Transcriptional response of the obligatory aerobe Trichoderma reesei to hypoxia and transient anoxia: implications for energy production and survival in the absence of oxygen.
Oxygen is essential for the survival of obligatorily aerobic eukaryotic microorganisms, such as the multicellular fungus Trichoderma reesei. However, the molecular basis for the inability of such cells to survive for extended periods under anoxic conditions is not fully understood. Using cDNA microarray analysis, we show that changes in oxygen availability have a drastic effect on gene expression in T. reesei. The expression levels of 392 (19.6%) out of 2000 genes examined changed significantly in response to hypoxia, transient anoxia, and reoxygenation. In addition to modulating many genes with no previously assigned function, cells respond to hypoxia by readjusting the balance of expression between genes required for energy production and consumption, and altering the expression of genes involved in protective mechanisms and signaling pathways. Moreover, we show that transient anoxia strongly represses genes for enzymes that are critical for glycolysis, and are essential for energy production under anaerobic conditions. Our study thus reveals crucial differences between the facultative anaerobe Saccharomyces cerevisiae and T. reesei with regard to the oxygen-dependent transcriptional control of the glycolytic pathway, which can account for the differential survival of the two species in the absence of oxygen.
Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Avenida Prof. Lineu Prestes 748, São Paulo SP 05508-000, University of São Paulo, Brazil.
Eric D
ED
Bonaccorsi
Ari J S
AJ
Ferreira
Felipe S
FS
Chambergo
Augusto S P
AS
Ramos
Marluce C
MC
Mantovani
João P Simon
JP
Farah
Cristina S
CS
Sorio
Andreas K
AK
Gombert
Aldo
A
Tonso
Hamza
H
El-Dorry
D004734:Energy Metabolism; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005800:Genes, Fungal; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000502:physiology*; D014242:Trichoderma / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*
D005947:Glucose; D010100:Oxygen