Cell wall signal sensors regulate cell wall integrity, conidiation, trap formation, and secondary metabolism in Arthrobotrys oligospora

Most of genes of the CWI pathway have been characterized as crucial for cell wall structure and stress response in filamentous fungi. However, little is known about the biological functions of CWI signal sensors in the nematode-trapping (NT) fungi.

Here, we functionally characterized the roles and potential regulatory networks of the four WSC proteins (AoWsc1, AoWsc2, AoWsc3, and AoWsc4) in a typical NT fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora. Our results showed that the deletion of these four wsc genes affected the cell wall component (chitin and glucan), cell wall structure, and stress response in A. oligospora. Notably, the ΔAowsc2 and ΔAowsc3 mutants exhibited impaired sporulation and spore germination, whereas the ΔAowsc1 and ΔAowsc4 mutants displayed increased sporulation.