Regulation of Morphology, Aflatoxin Production, and Virulence of Aspergillus flavus by the Major Nitrogen Regulatory Gene areA.

ABSTRACT: Aspergillus flavus is a renowned plant, animal and human pathogen. areA is a global nitrogen regulatory gene of the GATA transcription factor family, shown to be the major nitrogen regulator. In this study, we identified areA in A. flavus and studied its function. The AreA protein contained a signatory zinc finger domain, which is extremely conserved across fungal species. Gene deletion (?areA) and over-expression (OE::areA) strains were constructed by homologous recombination to elucidate the role of areA in A. flavus. The ?areA strain was unable to efficiently utilize secondary nitrogen sources for growth of A. flavus, and it had poorly developed conidiophores, when observed on complete medium, resulting in the production of significantly less conidia than the wild-type strain (WT). Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) production was reduced in ?areA compared with the WT strain in most conditions tested, and ?areA had impaired virulence in peanut seeds. areA also played important roles in the sensitivity of A. flavus to osmotic, cell wall and oxidative stresses. Hence, areA was found to be important for the growth, aflatoxin production and pathogenicity of A. flavus. This work sheds light on the function of areA in the regulation of the nitrogen metabolism of A. flavus, and consequently aims at providing new ways for controlling the crossover pathogen, A. flavus.

SUBMITTER: Fasoyin OE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6950533 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature