Influence of farnesol on the morphogenesis of Aspergillus niger

Farnesol was the first quorum-sensing regulator to be found in eukaryotic cells. In Candida albicans, a dimorphic fungal human pathogen, farnesol blocks the yeast-to-filamentous growth transition. Here we show that in Aspergillus niger farnesol acts as an inhibitor of conidiation: Colonies grown on...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of basic microbiology 2008-04, Vol.48 (2), p.99-103
Main Authors: Lorek, Justine, Pöggeler, Stefanie, Weide, Mirko R, Breves, Roland, Bockmühl, Dirk P
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aspergillus
Aspergillus nidulans
Aspergillus niger
Aspergillus niger - drug effects
Aspergillus niger - growth & development
Candida albicans
Conidiation
Farnesol
Farnesol - metabolism
Farnesol - pharmacology
Hyphae - drug effects
Hyphae - growth & development
Morphogenesis - drug effects
Morphogenesis - physiology
Quorum sensing
Spores, Fungal - drug effects
Spores, Fungal - physiology
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Summary:Farnesol was the first quorum-sensing regulator to be found in eukaryotic cells. In Candida albicans, a dimorphic fungal human pathogen, farnesol blocks the yeast-to-filamentous growth transition. Here we show that in Aspergillus niger farnesol acts as an inhibitor of conidiation: Colonies grown on media containing farnesol were unable to develop conidia. Although farnesol treated A. niger cultures exhibited a colony morphology resembling the "fluffy" phenotype of A. nidulans, which is caused by a hyperactive G-protein/cAMP pathway, the intracellular level of cAMP in A. niger mycelia grown in presence of farnesol is greatly diminished. Furthermore, whereas inhibiting adenylyl cyclase led to a farnesol-like effect, the addition of external cAMP inhibited conidiation without causing a "fluffy" phenotype. This suggests that the mechanisms regulating conidiation in A. niger and A. nidulans are different. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
ISSN:0233-111X
1521-4028
DOI:10.1002/jobm.200700292