skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Mating system and basidiospore formation in the lignin-degrading basidiomycete Phanerochaete chrysosporium

Journal Article · · Appl. Environ. Microbiol.; (United States)
OSTI ID:5987255

Prototrophic strains recovered from crosses between auxotrophic strains of the lignin-degrading basidiomycete Phanerochaete chrysosporium were induced to fruit. The progeny of most of these self-crosses were prototrophic, indicating that the nuclei of the original prototroph were wild-type recombinants rather than complementary heterokaryons and that the binucleate basidiospores of this organism are homokaryotic. Various wild-type strains were shown to have multinucleate cells lacking clamp connections and to possess a variable number of sterigmata per basidium. Colonies arising from single conidia of various wild-type strains were all capable of producing fruit bodies and basidiospores. In addition, single basidiospores from three wild-type strains all produced fruit bodies and basidiospores. Nonfruiting as well as fruiting isolates were obtained from single basidiospores of five other wild-type strains. Basidiospores from these fruiting isolates always yielded colonies that fruited, again indicating that the spores are homokaryotic. Nonfruiting isolates from the same strain did not produce basidiospores when allowed to form a heterokaryon, implying that these isolates do not represent mating types. All this evidence indicates that P. chrysosporium has a primary homothallic mating system. In addition to fruiting and nonfruiting phenotypes, basidiospores from strain OGC101, a derivative of ME-446, gave rise to colonies which did not grow on cellulose (Cel/sup -/). The fruiting, nonfruiting, and Cel/sup -/ phenotypes differed from each other and from the parental wild-type strain in a variety of characteristics, including growth, conidiation, and evolution of /sup 14/CO/sub 2/ from /sup 14/C-side chain-labeled lignin, indicating that strain OCG101 is a heterokaryon.

Research Organization:
Oregon Graduate Center, Beaverton
DOE Contract Number:
FG06-86ER13550
OSTI ID:
5987255
Journal Information:
Appl. Environ. Microbiol.; (United States), Vol. 53:7
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English