title: Adenylyl cyclase plays a regulatory role in development, stress resistance and secondary metabolism in Fusarium fujikuroi.
abstract: The ascomycete fungus Fusarium fujikuroi (Gibberella fujikuroi MP-C) produces secondary metabolites of biotechnological interest, such as gibberellins, bikaverin, and carotenoids. Production of these metabolites is regulated by nitrogen availability and, in a specific manner, by other environmental signals, such as light in the case of the carotenoid pathway. A complex regulatory network controlling these processes is recently emerging from the alterations of metabolite production found through the mutation of different regulatory genes. Here we show the effect of the targeted mutation of the acyA gene of F. fujikuroi, coding for adenylyl cyclase. Mutants lacking the catalytic domain of the AcyA protein showed different phenotypic alterations, including reduced growth, enhanced production of unidentified red pigments, reduced production of gibberellins and partially derepressed carotenoid biosynthesis in the dark. The phenotype differs in some aspects from that of similar mutants of the close relatives F. proliferatum and F. verticillioides: contrary to what was observed in these species, ΔacyA mutants of F. fujikuroi showed enhanced sensitivity to oxidative stress (H(2)O(2)), but no change in heavy metal resistance or in the ability to colonize tomato tissue, indicating a high versatility in the regulatory roles played by cAMP in this fungal group.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology, University of Seville, Seville, Spain.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: García-Martínez
authors.forename: Attila L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Adám
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Avalos
mesh_terms: D000064:Acclimatization / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D000262:Adenylyl Cyclases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000494:pharmacology; D025141:Drug Resistance, Fungal / Q000235:genetics; D005670:Fusarium / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000187:drug effects; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal / Q000502:physiology; D005875:Gibberellins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D048788:Growth and Development / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000494:pharmacology; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum / Q000382:microbiology; D008954:Models, Biological; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D010860:Pigments, Biological / Q000378:metabolism; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D005875:Gibberellins; D010860:Pigments, Biological; D002338:Carotenoids; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D000242:Cyclic AMP; D000262:Adenylyl Cyclases