A microscopy-based image analysis pipeline for the quantification of germination of filamentous fungi

Sebastien Ortiz, Thomas Easter, Clara Valero Fernandez, Michael Bromley, Margherita Bertuzzi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Germination is the fundamental process whereby fungi transition from the dormant and stress resistant spores into actively replicating cells such as hyphae. Germination is essential for fungal colonization of new environments and pathogenesis, yet this differentiation process remains relatively poorly understood. For filamentous fungi, the study of germination has been limited by the lack of high-throughput, temporal, low cost, and easy-to-use methods of quantifying germination. To this end we have developed an image analysis pipeline to automate the quantification of germination from microscopy images. We have optimized this tool for the fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus and demonstrated its potential applications by evaluating different strains, germination inhibitors, and auxotrophic and antifungal resistant mutants. Finally, we have expanded this tool to a variety of filamentous fungi and developed an easy-to-use web app for the fungal research community.
Original languageEnglish
Article number103942
JournalFungal Genetics and Biology
Volume176
Early online date29 Nov 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Feb 2025

Keywords

  • germination
  • filamentous fungi
  • spores

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