G protein influences spore and trap development, as well as energy metabolism and the cell cycle, in Arthrobotrys oligospora through the downstream cAMP and MAPK signaling pathways

In this study, we investigated the regulatory functions of the five G protein subunits in Arthrobotrys oligospora through gene knockout, phenotypic analysis, and transcriptomic profiling. Similar to most filamentous fungi, five G protein subunits were retrieved from A. oligospora, including three Gα subunits (GNA1, GNA2, and GNA3), a Gβ (GNB) and a Gγ (GNG) subunit.

Our results demonstrated that gna2 and gng negatively regulate conidiation, whereas gna3, gnb, and gng are essential for[D1.1] conidiophore development and spore germination. Deletion of any G protein subunit resulted in severe defects in trap formation. Transcriptomic analysis further revealed that gna1 is involved in energy metabolism, while gng regulates cell cycle-related pathways and iron homeostasis in the strain.