Neurospora crassa
Encyclopedia
Neurospora crassa is a type of red bread mold of the phylum Ascomycota
. The genus name, meaning "nerve spore" refers to the characteristic striations on the spore
s. The first published account of this fungus was from an infestation of French bakeries in 1843.
N. crassa is used as a model organism
because it is easy to grow and has a haploid life cycle that makes genetic
analysis simple since recessive traits will show up in the offspring. Analysis of genetic recombination is facilitated by the ordered arrangement of the products of meiosis in Neurospora ascospores. Its entire genome
of seven chromosomes has been sequenced.
Neurospora was used by Edward Tatum and George Wells Beadle in their experiments for which they won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
in 1958. Beadle and Tatum exposed N. crassa to x-rays, causing mutations. They then observed failures in metabolic pathway
s caused by errors in specific enzyme
s. This led them to propose the "one gene, one enzyme" hypothesis that specific gene
s code for specific protein
s. Their hypothesis was later elaborated to enzyme pathways by Norman Horowitz
, also working on Neurospora.
In the 24 April 2003 issue of Nature
, the genome
of N. crassa was reported as completely sequenced
. The genome is about 43 megabases long and includes approximately 10,000 genes. There is a project underway to produce strains containing knockout
mutants of every N. crassa gene.
In its natural environment, N. crassa lives mainly in tropical and sub-tropical regions. It can be found growing on dead plant matter after fires.
Neurospora is actively used in research around the world. It is important in the elucidation of molecular events involved in circadian rhythms, epigenetics
and gene silencing
, cell polarity
, cell fusion
, development, as well as many aspects of cell biology and biochemistry.
Strains and other materials for working with Neurospora are available from the
Fungal Genetics Stock Center
Neurospora crassa is a type of red bread mold of the phylum Ascomycota
. The genus name, meaning "nerve spore" refers to the characteristic striations on the spore
s. The first published account of this fungus was from an infestation of French bakeries in 1843.
N. crassa is used as a model organism
because it is easy to grow and has a haploid life cycle that makes genetic
analysis simple since recessive traits will show up in the offspring. Analysis of genetic recombination is facilitated by the ordered arrangement of the products of meiosis in Neurospora ascospores. Its entire genome
of seven chromosomes has been sequenced.
Neurospora was used by Edward Tatum and George Wells Beadle in their experiments for which they won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
in 1958. Beadle and Tatum exposed N. crassa to x-rays, causing mutations. They then observed failures in metabolic pathway
s caused by errors in specific enzyme
s. This led them to propose the "one gene, one enzyme" hypothesis that specific gene
s code for specific protein
s. Their hypothesis was later elaborated to enzyme pathways by Norman Horowitz
, also working on Neurospora.
In the 24 April 2003 issue of Nature
, the genome
of N. crassa was reported as completely sequenced
. The genome is about 43 megabases long and includes approximately 10,000 genes. There is a project underway to produce strains containing knockout
mutants of every N. crassa gene.
In its natural environment, N. crassa lives mainly in tropical and sub-tropical regions. It can be found growing on dead plant matter after fires.
Neurospora is actively used in research around the world. It is important in the elucidation of molecular events involved in circadian rhythms, epigenetics
and gene silencing
, cell polarity
, cell fusion
, development, as well as many aspects of cell biology and biochemistry.
Strains and other materials for working with Neurospora are available from the
Fungal Genetics Stock Center
Neurospora crassa is a type of red bread mold of the phylum Ascomycota
. The genus name, meaning "nerve spore" refers to the characteristic striations on the spore
s. The first published account of this fungus was from an infestation of French bakeries in 1843.
N. crassa is used as a model organism
because it is easy to grow and has a haploid life cycle that makes genetic
analysis simple since recessive traits will show up in the offspring. Analysis of genetic recombination is facilitated by the ordered arrangement of the products of meiosis in Neurospora ascospores. Its entire genome
of seven chromosomes has been sequenced.
Neurospora was used by Edward Tatum and George Wells Beadle in their experiments for which they won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
in 1958. Beadle and Tatum exposed N. crassa to x-rays, causing mutations. They then observed failures in metabolic pathway
s caused by errors in specific enzyme
s. This led them to propose the "one gene, one enzyme" hypothesis that specific gene
s code for specific protein
s. Their hypothesis was later elaborated to enzyme pathways by Norman Horowitz
, also working on Neurospora.
In the 24 April 2003 issue of Nature
, the genome
of N. crassa was reported as completely sequenced
. The genome is about 43 megabases long and includes approximately 10,000 genes. There is a project underway to produce strains containing knockout
mutants of every N. crassa gene.
In its natural environment, N. crassa lives mainly in tropical and sub-tropical regions. It can be found growing on dead plant matter after fires.
Neurospora is actively used in research around the world. It is important in the elucidation of molecular events involved in circadian rhythms, epigenetics
and gene silencing
, cell polarity
, cell fusion
, development, as well as many aspects of cell biology and biochemistry.
Strains and other materials for working with Neurospora are available from the
Fungal Genetics Stock Center
Ascomycota
The Ascomycota are a Division/Phylum of the kingdom Fungi, and subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the Sac fungi. They are the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 64,000 species...
. The genus name, meaning "nerve spore" refers to the characteristic striations on the spore
Spore
In biology, a spore is a reproductive structure that is adapted for dispersal and surviving for extended periods of time in unfavorable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many bacteria, plants, algae, fungi and some protozoa. According to scientist Dr...
s. The first published account of this fungus was from an infestation of French bakeries in 1843.
N. crassa is used as a model organism
Model organism
A model organism is a non-human species that is extensively studied to understand particular biological phenomena, with the expectation that discoveries made in the organism model will provide insight into the workings of other organisms. Model organisms are in vivo models and are widely used to...
because it is easy to grow and has a haploid life cycle that makes genetic
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
analysis simple since recessive traits will show up in the offspring. Analysis of genetic recombination is facilitated by the ordered arrangement of the products of meiosis in Neurospora ascospores. Its entire genome
Genome
In modern molecular biology and genetics, the genome is the entirety of an organism's hereditary information. It is encoded either in DNA or, for many types of virus, in RNA. The genome includes both the genes and the non-coding sequences of the DNA/RNA....
of seven chromosomes has been sequenced.
Neurospora was used by Edward Tatum and George Wells Beadle in their experiments for which they won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine administered by the Nobel Foundation, is awarded once a year for outstanding discoveries in the field of life science and medicine. It is one of five Nobel Prizes established in 1895 by Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, in his will...
in 1958. Beadle and Tatum exposed N. crassa to x-rays, causing mutations. They then observed failures in metabolic pathway
Metabolic pathway
In biochemistry, metabolic pathways are series of chemical reactions occurring within a cell. In each pathway, a principal chemical is modified by a series of chemical reactions. Enzymes catalyze these reactions, and often require dietary minerals, vitamins, and other cofactors in order to function...
s caused by errors in specific enzyme
Enzyme
Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates...
s. This led them to propose the "one gene, one enzyme" hypothesis that specific gene
Gene
A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...
s code for specific protein
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...
s. Their hypothesis was later elaborated to enzyme pathways by Norman Horowitz
Norman Horowitz (geneticist)
Norman Harold Horowitz was a geneticist at Caltech who achieved national fame as the scientist who devised experiments to determine whether life might exist on Mars. His experiments were carried out by the Viking Lander of 1976, the first U.S...
, also working on Neurospora.
In the 24 April 2003 issue of Nature
Nature (journal)
Nature, first published on 4 November 1869, is ranked the world's most cited interdisciplinary scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports...
, the genome
Genome
In modern molecular biology and genetics, the genome is the entirety of an organism's hereditary information. It is encoded either in DNA or, for many types of virus, in RNA. The genome includes both the genes and the non-coding sequences of the DNA/RNA....
of N. crassa was reported as completely sequenced
DNA sequencing
DNA sequencing includes several methods and technologies that are used for determining the order of the nucleotide bases—adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine—in a molecule of DNA....
. The genome is about 43 megabases long and includes approximately 10,000 genes. There is a project underway to produce strains containing knockout
Gene knockout
A gene knockout is a genetic technique in which one of an organism's genes is made inoperative . Also known as knockout organisms or simply knockouts, they are used in learning about a gene that has been sequenced, but which has an unknown or incompletely known function...
mutants of every N. crassa gene.
In its natural environment, N. crassa lives mainly in tropical and sub-tropical regions. It can be found growing on dead plant matter after fires.
Neurospora is actively used in research around the world. It is important in the elucidation of molecular events involved in circadian rhythms, epigenetics
Epigenetics
In biology, and specifically genetics, epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in gene expression or cellular phenotype caused by mechanisms other than changes in the underlying DNA sequence – hence the name epi- -genetics...
and gene silencing
Gene silencing
Gene silencing is a general term describing epigenetic processes of gene regulation. The term gene silencing is generally used to describe the "switching off" of a gene by a mechanism other than genetic modification...
, cell polarity
Cell polarity
Cell Polarity refers to spatial differences in the shape, structure, and function of cells. Almost all cell types exhibit some sort of polarity, which enables them to carry out specialized functions...
, cell fusion
Cell fusion
Cell fusion is an important cellular process that occurs during differentiation of muscle, bone and trophoblast cells, during embryogenesis, and during morphogenesis...
, development, as well as many aspects of cell biology and biochemistry.
Strains and other materials for working with Neurospora are available from the
Fungal Genetics Stock Center
Neurospora crassa is a type of red bread mold of the phylum Ascomycota
Ascomycota
The Ascomycota are a Division/Phylum of the kingdom Fungi, and subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the Sac fungi. They are the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 64,000 species...
. The genus name, meaning "nerve spore" refers to the characteristic striations on the spore
Spore
In biology, a spore is a reproductive structure that is adapted for dispersal and surviving for extended periods of time in unfavorable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many bacteria, plants, algae, fungi and some protozoa. According to scientist Dr...
s. The first published account of this fungus was from an infestation of French bakeries in 1843.
N. crassa is used as a model organism
Model organism
A model organism is a non-human species that is extensively studied to understand particular biological phenomena, with the expectation that discoveries made in the organism model will provide insight into the workings of other organisms. Model organisms are in vivo models and are widely used to...
because it is easy to grow and has a haploid life cycle that makes genetic
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
analysis simple since recessive traits will show up in the offspring. Analysis of genetic recombination is facilitated by the ordered arrangement of the products of meiosis in Neurospora ascospores. Its entire genome
Genome
In modern molecular biology and genetics, the genome is the entirety of an organism's hereditary information. It is encoded either in DNA or, for many types of virus, in RNA. The genome includes both the genes and the non-coding sequences of the DNA/RNA....
of seven chromosomes has been sequenced.
Neurospora was used by Edward Tatum and George Wells Beadle in their experiments for which they won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine administered by the Nobel Foundation, is awarded once a year for outstanding discoveries in the field of life science and medicine. It is one of five Nobel Prizes established in 1895 by Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, in his will...
in 1958. Beadle and Tatum exposed N. crassa to x-rays, causing mutations. They then observed failures in metabolic pathway
Metabolic pathway
In biochemistry, metabolic pathways are series of chemical reactions occurring within a cell. In each pathway, a principal chemical is modified by a series of chemical reactions. Enzymes catalyze these reactions, and often require dietary minerals, vitamins, and other cofactors in order to function...
s caused by errors in specific enzyme
Enzyme
Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates...
s. This led them to propose the "one gene, one enzyme" hypothesis that specific gene
Gene
A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...
s code for specific protein
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...
s. Their hypothesis was later elaborated to enzyme pathways by Norman Horowitz
Norman Horowitz (geneticist)
Norman Harold Horowitz was a geneticist at Caltech who achieved national fame as the scientist who devised experiments to determine whether life might exist on Mars. His experiments were carried out by the Viking Lander of 1976, the first U.S...
, also working on Neurospora.
In the 24 April 2003 issue of Nature
Nature (journal)
Nature, first published on 4 November 1869, is ranked the world's most cited interdisciplinary scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports...
, the genome
Genome
In modern molecular biology and genetics, the genome is the entirety of an organism's hereditary information. It is encoded either in DNA or, for many types of virus, in RNA. The genome includes both the genes and the non-coding sequences of the DNA/RNA....
of N. crassa was reported as completely sequenced
DNA sequencing
DNA sequencing includes several methods and technologies that are used for determining the order of the nucleotide bases—adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine—in a molecule of DNA....
. The genome is about 43 megabases long and includes approximately 10,000 genes. There is a project underway to produce strains containing knockout
Gene knockout
A gene knockout is a genetic technique in which one of an organism's genes is made inoperative . Also known as knockout organisms or simply knockouts, they are used in learning about a gene that has been sequenced, but which has an unknown or incompletely known function...
mutants of every N. crassa gene.
In its natural environment, N. crassa lives mainly in tropical and sub-tropical regions. It can be found growing on dead plant matter after fires.
Neurospora is actively used in research around the world. It is important in the elucidation of molecular events involved in circadian rhythms, epigenetics
Epigenetics
In biology, and specifically genetics, epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in gene expression or cellular phenotype caused by mechanisms other than changes in the underlying DNA sequence – hence the name epi- -genetics...
and gene silencing
Gene silencing
Gene silencing is a general term describing epigenetic processes of gene regulation. The term gene silencing is generally used to describe the "switching off" of a gene by a mechanism other than genetic modification...
, cell polarity
Cell polarity
Cell Polarity refers to spatial differences in the shape, structure, and function of cells. Almost all cell types exhibit some sort of polarity, which enables them to carry out specialized functions...
, cell fusion
Cell fusion
Cell fusion is an important cellular process that occurs during differentiation of muscle, bone and trophoblast cells, during embryogenesis, and during morphogenesis...
, development, as well as many aspects of cell biology and biochemistry.
Strains and other materials for working with Neurospora are available from the
Fungal Genetics Stock Center
Neurospora crassa is a type of red bread mold of the phylum Ascomycota
Ascomycota
The Ascomycota are a Division/Phylum of the kingdom Fungi, and subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the Sac fungi. They are the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 64,000 species...
. The genus name, meaning "nerve spore" refers to the characteristic striations on the spore
Spore
In biology, a spore is a reproductive structure that is adapted for dispersal and surviving for extended periods of time in unfavorable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many bacteria, plants, algae, fungi and some protozoa. According to scientist Dr...
s. The first published account of this fungus was from an infestation of French bakeries in 1843.
N. crassa is used as a model organism
Model organism
A model organism is a non-human species that is extensively studied to understand particular biological phenomena, with the expectation that discoveries made in the organism model will provide insight into the workings of other organisms. Model organisms are in vivo models and are widely used to...
because it is easy to grow and has a haploid life cycle that makes genetic
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
analysis simple since recessive traits will show up in the offspring. Analysis of genetic recombination is facilitated by the ordered arrangement of the products of meiosis in Neurospora ascospores. Its entire genome
Genome
In modern molecular biology and genetics, the genome is the entirety of an organism's hereditary information. It is encoded either in DNA or, for many types of virus, in RNA. The genome includes both the genes and the non-coding sequences of the DNA/RNA....
of seven chromosomes has been sequenced.
Neurospora was used by Edward Tatum and George Wells Beadle in their experiments for which they won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine administered by the Nobel Foundation, is awarded once a year for outstanding discoveries in the field of life science and medicine. It is one of five Nobel Prizes established in 1895 by Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, in his will...
in 1958. Beadle and Tatum exposed N. crassa to x-rays, causing mutations. They then observed failures in metabolic pathway
Metabolic pathway
In biochemistry, metabolic pathways are series of chemical reactions occurring within a cell. In each pathway, a principal chemical is modified by a series of chemical reactions. Enzymes catalyze these reactions, and often require dietary minerals, vitamins, and other cofactors in order to function...
s caused by errors in specific enzyme
Enzyme
Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates...
s. This led them to propose the "one gene, one enzyme" hypothesis that specific gene
Gene
A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...
s code for specific protein
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...
s. Their hypothesis was later elaborated to enzyme pathways by Norman Horowitz
Norman Horowitz (geneticist)
Norman Harold Horowitz was a geneticist at Caltech who achieved national fame as the scientist who devised experiments to determine whether life might exist on Mars. His experiments were carried out by the Viking Lander of 1976, the first U.S...
, also working on Neurospora.
In the 24 April 2003 issue of Nature
Nature (journal)
Nature, first published on 4 November 1869, is ranked the world's most cited interdisciplinary scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports...
, the genome
Genome
In modern molecular biology and genetics, the genome is the entirety of an organism's hereditary information. It is encoded either in DNA or, for many types of virus, in RNA. The genome includes both the genes and the non-coding sequences of the DNA/RNA....
of N. crassa was reported as completely sequenced
DNA sequencing
DNA sequencing includes several methods and technologies that are used for determining the order of the nucleotide bases—adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine—in a molecule of DNA....
. The genome is about 43 megabases long and includes approximately 10,000 genes. There is a project underway to produce strains containing knockout
Gene knockout
A gene knockout is a genetic technique in which one of an organism's genes is made inoperative . Also known as knockout organisms or simply knockouts, they are used in learning about a gene that has been sequenced, but which has an unknown or incompletely known function...
mutants of every N. crassa gene.
In its natural environment, N. crassa lives mainly in tropical and sub-tropical regions. It can be found growing on dead plant matter after fires.
Neurospora is actively used in research around the world. It is important in the elucidation of molecular events involved in circadian rhythms, epigenetics
Epigenetics
In biology, and specifically genetics, epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in gene expression or cellular phenotype caused by mechanisms other than changes in the underlying DNA sequence – hence the name epi- -genetics...
and gene silencing
Gene silencing
Gene silencing is a general term describing epigenetic processes of gene regulation. The term gene silencing is generally used to describe the "switching off" of a gene by a mechanism other than genetic modification...
, cell polarity
Cell polarity
Cell Polarity refers to spatial differences in the shape, structure, and function of cells. Almost all cell types exhibit some sort of polarity, which enables them to carry out specialized functions...
, cell fusion
Cell fusion
Cell fusion is an important cellular process that occurs during differentiation of muscle, bone and trophoblast cells, during embryogenesis, and during morphogenesis...
, development, as well as many aspects of cell biology and biochemistry.
Strains and other materials for working with Neurospora are available from the
Fungal Genetics Stock Center