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Sexual reactions in Mortierellales are mediated by the trisporic acid system

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2003

Christine SCHIMEK ,
Kathrin KLEPPE ,
Abdel-Rahman SALEEM ,
Kerstin VOIGT ,
Anke BURMESTER  and
Johannes WÖSTEMEYER
Christine SCHIMEK
Affiliation:
Department of General Microbiology and Microbial Genetics, Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University, Neugasse 24, D-07743 Jena, Germany. E-mail: b9sccr@nds.rz.uni-jena.de
Kathrin KLEPPE
Affiliation:
Department of General Microbiology and Microbial Genetics, Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University, Neugasse 24, D-07743 Jena, Germany. E-mail: b9sccr@nds.rz.uni-jena.de
Abdel-Rahman SALEEM
Affiliation:
Department of General Microbiology and Microbial Genetics, Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University, Neugasse 24, D-07743 Jena, Germany. E-mail: b9sccr@nds.rz.uni-jena.de
Kerstin VOIGT
Affiliation:
Fungal Reference Centre at the Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University, Neugasse 24, D-07743 Jena, Germany.
Anke BURMESTER
Affiliation:
Department of General Microbiology and Microbial Genetics, Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University, Neugasse 24, D-07743 Jena, Germany. E-mail: b9sccr@nds.rz.uni-jena.de
Johannes WÖSTEMEYER
Affiliation:
Department of General Microbiology and Microbial Genetics, Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University, Neugasse 24, D-07743 Jena, Germany. E-mail: b9sccr@nds.rz.uni-jena.de
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Abstract

Several species of Mortierella (Mortierellales, Zygomycota) were examined for substances regulating their sexual reactions. Compounds isolated from both mated and single growing Mortierella strains were purified by thin layer chromatography. Some of these compounds showed UV absorbance-characteristics similar to those of trisporoids, a group of compounds involved in sexual regulation in Mucorales. A compound with a 4-dihydromethyltrisporate-like absorbance spectrum was detected. To test for the interspecific sexual responses typically induced by trisporoids, the compounds extracted from Mortierella spp. were tested against the Mucorales Mucor mucedo and Phycomyces blakesleeanus and were found to induce sexual reactions in both tester strains. A gene encoding 4-dihydromethyltrisporate dehydrogenase was identified in several Mortierella species and the activity of the gene product was shown using a histochemical assay. We suggest that the regulation of sexual processes by trisporoids is common to both Mucorales and Mortierellales and may be more widespread within the Zygomycota.

Type
Research Article
Information
Mycological Research , Volume 107 , Issue 6 , June 2003 , pp. 736 - 747
Copyright
© The British Mycological Society 2003

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