A WDR Gene Is a Conserved Member of a Chitin Synthase Gene Cluster and Influences the Cell Wall in Aspergillus nidulans

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 17; no. 7; p. 1031
• Main Authors: Guerriero, Gea, Silvestrini, Lucia, Obersriebnig, Michael, Hausman, Jean-Francois, Strauss, Joseph, Ezcurra, Inés
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.07.2016; MDPI
• Subjects: Ascomycetes; Aspergillus nidulans; Aspergillus nidulans - enzymology; Aspergillus nidulans - metabolism; Bacteria; beta-flanking gene; cell wall; Cell Wall - enzymology; Cell Wall - metabolism; chitin synthase; Chitin Synthase - genetics; Chitin Synthase - metabolism; Chitinase; collinear genes; Flowers & plants; Fungal Proteins - genetics; Fungal Proteins - metabolism; Fungi; Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; Genes; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Proteins; WDR gene; collinear genes; cell wall; Aspergillus nidulans; beta-flanking gene; WDR gene; chitin synthase
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms17071031

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.