Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1973 Feb;113(2):1015–1025. doi: 10.1128/jb.113.2.1015-1025.1973

Life Cycle of Neurospora crassa Viewed by Scanning Electron Microscopy

Thomas Seale 1
PMCID: PMC285320  PMID: 4266170

Abstract

Scanning electron microscopy was used to examine the major stages of the life cycle of two wild-type strains of Neurospora crassa Shear and Dodge (St. Lawrence 3.1a and 74A): mycelia, protoperithecium formation, perithecia, ascospores, ascospore germination and outgrowth, macro and microconidia, and germination and outgrowth of macroconidia. Structures seen at the limit of resolution of bright-field and phase-contrast microscopes, e.g., the ribbed surface of ascospores, are well resolved. New details of conidial development and surface structure are revealed. There appears to be only one distinguishable morphological difference between the two strains. The pattern of germination and outgrowth which seems relatively constant for strain 74A or strain 3.1a, appears to be different for each. Conidia from strain 3.1a almost always germinate from a site between interconidial attachment points; whereas the germ tubes of strain 74A usually emerge from or very near the interconidial attachment site. These germination patterns usually do not segregate 2:2 in asci dissected in order. This observation suggests that conidial germination pattern is not under the control of a single gene.

Full text

PDF
1019

Images in this article

1017Image
on p.1017
1018Image
on p.1018
1019Image
on p.1019
1020Image
on p.1020
1021Image
on p.1021
1022Image
on p.1022
1023Image
on p.1023

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bartnicki-Garcia S. Cell wall chemistry, morphogenesis, and taxonomy of fungi. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1968;22:87–108. doi: 10.1146/annurev.mi.22.100168.000511. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bråten T. The ultrastructure of fertilization and zygote formation in the green alga Ulva mutabilis Foyn. J Cell Sci. 1971 Nov;9(3):621–635. doi: 10.1242/jcs.9.3.621. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Egashira T., Nakamura K. Genes influencing selective fertilization in Neurospora crassa. Genetics. 1972 Apr;70(4):511–519. doi: 10.1093/genetics/70.4.511. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Florance E. R., Denison W. C., Allen T. C., Jr Ultrastructure of dormant and germinating conidia of Aspergillus nidulans. Mycologia. 1972 Jan-Feb;64(1):115–123. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Frederick L., Uecker F. A., Benjamin C. R. A new species of Neurospora from soil of West Pakistan. Mycologia. 1969 Nov-Dec;61(6):1077–1084. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Galun E. Scanning electron microscopy of intact Trichoderma colonies. J Bacteriol. 1971 Nov;108(2):938–940. doi: 10.1128/jb.108.2.938-940.1971. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Lowry R. J., Durkee T. L., Sussman A. S. Ultrastructural studies of microconidium formation in neurospora crassa. J Bacteriol. 1967 Nov;94(5):1757–1763. doi: 10.4148/1941-4765.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Lowry R. J., Sussman A. S. Ultrastructural changes during germination of ascospores of Neurospora tetrasperma. J Gen Microbiol. 1968 May;51(3):403–409. doi: 10.1099/00221287-51-3-403. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. MANDELS G. R., DARBY R. T. A rapid cell volume assay for fungitoxicity using fungus spores. J Bacteriol. 1953 Jan;65(1):16–26. doi: 10.1128/jb.65.1.16-26.1953. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Mahadevan P. R., Mahadkar U. R. Role of enzymes in growth and morphology of Neurospora crassa: cell-wall-bound enzymes and their possible role in branching. J Bacteriol. 1970 Mar;101(3):941–947. doi: 10.1128/jb.101.3.941-947.1970. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Mahoney D. P., Huang L. H., Backus M. P. New homothallic neurosporas from tropical soils. Mycologia. 1969 Mar-Apr;61(2):264–272. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. McCoy E. C., Girard A. E., Kornfeld J. M. Fine structure of resting and germinating Penicillium chrysogenum conidiospores. Protoplasma. 1971;73(3):443–456. doi: 10.1007/BF01273945. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Rousseau P., Halvorson H. O., Bulla L. A., Jr, St Julian G. Germination and outgrowth of single spores of Saccharomyces cerevisiae viewed by scanning electron and phase-contrast microscopy. J Bacteriol. 1972 Mar;109(3):1232–1238. doi: 10.1128/jb.109.3.1232-1238.1972. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Springer E. L., Roth I. L. Scanning electron microscopy of bacterial colonies. I. Diplococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus pyogenes. Can J Microbiol. 1972 Feb;18(2):219–223. doi: 10.1139/m72-034. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Srb A. M., Basl M. The isolation of mutants affecting ascus development in neurospora crassa and their analysis by a zygote complementation test. Genet Res. 1969 Jun;13(3):303–311. doi: 10.1017/s0016672300002998. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. St Julian G., Bulla L. A., Jr, Hesseltine C. W. Germination and outgrowth of Bacillus thuringiensis and Bacillus alvei spores viewed by scanning electron and phase-contrast microscopy. Can J Microbiol. 1971 Mar;17(3):373–375. doi: 10.1139/m71-062. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Tee T. S., Choke H. C. A gene controlling the early development of protoperithecium in Neurospora crassa. Mol Gen Genet. 1970;107(2):158–161. doi: 10.1007/BF00333631. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Travis G., Wolfinbarger L., Jr, Stuart W. D., DeBusk A. G. Disruption of an amino acid transport mutant of Neurospora crassa by KCl. J Bacteriol. 1972 Feb;109(2):933–935. doi: 10.1128/jb.109.2.933-935.1972. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Whittaker D. K., Drucker D. B. Scanning electron microscopy of intact colonies of microorganisms. J Bacteriol. 1970 Nov;104(2):902–909. doi: 10.1128/jb.104.2.902-909.1970. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Bacteriology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES