This document discusses several fungi that are used as model organisms in genetic research, including Neurospora crassa, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Dictyostelium, Agaricus bisporus, and Curvularia lunata. Neurospora crassa has been extensively researched for over 75 years, with around 1000 loci mapped. Experiments on Neurospora led to the one gene-one enzyme hypothesis. Saccharomyces cerevisiae was the first organism where the spheroplast transformation method was demonstrated. Dictyostelium and Agaricus bisporus have also provided insights into fungal evolution and pathogen resistance. The pathogen Curvularia lunata caused a 40% decrease in

1. Presented by
Keshav.Narayan.Pai

2. Introduction
• Fungi are used in genetic research.
• In studying evolutionary relationship.
• studying the pathogens and creating resistant
varities of plants

3. Neurospora as an Model Organism
 Neurospora crassa has been used in the laboratories
since 1941.
 A Vast store of information has been acquired from
Neurospora crassa during 75 years of research.
 Around 1000 loci has been mapped on the
chromosomes.
 Gene sequencing is in progress.

4.  Theresultsof ExperimentonNeurospora,
beadleandtatum ledthemtoget
“Onegene–Oneenzymehypothesis”.
 Onegene–OneenzymeHypothesis says that
one gene encodes one enzyme, which was
later transformed as
“Onegene–OnepolypeptideHypothesis”.

5. Unique Characters of Neurospora crassa
 They are easy to culture, as the
nutritional requirement is simple.
 They form orange coloured
colonies and they reproduce fast.
 Growth of Neurospora is rapid
and generation time is less than 3
weeks.

7. • Transformation methods
i.e spheroplast method
was first proved in
Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
• Entire genome library on
yeast is available.
• In research like tetrad
dissection, spore analysis.

8.  Dictyostelium is also used as model organism.
 Interspecies comparison of thousands of
protein sequences made possible by a genome
sequence has allowed dictyostelians
evolutionary relationship to higher organism.
 Dictyostelium genes are comman with
animals than Yeast or other fungi.

10. • Gene sequencing of Agaricus bisporus is
done.
• By this the characters like its tolerance to
environment, resistant to pathogens,
breeding effeciency, characters could be
known.
Agaricus bisporus

11. • In china during 1990 a
disease attacked the
maize, which decreased
the yield upto 40%.
• The disease was leaf
spot of maize.
• The pathogen was a
fungi called
Curvularia lunata.

12.  Gene sequencing of the
pathogen was done.
 The characters are learnt
and then disease resistant
types are grown.
 The spreading of the
disease got decreased.

13. Reference
• www.ias.ac.in
• www.iisc.ernet.in
• “Fungal bioinformatics and genetic research”
by word press.