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An ascus (from Ancient Greek ἀσκός (askós) 'skin bag, wineskin'; pl.: asci) [1] is the sexual spore-bearing cell produced in ascomycete fungi. Each ascus usually contains eight ascospores (or octad), produced by meiosis followed, in most species, by a mitotic cell division.
There are 2000 identified genera and 30,000 species of Ascomycota. The unifying characteristic among these diverse groups is the presence of a reproductive structure known as the ascus, though in some cases it has a reduced role in the life cycle. Many ascomycetes are of commercial importance.
An ascocarp, or ascoma (pl.: ascomata), is the fruiting body of an ascomycete phylum fungus. It consists of very tightly interwoven hyphae and millions of embedded asci, each of which typically contains four to eight ascospores.
The eight ascospores are produced inside an ascus. Sordaria squashes can give us information about crossing over during meiosis. If no crossing over occurs a 4:4 pattern is produced: four black spores, and four tan spores all lined up. If crossing over does occur there is a 2:2:2:2 pattern visible, or a 2:4:2 pattern.
The ascus itself forms as a radiating spur branch at the top of the hook. Each nucleus divides, resulting in the formation of a pair of compatible nuclei, i.e. a dikaryon, in the ascus, which is now the penultimate space. Two sister nuclei remain, one in the basal cell and the other in the crozier tip.
Ascus (Ancient Greek: Ἄσκος) was a giant from ancient Greek mythology, who in conjunction with Lycurgus of Thrace chained the god Dionysus and threw him into a river. The god Hermes (or, according to other tellings, Zeus ) rescued Dionysus, conquered (ἐδαμασεν) the giant, flayed him, and made a bag (ἄσκος) of his skin.
Diagram showing a basidiomycete mushroom, gill structure, and spore-bearing basidia on the gill margins. A basidium (pl.: basidia) is a microscopic spore-producing structure found on the hymenophore of reproductive bodies of basidiomycete fungi.
The generic name polyascus (poly "many" + ascus "bag") refers to the typical presence of multiple external sac-like female bodies, known as externae. In Polyascus species, these originate from asexual reproduction. [1]