Heptahelical receptors GprC and GprD of Aspergillus fumigatus Are essential regulators of colony growth, hyphal morphogenesis, and virulence.

ABSTRACT: The filamentous fungus Aspergillus fumigatus normally grows on compost or hay but is also able to colonize environments such as the human lung. In order to survive, this organism needs to react to a multitude of external stimuli. Although extensive work has been carried out to investigate intracellular signal transduction in A. fumigatus, little is known about the specific stimuli and the corresponding receptors activating these signaling cascades. Here, two putative G-protein-coupled receptors, GprC and GprD, were characterized with respect to their cellular functions. Deletion of the corresponding genes resulted in drastic growth defects as hyphal extension was reduced, germination was retarded, and hyphae showed elevated levels of branching. The growth defect was found to be temperature

SUBMITTER: Gehrke A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2893470 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature