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Eukaryotic Cell, May 2006, p. 794-805, Vol. 5, No. 5
1535-9778/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/EC.5.5.794-805.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Regulatory Genes Controlling Fatty Acid Catabolism and Peroxisomal Functions in the Filamentous Fungus Aspergillus nidulans{dagger}

Michael J. Hynes,* Sandra L. Murray, Anna Duncan,{ddagger} Gillian S. Khew, and Meryl A. Davis

Department of Genetics, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Australia

Received 16 December 2005/ Accepted 20 February 2006

The catabolism of fatty acids is important in the lifestyle of many fungi, including plant and animal pathogens. This has been investigated in Aspergillus nidulans, which can grow on acetate and fatty acids as sources of carbon, resulting in the production of acetyl coenzyme A (CoA). Acetyl-CoA is metabolized via the glyoxalate bypass, located in peroxisomes, enabling gluconeogenesis. Acetate induction of enzymes specific for acetate utilization as well as glyoxalate bypass enzymes is via the Zn2-Cys6 binuclear cluster activator FacB. However, enzymes of the glyoxalate bypass as well as fatty acid beta-oxidation and peroxisomal proteins are also inducible by fatty acids. We have isolated mutants that cannot grow on fatty acids. Two of the corresponding genes, farA and farB, encode two highly conserved families of related Zn2-Cys6 binuclear proteins present in filamentous ascomycetes, including plant pathogens. A single ortholog is found in the yeasts Candida albicans, Debaryomyces hansenii, and Yarrowia lipolytica, but not in the Ashbya, Kluyveromyces, Saccharomyces lineage. Northern blot analysis has shown that deletion of the farA gene eliminates induction of a number of genes by both short- and long-chain fatty acids, while deletion of the farB gene eliminates short-chain induction. An identical core 6-bp in vitro binding site for each protein has been identified in genes encoding glyoxalate bypass, beta-oxidation, and peroxisomal functions. This sequence is overrepresented in the 5' region of genes predicted to be fatty acid induced in other filamentous ascomycetes, C. albicans, D. hansenii, and Y. lipolytica, but not in the corresponding genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Genetics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia. Phone: 61 3 83446239. Fax: 61 3 83445139. E-mail: mjhynes{at}unimelb.edu.au.

{dagger} Supplemental material for this article may be found at http://ec.asm.org/.

{ddagger} Present address: Department of Physiology, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Australia.

Eukaryotic Cell, May 2006, p. 794-805, Vol. 5, No. 5
1535-9778/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/EC.5.5.794-805.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Ramirez, M. A., Lorenz, M. C. (2009). The Transcription Factor Homolog CTF1 Regulates {beta}-Oxidation in Candida albicans. Eukaryot Cell 8: 1604-1614 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Hynes, M. J., Murray, S. L., Khew, G. S., Davis, M. A. (2008). Genetic Analysis of the Role of Peroxisomes in the Utilization of Acetate and Fatty Acids in Aspergillus nidulans. Genetics 178: 1355-1369 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Hynes, M. J., Szewczyk, E., Murray, S. L., Suzuki, Y., Davis, M. A., Sealy-Lewis, H. M. (2007). Transcriptional Control of Gluconeogenesis in Aspergillus nidulans. Genetics 176: 139-150 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Idnurm, A., Giles, S. S., Perfect, J. R., Heitman, J. (2007). Peroxisome Function Regulates Growth on Glucose in the Basidiomycete Fungus Cryptococcus neoformans. Eukaryot Cell 6: 60-72 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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