title: Propagation of a novel cytoplasmic, infectious and deleterious determinant is controlled by translational accuracy in Podospora anserina.
abstract: Some mutant strains of the filamentous fungus Podospora anserina spontaneously present a growth impairment, which has been called Crippled Growth (CG). CG is caused by a cytoplasmic and infectious factor, C. C is efficiently transmitted during mitosis but is not transmitted to the progeny after sexual crosses. C is induced by stationary phase and cured by various means, most of which stress the cells. Translational accuracy is shown to tightly regulate the propagation of C during the active growth period, because its propagation in dividing hyphae is restricted to cells that display an increased translational accuracy. However, induction of C in stationary phase proceeds independently from the translational accuracy status of the strain. CG does not seem to be accompanied by mitochondrial DNA modifications, although C activates the action of the Determinant of Senescence, another cytoplasmic and infectious element, which causes a disorganization of the mitochondrial genome. In addition, presence of C drastically modifies the spectrum of the mitochondrial DNA rearrangements in AS6-5 mat- cultures during Senescence. C seems to belong to the growing list of unconventional genetic elements. The biological significance of such elements is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Génétique et Microbiologie, Université de Paris Sud, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Silar
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Haedens
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rossignol
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lalucque
mesh_terms: D001203:Ascomycota / Q000235:genetics*; D003593:Cytoplasm; D008540:Meiosis; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis