Roles of the orlA, tsE, and bimG genes of Aspergillus nidulans in chitin synthesis

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Abstract
Strains of Aspergillus nidulans carrying the orlA1 or tse6 allele are deficient in cell wall chitin and undergo lysis at restrictive temperatures. The strains are remediable by osmotic stabilizers or by the presence of N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) in the medium. The remediation by GlcNAc suggests that the lesion(s) in chitin synthesis resides in the amino sugar biosynthetic pathway prior to the synthesis of N-acetylglucosamine-6-phosphate. orlA1 strains grown at permissive temperature exhibit an abnormally low specific activity for L-glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (EC 2.6.1.16, amidotransferase), the first enzyme unique to amino sugar synthesis. In addition, the enzyme produced is temperature sensitive in vitro. tsE6 strains grown at permissive temperature show virtually no amidotransferase activity. This finding is consistent with an extremely labile enzyme which is destroyed by cell breakage and extract preparation. The enzyme must be active in vivo at permissive temperatures since GlcNAc is not required for growth. Thus, two structural genes (orlA and tsE) are necessary for the amidotransferase activity. bimG11 strains are temperature sensitive for a type 1 protein phosphatase involved in cell cycle regulation and arrest in mitosis. Like orlA1 and tsE6 strains, conidia from bimG11 strains swell excessively when germinated and lyse; the germlings produced are deficient in chitin content. The amidotransferase from wild-type and mutant strains is sensitive to feedback inhibition by uridine diphosphate-N-acetylglucosamine. The sensitivity of the amidotransferase from bimG11 strains is dependent on growth temperature, while that from wild-type strains is independent of temperature. The enzyme can be desensitized in vitro under conditions consistent with a protein phosphatase reaction. It is proposed that amino sugar (and chitin biosynthesis) is partially regulated by phosphorylation-dephosphorylation of the amidotransferase or a protein regulator of the enzyme.