| Title | GPH1 is involved in glycerol accumulation in the three-dimensional networks of the nematode-trapping fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora |
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| Author | Qin-Yi Wu1, Yue-Yan Zhu1, Cheng-Gang Zou1, Ying-Qian Kang2*, and Lian-Ming Liang1* |
| Address | 1State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, P. R. China, 2Department of Microbiology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550004, P. R. China |
| Bibliography | Journal of Microbiology, 54(11),768-773, 2016, |
| DOI | 10.1007/s12275-016-6272-8 |
| Key Words | glycerol generation, glycogen phosphorylase, nematode-trapping fungi, trap formation |
| Abstract | Turgor is very important for the invasive growth of fungal pathogens. Glycerol, a highly osmotic solvent, is considered to play an important role in turgor generation. The nematophagous fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora mainly lives as a saprophyte. In the presence of nematodes, A. oligospora enters the parasitic stage by forming three-dimensional networks (traps) to capture nematodes. In A. oligospora, we found that glycerol accumulated during nematode-induced trap formation. We demonstrated that deleting gph1, which encodes glycogen phosphorylase, decreased the glycerol content, compared with that of a wild-type strain. Although the number of traps induced by nematodes was not affected in the Δgph1 mutant, the capture rate was lower. Meanwhile, deleting gph1 also affected the growth rate and conidiation capacity of the fungus. These results indicate that glycerol derived from GPH1 is essential for the full virulence of A. oligospora against nematodes. |