Termitomyces sp. associated with the termite Macrotermes natalensis has a heterothallic mating system and multinucleate cells
Author
Summary, in English
Fungi of the genus Termitomyces live in an obligate symbiosis with termites of the subfamily Macrotermitinae. Many species of Termitomyces frequently form fruit bodies, which develop from the fungus comb within the nest. In this study,
we determined the mating system of a species of Termitomyces associated with the South African termite Macrotermes natalensis. Termite nests were excavated and a Termitomyces sp. was isolated into pure culture from the asexual fruit
bodies (nodules) growing in the fungus gardens. For one strain, single basidiospore cultures were obtained from basidiomes growing from the fungus comb after incubation without termites. Using nuclear staining, we show that both
comb cultures and single spore cultures have multinucleate cells and that the majority of spores has a single nucleus.
However, DNA sequencing of the ITS region in the nuclear RNA gene revealed that the comb mycelium had two different ITS types that segregated in the single spore cultures, which consequently had only a single ITS type. These results unambiguously prove that the strain of Termitomyces studied here has a heterothallic mating system, with the fungus garden of the termite mound being in the heterokaryotic phase. This is the first time the mating system of a
Termitomyces species has been studied.
we determined the mating system of a species of Termitomyces associated with the South African termite Macrotermes natalensis. Termite nests were excavated and a Termitomyces sp. was isolated into pure culture from the asexual fruit
bodies (nodules) growing in the fungus gardens. For one strain, single basidiospore cultures were obtained from basidiomes growing from the fungus comb after incubation without termites. Using nuclear staining, we show that both
comb cultures and single spore cultures have multinucleate cells and that the majority of spores has a single nucleus.
However, DNA sequencing of the ITS region in the nuclear RNA gene revealed that the comb mycelium had two different ITS types that segregated in the single spore cultures, which consequently had only a single ITS type. These results unambiguously prove that the strain of Termitomyces studied here has a heterothallic mating system, with the fungus garden of the termite mound being in the heterokaryotic phase. This is the first time the mating system of a
Termitomyces species has been studied.
Publishing year
2005
Language
English
Pages
314-318
Publication/Series
Mycological Research
Volume
109
Issue
3
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Topic
- Biological Sciences
Status
Published
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 0953-7562