Members of Glycosyl-Hydrolase Family 17 of A. fumigatus Differentially Affect Morphogenesis

• Published in: Journal of fungi (Basel) Vol. 4; no. 1; p. 18
• Main Authors: Millet, Nicolas, Latgé, Jean-Paul, Mouyna, Isabelle
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 30.01.2018; MDPI
• Subjects: Aspergillus fumigatus; cell wall remodeling; Cell walls; Clonal deletion; Data processing; Enzymes; Fungi; glucanase; Glucose; Glycosyl-Hydrolase family 17; Hydrolase; Hydrophobicity; Life Sciences; Microbiology and Parasitology; Morphogenesis; Mycology; Phenotypes; Polymers; Polysaccharides; Proteins; Yeast; β(1-3)glucanosyltransferase; cell wall remodeling; glucanase; Glycosyl-Hydrolase family 17; β(1-3)glucanosyltransferase; Aspergillus fumigatus
• ISSN: 2309-608X; 2309-608X
• DOI: 10.3390/jof4010018

Cell wall biosynthesis and remodeling are essential for fungal growth and development. In the fungal pathogen , the β(1,3)glucan is the major cell wall polysaccharide. This polymer is synthesized at the plasma membrane by a transmembrane complex, then released into the parietal space to be remodeled by enzymes, and finally incorporated into the pre-existing cell wall. In the Glycosyl-Hydrolases family 17 (GH17) of , two β(1,3)glucanosyltransferases, Bgt1p and Bgt2p, have been previously characterized. Disruption of and did not result in a phenotype, but sequence comparison and hydrophobic cluster analysis showed that three other genes in belong to the GH17 family, , , and . In constrast to mutants, single and multiple deletion of , , and showed a decrease in conidiation associated with a higher conidial mortality and an abnormal conidial shape. Moreover, mycelium was also affected with a slower growth, stronger sensitivity to cell wall disturbing agents, and altered cell wall composition. Finally, the synthetic interactions between Bgt1p, Bgt2p, and the three other members, which support a functional cooperation in cell-wall assembly, were analyzed. Our data suggest that Scw4p, Scw11p, and Bgt3p are essential for cell wall integrity and might have antagonistic and distinct functions to Bgt1p and Bgt2p.