one mating type. AFLP analysis showed that the isolates collected in the UK and New Zealand are genetically homogenous. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that this species falls within a new lineage.