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An F-actin-depleted zone is present at the hyphal tip of invasive hyphae of Neurospora crassa

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Summary.

The distribution of filamentous actin (F-actin) in invasive and noninvasive hyphae of the ascomycete Neurospora crassa was investigated. Eighty six percent of noninvasive hyphae had F-actin in the tip region compared to only 9% of invasive hyphae. The remaining 91% of the invasive hyphae had no obvious tip high concentration of F-actin staining; instead they had an F-actin-depleted zone in this region, although some F-actin, possibly associated with the Spitzenkörper, remained at the tip. The size of the F-actin-depleted zone in invasive hyphae increased with an increase in agar concentration. The membrane stain FM 4-64 reveals a slightly larger accumulation of vesicles at the tips of invasive hyphae relative to noninvasive hyphae, although this difference is unlikely to be sufficient to account for the exclusion of F-actin from the depleted zone. Antibodies raised against the actin filament-severing protein cofilin from both yeast and human cells localize to the tips of invasive hyphae. The human cofilin antibody shows a more random distribution in noninvasive hyphae locating primarily at the hyphal periphery but with some diffuse cytoplasmic staining. This antibody also identifies a single band at 21 kDa in immunoblots of whole hyphal fractions. These data suggest that a protein with epitopic similarity to cofilin may function in F-actin dynamics that underlie invasive growth. The F-actin-depleted zone may play a role in the regulation of tip yielding to turgor pressure, thus increasing the protrusive force necessary for invasive growth.

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  1. School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch

    S. Suei & A. Garrill

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  1. S. Suei
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Correspondence to A. Garrill.

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Correspondence: A. Garrill, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand.

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Suei, S., Garrill, A. An F-actin-depleted zone is present at the hyphal tip of invasive hyphae of Neurospora crassa . Protoplasma 232, 165–172 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00709-008-0289-8

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