The Cell Wall Integrity Pathway Contributes to the Early Stages of <i>Aspergillus fumigatus</i> Asexual Development
Marina Campos Rocha, João Henrique Tadini Marilhano Fabri, Isabelle Taira Simões, Rafael Silva‐Rocha, Daisuke Hagiwara, Anderson Ferreira da Cunha, Gustavo H. Goldman, David Cánovas, Iran Malavazi
Abstract
A remarkable feature of the human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus is its ability to produce impressive amounts of infectious propagules known as conidia. These particles reach immunocompromised patients and may initiate a life-threatening mycosis. The conidiation process in Aspergillus is governed by a sequence of proteins that coordinate the development of conidiophores. This process requires the remodeling of the cell wall so that the conidiophores can rise and withstand the chains of conidia. The events regulating cell wall remodeling during conidiation are currently unknown. Here, we show that the cell wall integrity pathway (CWIP) components RlmA and MpkA directly contribute to the activation of the conidiation cascade by enabling transcription or phosphorylation of critical proteins involved in asexual development. This study points to an essential role for the CWIP during conidiation and provides further insights into the complex regulation of asexual development in filamentous fungi.