Parasexuality in asexual development mutants of Aspergillus nidulans

The parasexual cycle with parameiosis has been characterized previously by the occurrence of genetic recombination and haploidization inside heterokaryotic hyphae prior to conidial formation. The aim of current research was to characterize, through genetic and cytological analyses, an asexual development mutant strain of A. nidulans and to use it to obtain parameiotic segregants. Analyses showed the medusa phenotype of the B84 strain, whose mutant allele was mapped in the chromosome I. The heterokaryons B84(med)//G422(med+) and B84(med)//G839(brl) were formed in liquid MM+2% CM and inoculated in the appropriate selective media. Two mitotic segregant groups were obtained: aneuploids and haploid stable recombinants. Mitotic segregants, wild-types, and developmental mutants, which did not produce new visible mitotic sectors in the presence of Benomyl and which showed normal meiotic behavior during the sexual cycle, were classified as parameiotics.