Unlike we thought for 100 years: Molds are able to reproduce sexually
For over 100 years, it was assumed that the penicillin-producing mould fungus Penicillium chrysogenum only reproduced asexually through spores. An international research team led by Prof. Dr. Ulrich Kück and Julia Böhm from the Chair of General and Molecular Botany at the Ruhr-Universität has now shown for the first time that the fungus also has a sexual cycle, i.e. two “genders”. Through sexual reproduction of P. chrysogenum, the researchers generated fungal strains with new biotechnologically relevant properties – such as high penicillin production without the contaminating chrysogenin. The team from Bochum, Göttingen, Nottingham (England), Kundl (Austria) and Sandoz GmbH reports in PNAS. The article will be published in this week’s Online Early Edition and was selected as a cover story.
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J. Böhm, B. Hoff, C.M. O’Gorman, S. Wolfers, V. Klix, D. Binger, I. Zadra, H. Kürnsteiner, S. Pöggeler, P.S. Dyer, U. Kück (2013): Sexual reproduction and mating-type – mediated strain development in the penicillin-producing fungus Penicillium chrysogenum, PNAS, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1217943110
If you have hard coded asexual reproduction into your ontology, time to reconsider that decision. And get agreement on reworking all the dependent relationships.