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Expression of asexual developmental regulator gene abaA is affected in the double mutants of classes I and II chitin synthase genes, chsC and chsA, of Aspergillus nidulans

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Abstract

The chsA and chsC encode classes II and I chitin synthases, respectively, of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans. The ΔchsA ΔchsC double mutants (ΔAC mutants) show defects in asexual development: a striking reduction in the number of conidiophores and aberrant conidiophore morphology. Here, we examined the involvement of regulatory genes for asexual development (brlA, abaA, and medA) in the conidiation defects of the ΔAC mutants. Spatial expression patterns of brlA,abaA, and medA in conidiophores of the wild-type strains and ΔAC mutants were examined by in-situ staining using a reporter gene; expression of either gene was detected at abnormal sterigmata in the ΔAC mutants as well as at normal ones in the wild-type strain. However, abaA expression was not prominent at a subset of conidiophores developing long chains of aberrant sterigmata, suggesting that induction of the abaA expression was retarded in the ΔAC mutants. Based on these results and those previously presented, possible mechanisms involved in the conidiation defects are discussed.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. A. J. Clutterbuck (University of Glasgow) for providing A. nidulans strains AJC 9.4 and AJC 11.7, and Dr. J. Aguirre (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México) for providing a plasmid pJA22. This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan. This work was performed using the facilities of the Biotechnology Research Center of the University of Tokyo.

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  1. Department of Biotechnology, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, 113-8657, Tokyo, Japan

    Masayuki Ichinomiya, Akinori Ohta & Hiroyuki Horiuchi

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  1. Masayuki Ichinomiya
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  2. Akinori Ohta
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  3. Hiroyuki Horiuchi
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Correspondence to Hiroyuki Horiuchi.

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Communicated by U. Kück

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Ichinomiya, M., Ohta, A. & Horiuchi, H. Expression of asexual developmental regulator gene abaA is affected in the double mutants of classes I and II chitin synthase genes, chsC and chsA, of Aspergillus nidulans . Curr Genet 48, 171–183 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00294-005-0004-7

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