Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Genetics, Georg August University, Göttingen, Germany.
PLoS Genet. 2010 Dec 2;6(12):e1001226. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1001226.
VeA is the founding member of the velvet superfamily of fungal regulatory proteins. This protein is involved in light response and coordinates sexual reproduction and secondary metabolism in Aspergillus nidulans. In the dark, VeA bridges VelB and LaeA to form the VelB-VeA-LaeA (velvet) complex. The VeA-like protein VelB is another developmental regulator, and LaeA has been known as global regulator of secondary metabolism. In this study, we show that VelB forms a second light-regulated developmental complex together with VosA, another member of the velvet family, which represses asexual development. LaeA plays a key role, not only in secondary metabolism, but also in directing formation of the VelB-VosA and VelB-VeA-LaeA complexes. LaeA controls VeA modification and protein levels and possesses additional developmental functions. The laeA null mutant results in constitutive sexual differentiation, indicating that LaeA plays a pivotal role in inhibiting sexual development in response to light. Moreover, the absence of LaeA results in the formation of significantly smaller fruiting bodies. This is due to the lack of a specific globose cell type (Hülle cells), which nurse the young fruiting body during development. This suggests that LaeA controls Hülle cells. In summary, LaeA plays a dynamic role in fungal morphological and chemical development, and it controls expression, interactions, and modification of the velvet regulators.
VeA 是真菌调节蛋白 velvet 超家族的创始成员。该蛋白参与光反应，并协调 Aspergillus nidulans 的有性生殖和次生代谢。在黑暗中，VeA 将 VelB 和 LaeA 桥接在一起形成 VelB-VeA-LaeA（天鹅绒）复合物。VelB-like 蛋白 VelB 是另一个发育调节剂，而 LaeA 一直被认为是次生代谢的全局调节剂。在这项研究中，我们表明 VelB 与另一个 velvet 家族成员 VosA 一起形成第二个光调控的发育复合物，该复合物抑制无性发育。LaeA 不仅在次生代谢中起着关键作用，而且在指导 VelB-VosA 和 VelB-VeA-LaeA 复合物形成中起着关键作用。LaeA 控制 VeA 的修饰和蛋白质水平，并具有额外的发育功能。laeA 缺失突变体会导致组成性有性分化，表明 LaeA 在抑制光响应中的有性发育中起着关键作用。此外，LaeA 的缺失会导致生殖体明显变小。这是由于缺乏特定的球状细胞类型（Hülle 细胞），该细胞在发育过程中护理幼生殖体。这表明 LaeA 控制 Hülle 细胞。总之，LaeA 在真菌形态和化学发育中起着动态作用，它控制 velvet 调节剂的表达、相互作用和修饰。
