Prenols and Ubiquinones in Single-strain and Mated Cultures of Blakeslea trispora

Summary: The prenols of Blakeslea trispora were found to be a mixture of C60-C60 prenols and α-dihydroprenols with C70 as the main type; the principal ubiquinones were ubiquinone-9 and its (side-chain) dihydro-derivative. A minus strain contained higher levels of prenols, ubiquinones, ergosterol, and β-carotene than a plus strain, and the levels of all four types of isoprenoid were higher again in mated cultures. The overall increase in isoprenoid synthesis in mated cultures was sometimes tenfold but the different isoprenoid types were not all equally affected by the mating process; possible roles for the different types in sexual differentiation are considered.