This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Casselton, L. A.
Right arrow Articles by Olesnicky, N. S.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Casselton, L. A.
Right arrow Articles by Olesnicky, N. S.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Microbiol Mol Biol Rev, March 1998, p. 55-70, Vol. 62, No. 1
1092-2172/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Molecular Genetics of Mating Recognition in Basidiomycete Fungi

Lorna A. Casselton* and Natalie S. Olesnicky

Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RB, United Kingdom

The recognition of compatible mating partners in the basidiomycete fungi requires the coordinated activities of two gene complexes defined as the mating-type genes. One complex encodes members of the homeobox family of transcription factors, which heterodimerize on mating to generate an active transcription regulator. The other complex encodes peptide pheromones and 7-transmembrane receptors that permit intercellular signalling. Remarkably, a single species may have many thousands of cross-compatible mating types because the mating-type genes are multiallelic. Different alleles of both sets of genes are necessary for mating compatibility, and they trigger the initial stages of sexual development---the formation of a specialized filamentous mycelium termed the dikaryon, in which the haploid nuclei remain closely associated in each cell but do not fuse. Three species have been taken as models to describe the molecular structure and organization of the mating-type loci and the genes sequestered within them: the pathogenic smut fungus Ustilago maydis and the mushrooms Coprinus cinereus and Schizophyllum commune. Topics addressed in this review are the roles of the mating-type gene products in regulating sexual development, the molecular basis for multiple mating types, and the molecular interactions that permit different allelic products of the mating type genes to be discriminated. Attention is drawn to the remarkable conservation in the mechanisms that regulate sexual development in basidiomycetes and unicellular ascomycete yeasts, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe, a theme which is developed in the general conclusion to include the filamentous ascomycetes Neurospora crassa and Podospora anserina.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Rd., Oxford OX1 3RB, United Kingdom. Phone: 44 1865 275109. Fax: 44 1865 275074. E-mail: lcasselt{at}worf.molbiol.ox.ac.uk.

Microbiol Mol Biol Rev, March 1998, p. 55-70, Vol. 62, No. 1
1092-2172/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Butler, G. (2010). Fungal Sex and Pathogenesis. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 23: 140-159 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Heneghan, M. N., Porta, C., Zhang, C., Burton, K. S., Challen, M. P., Bailey, A. M., Foster, G. D. (2009). Characterization of Serine Proteinase Expression in Agaricus bisporus and Coprinopsis cinerea by Using Green Fluorescent Protein and the A. bisporus SPR1 Promoter. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 75: 792-801 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Bui, T., Lin, X., Malik, R., Heitman, J., Carter, D. (2008). Isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans from Infected Animals Reveal Genetic Exchange in Unisexual, {alpha} Mating Type Populations. Eukaryot Cell 7: 1771-1780 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Ekena, J. L., Stanton, B. C., Schiebe-Owens, J. A., Hull, C. M. (2008). Sexual Development in Cryptococcus neoformans Requires CLP1, a Target of the Homeodomain Transcription Factors Sxi1{alpha} and Sxi2a. Eukaryot Cell 7: 49-57 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Karlsson, M., Nygren, K., Johannesson, H. (2008). The Evolution of the Pheromonal Signal System and Its Potential Role for Reproductive Isolation in Heterothallic Neurospora. Mol Biol Evol 25: 168-178 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Dignard, D., El-Naggar, A. L., Logue, M. E., Butler, G., Whiteway, M. (2007). Identification and Characterization of MFA1, the Gene Encoding Candida albicans a-Factor Pheromone. Eukaryot Cell 6: 487-494 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Huyer, G., Kistler, A., Nouvet, F. J., George, C. M., Boyle, M. L., Michaelis, S. (2006). Saccharomyces cerevisiae a-Factor Mutants Reveal Residues Critical for Processing, Activity, and Export.. Eukaryot Cell 5: 1560-1570 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Toda, T., Hyakumachi, M. (2006). Heterokaryon formation in Thanatephorus cucumeris anastomosis group 2-2 IV.. Mycologia 98: 726-736 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Scherer, M., Heimel, K., Starke, V., Kamper, J. (2006). The Clp1 Protein Is Required for Clamp Formation and Pathogenic Development of Ustilago maydis. Plant Cell 18: 2388-2401 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kim, H., Borkovich, K. A. (2006). Pheromones Are Essential for Male Fertility and Sufficient To Direct Chemotropic Polarized Growth of Trichogynes during Mating in Neurospora crassa. Eukaryot Cell 5: 544-554 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • James, T. Y., Srivilai, P., Kues, U., Vilgalys, R. (2006). Evolution of the Bipolar Mating System of the Mushroom Coprinellus disseminatus From Its Tetrapolar Ancestors Involves Loss of Mating-Type-Specific Pheromone Receptor Function. Genetics 172: 1877-1891 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Riquelme, M., Challen, M. P., Casselton, L. A., Brown, A. J. (2005). The Origin of Multiple B Mating Specificities in Coprinus cinereus. Genetics 170: 1105-1119 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Hull, C. M., Boily, M.-J., Heitman, J. (2005). Sex-Specific Homeodomain Proteins Sxi1{alpha} and Sxi2a Coordinately Regulate Sexual Development in Cryptococcus neoformans. Eukaryot Cell 4: 526-535 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Clark, T. A., Anderson, J. B. (2004). Dikaryons of the Basidiomycete Fungus Schizophyllum commune: Evolution in Long-Term Culture. Genetics 167: 1663-1675 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Ansaldi, M., Dubnau, D. (2004). Diversifying Selection at the Bacillus Quorum-Sensing Locus and Determinants of Modification Specificity during Synthesis of the ComX Pheromone. J. Bacteriol. 186: 15-21 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Chang, Y. C., Miller, G. F., Kwon-Chung, K. J. (2003). Importance of a Developmentally Regulated Pheromone Receptor of Cryptococcus neoformans for Virulence. Infect. Immun. 71: 4953-4960 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Namekawa, S., Ichijima, Y., Hamada, F., Kasai, N., Iwabata, K., Nara, T., Teraoka, H., Sugawara, F., Sakaguchi, K. (2003). DNA ligase IV from a basidiomycete, Coprinus cinereus, and its expression during meiosis. Microbiology 149: 2119-2128 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kim, H., Metzenberg, R. L., Nelson, M. A. (2002). Multiple Functions of mfa-1, a Putative Pheromone Precursor Gene of Neurospora crassa. Eukaryot Cell 1: 987-999 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Hull, C. M., Davidson, R. C., Heitman, J. (2002). Cell identity and sexual development in Cryptococcus neoformans are controlled by the mating-type-specific homeodomain protein Sxi1alpha. Genes Dev. 16: 3046-3060 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Cummings, W. J., Merino, S. T., Young, K. G., Li, L., Johnson, C. W., Sierra, E. A., Zolan, M. E. (2002). The Coprinus cinereus adherin Rad9 functions in Mre11-dependent DNA repair, meiotic sister-chromatid cohesion, and meiotic homolog pairing. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 99: 14958-14963 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Lengeler, K. B., Fox, D. S., Fraser, J. A., Allen, A., Forrester, K., Dietrich, F. S., Heitman, J. (2002). Mating-Type Locus of Cryptococcus neoformans: a Step in the Evolution of Sex Chromosomes. Eukaryot Cell 1: 704-718 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Shen, W.-C., Davidson, R. C., Cox, G. M., Heitman, J. (2002). Pheromones Stimulate Mating and Differentiation via Paracrine and Autocrine Signaling in Cryptococcus neoformans. Eukaryot Cell 1: 366-377 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Chung, S., Karos, M., Chang, Y. C., Lukszo, J., Wickes, B. L., Kwon-Chung, K. J. (2002). Molecular Analysis of CPR{alpha}, a MAT{alpha}-Specific Pheromone Receptor Gene of Cryptococcus neoformans. Eukaryot Cell 1: 432-439 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Larraya, L. M., Perez, G., Iribarren, I., Blanco, J. A., Alfonso, M., Pisabarro, A. G., Ramirez, L. (2001). Relationship between Monokaryotic Growth Rate and Mating Type in the Edible Basidiomycete Pleurotus ostreatus. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 67: 3385-3390 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Tzung, K.-W., Williams, R. M., Scherer, S., Federspiel, N., Jones, T., Hansen, N., Bivolarevic, V., Huizar, L., Komp, C., Surzycki, R., Tamse, R., Davis, R. W., Agabian, N. (2001). Genomic evidence for a complete sexual cycle in Candida albicans. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 98: 3249-3253 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Smulian, A. G., Sesterhenn, T., Tanaka, R., Cushion, M. T. (2001). The ste3 Pheromone Receptor Gene of Pneumocystis carinii Is Surrounded by a Cluster of Signal Transduction Genes. Genetics 157: 991-1002 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Inada, K., Morimoto, Y., Arima, T., Murata, Y., Kamada, T. (2001). The clp1 Gene of the Mushroom Coprinus cinereus Is Essential for A-Regulated Sexual Development. Genetics 157: 133-140 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Lengeler, K. B., Wang, P., Cox, G. M., Perfect, J. R., Heitman, J. (2000). Identification of the MATa mating-type locus of Cryptococcus neoformans reveals a serotype A MATa strain thought to have been extinct. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97: 14455-14460 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Lengeler, K. B., Davidson, R. C., D'souza, C., Harashima, T., Shen, W.-C., Wang, P., Pan, X., Waugh, M., Heitman, J. (2000). Signal Transduction Cascades Regulating Fungal Development and Virulence. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 64: 746-785 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Olesnicky, N. S., Brown, A. J., Honda, Y., Dyos, S. L., Dowell, S. J., Casselton, L. A. (2000). Self-Compatible B Mutants in Coprinus With Altered Pheromone-Receptor Specificities. Genetics 156: 1025-1033 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Boulianne, R. P., Liu, Y., Aebi, M., Lu, B. C., Kües, U. (2000). Fruiting body development in Coprinus cinereus: regulated expression of two galectins secreted by a non-classical pathway. Microbiology 146: 1841-1853 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Hull, C. M., Raisner, R. M., Johnson, A. D. (2000). Evidence for Mating of the "Asexual" Yeast Candida albicans in a Mammalian Host. Science 289: 307-310 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kues, U. (2000). Life History and Developmental Processes in the Basidiomycete Coprinus cinereus. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 64: 316-353 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Graïa, F., Berteaux-Lecellier, V., Zickler, D., Picard, M. (2000). ami1, an Orthologue of the Aspergillus nidulans apsA Gene, Is Involved in Nuclear Migration Events Throughout the Life Cycle of Podospora anserina. Genetics 155: 633-646 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Charlesworth, D. (2000). How Can Two-Gene Models of Self-Incompatibility Generate New Specificities?. Plant Cell 12: 309-310 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Halsall, J. R., Milner, M. J., Casselton, L. A. (2000). Three Subfamilies of Pheromone and Receptor Genes Generate Multiple B Mating Specificities in the Mushroom Coprinus cinereus. Genetics 154: 1115-1123 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Hull, C. M., Johnson, A. D. (1999). Identification of a Mating Type-Like Locus in the Asexual Pathogenic Yeast Candida albicans. Science 285: 1271-1275 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Fowler, T. J., DeSimone, S. M., Mitton, M. F., Kurjan, J., Raper, C. A. (1999). Multiple Sex Pheromones and Receptors of a Mushroom-producing Fungus Elicit Mating in Yeast. Mol. Biol. Cell 10: 2559-2572 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kurvari, V., Grishin, N. V., Snell, W. J. (1998). A Gamete-specific, Sex-limited Homeodomain Protein in Chlamydomonas. JCB 143: 1971-1980 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Banuett, F. (1998). Signalling in the Yeasts: An Informational Cascade with Links to the Filamentous Fungi. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 62: 249-274 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Chang, Y. C., Penoyer, L. A., Kwon-Chung, K. J. (2001). The second STE12 homologue of Cryptococcus neoformans is MATa-specific and plays an important role in virulence. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 98: 3258-3263 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2010 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»