title: Phs1 and the synthesis of very long chain Fatty acids are required for ballistospore formation.
abstract: The production and dissemination of spores by members of the fungal kingdom is a major reason for the success of this eukaryotic lineage in colonizing most terrestrial ecosystems. Ballistospores are a type of spore produced by basidiomycete fungi, such as the mushrooms and plant pathogenic rusts. These spores are forcefully discharged through a unique liquid-drop fusion mechanism, enabling the aerosolization of these particles that can contribute to plant disease and human allergies. The genes responsible for this process are unknown due to technical challenges in studying many of the fungi that produce ballistospores. Here, we applied newly-developed techniques in a forward genetic screen to identify genes required for ballistospore formation or function in a tractable red yeast, a species of Sporobolomyces. One strain bearing a mutation in the PHS1 gene was identified as a mirror mutant. PHS1 encodes 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydratase required for the third step in very long chain fatty acid biosynthesis. The Sporobolomyces PHS1 gene complements the essential functions of a S. cerevisiae phs1 mutant. The Sporobolomyces phs1 mutant strain has less dehydratase activity and a reduction in very long chain fatty acids compared to wild type. The mutant strain also exhibits sensitivity to cell wall stress agents and loss of shooting due to a delay in ballistospore formation, indicating that the role of Phs1 in spore dissemination may be primarily in cellular integrity.
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, United States of America; Dipartimento di Agricoltura, Ambiente e Alimenti, Facoltà di Agraria, Università degli Studi del Molise, Campobasso, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ianiri
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, United States of America; Pembroke Hill School, Kansas City, Missouri, United States of America.
authors.forename: Ritika
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Abhyankar
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.
authors.forename: Akio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kihara
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, United States of America; School of Botany, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Idnurm
mesh_terms: D001487:Basidiomycota / Q000502:physiology*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004746:Enoyl-CoA Hydratase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D023061:Gene Order; D005804:Genes, Lethal; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D006836:Hydro-Lyases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D009154:Mutation; D010641:Phenotype; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013172:Spores, Fungal
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D005227:Fatty Acids; C036483:T-DNA; D006836:Hydro-Lyases; D004746:Enoyl-CoA Hydratase