Light microscopy of basidia, basidiospores, and nuclei in spores and hyphae of Filobasidiella neoformans (Cryptococcus neoformans)

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Abstract
Three hypha-forming strains of C. neoformans were induced to form basidia and basidiospores. Light microscopy showed that basidia formed at the ends of terminal hyphal cells and were able to produce from a few to many basidiospores. The morphology of the sexual structures indicated that these strains belonged to the recently described perfect state of C. neoformans, Filobasidiella neoformans. The average dimensions of the basidiospores were 1.9 .mu.m in width by 2.7 .mu.m in length. Giemsa staining revealed that dikryotic cells were formed in all 3 strains. Only 1 strain had both terminal and subterminal dikaryons, indicating functional clamp connections, whereas the 2 remaining strains had dikaryons restricted to the terminal cells. Basidiospores of 2 strains were mononucleate, and yeast cell clones derived from single basidiospores of these 2 strains were able to complete the sexual life cycle, thus indicating their primary homothallic nature.