Repetitive DNA in the automictic fungus Microbotryum violaceum

Dimorphic mating-type chromosomes in the fungus Microbotryum violaceum.

Fungi often mate as haploids, and sex chromosomes (i.e., mating-type chromosomes) that are dimorphic for their size or overall DNA content have never been reported in this kingdom. Using electrophoretic techniques for karyotype analysis, a highly dimorphic chromosome pair that determines mating compatibility is shown to occur in populations of the fungus Microbotryum violaceum. This substantiat...

Evolutionary strata in a small mating-type-specific region of the smut fungus Microbotryum violaceum.

DNA sequence analysis and genetic mapping of loci from mating-type-specific chromosomes of the smut fungus Microbotryum violaceum demonstrated that the nonrecombining mating-type-specific region in this species comprises approximately 25% ( approximately 1 Mb) of the chromosome length. Divergence between homologous mating-type-linked genes in this region varies between 0 and 8.6%, resembling th...

Mating system of the anther smut fungus Microbotryum violaceum: selfing under heterothallism.

Mating System of the Anther Smut Fungus Microbotryum violaceum: Selfing under Heterothallism Tatiana Giraud,†* Roxana Yockteng,† Manuela López-Villavicencio, Guislaine Refrégier, and Michael E. Hood* Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution, Bâtiment 360, Université Paris-Sud, F-91405 Orsay cedex, France; CNRS, F-91405 Orsay cedex, France; MNHN, Département Systématique et Evolution, 16 rue Buffon C...

Identification and expression analysis of sugar transporters in microbotryum violaceum

Herbarium studies on the distribution of anther-smut fungus (Microbotryum violaceum) and Silene species (Caryophyllaceae) in the eastern United States.

We used herbarium specimens of Silene virginica, S. caroliniana, S. rotundifolia, and S. latifolia to survey the incidence of anther-smut disease (caused by Microbotryum violaceum sensu lato) in the eastern USA. We found no evidence of a collector bias against diseased specimens. Diseased specimens were frequently found in collections of S. virginica and S. caroliniana, but not in those of S. r...