title: conF and conJ contribute to conidia germination and stress response in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans.
abstract: Light induces various responses in fungi including formation of asexual and sexual reproductive structures. The formation of conidia in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans is regulated by red and blue light receptors. Expression of conidia associated con genes, which are widely spread in the fungal kingdom, increases upon exposure to light. We have characterized the light-inducible conF and conJ genes of A. nidulans which are homologs of con-6 and con-10 of Neurospora crassa. con genes are expressed during conidia formation in asexual development. Five minutes light exposure are sufficient to induce conF or conJ expression in vegetative mycelia. Similar to N. crassa there were no significant phenotypes of single con mutations. A double conF and conJ deletion resulted in significantly increased cellular amounts of glycerol or erythritol. This leads to a delayed germination phenotype combined with increased resistance against desiccation. These defects were rescued by complementation of the double mutant strain with either conF or conJ. This suggests that fungal con genes exhibit redundant functions in controlling conidia germination and adjusting cellular levels of substances which protect conidia against dryness.
authors: Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Genetics, Georg August University, Grisebachstr. 8, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
authors: Satoshi
authors: S
authors: Suzuki
authors: Özlem
authors: Ö
authors: Sarikaya Bayram
authors: Özgür
authors: Ö
authors: Bayram
authors: Gerhard H
authors: GH
authors: Braus
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001233:Aspergillus nidulans / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000528:radiation effects; D003600:Cytosol / Q000737:chemistry; D004896:Erythritol / Q000032:analysis; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal / Q000528:radiation effects*; D055786:Gene Knockout Techniques; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D005990:Glycerol / Q000032:analysis; D008027:Light; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D025282:Mycelium / Q000528:radiation effects; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D013172:Spores, Fungal / Q000254:growth & development*; D013312:Stress, Physiological
chemical_list: D005656:Fungal Proteins; D005990:Glycerol; D004896:Erythritol