Presented byKeshav.Narayan.Pai

Application of Fungi in Genetics

Introduction•Fungi are used in genetic research.

•In studying evolutionary relationship.

• studying the pathogens and creating resistant varities of plants

Neurospora as an Model OrganismNeurospora crassa has been used in the

laboratories since 1941.

A Vast store of information has been acquired from Neurospora crassa during 75 years of research.

Around 1000 loci has been mapped on the chromosomes.

Gene sequencing is in progress.

The results of Experiment on Neurospora, beadle and tatum led them to get “One gene –One enzyme hypothesis”.

One gene –One enzyme Hypothesis says that one gene encodes one enzyme , which was later transformed as “One gene – One polypeptide Hypothesis”.

One gene – 0ne enzyme hypothesis

Unique Characters of Neurospora crassa

They are easy to culture, as the nutritional requirement is simple.

They form orange coloured colonies and they reproduce fast.

Growth of Neurospora is rapid and generation time is less than 3 weeks.

Neurospora crassa

• Transformation methods i.e spheroplast method was first proved in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

• Entire genome library on yeast is available.

• In research like tetrad dissection, spore analysis.

YEAST

Dictyostelium is also used as model organism.

Interspecies comparison of thousands of protein sequences made possible by a genome sequence has allowed dictyostelians evolutionary relationship to higher organism.

Dictyostelium genes are comman with animals than Yeast or other fungi.

DICTYOSTELIUM

• Gene sequencing of Agaricus bisporus is done.

• By this the characters like its tolerance to environment, resistant to pathogens, breeding effeciency, characters could be known.

Agaricus bisporus

• In china during 1990 a disease attacked the maize, which decreased the yield upto 40%.

• The disease was leaf spot of maize.

• The pathogen was a fungi called Curvularia lunata.

Gene sequencing

Gene sequencing of the pathogen was done.

The characters are learnt and then disease resistant types are grown.

The spreading of the disease got decreased.

Reference• www.ias.ac.in

• www.iisc.ernet.in

• “Fungal bioinformatics and genetic research” by word press.

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