Question

Neurospora (fungus) is considered suitable for genetic studies because it
A) Has a long life cycle and can easily be cultured
B) Can be cultured in defined media and has a very short life cycle
C) Has diploid vegetative phase
D) None of the above

Answer 1

Hint:-Neurospora is a part of the Ascomycete fungi genus. Neurospora means nerve spore and refers to the striations on the spores that resemble axons. Neurospora crassa is an example of red bread mold which belongs to the phylum Ascomycota. It is often found growing on dead plant matter and debris.

Complete solution:
Neurospora crassa is considered suitable for genetic studies because it is relatively easy to grow and has a haploid life cycle. This makes genetic analysis easy and simple as the recessive traits will also show up in the offspring. The whole genome of neurospora containing seven chromosomes have been sequenced.
Edward Tatum and Beadle won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work in neurospora. Neurospora crassa was exposed to x-rays which caused mutations causing metabolic pathway failures (due errors in specific enzymes). They then proposed the "one gene, one enzyme" hypothesis which stated that specific genes code for specific proteins. Norman Horowitz later elaborated this into enzyme pathways with his work on Neurospora.
Meiotic processes such as crossing over can be studied on neurospora as it naturally produces asci. Therefore all the products of crossover can be documented and analysed. The daily asexual spore-producing rhythm of neurospora also makes it an ideal choice for studies on the genetics. They can be grown in large numbers and mass as they have small size for biochemical analysis and screening of rare genetic events.
Thus, Option (B) is the correct option.

Note:- Neurospora is being used in research all across the globe. It is used in various ongoing research on molecular events involved in epigenetics and gene silencing and in many aspects of cell biology and biochemistry.