NsdD Is a Key Repressor of Asexual Development in Aspergillus nidulans

Asexual development (conidiation) of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans occurs via balanced activities of multiple positive and negative regulators. For instance, FluG (+) and SfgA (−) govern upstream regulation of the developmental switch, and BrlA (+) and VosA (−) control the progression and completion of conidiation. To identify negative regulators of conidiation downstream of FluG-SfgA, we carried out multicopy genetic screens using sfgA deletion strains. After visually screening >100,000 colonies, we isolated 61 transformants exhibiting reduced conidiation. Responsible genes were identified as AN3152 (nsdD), AN7507, AN2009, AN1652, AN5833, and AN9141. Importantly, nsdD, a key activator of sexual reproduction, was present in 10 independent transformants. Furthermore, deletion, overexpression, and double-mutant analyses of individual genes have led to the conclusion that, of the six genes, only nsdD functions in the FluG-activated conidiation pathway. The deletion of nsdD bypassed the need for fluG and flbA∼flbE, but not brlA or abaA, in conidiation, and partially restored production of the mycotoxin sterigmatocystin (ST) in the ΔfluG, ΔflbA, and ΔflbB mutants, suggesting that NsdD is positioned between FLBs and BrlA in A. nidulans. Nullifying nsdD caused formation of conidiophores in liquid submerged cultures, where wild-type strains do not develop. Moreover, the removal of both nsdD and vosA resulted in even more abundant development of conidiophores in liquid submerged cultures and high-level accumulation of brlA messenger (m)RNA even at 16 hr of vegetative growth. Collectively, NsdD is a key negative regulator of conidiation and likely exerts its repressive role via downregulating brlA.     

ACEI of Trichoderma reesei Is a Repressor of Cellulase and Xylanase Expression

We characterized the effect of deletion of the Trichoderma reesei (Hypocrea jecorina) ace1 gene encoding the novel cellulase regulator ACEI that was isolated based on its ability to bind to and activate in vivo in Saccharomyces cerevisiae the promoter of the main cellulase gene, cbh1. Deletion of ace1 resulted in an increase in the expression of all the main cellulase genes and two xylanase genes in sophorose- and cellulose-induced cultures, indicating that ACEI acts as a repressor of cellulase and xylanase expression. Growth of the strain with a deletion of the ace1 gene on different carbon sources was analyzed. On cellulose-based medium, on which cellulases are needed for growth, the Δace1 strain grew better than the host strain due to the increased cellulase production. On culture media containing sorbitol as the sole carbon source, the growth of the strain with a deletion of the ace1 gene was severely impaired, suggesting that ACEI regulates expression of other genes in addition to cellulase and xylanase genes. A strain with a deletion of the ace1 gene and with a deletion of the ace2 gene coding for the cellulase and xylanase activator ACEII expressed cellulases and xylanases similar to the Δace1 strain, indicating that yet another activator regulating cellulase and xylanase promoters was present.     

Deletion of the Aspergillus flavus Orthologue of A. nidulans fluG Reduces Conidiation and Promotes Production of Sclerotia but Does Not Abolish Aflatoxin Biosynthesis

The fluG gene is a member of a family of genes required for conidiation and sterigmatocystin production in Aspergillus nidulans. We examined the role of the Aspergillus flavus fluG orthologue in asexual development and aflatoxin biosynthesis. Deletion of fluG in A. flavus yielded strains with an approximately 3-fold reduction in conidiation but a 30-fold increase in sclerotial formation when grown on potato dextrose agar in the dark. The concurrent developmental changes suggest that A. flavus FluG exerts opposite effects on a mutual signaling pathway for both processes. The altered conidial development was in part attributable to delayed expression of brlA, a gene controlling conidiophore formation. Unlike the loss of sterigmatocystin production by A. nidulans fluG deletion strains, aflatoxin biosynthesis was not affected by the fluG deletion in A. flavus. In A. nidulans, FluG was recently found to be involved in the formation of dehydroaustinol, a component of a diffusible signal of conidiation. Coculturing experiments did not show a similar diffusible meroterpenoid secondary metabolite produced by A. flavus. These results suggest that the function of fluG and the signaling pathways related to conidiation are different in the two related aspergilli.     

The VELVET A Orthologue VEL1 of Trichoderma reesei Regulates Fungal Development and Is Essential for Cellulase Gene Expression

Trichoderma reesei is the industrial producer of cellulases and hemicellulases for biorefinery processes. Their expression is obligatorily dependent on the function of the protein methyltransferase LAE1. The Aspergillus nidulans orthologue of LAE1 - LaeA - is part of the VELVET protein complex consisting of LaeA, VeA and VelB that regulates secondary metabolism and sexual as well as asexual reproduction. Here we have therefore investigated the function of VEL1, the T. reesei orthologue of A. nidulans VeA. Deletion of the T. reesei vel1 locus causes a complete and light-independent loss of conidiation, and impairs formation of perithecia. Deletion of vel1 also alters hyphal morphology towards hyperbranching and formation of thicker filaments, and with consequently reduced growth rates. Growth on lactose as a sole carbon source, however, is even more strongly reduced and growth on cellulose as a sole carbon source eliminated. Consistent with these findings, deletion of vel1 completely impaired the expression of cellulases, xylanases and the cellulase regulator XYR1 on lactose as a cellulase inducing carbon source, but also in resting mycelia with sophorose as inducer. Our data show that in T. reesei VEL1 controls sexual and asexual development, and this effect is independent of light. VEL1 is also essential for cellulase gene expression, which is consistent with the assumption that their regulation by LAE1 occurs by the VELVET complex.     

ACEI of Trichoderma reesei is a repressor of cellulase and xylanase expression

We characterized the effect of deletion of the Trichoderma reesei (Hypocrea jecorina) ace1 gene encoding the novel cellulase regulator ACEI that was isolated based on its ability to bind to and activate in vivo in Saccharomyces cerevisiae the promoter of the main cellulase gene, cbh1. Deletion of ace1 resulted in an increase in the expression of all the main cellulase genes and two xylanase genes in sophorose- and cellulose-induced cultures, indicating that ACEI acts as a repressor of cellulase and xylanase expression. Growth of the strain with a deletion of the ace1 gene on different carbon sources was analyzed. On cellulose-based medium, on which cellulases are needed for growth, the Deltaace1 strain grew better than the host strain due to the increased cellulase production. On culture media containing sorbitol as the sole carbon source, the growth of the strain with a deletion of the ace1 gene was severely impaired, suggesting that ACEI regulates expression of other genes in addition to cellulase and xylanase genes. A strain with a deletion of the ace1 gene and with a deletion of the ace2 gene coding for the cellulase and xylanase activator ACEII expressed cellulases and xylanases similar to the Deltaace1 strain, indicating that yet another activator regulating cellulase and xylanase promoters was present.     

Isolation and physical characterization of three essential conidiation genes from Aspergillus nidulans

We cloned and characterized three genes from Aspergillus nidulans, designated brlA, abaA and wetA, whose activities are required to complete different stages of conidiophore development. Inactivation of these genes causes major abnormalities in conidiophore morphology and prevents expression of many unrelated, developmentally regulated genes, without affecting expression of nonregulated genes. The three genes code for poly(A)⁺RNAs that begin to accumulate at different times during conidiation. The brlA-and abaA-encoded RNAs accumulate specifically in cells of the conidiophore. The wetA-encoded RNA accumulates in mature conidia. Inactivation of the brlA gene prevents expression of the abaA and wetA genes, whereas inactivation of the abaA gene prevents expression of the wetA gene. Our results confirm genetic predictions as to the temporal and spatial patterns of expression of these genes and demonstrate that these patterns are specified at the level of RNA accumulation.     

The Putative Protein Methyltransferase LAE1 of Trichoderma atroviride Is a Key Regulator of Asexual Development and Mycoparasitism

In Ascomycota the protein methyltransferase LaeA is a global regulator that affects the expression of secondary metabolite gene clusters, and controls sexual and asexual development. The common mycoparasitic fungus Trichoderma atroviride is one of the most widely studied agents of biological control of plant-pathogenic fungi that also serves as a model for the research on regulation of asexual sporulation (conidiation) by environmental stimuli such as light and/or mechanical injury. In order to learn the possible involvement of LAE1 in these two traits, we assessed the effect of deletion and overexpression of lae1 gene on conidiation and mycoparasitic interaction. In the presence of light, conidiation was 50% decreased in a Δ lae1 and 30–50% increased in lae1-overexpressing (OElae1) strains. In darkness, Δ lae1 strains did not sporulate, and the OElae1 strains produced as much spores as the parent strain. Loss-of-function of lae1 also abolished sporulation triggered by mechanical injury of the mycelia. Deletion of lae1 also increased the sensitivity of T. atroviride to oxidative stress, abolished its ability to defend against other fungi and led to a loss of mycoparasitic behaviour, whereas the OElae1 strains displayed enhanced mycoparasitic vigor. The loss of mycoparasitic activity in the Δ lae1 strain correlated with a significant underexpressionn of several genes normally upregulated during mycoparasitic interaction (proteases, GH16 ß-glucanases, polyketide synthases and small cystein-rich secreted proteins), which in turn was reflected in the partial reduction of formation of fungicidal water soluble metabolites and volatile compounds. Our study shows T. atroviride LAE1 is essential for asexual reproduction in the dark and for defense and parasitism on other fungi.     

The GanB Galpha-protein negatively regulates asexual sporulation and plays a positive role in conidial germination in Aspergillus nidulans

We isolated the ganB gene encoding the Galpha-protein homolog from Aspergillus nidulans. To investigate the cellular function of GanB, various mutant strains were isolated. Deletion of constitutively inactive ganB mutants showed conidiation and derepressed brlA expression in a submerged culture. Constitutive activation of GanB caused a reduction in hyphal growth and a severe defect in asexual sporulation. We therefore propose that GanB may negatively regulate asexual sporulation through the BrlA pathway. In addition, deletion or constitutive inactivation of GanB reduced germination rate while constitutive activation led to precocious germination. Furthermore, conidia of a constitutively active mutant could germinate even without carbon source. Taken together, these results indicated that GanB plays a positive role during germination, possibly through carbon source sensing, and negatively regulates asexual conidiation in A. nidulans.     

The Putative Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor RicA Mediates Upstream Signaling for Growth and Development in Aspergillus

Heterotrimeric G proteins (G proteins) govern growth, development, and secondary metabolism in various fungi. Here, we characterized ricA, which encodes a putative GDP/GTP exchange factor for G proteins in the model fungus Aspergillus nidulans and the opportunistic human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus. In both species, ricA mRNA accumulates during vegetative growth and early developmental phases, but it is not present in spores. The deletion of ricA results in severely impaired colony growth and the total (for A. nidulans) or near (for A. fumigatus) absence of asexual sporulation (conidiation). The overexpression (OE) of the A. fumigatus ricA gene (AfricA) restores growth and conidiation in the ΔAnricA mutant to some extent, indicating partial conservation of RicA function in Aspergillus. A series of double mutant analyses revealed that the removal of RgsA (an RGS protein of the GanB Gα subunit), but not sfgA, flbA, rgsB, or rgsC, restored vegetative growth and conidiation in ΔAnricA. Furthermore, we found that RicA can physically interact with GanB in yeast and in vitro. Moreover, the presence of two copies or OE of pkaA suppresses the profound defects caused by ΔAnricA, indicating that RicA-mediated growth and developmental signaling is primarily through GanB and PkaA in A. nidulans. Despite the lack of conidiation, brlA and vosA mRNAs accumulated to normal levels in the ΔricA mutant. In addition, mutants overexpressing fluG or brlA (OEfluG or OEbrlA) failed to restore development in the ΔAnricA mutant. These findings suggest that the commencement of asexual development requires unknown RicA-mediated signaling input in A. nidulans.