Neurospora facts for kids

Neurospora is a type of fungus (like a mold or mushroom). It belongs to a group called Ascomycetes. The most famous species is Neurospora crassa. This fungus is often used as a "model organism" in science. This means it's easy to study in labs to learn about genetics and how living things work at a tiny, molecular level.

Scientists first wrote about this fungus in 1843. It was found growing in French bakeries!

Why Neurospora is a Great Study Subject

N. crassa is a popular model organism for several reasons:

• Easy to Grow: It grows quickly and easily in a lab. This makes it simple for scientists to do many experiments.
• Simple Genetics: It has a haploid life cycle. This means it only has one set of chromosomes. This makes studying its genes much simpler because any trait, even a hidden one, will show up.
• Clear Results: When Neurospora reproduces, the products of meiosis (a type of cell division) are neatly arranged. This helps scientists easily track how genetic traits are passed down.
• Mapped Genes: Its entire genome (all its genetic information) has been mapped out. It has seven chromosomes.

Discovering Genes and Proteins

Neurospora played a big part in a major scientific discovery.

The "One Gene, One Enzyme" Idea

In 1958, scientists Edward Tatum and George Wells Beadle won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. They used N. crassa in their important experiments.

• They exposed the fungus to X-rays. This caused tiny changes, called mutations, in its genes.
• They then saw that these mutations caused problems in the fungus's metabolic pathways. These are the chemical reactions that keep living things alive.
• They realized that specific enzymes (special proteins that help chemical reactions) were not working correctly.
• This led them to suggest the "one gene, one enzyme" idea. This means that each specific gene usually gives instructions for making a specific protein (like an enzyme).
• Later, another scientist, Norman Horowitz, also working with Neurospora, expanded this idea. He showed that genes also control entire pathways of enzymes.

The Neurospora Genome Project

In 2003, scientists announced that the entire genome of N. crassa had been completely sequenced.

• The genome is about 43 megabases long. This means it has 43 million base pairs of DNA.
• It contains about 10,000 genes.
• Today, there is a project to create special strains of N. crassa. These strains will have "knockout" mutants for every single gene. This means scientists can turn off one gene at a time to see what it does.

Where Neurospora Lives and What It's Used For

In nature, N. crassa mostly lives in warm, tropical, and subtropical areas. You can often find it growing on dead plants, especially after fires.

Scientists around the world still actively use Neurospora in their research. It helps them understand many important things about living cells, such as:

• Circadian Rhythms: How living things have daily cycles, like sleeping and waking.
• Epigenetics and Gene Silencing: How genes can be turned on or off without changing the DNA itself.
• Cell Biology: How cells are shaped, how they join together, and how they develop.

You can find strains of Neurospora and other materials for research at the Fungal Genetics Stock Center.

Images for kids

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  Oncom, a food made using Neurospora intermedia var. oncomensis

See also

In Spanish: Neurospora para niños