Abstract
Although much progress has been made in the study of cell wall biosynthetic genes in the model filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans, there are still targets awaiting characterization. An example is the gene celA (ANIA_08444) encoding a putative mixed linkage glucan synthase. To characterize the role of celA, we deleted it in A. nidulans, analyzed the phenotype of the mycelium and performed RNA-Seq. The strain shows a very strong phenotype, namely “balloons” along the hyphae and aberrant conidiophores, as well as an altered susceptibility to cell wall drugs. These data suggest a potential role of the gene in cell wall-related processes. The Gene Ontology term Enrichment analysis shows increased expression of secondary metabolite biosynthetic genes (sterigmatocystin in particular) in the deleted strain. Our results show that the deletion of celA triggers a strong phenotype reminiscent of cell wall-related aberrations and the upregulation of some secondary metabolite gene clusters in A. nidulans.
Highlights
The cell wall is a structure involved in important stages of fungal growth and morphogenesis
The protein encoded by celA is distantly related to plant cellulose synthase-like proteins (CSLs; Fig. 1), it is orthologous to the characterized A. fumigatus mixed-linkage glucan synthase Tft[19], whose deletion causes no obvious phenotype in A. fumigatus, except for a modest increase in virulence
We provide experimental evidence for a relationship existing between the deletion of the gene celA and the upregulation of genes involved in the production of secondary metabolites (SM)
Summary
Deletion of celA causes a strong phenotype in A. nidulans. Transformation of the SAA.[111] recipient strain with the replacement cassette containing the argB selectable marker yielded three independent transformants; subsequent growth cycles of the transformants from conidia on selective medium resulted in one single transformant as capable of stable growth under arginine deprivation. Its role in signal transduction and activation of SM biosynthetic gene clusters awaits validation via functional studies, the results shown pave the way to future studies on celA, as well as on the link between cell wall alterations and SM production in A. nidulans. In this respect we believe important to mention that a DUF3431 protein was shown to be upregulated upon salt stress in the halotolerant fungus A. glaucus[21] and to confer increased stress tolerance when expressed heterologously in Arabidopsis plants. Future functional studies should provide evidence for an implication of this gene in cell wall status sensing and SM production in A. nidulans
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
