title: A WDR Gene Is a Conserved Member of a Chitin Synthase Gene Cluster and Influences the Cell Wall in Aspergillus nidulans.
abstract: WD40 repeat (WDR) proteins are pleiotropic molecular hubs. We identify a WDR gene that is a conserved genomic neighbor of a chitin synthase gene in Ascomycetes. The WDR gene is unique to fungi and plants, and was called Fungal Plant WD (FPWD). FPWD is within a cell wall metabolism gene cluster in the Ascomycetes (Pezizomycotina) comprising chsD, a Chs activator and a GH17 glucanase. The FPWD, AN1556.2 locus was deleted in Aspergillus nidulans strain SAA.111 by gene replacement and only heterokaryon transformants were obtained. The re-annotation of Aspergilli genomes shows that AN1556.2 consists of two tightly linked separate genes, i.e., the WDR gene and a putative beta-flanking gene of unknown function. The WDR and the beta-flanking genes are conserved genomic neighbors localized within a recently identified metabolic cell wall gene cluster in genomes of Aspergilli. The heterokaryons displayed increased susceptibility to drugs affecting the cell wall, and their phenotypes, observed by optical, confocal, scanning electron and atomic force microscopy, suggest cell wall alterations. Quantitative real-time PCR shows altered expression of some cell wall-related genes. The possible implications on cell wall biosynthesis are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Fungal Genetics and Genomics Unit, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Bioresources and Technologies Campus Tulln-Technopol, Tulln/Donau A-3430, Austria. gea.guerriero@list.lu.|Environmental Research and Innovation (ERIN), Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), Esch/Alzette L-4362, Luxembourg. gea.guerriero@list.lu.
authors.forename: Gea
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Guerriero
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Fungal Genetics and Genomics Unit, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Bioresources and Technologies Campus Tulln-Technopol, Tulln/Donau A-3430, Austria. lucia.silvestrini@boku.ac.at.
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Silvestrini
authors.affiliation: Institute of Wood Science and Technology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Bioresources and Technologies Campus Tulln-Technopol, Tulln/Donau A-3430, Austria. m.obersriebnig@boku.ac.at.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Obersriebnig
authors.affiliation: Environmental Research and Innovation (ERIN), Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), Esch/Alzette L-4362, Luxembourg. jean-francois.hausman@list.lu.
authors.forename: Jean-Francois
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Hausman
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Fungal Genetics and Genomics Unit, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Bioresources and Technologies Campus Tulln-Technopol, Tulln/Donau A-3430, Austria. joseph.strauss@boku.ac.at.|Health and Environment Department, Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH-AIT, University and Research Center Campus Tulln-Technopol, Tulln/Donau A-3430, Austria. joseph.strauss@boku.ac.at.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Strauss
authors.affiliation: KTH, School of Biotechnology, Albanova, Stockholm SE-10691, Sweden. ines@biotech.kth.se.
authors.forename: Inés
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ezcurra
mesh_terms: D001233:Aspergillus nidulans / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000378:metabolism; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000378:metabolism; D002687:Chitin Synthase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D005656:Fungal Proteins; D002687:Chitin Synthase
keywords: Aspergillus nidulans; WDR gene; beta-flanking gene; cell wall; chitin synthase; collinear genes