Pleiotropic roles of Ras GTPases in the nematode-trapping fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora identified through multi-omics analyses

• Published in: iScience Vol. 24; no. 8; p. 102820
• Main Authors: Yang, Le, Li, Xuemei, Xie, Meihua, Bai, Na, Yang, Jiangliu, Jiang, Kexin, Zhang, Ke-Qin, Yang, Jinkui
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 20.08.2021; Elsevier
• Subjects: Molecular biology; Mycology; Transcriptomics; Molecular biology; Transcriptomics; Mycology
• ISSN: 2589-0042; 2589-0042
• DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102820

The nematode-trapping fungi are ideal agents for controlling pathogenic nematodes. Arthrobotrys oligospora is a representative species of the same, producing traps for nematode predation. Here, three orthologous Ras GTPases (Ras2, Ras3, and Rheb) were characterized in A. oligospora. Our results indicate that they play pleiotropic roles in regulating the mycelial growth, conidiation, stress resistance, and pathogenicity of A. oligospora. Furthermore, deletion of Aoras2 and Aorheb significantly affected the mitochondrial activity, reactive oxygen species levels, lipid storage, and autophagy. Transcriptome analyses of ΔAoras2 mutant revealed that many repressed genes were associated with signal transduction, energy production, and carbohydrate transport and metabolism. Moreover, metabolic profile analyses showed that AoRas2 and AoRheb affect the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites in A. oligospora. Collectively, these findings provide an in-depth insight into the essential roles of Ras GTPases in vegetative growth, development, and pathogenicity and highlight their importance in the lifestyle switch of the nematode-trapping fungi. [Display omitted] •Ras GTPases play a multifunctional role in the lifestyle switch of A. oligospora•Ras GTPases affect multiple cellular processes, including mitochondrial activity•AoRas2 plays a key role in regulating global gene expression and nematode predation•AoRas2 and AoRheb significantly affect the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites Molecular biology; Mycology; Transcriptomics