Abstract Detail

Evolutionary Developmental Biology (Evo-Devo)

Knudson, Alicia [1], Kovaka, Sam [1], Hibbett, David [2].

Fruiting body plasticity in Lentinus tigrinus and light signaling pathways in Agaricomycetes.

A normally agaricoid species, Lentinus tigrinus, was discovered to produce a coralloid fruiting body when grown in darkness. Similar morphological plasticity has been noted in other basidiomycetes (Panus and Lentinellus spp.) and several species (Coprinus spp., Coprinopsis spp., and Flammulina velutipes) have been historically used to explore the effect of environmental conditions upon fruiting development, specifically an ultraviolet–blue light requirement for primordial or pileal development. A dikaryotic strain of L. tigrinus was used to investigate the wavelength of light, intensity, and exposure time that would produce an agaricoid or coralloid morphology. After primordia formation in darkness, L. tigrinus cultures were responsive to blue and ultraviolet light and required as little as ten minutes of exposure for the production of a normal pileus. Exposure to blue-ultraviolet wavelengths at any time during fruiting body development would result in an agaricoid form. The genomes of L. tigrinus and additional Agaricomycetes were examined for genes known to be involved in photoreception and downstream signaling during fruiting body development including wc1 and wc2 of the White Collar complex (WCC), dst2, and cryA. Almost all members of Dikarya, with the exception of Saccharomycotina, have at least a single copy of the WCC genes and dst2 appears to be confined to Basidiomycota. The red light receptor gene cryA is conserved throughout most of Dikarya with more variation than the WCC genes. The plasticity of Lentinus tigrinus allows the species to be a useful model system for fungal evo-devo.

1 - Clark University, Biology, Lasry Bioscience, 950 Main Street, Worcester, MA, 01610, USA
2 - Clark University, Biology, Lasry Bioscience, 950 Main Street

Keywords:
fungal development
photoreceptors.

Presentation Type: Poster:Posters for Topics
Session: P
Location: Hall D/The Shaw Conference Centre
Date: Monday, July 27th, 2015
Time: 5:30 PM
Number: PEV003
Abstract ID:1049
Candidate for Awards:None