GPCRs and Sexual Development in Aspergillus Nidulans

GPCR 与构巢曲霉的性发育

• 批准号: 0421863
• 负责人: Jaehyuk Yu
• 金额: $ 32.98万
• 依托单位: University of Wisconsin-Madison
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-09-01 至 2007-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0421863&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: GPCRs; Sexual; Development; Aspergillus; Nidulans

The genus Aspergillus encompasses the most common fungi in the environment. Of all the aspergilli, Aspergillus nidulans is by far the most thoroughly studied member of this genus. The long-term objective of this project is to understand signaling mechanisms controlling multicellular sexual development in this model filamentous fungus. The presence of both asexual and sexual reproductive programs is a unique property of A. nidulans. However, signaling mechanisms mediating fruiting body formation from vegetatively growing hyphae are largely unknown. To better understand signal transduction in A. nidulans, nine genes (gprA ~ gprI) predicted to encode putative GPCRs have been identified in the A. nidulans genome and deletion mutations for six of them have been made. Phenotypic and genetic analyses lead to the hypothesis that GprA and GprB mediate signaling for activation of sexual development whereas GprD-mediated signaling is required for negatively controlling sexual development, which in turn confers proper vegetative growth. Specific aims of this project are to: 1) Dissect complex transcriptional regulation of GPCRs and examine molecular events responding to GPCR signaling; 2) Investigate the molecular basis of the negative relationship between stress and sexual development through GPCR expression; and 3) Examine expression and localization of the three GPCRs by reporter labeling. Outcomes of the project should fill critical research gaps regarding sexual development and GPCR-mediated signal transduction in the model filamentous fungus A. nidulans and enhance the knowledge on how a eukaryotic organism coordinates differentiation through balanced activities of two antagonistic GPCR mediated signaling cascades. The project will in turn provide new information and materials for undergraduate and graduate education in developmental biology, genetics and signal transduction in under-studied filamentous fungi. Understanding the GPCR-mediated regulation of development in A. nidulans will provide insight to control both beneficial and detrimental properties of medically, agriculturally or industrially important aspergilli.

曲霉属包含了环境中最常见的真菌。在所有曲霉中，细粒曲霉是迄今为止研究得最彻底的一种。该项目的长期目标是了解控制这种模式丝状真菌多细胞性发育的信号机制。存在无性和有性生殖程序是一种独特的性质。然而，介导营养生长菌丝形成子实体的信号机制在很大程度上是未知的。为了更好地了解麻豆的信号转导，在麻豆基因组中鉴定了9个预计编码gpcr的基因（gprA ~ gprI），并对其中6个基因进行了缺失突变。表型和遗传分析得出的假设是，GprA和GprB介导性发育激活的信号传导，而gprd介导的信号传导是负性发育控制所必需的，而负性发育控制所需要的信号传导反过来又保证了适当的营养生长。该项目的具体目标是：1)剖析GPCR的复杂转录调控，研究响应GPCR信号的分子事件；2)通过GPCR表达研究应激与性发育负相关的分子基础；3)通过报告基因标记检测三种gpcr的表达和定位。该项目的结果将填补模型丝状真菌a . nidulans在性发育和GPCR介导的信号转导方面的关键研究空白，并增强对真核生物如何通过两种拮抗GPCR介导的信号级联反应的平衡活动来协调分化的认识。该项目将反过来为丝状真菌发育生物学、遗传学和信号转导方面的本科和研究生教育提供新的信息和材料。了解gpcr介导的白蜡曲霉发育调控将为控制曲霉在医学、农业或工业上的有益和有害特性提供见解。