Search results for "Fungal Genetics"
showing 10 items of 52 documents
Complete decontamination and regeneration of DNA purification silica colum
2008
Silica columns are among the most used DNA purification systems, allowing a good yield of high-quality nucleic acids without organic extractions. Silica column regeneration protocols reported up to now to remove DNA traces are time-consuming, and their effectiveness on genomic DNA has not been demonstrated. Here we report a very rapid regeneration procedure that ensures no DNA carryover, independent of its size, without impairing column efficiency. The method takes advantage of the improved DNA removal by low concentrations of Triton X-100.
Insights from the genome of the biotrophic fungal plant pathogen Ustilago maydis.
2006
Ustilago maydis is a ubiquitous pathogen of maize and a well-established model organism for the study of plant-microbe interactions. This basidiomycete fungus does not use aggressive virulence strategies to kill its host. U. maydis belongs to the group of biotrophic parasites (the smuts) that depend on living tissue for proliferation and development. Here we report the genome sequence for a member of this economically important group of biotrophic fungi. The 20.5-million-base U. maydis genome assembly contains 6,902 predicted protein-encoding genes and lacks pathogenicity signatures found in the genomes of aggressive pathogenic fungi, for example a battery of cell-wall-degrading enzymes. Ho…
Regulation of ribonucleotide reductase in response to iron deficiency
2011
Ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) is an essential enzyme required for DNA synthesis and repair. Although iron is necessary for class Ia RNR activity, little is known about the mechanisms that control RNR in response to iron deficiency. In this work, we demonstrate that yeast cells control RNR function during iron deficiency by redistributing the Rnr2–Rnr4 small subunit from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. Our data support a Mec1/Rad53-independent mechanism in which the iron-regulated Cth1/Cth2 mRNA-binding proteins specifically interact with the WTM1 mRNA in response to iron scarcity, and promote its degradation. The resulting decrease in the nuclear-anchoring Wtm1 protein levels leads to the re…
Preservation of genetic and regulatory robustness in ancient gene duplicates of Saccharomyces cerevisiae
2014
[EN] Biological systems remain robust against certain genetic and environmental challenges. Robustness allows the exploration of ecological adaptations. It is unclear what factors contribute to increasing robustness. Gene duplication has been considered to increase genetic robustness through functional redundancy, accelerating the evolution of novel functions. However, recent findings have questioned the link between duplication and robustness. In particular, it remains elusive whether ancient duplicates still bear potential for innovation through preserved redundancy and robustness. Here we have investigated this question by evolving the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae for 2200 generations …
Selecting Microbial Strains from Pine Tree Resin: Biotechnological Applications from a Terpene World
2014
Resin is a chemical and physical defensive barrier secreted by many plants, especially coniferous trees, with insecticidal and antimicrobial properties. The degradation of terpenes, the main components accounting for the toxicity of resin, is highly relevant for a vast range of biotechnological processes, including bioremediation. In the present work, we used a resin-based selective medium in order to study the resin-tolerant microbial communities associated with the galls formed by the moth Retinia resinella; as well as resin from Pinus sylvestris forests, one of the largest ecosystems on Earth and a yet-unexplored source of terpene-degrading microorganisms. The taxonomic and functional di…
Impact of biocide treatments on the bacterial communities of the Lascaux Cave.
2009
The Lascaux Cave contains a remarkable set of paintings from the Upper Palaeolithic. Shortly after discovery in 1940, the cave was modified for public viewing and, in 2001, was invaded by a Fusarium solani species complex. Benzalkonium chloride was used from 2001 to 2004 to eliminate the fungal outbreak. In this study, we carried out a sampling in most of the cave halls and galleries. Sequence analysis and isolation methods detected that the most abundant genera of bacteria were Ralstonia and Pseudomonas. We suggest that, as a result of years of benzalkonium chloride treatments, the indigenous microbial community has been replaced by microbial populations selected by biocide application.
Multiple copies of SUC4 regulatory regions may cause partial de-repression of invertase synthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
1992
Transformation to generate multiple copies of regulatory DNA sequences has been used to study the interactions between regulatory proteins and their target sequences, since a high copy number of these sequences may titrate trans-acting regulatory proteins. We have analyzed the synthesis of invertase in yeast strains carrying different SUC genes transformed with the multiple-copy plasmid pSH143, a derivative of pJDB207 containing the promoter and upstream regulatory sequences of SUC4. The results obtained seem to be strain dependent. Under repressing conditions a high copy number of SUC4 promoter regions may cause increased expression of the invertase genes resulting in the synthesis of exte…
Characterization of five fungal endophytes producing Cajaninstilbene acid isolated from pigeon pea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp].
2011
Five fungal endophytes (K4, K5, K6, K9, K14) producing Cajaninstilbene acid (CSA, 3-hydroxy-4-prenyl-5-methoxystilbene-2-carboxylic acid) were isolated from the roots of pigeon pea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.]. CSA is responsible for the prominent pharmacological activities in pigeon pea. The amount of CSA in culture solution varied among the five fungal endophytes. K4 produced the highest levels of CSA (1037.13 µg/L) among the endophytes tested after incubation for five days. Both morphological characteristics and molecular methods were used for species identification of fungal endophytes. The five endophytic isolates were characterized by analyzing the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rR…
Multiplex PCR for species discrimination of Sclerotiniaceae by novel laccase introns
2006
Common PCR-based targets for the identification of filamentous fungi and yeasts are the sequences of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1, 5.8S rDNA, ITS2). Within the Sclerotiniaceae the ITS-region is homogenous and the identification is almost impossible. Furthermore, the lack of IGS-data (intergenic spacer region) requires new specific marker genes for a rapid identification of phytopathogenic Sclerotiniaceae. We sequenced and analyzed new laccase2 (lcc2) genes from the phylogenetically related Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary, Sclerotinia minor Jagger, and Monilinia fructigena Honey. Comparative analysis revealed remarkable differences in length and sequence compared to t…
Natural hybrids of S. cerevisiae×S. kudriavzevii share alleles with European wild populations of Saccharomyces kudriavzevii
2010
Saccharomyces kudriavzevii, a yeast species described from a pair of strains isolated from decayed leaves in Japan, has recently been isolated from oak barks in Portugal. Some data suggest that these European S. kudriavzevii populations could be closely related to the S. kudriavzevii genetic background present in natural hybrids isolated from wines and beers in different regions of Europe. However, a more exhaustive study of European S. kudriavzevii natural populations is necessary to confirm this observation. In this study, new S. kudriavzevii isolates were recovered from oak trees in different areas in Spain, and identified and characterized according to their molecular and physiological …