EC Accepts, published online ahead of print on 8 May 2009

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Eukaryotic Cell doi:10.1128/EC.00251-08
Copyright (c) 2009, American Society for Microbiology and/or the Listed Authors/Institutions. All Rights Reserved.

The cell end marker protein TeaC is involved in both growth directionality and septation in Aspergillus nidulans

Yuhei Higashitsuji, Satur Herrero, Norio Takeshita, and Reinhard Fischer^*

University of Karlsruhe and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute of Applied Biosciences – Microbiology, Hertzstrasse 16, D-76187 Karlsruhe

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: reinhard.fischer{at}KIT.edu.

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, they recruit several proteins required for polarized growth, e.g. a formin, which catalyzes actin cable formation. 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 a 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 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.