Induction of the Sexual Cycle in Filamentous Ascomycetes

Marco A. van den Berg (Editor), Karunakaran Maruthachalam (Editor), Jos Houbraken, Paul S Dyer

    Research output: Chapter in book/volumeChapterScientificpeer-review

    Abstract

    Sexual reproduction provides a valuable tool for strain development and gene identification in fungi, but has been limited in its use because many economically important fungi are only known to reproduce asexually. However, in the past decade a number of publications have reported sexual cycles in supposedly ‘asexual’ fungi, indicating that many presumed asexual fungi might have the potential for sexual reproduction. Methods are therefore described to induce a sexual cycle in various filamentous fungi, including the use of mating-type gene diagnostics to identify compatible mating types in heterothallic ascomycete species, the use of different crossing conditions, and importance of inoculation technique. The conditions for successful mating are often species-specific and it is therefore difficult to give a general protocol. Different methods for the isolation and analysis of ascospore offspring are then described. Finally, ways in which the sexual cycle can be exploited for purposes including gene identification and localization, strain improvement, and gene complementation are covered. It is anticipated that the application of such methodologies will generate sexual progeny with new characteristics or previously unobserved properties
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationGenetic Transformation Systems in Fungi, Volume 2
    EditorsMarco A. van den Berg, Karunakaran Maruthachalam
    PublisherSpringer International Publishing AG
    Pages23-46
    Number of pages24
    ISBN (Print)978-3-319-10502-4
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2015

    Publication series

    NameGenetic Transformation Systems in Fungi, Volume 2
    Volume2

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