What is the growing
mechanism of filamentous
fungi, such as N. crassa?
Project by Thomas Lew
Mentor: Dr. Michael Freitag
Why this important?
Advances knowledge of fungal biology
Could lead to a way to stop growth of infectious
fungi (i.e. selective targeting)
Examples of
Infectious Fungal Diseases
Aspergillosis
Fungal pneumonia
http://www4.umdnj.edu/cswaweb/rad_teach/allasper.html
Why N. Crassa?
One of the oldest genetic model
Filamentous
Easier to manipulate
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What we think happens:
Microtubule
Organization Center
(at nuclei)
Apical
Growth Body
Methods
• PCR – subcloning and N. crassa transformation
Replace Mal3 MT end binding protein with GFP-tagged Mal3 MT
Replace Tip1 MT binding protein with GFP-tagged Tip1 MT
• Microscopy
Track growth and direction
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)
GFP
http://www.nih.gov/science/models/neurospora/image.html
Results
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Acknowledgements
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Dr. Kevin Ahern
Dr. Michael Freitag
Dr. Michael Gross
Grant Farr
All the wonderful people at OSU that helped us out