Rhythmic Conidiation in Neurospora crassa

Abstract

In the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa the production of asexual spores (conidia) is regulated by its circadian clock. When the fungus is grown on a thin layer of agar medium in long growth tubes (so-called "race tubes"), restricting its growth to one direction only, bright orange bands are clearly visible. This banding pattern persists with a periodicity of approx 24 h in the absence of any environmental stimuli. The bands are formed by alternating zones of nonsporulating mycelium and mycelium laden with orange conidia. Assaying Neurospora conidiation on race tubes is a simple yet powerful and versatile tool for studying the circadian clock of this model organism.