HbxB Is a Key Regulator for Stress Response and β-Glucan Biogenesis in <i>Aspergillus nidulans</i>
2021
Sung-Hun Son | Mi-Kyung Lee | Ye-Eun Son | Hee-Soo Park
Homeobox transcription factors are conserved in eukaryotes and act as multi-functional transcription factors in filamentous fungi. Previously, it was demonstrated that HbxB governs fungal development and spore viability in <i>Aspergillus nidulans</i>. Here, the role of HbxB in <i>A. nidulans</i> was further characterized. RNA-sequencing revealed that HbxB affects the transcriptomic levels of genes associated with trehalose biosynthesis and response to thermal, oxidative, and radiation stresses in asexual spores called conidia. A phenotypic analysis found that <i>hbxB</i> deletion mutant conidia were more sensitive to ultraviolet stress. The loss of <i>hbxB</i> increased the mRNA expression of genes associated with β-glucan degradation and decreased the amount of β-glucan in conidia. In addition, <i>hbxB</i> deletion affected the expression of the sterigmatocystin gene cluster and the amount of sterigmatocystin. Overall, these results indicated that HbxB is a key transcription factor regulating trehalose biosynthesis, stress tolerance, β-glucan degradation, and sterigmatocystin production in <i>A.</i><i>nidulans</i> conidia.
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