Comparative gene expression analysis of fruiting body development in two filamentous fungi

The ascomycete Pyronema confluens is a member of the Pezizales and readily forms fruiting bodies under laboratory conditions. Here, we report the first molecular analysis of fruiting body development in this filamentous fungus. Two P. confluens cDNA libraries were generated, one derived from mycelium undergoing sexual development, and the other from vegetative mycelium. From each library, 96 clones were end-sequenced, resulting in the identification of 132 different genes. Expression studies of 10 P. confluens genes by quantitative real-time PCR identified seven genes that are transcriptionally up- or down regulated during sexual development when compared with vegetative growth. As a first step towards a comparison of gene expression during fruiting body development in different filamentous fungi, transcript levels of the corresponding homologs from the distantly related ascomycete Sordaria macrospora were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR. The analyses revealed similar expression patterns during sexual development for several of the S. macrospora genes when compared with P. confluens.