title: A Global View of Gene Expression of Aspergillus nidulans on Responding to the Deficiency in Soluble Potassium.
abstract: Many researchers have suggested that microbes can accelerate the weathering of silicate minerals. However, many genes and metabolic pathways related to microorganisms obtaining potassium (K) from silicate remain undiscovered. It is feasible to detect the gene expression within the scope of the whole genome through high-throughput sequencing. Surprisingly, only a few reports have shown fungal weathering of silicate using this technology. This study explored differences in gene expression of Aspergillus nidulans, which was cultured with different K sources, KCl, and K-feldspar. A. nidulans RNA was extracted by the construction of a cDNA library. Identification of K-acquisition-related genes with GO and KEGG pathway analysis revealed that primarily differentially expressed genes were related to the biosynthesis of amino acids. When these genes were grouped in accordance with the physiological functions, the genes involved in the synthesis of protease, ribosome, and mitochondria, trans-membrane transport, and oxidative phosphorylation were significantly different. Moreover, 20 genes selected were further tested using RT-qPCR. One half (10 genes) exhibited differential expression, which was consistent with the results of RNA-seq. Combining the results of RNA-seq and RT-qPCR, we summarised a possible way to obtain mineral K in A. nidulans as well. The differentially expressed genes and their associated metabolic pathways revealed will improve the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of microbial weathering of silicate minerals.
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Microbes and Functional Genomics, Jiangsu Engineering and Technology Research Center for Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu, China. ai-yanzi@163.com.|Key Laboratory of Coastal Biology and Utilization, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai, 264003, Shandong, China. ai-yanzi@163.com.
authors.forename: Leilei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Microbes and Functional Genomics, Jiangsu Engineering and Technology Research Center for Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu, China. sunqibiao001@163.com.
authors.forename: Qibiao
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Microbes and Functional Genomics, Jiangsu Engineering and Technology Research Center for Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu, China. bin2368@vip.163.com.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lian
mesh_terms: D001233:Aspergillus nidulans / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D019295:Computational Biology / Q000379:methods; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D063990:Gene Ontology; D053858:Metabolic Networks and Pathways; D058977:Molecular Sequence Annotation; D011188:Potassium / Q000378:metabolism; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D059467:Transcriptome
chemical_list: D011188:Potassium