| Title | Multiple cellular roles of Neurospora crassa plc-1, splA2, and cpe-1 in regulation of cytosolic free calcium, carotenoid accumulation, stress responses, and acquisition of thermotolerance§ |
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| Author | Ananya Barman and Ranjan Tamuli* |
| Address | Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati Guwahati 781 039, India |
| Bibliography | Journal of Microbiology, 53(4),226-235, 2015, |
| DOI | 10.1007/s12275-015-4465-1 |
| Key Words | calcium signaling, Ca2+/H+ exchanger, phospholipase C-1, secretory phospholipase A2, Neurospora crassa |
| Abstract | Phospholipase C1 (PLC1), secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) and Ca2+/H+ exchanger proteins regulate calcium signaling and homeostasis in eukaryotes. In this study, we investigate functions for phospholipase C1 (plc-1), sPLA2 (splA2) and a Ca2+/H+ exchanger (cpe-1) in the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa. The Δplc-1, ΔsplA2, and Δcpe-1 mutants exhibited a growth defect on medium supplemented with the divalent ionophore A23187, suggesting that these genes might play a role in regulation of cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]c) in N. crassa. The strains lacking plc-1, splA2, and cpe-1 possessed higher carotenoid content than wild type at 8°C, 22°C, and 30°C, and showed increased ultraviolet (UV)- survival under conditions that induced carotenoid accumulation. Moreover, Δplc-1, ΔsplA2, and Δcpe-1 mutants showed reduced survival rate under hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress and induced thermotolerance after exposure to heat shock temperatures. Thus, this study revealed multiple cellular roles for plc-1, splA2, and cpe-1 genes in regulation of [Ca2+]c, carotenoid accumulation, survival under stress conditions, and acquisition of thermotolerance induced by heat shock. |