The team, headed by Paul Dyer at the University of Nottingham (UK), with lead researchers Mathieu Paoletti (University of Nottingham, UK) and Carla Rydholm (Duke University, USA), used a number of techniques to study the fungus. The genome of Aspergillus fumigatus has recently been sequenced, and investigation of the genome revealed the presence of a series of genes required for sexual reproduction.
In the new study, the researchers report that the analysis of a worldwide collection of 290 specimens of the fungus revealed nearly equal proportions of two different sexes, or "mating types," which in theory could have sex with each other. Additional work on specific populations of the fungus in America and Europe showed that genes had been, or were being, exchanged between individuals of the fungus--another strong sign of mating. The researchers also showed that some key genes involved with detecting mating partners were active in the fungus.
Taken as a whole, the study's results indicate that the fungus has a recent evolutionary history of sexual activity and might still be having sex, if thus far unseen by human eyes. These results are important because if the fungus does reproduce sexually as part of its life cycle, it might evolve more rapidly to become resistant to antifungal drugs used to control disease; sexual reproduction might lead to new strains with increased ability to cause disease and infect humans. Nevertheless, the sexual cycle could be a useful genetic tool for scientists to use in their study of the mechanisms by which the fungus causes disease. Further work is now aimed at seeing if the fungus can truly reproduce by sexual means.
Mathieu Paoletti, Elke U. Schwier, and Paul S. Dyer of the University of Nottingham; Carla Rydholm and François Lutzoni of Duke University; Michael J. Anderson and David W. Denning of University of Manchester; George Szakacs of Technical University of Budapest; and Jean-Paul Debeaupuis and Jean-Paul Latgé of the Institut Pasteur. This work was supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (United Kingdom), the Wellcome Trust (UK), the Fungal Research Trust (UK), and Duke University (USA).
Mathieu Paoletti, Carla Rydholm, Elke U Schwier, Michael J Anderson, George Szakacs, Francois Lutzoni, Jean-Paul Debeaupuis, Jean-Paul Latge, David W Denning, Paul Stanley Dyer (2005). Evidence for sexuality in the opportunistic fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus. DOI 10.1016/j.cub.2005.05.045 Publishing in Current Biology, Vol. 15, 1242-1248, July 12, 2005. www.current-biology.com
Journal
Current Biology