Nuclear flow in a filamentous fungus

TL;DR

This study visualizes and analyzes the complex, multidirectional nuclear flow within the hyphal network of a filamentous fungus, revealing insights into intracellular transport mechanisms in syncytial cells.

Contribution

The paper provides the first detailed mapping of nuclear flow patterns in a filamentous fungus using fluorescently labeled nuclei, highlighting the complexity of myco-fluidic transport.

Findings

Nuclear flows are complex and multidirectional.

Flow patterns depend on turgor pressure gradients.

Fluorescent imaging reveals detailed flow dynamics.

Abstract

The syncytial cells of a filamentous fungus consist of a mass of growing, tube-like hyphae. Each extending tip is fed by a continuous flow of nuclei from the colony interior, pushed by a gradient in turgor pressure. The myco-fluidic flows of nuclei are complex and multidirectional, like traffic in a city. We map out the flows in a strain of the model filamentous fungus {\it N. crassa} that has been transformed so that nuclei express either hH1-dsRed (a red fluorescent nuclear protein) or hH1-GFP (a green-fluorescent protein) and report our results in a fluid dynamics video.