Are dormant spores really dormant? A perspective from the transcription level.

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	Are dormant spores really dormant? A perspective from the transcription level.
	Wang, F.; Dong, L.; Wong, K. H.
	2017-03-14
Source Publication	29th Fungal Genetics Conference
Abstract	Fungal spores are specialized reproductive cells of filamentous fungi with properties for dispersal as well as for survival under harsh conditions and over a long period of time. It has been shown in Aspergillus niger that the resting spores have little metabolic activities and consume minimal energy. Previous studies have detected mRNA transcripts in dormant spores of some filamentous fungi, but it is not clear whether the transcripts were carried over from the process of conidiation or were actively synthesized in the resting spores. Moreover, a previous study in A. niger has been shown that genes involved in protein biosynthesis, RNA degradation, respiration and nitrogen metabolism are induced within an hour upon shifting to favorable growth conditions, suggesting that spores are constantly sensing and readily responding to the environment for growth. In this work, we aim to find out 1) whether resting spores of Aspergillus nidulans have any active transcription, 2) whether dormant spores can respond to stresses during dormancy and 3) whether resting spores of different ages and spores kept under different stresses behave differently during the break of dormancy. To address these, we have used Chromatin Immuno-precipitation followed by Next Generation Sequencing (ChIPseq) against RNA polymerase II (Pol II) to map active transcription events in spores kept under different conditions (e.g. fresh spores at 37? , spores aged at RT or 4? with or without oxygen) and during the germination process. Our preliminary results show that Pol II is engaged on many genes genome-wide in resting spores. Gene Ontology analysis shows that these genes are enriched with stress response, ATP generation and the conidiation process. Unexpectedly, we found a significant level of Pol II accumulation near the 5’ end of many genes in resting spores but absent in germinated spores and mycelia. The accumulation pattern is similar to the promoter-proximal pausing phenomenon in higher eukaryotes. We are in the process of confirming and understanding the functional significance of this phenomenon. We speculate that Pol II may be preloaded to specific promoters during the spore maturation process such to reduce the steps and energy needed by activation of genes for growth and survival in energetically dormant spores. Therefore, this Pol II “pausing” phenomenon might have important implications in the physiology and durability of spores.
Keyword	spores dormant
Language	英語English
The Source to Article	PB_Publication
PUB ID	32161
Document Type	Conference paper
Collection	DEPARTMENT OF BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES Faculty of Health Sciences
Corresponding Author	Wong, K. H.
Recommended Citation GB/T 7714	Wang, F.,Dong, L.,Wong, K. H.. Are dormant spores really dormant? A perspective from the transcription level.[C], 2017.
APA	Wang, F.., Dong, L.., & Wong, K. H. (2017). Are dormant spores really dormant? A perspective from the transcription level.. 29th Fungal Genetics Conference.

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