Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology

The Korean Society for Microbiology and Biotechnology (한국미생물·생명공학회)
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The Forkhead Gene fkhB is Necessary for Proper Development in Aspergillus nidulans

  • Seo-Yeong Jang (Department of Integrative Biology, Kyungpook National University) ;
  • Ye-Eun Son (School of Food Science and Biotechnology, Kyungpook National University) ;
  • Dong-Soon Oh (Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Woosuk University) ;
  • Kap-Hoon Han (Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Woosuk University) ;
  • Jae-Hyuk Yu (Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison) ;
  • Hee-Soo Park (Department of Integrative Biology, Kyungpook National University)
  • Received : 2023.07.07
  • Accepted : 2023.07.28
  • Published : 2023.11.28
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Abstract

The forkhead domain genes are important for development and morphogenesis in fungi. Six forkhead genes fkhA-fkhF have been found in the genome of the model filamentous Ascomycete Aspergillus nidulans. To identify the fkh gene(s) associated with fungal development, we examined mRNA levels of these six genes and found that the level of fkhB and fkhD mRNA was significantly elevated during asexual development and in conidia. To investigate the roles of FkhB and FkhD, we generated fkhB and fkhD deletion mutants and complemented strains and investigated their phenotypes. The deletion of fkhB, but not fkhD, affected fungal growth and both sexual and asexual development. The fkhB deletion mutant exhibited decreased colony size with distinctly pigmented (reddish) asexual spores and a significantly lower number of conidia compared with these features in the wild type (WT), although the level of sterigmatocystin was unaffected by the absence of fkhB. Furthermore, the fkhB deletion mutant produced sexual fruiting bodies (cleistothecia) smaller than those of WT, implying that the fkhB gene is involved in both asexual and sexual development. In addition, fkhB deletion reduced fungal tolerance to heat stress and decreased trehalose accumulation in conidia. Overall, these results suggest that fkhB plays a key role in proper fungal growth, development, and conidial stress tolerance in A. nidulans.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant to HSP funded by the Korean government (NRF-2020R1C1C1004473) and a project to train professional personnel in biological materials by the Ministry of Environment. The work at UW-Madison was supported by Food Research Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

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