Quantifying the importance of galactofuranose in Aspergillus nidulans hyphal wall surface organization using atomic force microscopy.

Ref ID: 15854

Author:

Biplab Paul (a), Amira El-Ganiny (b,c), Tanya Dahms (a), Susan Kaminskyj (b)

Author address:

Dept Chem&Biochem, Univ Regina, Canada; b) Dept Biology, Univ
Saskatchewan, Canada; c) Dept Microbiol, Fac Pharmacy, Univ Zagazig, Egypt.

Full conference title:

26th Fungal Genetics Conference

Date: 15 March 2014

Abstract:

Galactofuranose (Galf), the five-member ring form of galactose, is a minor component of Aspergillus walls. Strains deleted for Galf biosynthesis enzymes
UgeA (UDP-glucose-4-epimerase) and UgmA (UDP-galactopyranose mutase) lacked immunolocalizable Galf, and had growth defects and abnormal wall
structure. We used atomic force microscopy and force spectroscopy to image and quantify surface elasticity and adhesion of ugeA) and ugmA) strains
and to compare them with two near-isogenic wild type strains, AAE1 and ugeB). Our results suggest that UgeA and UgmA are important for cell wall
surface subunit organization and wall elasticity. The ugeA) and ugmA) strains had larger surface subunits and lower cell wall viscoelasticity than those
of AAE1 or ugeB) hyphae. Double deletion strains [ugeA), ugeB)] and [ugeA), ugmA)] had more disorganized surfaces than single deletion strains.
Wall surface structure correlated with wall viscoelasticity for both fixed and living hyphae, with wild type walls being the most viscoelastic and the double
deletion strains being the least. The ugmA) and particularly the [ugeA), ugmA)] strain were more adhesive to hydrophilic surfaces than wild type. We
propose that Galf is necessary for proper packing of cell wall components, so its loss gives rise to surface disorder, greater hydrophilic character and
reduced viscoelasticity.

Abstract Number: NULL

Conference Year: 2011

Link to conference website: NULL

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