The importance of connections between the cell wall integrity pathway and the unfolded protein response in filamentous fungi

Iran Malavazi, Gustavo Henrique Goldmanm, Neil Andrew Brown

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

48 Citations (SciVal)

Abstract

In the external environment, or within a host organism, filamentous fungi experience sudden changes in nutrient availability, osmolality, pH, temperature and the exposure to toxic compounds. The fungal cell wall represents the first line of defense, while also performing essential roles in morphology, development and virulence. A polarized secretion system is paramount for cell wall biosynthesis, filamentous growth, nutrient acquisition and interactions with the environment. The unique ability of filamentous fungi to secrete has resulted in their industrial adoption as fungal cell factories. Protein maturation and secretion commences in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The unfolded protein response (UPR) maintains ER functionality during exposure to secretion and cell wall stress.UPR, therefore, influences secretion and cell wall homeostasis, which in turn impacts upon numerous fungal traits important to pathogenesis and biotechnology. Subsequently, this review describes the relevance of the cell wall and UPR systems to filamentous fungal pathogens or industrial microbes and then highlights interconnections between the two systems. Ultimately, the possible biotechnological applications of an enhanced understanding of such regulatory systems in combating fungal disease, or the removal of natural bottlenecks in protein secretion in an industrial setting, are discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Article numberelu027
Pages (from-to)456-470
Number of pages15
JournalBriefings in Functional Genomics
Volume13
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Nov 2014

Keywords

  • Aspergillus
  • Cell wall integrity
  • Filamentous fungi
  • Unfolded protein response

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

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