RNA-seq of Mucor circinelloides strain FRR5020 grown with varying calcium and phosphate availability
The filamentous fungus Mucor circinelloides strain FRR5020 (indicated by Cir1 in sample name) was exposed to treatments known to trigger the accumulation of lipids in fungal cells, in order to investigate the genomic basis of this trait. Treatments consisted of different levels of calcium and inorganic phosphorus substrate in the growth media used for cultivation: For calcium, the two levels were calcium present in a concentration of 0.1 g/L (Ca1), and absence of calcium (Ca0). For phosphorus, there were three different levels: The reference concentration P1 (phosphate salts in a concentration of 7 g/L KH2PO4 and 2 g/L Na2HPO4), four times the reference concentration (P4), and half the reference concentration (P0.5). The combination of the different levels of calcium and phosphorus resulted in six different growth media. There were 3-4 replicates per unique growth media. The biomass was washed and harvested after 5 days of cultivation. RNA was extracted from the biomass and sequenced, followed by analysis of the transcriptome (genes differentially expressed between treatments).