Response of the wood-decay fungus Schizophyllum commune to co-occurring microorganisms.

Microorganisms are constantly interacting in a given environment by a constant exchange of signaling molecules. In timber, wood-decay fungi will come into contact with other fungi and bacteria. In naturally bleached wood, dark, pigmented lines arising from confrontation of two fungi often hint at such interactions.

The regulator of G-protein signalling Thn1 links pheromone response to volatile production in Schizophyllum commune.

The regulator of G-protein signalling, Thn1, is involved in sexual development through pheromone signalling in the mushroom forming basidiomycete Schizophyllum commune affecting hyphal morphology and mating interactions. Thn1 plays a key role in coordinating sesquiterpene production, pheromone response and sexual development. The gene thn1 is transcriptionally regulated in response to mating with a role in clamp cell development and hydrophobin gene transcription.

The making of a mushroom: Mitosis, nuclear migration and the actin network.

Basidiomycetes feature a prolonged dikaryotic life stage. A dispute over open versus closed mitosis could be solved using in vivo fluorescence videomicroscopy of histone 2B::EGFP and Lifeact labeled Schizophyllum commune. It revealed nuclei to condense to approximately one fifth in diameter during mitotic prophase.

An Animal-Like Cryptochrome Controls the Sexual Cycle.

Cryptochromes are known as flavin-binding blue light receptors in bacteria, fungi, plants, and insects. The animal-like cryptochrome (aCRY) of the green alga has extended our view on cryptochromes, because it responds also to other wavelengths of the visible spectrum, including red light. Here, we have investigated if aCRY is involved in the regulation of the sexual life cycle of , which is controlled by blue and red light at the steps of gametogenesis along with its restoration and germination.

Influence of zygomycete-derived D'orenone on IAA signalling in Tricholoma-spruce ectomycorrhiza.

Despite the rising interest in microbial communication, only few studies relate to mycorrhization and the pool of potential morphogenic substances produced by the surrounding soil community. Here, we investigated the effect exerted by the C18 - ketone β-apo-13-carotenone, D'orenone, on the ectomycorrhizal basidiomycete Tricholoma vaccinum and its symbiosis with the economically important host tree, spruce (Picea abies). D'orenone is an early intermediate in the biosynthesis of morphogens in sexual development of mucoromycetes, the trisporoids.

Dehydrogenase genes in the ectomycorrhizal fungus Tricholoma vaccinum: A role for Ald1 in mycorrhizal symbiosis.

Ectomycorrhizal symbiosis is important for forest ecosystem functioning with tree-fungal cooperation increasing performance and countering stress conditions. Aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDHs) are key enzymes for detoxification and thus may play a role in stress response of the symbiotic association. With this focus, eight dehydrogenases, Ald1 through Ald7 and TyrA, of the ectomycorrhizal basidiomycete Tricholoma vaccinum were characterized and phylogenetically investigated.

Hartig' net formation of Tricholoma vaccinum-spruce ectomycorrhiza in hydroponic cultures.

For re-forestation of metal-contaminated land, ectomycorrhizal trees may provide a solution. Hence, the study of the interaction is necessary to allow for comprehensive understanding of the mutually symbiotic features. On a structural level, hyphal mantle and the Hartig' net formed in the root apoplast are essential for plant protection and mycorrhizal functioning.

A central role for Ras1 in morphogenesis of the basidiomycete Schizophyllum commune.

Fungi have been used as model systems to define general processes in eukaryotes, for example, the one gene-one enzyme hypothesis, as well as to study polar growth or pathogenesis. Here, we show a central role for the regulator protein Ras in a mushroom-forming, filamentous basidiomycete linking growth, pheromone signaling, sexual development, and meiosis to different signal transduction pathways. ras1 and Ras-specific gap1 mutants were generated and used to modify the intracellular activation state of the Ras module.

Ras and Rho small G proteins: insights from the Schizophyllum commune genome sequence and comparisons to other fungi.

Unlike in animal cells and yeasts, the Ras and Rho small G proteins and their regulators have not received extensive research attention in the case of the filamentous fungi. In an effort to begin to rectify this deficiency, the genome sequence of the basidiomycete mushroom Schizophyllum commune was searched for all known components of the Ras and Rho signalling pathways. The results of this study should provide an impetus for further detailed investigations into their role in polarized hyphal growth, sexual reproduction and fruiting body development.

Transcriptome and functional analysis of mating in the basidiomycete Schizophyllum commune.

In this study, we undertook a functional characterization and transcriptome analysis that enabled a comprehensive study of the mating type loci of the mushroom Schizophyllum commune. Induced expression of both the bar2 receptor and the bap2(2) pheromone gene within 6 to 12 h after mates' contact was demonstrated by quantitative real-time PCR. Similar temporal expression patterns were confirmed for the allelic bbr1 receptor and bbp1 pheromone-encoding genes by Northern hybridization.

Analysis of the cytochrome distribution via linear and nonlinear Raman spectroscopy.

The cytochrome distribution in hyphal tip cells of Schizophyllum commune was visualized using resonance Raman mapping and CARS microscopy. For comparison, resonance Raman mapping and CARS imaging of cytochrome was also performed during branch formation and in completely developed central hyphae. Cytochrome, as an essential component of the electron transport chain in mitochondria, plays an important role in providing energy to actively growing mycelia.