Líffræðifélag Íslands
Líffræðiráðstefnan 2015

Erindi/veggspjald / Talk/poster V23

Relative importance of abiotic factors and genotype for gene expression of a lichenized fungus

Silke Werth (1,2), Zophonias O. Jónsson(1), Ólafur S. Andrésson(1)

1. Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland, Sturlugata 7, 101 Reykjavik, Iceland, 2. Institute for plant sciences, University of Graz, Holteigasse 6, 8010 Graz, Austria

Kynnir / Presenter: Zophonías O. Jónsson

Tengiliður / Corresponding author: Silke Werth (silke.werth@uni-graz.at)

"Lichenization represents a specialized nutritional mode of fungi, where a fungal partner obtains carbohydrates from a photosynthetic partner, a green alga and/or a cyanobacterium. We studied gene expression in 120 candidate genes involved in environmental stress responses by sampling tissue of the terricolous cyanolichen P. membranacea in its natural habitat, and by exposing lichen thalli to thermal stress in a controlled laboratory setting. Here, we explore transcriptome sequencing results by correlating gene expression to SNP-based genetic distances of the lichens and we quantify the relative importance of genetic distance vs. abiotic factors (collecting site; temperature treatment) in determining gene expression. "