The Role of F-actin in Hyphal Branching
Degree GrantorUniversity of Canterbury
Degree NameMaster of Science
Hyphal organisms are a commonly used model system for studies of polarised growth. While growing hyphal tips offer a good example of polarised growth, little detail of the process of polarisation can be determined from them. Hyphal branching offers a good example of the development of polarity, however to date it has been largely impractical to study hyphal branching, due to the irregular timing and location along the hypha of natural branch formation. Chemical induction of branches circumnavigates this problem, using a localised concentration of nutrients adjacent to the growing hypha to stimulate controlled branching. Using previous studies of hyphal branching combined with the current understanding of hyphal tip growth, a model of the branching process was established (Jackson et al. 2001). Reception of a branching cue leads to the formation of a radial F-actin array at the new branch site. This, by means of either delivery of cell wall softening enzymes or direct mechanical pressure, leads in turn to the emergence of a visible bump in the hyphal wall. This bump enlarges and then progresses into the branch proper. The bump stage of the branching process is perhaps the least understood, with existing studies giving detail of pre- and post-bump events. The research described in this thesis suggests that bump emergence is a two stage process; an early bump stage, where localised cell wall softening leads to turgor pressure in the cell pushing out the bump, and a late bump, where F-actin is arranged into the developing branch. The addition of an F-actin inhibitor to the induction solution confirmed that the early bump stage is relatively independent of the F-actin cytoskeleton, however this experiment was unable to test F-actin's role in full branch development.