Lab Summary: 10/24/12 A look at Neurospora crassa (N.c.) history

A collection of N.c. strains for genetic studies are available at www.fgsc.net  Most of all the genes (6,000 genes of the 10,000 genes) have been knocked out by homologous recombination.  David Perkins "How to obtain progeny as random ascospore isolates"  He pioneered N.c. as a model organism.  Carl Lindegren is considered the grandfather of N.c. and yeast genetics.

Picked ascospores from the mature perithica of the crosses made in prior lab class.
     1. Cut out a block of water agar and placed it on a glass slide.
     2.  Took a loopful of sterile water and spread a loopful of ascospores on the agar block.
     3.  Used a "spore picker" to cut out individual ascospores from the agar block and placed into a slant with Vogel's media.
     4.  Placed slants in 4C incubator/refrigerator over night to allow to rehydrate.
     5.  The next day they were heat shocked at 65C for 45 minutes to kill any vegetative growth.


Using fluorescent microscopy we observed fluorescently tagged nuclei moving throughout the active growing N.c. strain and took videos (below) !!!!! REALLY COOL!!!!!!!!!!

We also had available if we had time a Chlorophylum sp. mushroom and was instructed to see if we could observe basidia with spores, Buller's drop (discharge drop to force the dissemination of spore), and to observe clamp connections.  (Did not have time in lab)