The DUG Pathway Governs Degradation of Intracellular Glutathione in Aspergillus nidulans
Barnabás Cs. Gila, Heungyun Moon, Károly Antal, Márton Hajdú, Réka Kovács, Andrea P. Jónás, Tünde Pusztahelyi, Jae‐Hyuk Yu, István Pócsi, Tamás Emri
Abstract
Glutathione (GSH) is a widely distributed tripeptide in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. Owing to its very low redox potential, antioxidative character, and high intracellular concentration, GSH profoundly shapes the redox status of cells. Our observations suggest that GSH metabolism and/or the redox status of cells plays a determinative role in several important aspects of fungal life, including oxidative stress defense, protein secretion, and secondary metabolite production (including mycotoxin formation), as well as sexual and asexual differentiations. We demonstrated that even a slightly elevated GSH level can substantially disturb the homeostasis of fungi. This information could be important for development of new GSH-producing strains or for any biotechnologically relevant processes where the GSH content, antioxidant capacity, or oxidative stress tolerance of a fungal strain is manipulated.