biostudies-literatureSon SHNational Research Foundation of Korea676-685https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC9706018biostudies-literatureUnknown31(5)RNA-binding proteins are involved in RNA metabolism and posttranscriptional regulation of various fundamental biological processes. The PUF family of RNA-binding proteins is highly conserved in eukaryotes, and its members regulate gene expression, mitochondrial biogenesis, and RNA processing. However, their biological functions in <i>Aspergillus</i> species remain mostly unknown in filamentous fungi. Here we have characterized the puf genes in the model organism <i>Aspergillus nidulans</i>. We generated deletion mutant strains for the five putative puf genes present in the <i>A. nidulans</i> genome and investigated their developmental phenotypes. Deletion of <i>pufA</i> or <i>pufE</i> affected fungal growth and asexual development. <i>pufA</i> mutants exhibited decreased production of asexJournal of microbiology and biotechnologyFunctions of PUF Family RNA-Binding Proteins in <i>Aspergillus nidulans</i>.PMC9706018NRF-2020R1C1C1004473Park HSSon SHJang SYfalseFunctions of PUF Family RNA-Binding Proteins in <i>Aspergillus nidulans</i>.RNA-binding proteins are involved in RNA metabolism and posttranscriptional regulation of various fundamental biological processes. The PUF family of RNA-binding proteins is highly conserved in eukaryotes, and its members regulate gene expression, mitochondrial biogenesis, and RNA processing. However, their biological functions in <i>Aspergillus</i> species remain mostly unknown in filamentous fungi. Here we have characterized the puf genes in the model organism <i>Aspergillus nidulans</i>. We generated deletion mutant strains for the five putative puf genes present in the <i>A. nidulans</i> genome and investigated their developmental phenotypes. Deletion of <i>pufA</i> or <i>pufE</i> affected fungal growth and asexual development. <i>pufA</i> mutants exhibited decreased production of asex2021-01-01T00:00:00Z2021 May2025-04-29T11:06:38.92Z2025-04-06T19:47:48.129ZS-EPMC97060183374619310.4014/jmb.2101.01011