Genetics. Published Articles Ahead of Print: June 8, 2005, Copyright © 2005
doi:10.1534/genetics.105.042796


A more recent version of this article appeared on September 1, 2005.


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Multiple roles of a heterotrimeric G protein {gamma} subunit in governing growth and development of Aspergillus nidulans

1 University of Wisconsin-Madison

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jyu1{at}wisc.edu.

Submitted on March 1, 2005
Revised on April 19, 2005
Accepted on 20 April 2005


Abstract

Vegetative growth signaling in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans is primarily mediated by the heterotrimeric G protein composed of FadA (Ga), SfaD (Gb) and a presumed Gg. Analysis of the A. nidulans genome identified a single gene named gpgA encoding a putative Gg subunit. The predicted GpgA protein consists of 90 amino acids showing 72% similarity with yeast Ste18p. Deletion(D) of gpgA resulted in restricted vegetative growth and lowered asexual sporulation. Moreover, similar to the DsfaD mutant, the DgpgA mutant was unable to produce sexual fruiting bodies (cleistothecia) in self-fertilization and was severely impaired with cleistothecial development in outcross, indicating that both SfaD and GpgA are required for fruiting body formation. Developmental and morphological defects caused by deletion of flbA encoding an RGS protein negatively controlling FadA-mediated vegetative growth signaling were suppressed by DgpgA, indicating that GpgA functions in FadA-SfaD-mediated vegetative growth signaling. However, deletion of gpgA could not bypass the need for the early developmental activator FluG in asexual sporulation, suggesting that GpgA functions in a separate signaling pathway. We propose that GpgA is the only A. nidulans Gg subunit and is required for normal vegetative growth as well as proper asexual and sexual developmental progression.

Key Words: {gamma}subunit, RGS protein, filamentous fungi, growth and development, heterotrimeric G protein




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