Elsevier

Developmental Biology

Volume 53, Issue 1, 1 October 1976, Pages 21-29
Developmental Biology

Full paper
Control of fungal development: I. The effects of two regulatory genes on growth in Schizophyllum commune

https://doi.org/10.1016/0012-1606(76)90205-0Get rights and content

Abstract

In Schizophyllum the various events comprising the transition from the homokaryotic to the dikaryotic stage of the life cycle are triggered by two sets of developmental regulatory genes known as the A and B incompatability factors. This paper defines the effects of these genes on growth of surface colonies by establishing the growth curves of dikaryons, comon-A heterokaryons, and strains that morphologically mimic dikaryons or heterokaryons because of constitutive mutations in A and/or B.

Like homokaryons, all these developmental stages and genetic mimics have triphasic growth curves with definite exponential phases. Growth curves of dikaryons and common-A heterokaryons are indistinguishable from those of their corresponding genetic mimics. However, the growth rate during exponential phase and the timing of the entire curve are dependent upon developmental type, with the consequence that colonies of different developmental stages harvested either at equal times or at equal weights are not necessarily in the same phase of colonial growth. Data presented allow choice of harvesting times such that colonies of the different developmental types will be within the same growth phase.

Biochemical differences between homokaryons and dikaryons must be due to differentiation since the two stages have virtually the same growth rate.

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This work was supported by grants from the University of Minnesota Graduate School and the Research Corporation to the junior author, and by Grant No. IN-13 from the American Cancer Society.

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