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How do Highly Branched (Colonial) Mutants of Fusarium Graminearum A3/5 arise during Quorn® Myco-Protein Fermentations?

School of Biological Sciences, 1.800 Stopford Building, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK

^* Author for correspondence: A. P. J. Trinci. Tel: +44 61 275 3893. Fax: +44 61 275 5656. e-mail: Tony.Trinci@man.ac.uk

ABSTRACT

Chlorate-resistant, highly branched (colonial) mutants and auxotrophic mutants were used to study the nuclear distribution, morphology and growth of heterokaryons of the Quorn® myco-protein fungus, Fusarium graminearum A3/5. The results showed that for several complementary homokaryons, even a strong selective pressure was insufficient to maintain heterokaryons in a ‘balanced’ condition (i.e. exhibiting a wild-type or near wild-type phenotype). Furthermore, the margins of heterokaryotic colonies generally contained nuclei from only one of the parental homokaryons, indicating imperfect nuclear mixing within the mycelium. These observations suggest that recessive, colonial mutants may appear during Quorn® myco-protein production following shear-induced separation of hyphal fragments which contain a sufficiently high ratio of colonial: wild-type nuclei for the colonial phenotype to be expressed.