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Updated: Aug 30, 2026

Sexual Crosses with the Mucoromycete Phycomyces blakesleeanus
Published on: June 6, 2025
[Zygote formation in Blakeslea trispora: morphological peculiarities and relationship with carotenoid synthesis]
V M Tereshina1, A S Memorskaia, E P Feofilova
1Institute of Microbiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, pr. 60-letiya Oktyabrya 7, k. 2, Moscow, 117312 Russia.
Abstract:
Changes associated with zygospore formation in the mucorous fungus Blakeslea trispora were studied. Zygospores are dormant cells with thickened cell walls and large central lipid vacuoles containing large amounts of lycopene. We established for the first time that B. trispora gametangia of different sexes differ in their carotenoid content and revealed that zygote formation involves a novel structure that consists of densely intertwined hyphae. Using inhibitory analysis (blocking beta-carotene synthesis with diphenylamine and 2-amino-6-methylpyridine), we showed that suppression of carotene production results in the inhibition of zygote formation. Hence, we established a manifest dependence of zygote formation on beta-carotene synthesis.
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