Sexual reproduction in Penicillium

 Dangeard in 1907 observed the sexual reproduction in P. vermiculatum ,  which is as follows:

·    A long, straight and club-shaped ascogonium(female) developed from mycelium.

·    It’s nucleus divides mitotically into 64 nuclei.

·    Simultaneously, a uninucleate male antheridial branch arises and coils around the female body.

·    Then a septa forms to make terminal antheridia which swells , turns club- shaped and uninucleate.

·    The antheridial tip touches the wall of the ascogonium & the point of contact dissolve but antheridial nucleus does not pass into the ascogonium i.e. remains non- functional .

·    Meanwhile , ascogonial nuclei get paired (termed autogamy)  & after that segmented leaving dikaryon in each chamber .

(In P. glaucm instead of autogamy it performs plasmogamy i.e. the content of antheridium i.e. 32 -64 nuclei formed by repeted mitosis in trichogyne  migrate in the female ascogonium ).

·    From each bi-nucleate chamber new ascogenous initial  developed which are binucleate and turned into ascogenous hyphae which are branched .

Development of Ascus:

 In P. vermiculatum all binucleate cells of ascogenous hyphae developed into globose ascus mother cell in which n+n turned into 2n & the structure termed as young ascus. It is called direct method .

(In other species tip of ascogenous hyphae turns hook -like & segmented into 3 cells :-

(i)          Tip ultimate with a nucleus

(ii)         Penultimate cell with 2 nuclei

(iii)        Uninucleate basal cell . 

  The 2 nuclei of penultimate cell turned 2n .It is called indirect method).

·    Then in both cases meiosis is performed & then mitosis take place .Hence the 2n of the young ascogonium turned into 8 haploid nuclei in a mature ascus .

Formation of cleistothecium:

Meanwhile, numerous sterile hyphae inter-woven to form the fruit body enclosing many ascus .

Liberation of spores :

When spores mature , the asci dissolves and ascospores released within the fruit  body.Then the peridium decayed to liberate the spores in air.

 

 Fig : Sexual reproduction in Penicillium.

 

 

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