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Chen X, Moran Torres JP, Jan Vonk P, Damen JMA, Reiding KR, Dijksterhuis J, Lugones LG, Wösten HAB. The pleiotropic phenotype of FlbA of Aspergillus niger is explained in part by the activity of seven of its downstream-regulated transcription factors. Fungal Genet Biol 2024; 172:103894. [PMID: 38657897 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2024.103894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2024] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Inactivation of flbA in Aspergillus niger results in thinner cell walls, increased cell lysis, abolished sporulation, and an increased secretome complexity. A total of 36 transcription factor (TF) genes are differentially expressed in ΔflbA. Here, seven of these genes (abaA, aslA, aslB, azf1, htfA, nosA, and srbA) were inactivated. Inactivation of each of these genes affected sporulation and, with the exception of abaA, cell wall integrity and protein secretion. The impact on secretion was strongest in the case of ΔaslA and ΔaslB that showed increased pepsin, cellulase, and amylase activity. Biomass was reduced of agar cultures of ΔabaA, ΔaslA, ΔnosA, and ΔsrbA, while biomass was higher in liquid shaken cultures of ΔaslA and ΔaslB. The ΔaslA and ΔhtfA strains showed increased resistance to H2O2, while ΔaslB was more sensitive to this reactive oxygen species. Together, inactivation of the seven TF genes impacted biomass formation, sporulation, protein secretion, and stress resistance, and thereby these genes explain at least part of the pleiotropic phenotype of ΔflbA of A. niger.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyi Chen
- Microbiology, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Juan P Moran Torres
- Microbiology, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Peter Jan Vonk
- Microbiology, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - J Mirjam A Damen
- Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research and Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Karli R Reiding
- Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research and Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Jan Dijksterhuis
- Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Luis G Lugones
- Microbiology, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Han A B Wösten
- Microbiology, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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Jan Vonk P, Escobar N, Wösten HAB, Lugones LG, Ohm RA. High-throughput targeted gene deletion in the model mushroom Schizophyllum commune using pre-assembled Cas9 ribonucleoproteins. Sci Rep 2019; 9:7632. [PMID: 31113995 PMCID: PMC6529522 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-44133-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2019] [Accepted: 05/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Efficient gene deletion methods are essential for the high-throughput study of gene function. Compared to most ascomycete model systems, gene deletion is more laborious in mushroom-forming basidiomycetes due to the relatively low incidence of homologous recombination (HR) and relatively high incidence of non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ). Here, we describe the use of pre-assembled Cas9-sgRNA ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) to efficiently delete the homeodomain transcription factor gene hom2 in the mushroom-forming basidiomycete Schizophyllum commune by replacing it with a selectable marker. All components (Cas9 protein, sgRNA, and repair template with selectable marker) were supplied to wild type protoplasts by PEG-mediated transformation, abolishing the need to optimize the expression of cas9 and sgRNAs. A Δku80 background further increased the efficiency of gene deletion. A repair template with homology arms of 250 bp was sufficient to efficiently induce homologous recombination. This is the first report of the use of pre-assembled Cas9 RNPs in a mushroom-forming basidiomycete and this approach may also improve the genetic accessibility of non-model species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Jan Vonk
- Microbiology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Natalia Escobar
- Microbiology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Han A B Wösten
- Microbiology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Luis G Lugones
- Microbiology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Robin A Ohm
- Microbiology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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