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Morphological alterations induced by cold-shock in Neurospora crassa
Cristina Yoshiko Kawano1, Suraia Said
1Departamento de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Avenida do Café s/n, CEP 14040-903--Ribeirão Preto--SP--Brasil.
Journal of Basic Microbiology
|November 21, 2002
Summary
Cold shock temporarily alters Neurospora crassa morphology and protein synthesis. Calcium influx appears crucial, as its inhibition by cold shock leads to changes, while external calcium prevents these effects.
Area of Science:
- Mycology
- Cell Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Neurospora crassa is a model organism for studying cellular responses.
- Cold shock is known to induce physiological and morphological changes in various organisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the morphological and proteomic effects of cold shock on Neurospora crassa.
- To explore the role of calcium influx in mediating cold shock responses.
Main Methods:
- Exposure of Neurospora crassa hyphae to cold shock (4°C for 6 hours).
- Observation of morphological changes, including hyphal tip branching patterns.
- Analysis of protein electrophoretic profiles under cold shock conditions.
- Assessment of the effect of exogenous calcium (Ca2+) on cold shock-induced alterations.
Main Results:
- Cold shock induced temporary morphological changes, such as dichotomous and fan-like branching patterns at hyphal tips.
- Exogenous calcium supplementation prevented these cold shock-induced morphological alterations.
- Protein electrophoresis revealed significant differences between cold-shocked and control cultures, with at least 5 protein bands showing increased intensity after 1-2 hours at 4°C.
- These results suggest increased protein synthesis during cold acclimatization.
Conclusions:
- Cold shock triggers temporary morphological changes in Neurospora crassa, likely mediated by impaired calcium influx.
- The synthesis of specific proteins is upregulated during cold acclimatization, potentially playing a role in cellular adaptation.
- Calcium homeostasis is critical for maintaining normal hyphal morphology under cold stress.