Identification and Expression Analysis of Sugar Transporter Gene Family in Aspergillus oryzae

Abstract

Sugar transporter (SUT) genes are associated with multiple physiological and biochemical processes in filamentous fungi, such as the response to various stresses. However, limited systematic analysis and functional information of SUT gene family have been available on Aspergillus oryzae (A. oryzae). To investigate the potential roles of SUTs in A. oryzae, we performed an integrative analysis of the SUT gene family in this study. Based on the conserved protein domain search, 127 putative SUT genes were identified in A. oryzae and further categorized into eight distinct subfamilies. The result of gene structure and conserved motif analysis illustrated functional similarities among the AoSUT proteins within the same subfamily. Additionally, expression profiles of the AoSUT genes at different growth stages elucidated that most of AoSUT genes have high expression levels at the stationary phase while low in the adaptive phase. Furthermore, expression profiles of AoSUT genes under salt stress showed that AoSUT genes may be closely linked to salt tolerance and involved in sophisticated transcriptional process. The protein-protein interaction network of AoSUT propounded some potentially interacting proteins. A comprehensive overview of the AoSUT gene family will offer new insights into the structural and functional features as well as facilitate further research on the roles of AoSUT genes in response to abiotic stresses.

Identification of sugar transporter genes and their roles in the pathogenicity of Verticillium dahliae on cotton

“…It was found that most of VdST proteins possessed 10-12 TMDs, and 8 proteins harbored only 7-9 TMDs, likely due to sequence deletion during gene evolution. Consistent with this, similar ST protein structures have been observed in many plants and other fungi ( Afoufa-Bastien et al., 2010 ; Reuscher et al., 2014 ; Lv et al., 2020 ). A phylogenetic analysis found that the 65 VdST genes were grouped into 8 Clades with specificity to different groups of sugar molecules, which was similar to research in other fungi ( Peng et al., 2018 ; Lv et al., 2020 ).…”

“…Consistent with this, similar ST protein structures have been observed in many plants and other fungi ( Afoufa-Bastien et al., 2010 ; Reuscher et al., 2014 ; Lv et al., 2020 ). A phylogenetic analysis found that the 65 VdST genes were grouped into 8 Clades with specificity to different groups of sugar molecules, which was similar to research in other fungi ( Peng et al., 2018 ; Lv et al., 2020 ). Compared with Clade I, VI and VII, Clade IV, II, V, VIII and III harbored more members, mainly including hexose transporters, disaccharide (lactose and maltose) permeases, myoinositol transporters and quinate permeases.…”

Genome-wide identification and expression pattern of sugar transporter genes in salt tolerant fungus Aspergillus sydowii H-1

“…We nally found 173 STs in A. sydowii H-1 genome. Compared with 127 and 86 STs in Aspergillus oryzae [71] and Aspergillus niger [72], this number is undoubtedly larger and indicate a high potential for substrate utilization. Through analysis, we obtained a phylogenetic tree similar to the sugar transporters in A. niger [72], which were divided into 9 subgroups including hexose, glucose, xylose, galactose, glycerol, inositol, sucrose and other transporter types (Fig.…”

Endocytosis of nutrient transporters in fungi: The ART of connecting signaling and trafficking

“…In some Aspergillus species, the genes encoding proteins involved in sugar transport were already identified. For instance, A. oryzae and A. niger contain 127 [87] and 86 [88] putative sugar transporter genes, respectively. However, only a small number of these transporters has been functionally characterized [86] , [89] , [90] , [91] , [92] , [93] , [94] .…”