Parasexual and Sexual Reproduction in Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi: Room for Both

Gökalp Yildirir; Mathu Malar C; Vasilis Kokkoris; Nicolas Corradi

doi:10.1016/j.tim.2020.03.013

Parasexual and Sexual Reproduction in Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi: Room for Both

Trends Microbiol. 2020 Jul;28(7):517-519. doi: 10.1016/j.tim.2020.03.013. Epub 2020 Apr 29.

Authors

Gökalp Yildirir¹, Mathu Malar C¹, Vasilis Kokkoris¹, Nicolas Corradi²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
² Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada. Electronic address: ncorradi@uottawa.ca.

PMID: 32360097
DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2020.03.013

Abstract

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) harbor thousands of nuclei in a large syncytium at all times. Although mating processes have not been observed in AMF, their cells and genomes show many signatures of sexual reproduction. Here, we describe how some of these signatures could also arise from parasexual processes in these widespread plant symbionts. As such, parasexual and sexual evolution could both be at play in generating nuclear diversity in AMF.

Keywords: arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi; dikaryons; genome diversity; parameiosis; parasexuality; somatic recombination; transposable elements.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Basidiomycota / growth & development
Basidiomycota / physiology*
Candida albicans / growth & development
Candida albicans / physiology*
Genome, Fungal / genetics
Meiosis / physiology
Mycorrhizae / genetics
Mycorrhizae / growth & development*
Mycorrhizae / physiology*
Plants / microbiology
Reproduction, Asexual / physiology*