Global gene expression analysis during sporulation of the aquatic fungus Blastocladiella emersonii

Blastocladiella emersonii life cycle presents a number of drastic biochemical and morphological changes, mainly during two cell differentiation stages: the germination and the sporulation. To investigate the transcriptional changes taking place during the sporulation phase, which culminates with the production of the zoospores, motile cells responsible for the dispersal of the fungus, microarray experiments were performed. Transcription comparisons between cell at the begining of the sporulation phase (zero min.) and at different time points throughout zoospore differentiation were performed in order to associate the gene expression profile with the morphologial changes which culminate with zoospore differentiation. Microarray experiments along the sporulation phase were also realized in the presence of 1% glucose, once such carbohydrate is able to block zoospore differentiation. The results obtained from both sets of experiments were compared in order to understand the glucose effect on sporulation. There are at least 3 biological replicates (independent harvest) and 2 technical replicates of each array (L - left and R - right).