1
|
Wild Isolates of Neurospora crassa Reveal Three Conidiophore Architectural Phenotypes. Microorganisms 2020; 8:microorganisms8111760. [PMID: 33182369 PMCID: PMC7695285 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8111760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 11/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The vegetative life cycle in the model filamentous fungus, Neurospora crassa, relies on the development of conidiophores to produce new spores. Environmental, temporal, and genetic components of conidiophore development have been well characterized; however, little is known about their morphological variation. We explored conidiophore architectural variation in a natural population using a wild population collection of 21 strains from Louisiana, United States of America (USA). Our work reveals three novel architectural phenotypes, Wild Type, Bulky, and Wrap, and shows their maintenance throughout the duration of conidiophore development. Furthermore, we present a novel image-classifier using a convolutional neural network specifically developed to assign conidiophore architectural phenotypes in a high-throughput manner. To estimate an inheritance model for this discrete complex trait, crosses between strains of each phenotype were conducted, and conidiophores of subsequent progeny were characterized using the trained classifier. Our model suggests that conidiophore architecture is controlled by at least two genes and has a heritability of 0.23. Additionally, we quantified the number of conidia produced by each conidiophore type and their dispersion distance, suggesting that conidiophore architectural phenotype may impact N. crassa colonization capacity.
Collapse
|
2
|
Matsu-ura T, Dovzhenok AA, Coradetti ST, Subramanian KR, Meyer DR, Kwon JJ, Kim C, Salomonis N, Glass NL, Lim S, Hong CI. Synthetic Gene Network with Positive Feedback Loop Amplifies Cellulase Gene Expression in Neurospora crassa. ACS Synth Biol 2018; 7:1395-1405. [PMID: 29625007 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.8b00011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Second-generation or lignocellulosic biofuels are a tangible source of renewable energy, which is critical to combat climate change by reducing the carbon footprint. Filamentous fungi secrete cellulose-degrading enzymes called cellulases, which are used for production of lignocellulosic biofuels. However, inefficient production of cellulases is a major obstacle for industrial-scale production of second-generation biofuels. We used computational simulations to design and implement synthetic positive feedback loops to increase gene expression of a key transcription factor, CLR-2, that activates a large number of cellulases in a filamentous fungus, Neurospora crassa. Overexpression of CLR-2 reveals previously unappreciated roles of CLR-2 in lignocellulosic gene network, which enabled simultaneous induction of approximately 50% of 78 lignocellulosic degradation-related genes in our engineered Neurospora strains. This engineering results in dramatically increased cellulase activity due to cooperative orchestration of multiple enzymes involved in the cellulose degradation pathway. Our work provides a proof of principle in utilizing mathematical modeling and synthetic biology to improve the efficiency of cellulase synthesis for second-generation biofuel production.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Toru Matsu-ura
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45267-0529, United States
| | - Andrey A. Dovzhenok
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221-0025, United States
| | - Samuel T. Coradetti
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Krithika R. Subramanian
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45267-0529, United States
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229-3039, United States
| | - Daniel R. Meyer
- Department of Biomedical, Chemical, and Environmental Engineering, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221-0012, United States
| | - Jaesang J. Kwon
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45267-0529, United States
| | - Caleb Kim
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45267-0529, United States
| | - Nathan Salomonis
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229-3039, United States
- Division of Developmental Biology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229-3039, United States
| | - N. Louise Glass
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Sookkyung Lim
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221-0025, United States
| | - Christian I. Hong
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45267-0529, United States
- Division of Developmental Biology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229-3039, United States
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Trail F, Wang Z, Stefanko K, Cubba C, Townsend JP. The ancestral levels of transcription and the evolution of sexual phenotypes in filamentous fungi. PLoS Genet 2017; 13:e1006867. [PMID: 28704372 PMCID: PMC5509106 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2017] [Accepted: 06/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Changes in gene expression have been hypothesized to play an important role in the evolution of divergent morphologies. To test this hypothesis in a model system, we examined differences in fruiting body morphology of five filamentous fungi in the Sordariomycetes, culturing them in a common garden environment and profiling genome-wide gene expression at five developmental stages. We reconstructed ancestral gene expression phenotypes, identifying genes with the largest evolved increases in gene expression across development. Conducting knockouts and performing phenotypic analysis in two divergent species typically demonstrated altered fruiting body development in the species that had evolved increased expression. Our evolutionary approach to finding relevant genes proved far more efficient than other gene deletion studies targeting whole genomes or gene families. Combining gene expression measurements with knockout phenotypes facilitated the refinement of Bayesian networks of the genes underlying fruiting body development, regulation of which is one of the least understood processes of multicellular development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Frances Trail
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States of America
- Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States of America
| | - Zheng Wang
- Department of Biostatistics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States of America
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States of America
| | - Kayla Stefanko
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States of America
| | - Caitlyn Cubba
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States of America
| | - Jeffrey P. Townsend
- Department of Biostatistics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States of America
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States of America
- Program in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Gmoser R, Ferreira JA, Lennartsson PR, Taherzadeh MJ. Filamentous ascomycetes fungi as a source of natural pigments. Fungal Biol Biotechnol 2017; 4:4. [PMID: 28955473 PMCID: PMC5611665 DOI: 10.1186/s40694-017-0033-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2017] [Accepted: 04/25/2017] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Filamentous fungi, including the ascomycetes Monascus, Fusarium, Penicillium and Neurospora, are being explored as novel sources of natural pigments with biological functionality for food, feed and cosmetic applications. Such edible fungi can be used in biorefineries for the production of ethanol, animal feed and pigments from waste sources. The present review gathers insights on fungal pigment production covering biosynthetic pathways and stimulatory factors (oxidative stress, light, pH, nitrogen and carbon sources, temperature, co-factors, surfactants, oxygen, tricarboxylic acid intermediates and morphology) in addition to pigment extraction, analysis and identification methods. Pigmentation is commonly regarded as the output of secondary protective mechanisms against oxidative stress and light. Although several studies have examined pigmentation in Monascus spp., research gaps exist in the investigation of interactions among factors as well as process development on larger scales under submerged and solid-state fermentation. Currently, research on pigmentation in Neurospora spp. is at its infancy, but the increasing interest for biorefineries shows potential for booming research in this area.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Gmoser
- Swedish Centre for Resource Recovery, University of Borås, 501 90 Borås, Sweden.,University of Borås, Allégatan 1, 503 32 Borås, Sweden
| | - Jorge A Ferreira
- Swedish Centre for Resource Recovery, University of Borås, 501 90 Borås, Sweden
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Jacobson DJ, Powell AJ, Dettman JR, Saenz GS, Barton MM, Hiltz MD, Dvorachek WH, Glass NL, Taylor JW, Natvig DO. Neurosporain temperate forests of western North America. Mycologia 2017. [DOI: 10.1080/15572536.2005.11832998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David J. Jacobson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-5020, and Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3102
| | - Amy J. Powell
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131
| | - Jeremy R. Dettman
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3102
| | - Gregory S. Saenz
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131
| | | | - Megan D. Hiltz
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3102
| | | | | | - John W. Taylor
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3102
| | - Donald O. Natvig
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Jacobson DJ, Dettman JR, Adams RI, Boesl C, Sultana S, Roenneberg T, Merrow M, Duarte M, Marques I, Ushakova A, Carneiro P, Videira A, Navarro-Sampedro L, Olmedo M, Corrochano LM, Taylor JW. New findings of Neurospora in Europe and comparisons of diversity in temperate climates on continental scales. Mycologia 2017. [DOI: 10.1080/15572536.2006.11832658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David J. Jacobson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-5020 and Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3102
| | | | - Rachel I. Adams
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3102
| | | | | | | | - Martha Merrow
- Institute for Medical Psychology, Centre for Chronobiology, Goethestraße 31, Ludwig Maximilians University München, 80336 München, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | - Arnaldo Videira
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC), and Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, (ICBAS) Universidade do Porto, Portugal
| | | | | | - Luis M. Corrochano
- Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Avenida Reina Mercedes 6, Apartado 1095, E-41080 Sevilla, Spain
| | - John W. Taylor
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3102
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Villalta CF, Jacobson DJ, Taylor JW. Three new phylogenetic and biological Neurospora species: N. hispaniola, N. metzenbergii and N. perkinsii. Mycologia 2017; 101:777-89. [DOI: 10.3852/08-219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - John W. Taylor
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3102
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Abstract
Research over the past two decades shows that both recombination and clonality are likely to contribute to the reproduction of all fungi. This view of fungi is different from the historical and still commonly held view that a large fraction of fungi are exclusively clonal and that some fungi have been exclusively clonal for hundreds of millions of years. Here, we first will consider how these two historical views have changed. Then we will examine the impact on fungal research of the concept of restrained recombination [Tibayrenc M, Ayala FJ (2012) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 109 (48):E3305-E3313]. Using animal and human pathogenic fungi, we examine extrinsic restraints on recombination associated with bottlenecks in genetic variation caused by geographic dispersal and extrinsic restraints caused by shifts in reproductive mode associated with either disease transmission or hybridization. Using species of the model yeast Saccharomyces and the model filamentous fungus Neurospora, we examine intrinsic restraints on recombination associated with mating systems that range from strictly clonal at one extreme to fully outbreeding at the other and those that lie between, including selfing and inbreeding. We also consider the effect of nomenclature on perception of reproductive mode and a means of comparing the relative impact of clonality and recombination on fungal populations. Last, we consider a recent hypothesis suggesting that fungi thought to have the most severe intrinsic constraints on recombination actually may have the fewest.
Collapse
|
9
|
Kuo HC, Hui S, Choi J, Asiegbu FO, Valkonen JPT, Lee YH. Secret lifestyles of Neurospora crassa. Sci Rep 2014; 4:5135. [PMID: 24875794 PMCID: PMC4038807 DOI: 10.1038/srep05135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2014] [Accepted: 05/14/2014] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurospora crassa has a long history as an excellent model for genetic, cellular, and biochemical research. Although this fungus is known as a saprotroph, it normally appears on burned vegetations or trees after forest fires. However, due to a lack of experimental evidence, the nature of its association with living plants remains enigmatic. Here we report that Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) is a host plant for N. crassa. The endophytic lifestyle of N. crassa was found in its interaction with Scots pine. Moreover, the fungus can switch to a pathogenic state when its balanced interaction with the host is disrupted. Our data reveal previously unknown lifestyles of N. crassa, which are likely controlled by both environmental and host factors. Switching among the endophytic, pathogenic, and saprotrophic lifestyles confers upon fungi phenotypic plasticity in adapting to changing environments and drives the evolution of fungi and associated plants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hsiao-Che Kuo
- Department of Forest Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sun Hui
- Department of Forest Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jaeyoung Choi
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Center for Fungal Pathogenesis, and Center for Fungal Genetic Resources, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-921, Korea
| | | | - Jari P. T. Valkonen
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Yong-Hwan Lee
- Department of Forest Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Center for Fungal Pathogenesis, and Center for Fungal Genetic Resources, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-921, Korea
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Nieuwenhuis BPS, Aanen DK. Sexual selection in fungi. J Evol Biol 2013; 25:2397-411. [PMID: 23163326 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2012] [Revised: 09/07/2012] [Accepted: 09/07/2012] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The significance of sexual selection, the component of natural selection associated with variation in mating success, is well established for the evolution of animals and plants, but not for the evolution of fungi. Even though fungi do not have separate sexes, most filamentous fungi mate in a hermaphroditic fashion, with distinct sex roles, that is, investment in large gametes (female role) and fertilization by other small gametes (male role). Fungi compete to fertilize, analogous to 'male-male' competition, whereas they can be selective when being fertilized, analogous to female choice. Mating types, which determine genetic compatibility among fungal gametes, are important for sexual selection in two respects. First, genes at the mating-type loci regulate different aspects of mating and thus can be subject to sexual selection. Second, for sexual selection, not only the two sexes (or sex roles) but also the mating types can form the classes, the members of which compete for access to members of the other class. This is significant if mating-type gene products are costly, thus signalling genetic quality according to Zahavi's handicap principle. We propose that sexual selection explains various fungal characteristics such as the observed high redundancy of pheromones at the B mating-type locus of Agaricomycotina, the occurrence of multiple types of spores in Ascomycotina or the strong pheromone signalling in yeasts. Furthermore, we argue that fungi are good model systems to experimentally study fundamental aspects of sexual selection, due to their fast generation times and high diversity of life cycles and mating systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- B P S Nieuwenhuis
- Laboratory of Genetics, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | | |
Collapse
|
11
|
Population genomics and local adaptation in wild isolates of a model microbial eukaryote. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2011; 108:2831-6. [PMID: 21282627 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1014971108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 181] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Elucidating the connection between genotype, phenotype, and adaptation in wild populations is fundamental to the study of evolutionary biology, yet it remains an elusive goal, particularly for microscopic taxa, which comprise the majority of life. Even for microbes that can be reliably found in the wild, defining the boundaries of their populations and discovering ecologically relevant phenotypes has proved extremely difficult. Here, we have circumvented these issues in the microbial eukaryote Neurospora crassa by using a "reverse-ecology" population genomic approach that is free of a priori assumptions about candidate adaptive alleles. We performed Illumina whole-transcriptome sequencing of 48 individuals to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms. From these data, we discovered two cryptic and recently diverged populations, one in the tropical Caribbean basin and the other endemic to subtropical Louisiana. We conducted high-resolution scans for chromosomal regions of extreme divergence between these populations and found two such genomic "islands." Through growth-rate assays, we found that the subtropical Louisiana population has a higher fitness at low temperature (10 °C) and that several of the genes within these distinct regions have functions related to the response to cold temperature. These results suggest the divergence islands may be the result of local adaptation to the 9 °C difference in average yearly minimum temperature between these two populations. Remarkably, another of the genes identified using this unbiased, whole-genome approach is the well-known circadian oscillator frequency, suggesting that the 2.4°-10.6° difference in latitude between the populations may be another important environmental parameter.
Collapse
|
12
|
Maheshwari R. Circadian rhythm in the pink-orange bread mould Neurospora crassa: for what? J Biosci 2007; 32:1053-8. [PMID: 17954967 DOI: 10.1007/s12038-007-0107-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
|
13
|
Dettman JR, Jacobson DJ, Turner E, Pringle A, Taylor JW. Reproductive isolation and phylogenetic divergence in Neurospora: comparing methods of species recognition in a model eukaryote. Evolution 2004; 57:2721-41. [PMID: 14761052 DOI: 10.1111/j.0014-3820.2003.tb01515.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 166] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
We critically examined methods for recognizing species in the model filamentous fungal genus Neurospora by comparing traditional biological species recognition (BSR) with more comprehensive applications of both BSR and phylogenetic species recognition (PSR). Comprehensive BSR was applied to a set of 73 individuals by performing extensive crossing experiments and delineating biological species based on patterns of reproductive success. Within what were originally considered two species, N. crassa and N. intermedia, we recognized four reproductively isolated biological species. In a concurrent study (Dettman et al. 2003), we used genealogical concordance of four independent nuclear loci to recognize phylogenetic species in Neurospora. Overall, the groups of individuals identified as species were similar whether recognized by reproductive success or by phylogenetic criteria, and increased genetic distance between parents was associated with decreased reproductive success of crosses, suggesting that PSR using genealogical concordance can be used to reliably recognize species in organisms that are not candidates for BSR. In one case, two phylogenetic species were recognized as a single biological species, indicating that significant phylogenetic divergence preceded the development of reproductive isolation. However, multiple biological species were never recognized as a single phylogenetic species. Each of the putative N. crassa x N. intermedia hybrids included in this study was confidently assigned to a single species, using both PSR and BSR. As such, no evidence for a history of hybridization in nature among Neurospora species was observed. By performing reciprocal mating tests, we found that mating type, parental role, and species identity of parental individuals could all influence the reproductive success of matings. We also observed sympatry-associated sexual dysfunction in interspecific crosses, which was consistent with the existence of reinforcement mechanisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy R Dettman
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3102, USA.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|