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Eukaryotic Cell, July 2009, p. 957-967, Vol. 8, No. 7
1535-9778/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/EC.00251-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

The Cell End Marker Protein TeaC Is Involved in Growth Directionality and Septation in Aspergillus nidulans {triangledown} ,{dagger}

Yuhei Higashitsuji, Saturnino Herrero, Norio Takeshita, and Reinhard Fischer*

University of Karlsruhe and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Applied Biosciences-Microbiology, Hertzstrasse 16, D-76187 Karlsruhe, Germany

Received 25 July 2008/ Accepted 30 April 2009

Polarized growth in filamentous fungi depends on the correct spatial organization of the microtubule (MT) and actin cytoskeleton. In Schizosaccharomyces pombe it was shown that the MT cytoskeleton is required for the delivery of so-called cell end marker proteins, e.g., Tea1 and Tea4, to the cell poles. Subsequently, these markers recruit several proteins required for polarized growth, e.g., a formin, which catalyzes actin cable formation. The latest results suggest that this machinery is conserved from fission yeast to Aspergillus nidulans. Here, we have characterized TeaC, a putative homologue of Tea4. Sequence identity between TeaC and Tea4 is only 12.5%, but they both share an SH3 domain in the N-terminal region. Deletion of teaC affected polarized growth and hyphal directionality. Whereas wild-type hyphae grow straight, hyphae of the mutant grow in a zig-zag way, similar to the hyphae of teaA deletion (tea1) strains. Some small, anucleate compartments were observed. Overexpression of teaC repressed septation and caused abnormal swelling of germinating conidia. In agreement with the two roles in polarized growth and in septation, TeaC localized to hyphal tips and to septa. TeaC interacted with the cell end marker protein TeaA at hyphal tips and with the formin SepA at hyphal tips and at septa.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: University of Karlsruhe and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Applied Biosciences-Microbiology, Hertzstrasse 16, D-76187 Karlsruhe, Germany. Phone: 49-721-6084630. Fax: 49-721-6084509. E-mail: reinhard.fischer{at}KIT.edu

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 8 May 2009.

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

Eukaryotic Cell, July 2009, p. 957-967, Vol. 8, No. 7
1535-9778/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/EC.00251-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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