Neurospora crassa
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| Neurospora crassa Shear & B.O. Dodge |
Neurospora crassa is a type of red bread mold of the phylum Ascomycota. The genus name, meaning "nerve spore" refers to the characteristic striations on the spores that resemble axons.
N. crassa is notable for its use as a model organism in science because it is easy to grow and has a haploid life cycle that makes genetic analysis simple since recessive traits will show up in the offspring. Its entire genome of seven chromosomes has been sequenced [1]. Neurospora was used by Edward Tatum and George Wells Beadle in their experiments for which they won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Beadle and Tatum exposed N. crassa to x-rays, causing mutations. They then observed failures in metabolic pathways caused by errors in specific enzymes. This led to the "one gene, one enzyme" hypothesis that states that specific genes code for specific proteins.
In the 24 April 2003 issue of Nature, the genome of N. crassa was reported as completely sequenced. The genome is about 43 megabases long and includes approximately 10,000 genes. Currently there is a project underway to produce mutant knockouts for every gene in the genome of N. crassa. These mutants are provided at an extremely low price in return for any research information gathered on them.
In its natural environment, N. crassa lives mainly in tropical and sub-tropical regions. It can be found growing on dead plant matter after fires.
[edit] References
- Perkins, D & Davis, R (Dec, 2000), "Evidence for Safety of Neurospora Species for Academic and Commercial Uses", APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY, vol. 66 (12):5107-5109. PMID 11097875
- Osherov, N & May, GS (May 30, 2001), "The molecular mechanisms of conidial germination", FEMS Microbiol Lett, vol. 199(2):153-60. PMID 11377860
- Froehlich, AC, Noh, B & Vierstra, RD, Loros J & Dunlap JC (December 2005), "Genetic and molecular analysis of Phytochromes from the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa", Eukaryot Cell, vol. 4(12):2140-52. PMID 16339731
- Horowitz, NH (April 1991), "Fifty years ago: the Neurospora revolution", Genetics. PMID 1827628
- Horowitz, NH, Berg, P & Singer, M, Lederberg J, Susman M, Doebley J & Crow JF. (January 2004), "A centennial: George W. Beadle, 1903-1989", Genetics, vol. 166(1):1-10. PMID 15020400
- Kaldi, K, Gonzalez, BH & Brunner, M (December 23, 2005), "Transcriptional regulation of the Neurospora circadian clock gene wc-1 affects the phase of circadian output", EMBO Rep. PMID 16374510
- Pittalwala, Iqbal (April 29, 2003), "UC Riverside scientists contribute to study that unveils genome sequence of bread mold", Newsroom (University of California, Riverside).
- Ruoff, P, Loros, JJ & Dunlap, JC (December 6, 2005), "The relationship between FRQ-protein stability and temperature compensation in the Neurospora circadian clock", Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. PMID 16314576
[edit] External links
- The Neurospora Homepage. Fungal Genetics Stock Center (FGSC). Retrieved on December 27, 2005.
- The Neurospora Compendium. Fungal Genetics Stock Center (FGSC). Retrieved on December 27, 2005.
- Neurospora crassa Release 7. Broad Institute. Retrieved on December 28, 2005.
- The Neurospora-Fungal Genome Initiative. Neurospora Genome Project. Retrieved on December 28, 2005.
- Trans-NIH Neurospora Initiative. National Institutes of Health (NIH — United States). Retrieved on December 27, 2005.
| Major Model Organisms in Genetic Studies |
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| Lambda phage | E. coli | Chlamydomonas | Tetrahymena | Budding yeast | Fission yeast | Neurospora | Maize | Arabidopsis | C. elegans | Drosophila | Zebrafish | Rat | Mouse |
