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Updated: Aug 1, 2025

Sexual Development and Ascospore Discharge in Fusarium graminearum
Published on: March 29, 2012
An exocyst component, Sec5, is essential for ascospore formation in Bipolaris maydis
Kenya Tsuji1, Yuki Kitade1, Takuya Sumita1
1a Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University.
Abstract:
In this study, we identified Sec5 in Bipolaris maydis, a homologue of Sec5 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and a possible exocyst component of the fungus. To examine how Sec5 affects the life cycle of B. maydis, we generated null mutant strains of the gene (Δsec5). The Δsec5 strains showed a strong reduction in hyphal growth and a slight reduction in pathogenicity. In sexual reproduction, they possessed the ability to develop pseudothecia. However, all ascospores were aborted in any of the asci obtained from crosses between Δsec5 and the wild-type. Our cytological study revealed that the abortion was caused by impairments of the post-meiotic stages in ascospore development, where ascospore delimitation and young spore elongation occur.
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