Production and viability of ascospores produced by <i>hmbAΔ</i>, <i>hmbBΔ</i> and <i>hmbCΔ</i> mutants in <i>veA</i>^<i>+</i> genetic background.

Panel A: Graphical representation of the number of ascospores per cleistothecium. The figure shows the number of ascospores (on log10-scale) per cleistothecium across the hmbA, hmbB and hmbC mutant and control strains in a veA+ genetic background. The strains are color-coded as follows: blue denotes control; red denotes deletion, green denotes complementation (comp.) strains originating from the corresponding deletion strains. The bubbles mark the number of ascospores; the size of the bubbles is proportional to the viability of the corresponding ascospores. An estimated rate of germination was used as a proxy of viability in the case of hmbAΔ (explained in the main text). The number of ascospores were estimated based on 10 independent cleistothecia per strain. An estimated ascospore number was used in the case of hmbAΔ (explained in the main text). Mann-Whitney U-test was used to assess the differences between the numbers of ascospores of the mutant and the control strains. */**/*** indicates p hmbA, hmbB and hmbC mutant and control strains in a veA+ genetic background. Viability was calculated by counting the number of colony-forming ascospores on solid medium. An estimated rate of germination was used as a proxy of viability in the case of hmbAΔ (explained in the main text). The strains are color-coded as follows: blue denotes control; red denotes deletion, green denotes complementation (comp.) strains originating from the corresponding deletion strains. Centre lines indicate the median viability of ascospores collected from 10 independent cleistothecia per strain. Mann-Whitney U-test was used to assess size differences between the mutant strains and the control in the corresponding genetic background. */**/*** indicates p p = not significant. The strains used in the experiment are as follows: veA+ control (HZS.450), hmbAΔ veA+ (HZS.521), hmbAΔ veA+ with hmbA complementation (HZS.678), hmbBΔ veA+ (HZS.495), hmbBΔ veA+ with hmbB complementation (HZS.680), hmbCΔ veA+ (HZS.531), hmbCΔ veA+ with hmbC complementation (HZS.679).