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Nitric oxide synthesis by nitrate reductase is regulated during development in Aspergillus

Marcos Rodríguez, Ana Teresa; Ramos Guelfo, María Salud; Marcos, José F.; Carmona, Lourdes; Strauss, Joseph; Cánovas López, David

Abstract

Nitric oxide (NO) is a signalling molecule involved in many biological processes in bacteria, plants and mammals. However, little is known about the role and biosynthesis of NO in fungi. Here we show that NO production is increased at the early stages of the transition from vegetative growth to development in Aspergillus nidulans. Full NO production requires a functional nitrate reductase (NR) gene (niaD) that is upregulated upon induction of conidiation, even under N-repressing conditions in the presence of ammonium. At this stage, NO homeostasis is achieved by balancing biosynthesis (NR) and catabolism (flavohaemoglobins). niaD and flavohaemoglobin fhbA are transiently upregulated upon induction of conidiation, and both regulators AreA and NirA are necessary for this transcriptional response. The second flavohaemoglobin gene fhbB shows a different expression profile being moderately expressed during the early stages of the transition phase from vegetative growth to conidiation, but it is strongly induced 24 h later. NO levels influence the balance between conidiation and sexual reproduction because artificial strong elevation of NO levels reduced conidiation and induced the formation of cleistothecia. The nitrate-independent and nitrogen metabolite repression-insensitive transcriptional upregulation of niaD during conidiation suggests a novel role for NR in linking metabolism and development.

Full text

Ni ic oxide syn hesis by ni a e educ ase is egula ed du ing de elopmen in Aspe gillus Ana T. Ma cos,1Ma ía S. Ramos,1Jose F. Ma cos,2 Lou des Ca mona,2† Joseph S auss3,4 and Da id Cáno as1,3* 1Depa amen o de Gené ica,Facul ad de Biología, Uni e sidad de Se illa,Se illa, Spain. 2Depa men o Food Science,Ins i u e o Ag ochemis y and Food Technology (IATA),Valencia, Spain. 3Fungal Gene ics and Genomics Uni ,Depa men o Applied Gene ics and Cell Biology,Uni e si y o Na u al Resou ces and Li e Sciences (BOKU) Vienna,Vienna, Aus ia. 4Depa men o Heal h and En i onmen ,Bio esou ces, Aus ian Ins i u e o Technology (AIT),Vienna, Aus ia. Summa y Ni ic oxide (NO) is a signalling molecule in ol ed in many biological p ocesses in bac e ia, plan s and mammals. Howe e , li le is known abou he ole and biosyn hesis o NO in ungi. He e we show ha NO p oduc ion is inc eased a he ea ly s ages o he ansi ion om ege a i e g ow h o de elopmen in Aspe gillus nidulans. Full NO p oduc ion equi es a unc ional ni a e educ ase (NR) gene (niaD) ha is up egula ed upon induc ion o conidia ion, e en unde N- ep essing condi ions in he p esence o ammo- nium. A his s age, NO homeos asis is achie ed by balancing biosyn hesis (NR) and ca abolism ( la o- haemoglobins). niaD and la ohaemoglobin hbA a e ansien ly up egula ed upon induc ion o conidia ion, and bo h egula o s A eA and Ni A a e necessa y o his ansc ip ional esponse. The second la ohae- moglobin gene hbB shows a di e en exp ession p o ile being mode a ely exp essed du ing he ea ly s ages o he ansi ion phase om ege a i e g ow h o conidia ion, bu i is s ongly induced 24 h la e . NO le els in luence he balance be ween conidia ion and sexual ep oduc ion because a i icial s ong ele a- ion o NO le els educed conidia ion and induced he o ma ion o cleis o hecia. The ni a e-independen and ni ogen me aboli e ep ession-insensi i e an- sc ip ional up egula ion o niaD du ing conidia ion sugges s a no el ole o NR in linking me abolism and de elopmen . In oduc ion Rep oduc ion is an essen ial pa o he biological cycle o ungi and a mode o dispe sion in he en i onmen . Among ungi, Aspe gillus nidulans has been used as a model o ganism o s udy ep oduc ion o decades. A. nidulans displays wo modes o ep oduc ion: sexual o asexual. The asexual de elopmen p og am (conidia ion) is ini ia ed when supe icial hyphae a e exposed o an ai in e phase. The asexual ep oduc i e s uc u e o A. nidu- lans is he conidiopho e, which o ms g een-pigmen ed conidiospo es app oxima ely 24 h a e induc ion o de el- opmen (Adams e al., 1998; E xebes e e al., 2010; Yu, 2010). A cen al egula o y pa hway encompassing B lA, AbaA and We A con ols conidia ion (see e iews by Adams e al., 1998; E xebes e e al., 2010; Yu, 2010, and e e ences he ein). The i s componen in he egula o y cascade, B lA, is essen ial o d i e conidia ion (Adams e al., 1988). b lA is no exp essed du ing ege a i e g ow h, bu i s induc ion du ing de elopmen is con olled by a numbe o genes, e.g. he lu y genes (Adams e al., 1998; Yu e al., 2006). These lu y genes a e exp essed in ege a i e mycelium and a e able o espond o s imuli o induce he co-o dina ed ac i a ion o he mas e egu- la o b lA (E xebes e e al., 2010). The sexual p og am is p omo ed by signals ha can be g ouped in ou ca ego ies: absence o ligh , nu ien a ail- abili y, empe a u e and a mosphe ic gases. Unde labo a- o y condi ions, pla e sealing limi s he exchange o gases and esul s in lowe ing he oxygen le els and inc easing he CO2le els, which p omo es sexual ep oduc ion (Dye and O’Go man, 2012). A. nidulans is homo hallic, i.e. each s ain ha bou s bo h ma ing ype genes, MAT1/ma B and MAT2/ma A (Paole i e al., 2007). Du ing his p og am, A. nidulans de elops sphe ical ui ing bodies called cleis o- hecia, which con ain meiospo es called ascospo es (Dye and O’Go man, 2012). Genes in ol ed in he egula ion o cleis o hecia o ma ion we e mainly iden i ied h ough A. nidulans mu an s de ec i e a dis inc s ages o sexual de elopmen : acleis o hecial s ains such as ΔnsdD and Accep ed 3 Sep embe , 2015. *Fo co espondence. E-mail da idc@ us.es; Tel. +34954554405; Fax +34954557104. †P esen add ess: Depa men o Plan Bio echnology, Fundo de De esa da Ci icul u a, Vila Melhado – A a aqua a, São Paulo, B azil. Molecula Mic obiology (2016) 99(1), 15–33 ■doi:10.1111/mmi.13211 Fi s published online 14 Oc obe 2015 © 2015 The Au ho s. Molecula Mic obiology published by John Wiley & Sons L d. This is an open access a icle unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion License, which pe mi s use, dis ibu ion and ep oduc ion in any medium, p o ided he o iginal wo k is p ope ly ci ed. Δs uA (Wu and Mille , 1997; Han e al., 2001), mu a ions ha s op he p opaga ion p og am a e p oduc ion o Hülle cells such as Δs eA and ΔmedA (Clu e buck, 1969; Vallim e al., 2000) and s ains ha a e blocked in he ma u a ion o cleis o hecia (Ecke e al., 2000; Ho mann e al., 2000; Busch e al., 2001). Ea ly wo k in H. Ninnemann’s labo a o y connec ed ni a e educ ase ac i i y o blue ligh -p omo ed conidia- ion in Neu ospo a c assa (Klemm and Ninnemann, 1979; Ninnemann, 1991). The pa hway o he assimila ion o ni a e has been ex ensi ely s udied in A. nidulans o se e al decades. Ni a e assimila ion equi es he ac ion o wo enzymes: ni a e educ ase (NR, encoded by niaD), media ing he educ ion o ni a e o ni i e; and he ni i e educ ase (NiR, encoded by niiA) in ol ed in he con e - sion o ni i e o ammonium. Ni a e assimila ion is gene - ally ep essed in ungi by he p esence o he p e e ed ni ogen sou ces ammonium o glu amine and, in A. nidu- lans, is ac i a ed by ni a e o ni i e h ough he syne gis- ic ac ion o he pa hway speci ic egula o Ni A and he gene al egula o o ni ogen me abolism A eA (A s and Co e, 1973; Caddick e al., 1986; Bu ge e al., 1991; Ma zlu , 1997; S auss e al., 1998; Mu o-Pas o e al., 1999; Todd e al., 2005; Be ge e al., 2006; 2008; Be n ei e e al., 2007; Schinko e al., 2010). Recen ly, he egula ion o ni a e assimila ion was con- nec ed o ni ic oxide (NO) me abolism in A. nidulans (Schinko e al., 2010). NO is widely ecognised o i s ole as signalling compound om bac e ia o mammals (Rosselli e al., 1998; He e al., 2004; Kwon e al., 2012; Se h e al., 2012). This dia omic molecule is a sho -li ed adical wi h a hal -li e o a ew seconds. I plays essen ial egula o y oles in a a ie y o biological p ocesses bu can also cause ni osa i e s ess o cells. Fla ohaemo- globins a e known o unc ion in NO de oxi ica ion, con- e ing he eac i e NO adical in o ni a e and consequen ly p o ec ing agains ni osa i e s ess de i ed om ei he exogenous o endogenous sou ces (Ga dne e al., 1998a; Fos e e al., 2009). Di e en ou es o cel- lula NO biosyn hesis ha e been desc ibed in na u e, including bo h oxida i e and educ i e pa hways. The oxi- da i e syn hesis has been epo ed in bac e ia, plan s and mammals in ol ing he con e sion o L-a ginine and O2 in o ci ulline and NO by he ni ic oxide syn hase (Alde on e al., 2001; Lamo e e al., 2005; Go en and Maye , 2007). The educ i e NO syn hesis was epo ed as i s in legumes (Dean and Ha pe , 1988; Yamasaki, 2000), bu la e was shown o be widesp ead in plan s, and i in ol es he ac ion o he ni a e educ ase a sa u- a ing ni i e concen a ions unde educ i e condi ions (excess o NAPDH) (Yamasaki, 2000; Yamasaki and Sakihama, 2000; Rockel e al., 2002; Lamo e e al., 2005). In mammals al e na i e educ i e pa hways o he con e sion o ni i e o NO ha e been iden i ied in ol ing di e en enzymes such as cy och ome c, P450 o deoxy- haemoglobin in he hea and wall essels o by non- enzyma ic mechanisms (Zweie e al., 2010). No ably, ungal genomes a e de oid o NO syn hase homologues (Go en and Maye , 2007; Samalo a e al., 2013) and he physiological and gene ic mechanisms ha de e mine changes in he le el o NO in ungi a e poo ly unde s ood in hese o ganisms. Addi ion o NO chemical dono s induces asexual spo e de elopmen in he asco- myce e N. c assa (Ninnemann and Maie , 1996), spo an- giopho e de elopmen in he zygomyce e Phycomyces blakesleeanus (Maie e al., 2001), conidia ion in Conio- hy ium mini ans (Gong e al., 2007) and sexual ui ing bodies in he ascomyce e A. nidulans (Baidya e al., 2011) and in he basidiomyce e Flammulina elu ipes (Song e al., 2000). Magnapo he o yzae syn hesised NO du ing ge mina ion and ea ly de elopmen ; howe e , he dele ion o candida e genes in bo h oxida i e and educ i e ou es did no impai NO biosyn hesis in his ungus (Samalo a e al., 2013). In A. nidulans he wo la ohaemoglobins FhbA and FhbB we e shown o be in ol ed in he me abo- lism o NO o ni a e (Ga dne e al., 1998b; Poole and Hughes, 2000). In addi ion, hey a e essen ial o p o ec ni a e educ ase and ni i e educ ase enzymes agains ni osa i e damage elici ed by g ow h on ni i e a low en i onmen al pH condi ions (Schinko e al., 2010; 2013). In his wo k, we p o ide da a indica ing he exis ence o a ni a e educ ase-dependen pa hway o he syn hesis o NO in A. nidulans and ound ha NO le els inc ease immedia ely a e swi ching om ege a i e g ow h o conidia ion. Bo h la ohaemoglobins a e in ol ed in he balance o NO du ing he de elopmen al swi ch. Resul s Aspe gillus p oduces NO Se e al echniques ha e been employed o de ec and quan i y NO p oduc ion (Yamasaki and Sakihama, 2000; Maie e al., 2001; Planche and Kaise , 2006; Nagano, 2009; Samalo a e al., 2013). We selec ed he NO-sensi i e luo escen p obes de eloped by Nagano and collabo a o s (Kojima e al., 1998a,b; 1999). This app oach was p e iously epo ed o be use ul in ungi (Ca mona e al., 2012; Samalo a e al., 2013). DAF-FM is e y sensi i e o NO, wi h a de ec ion limi o 3 nM, whe eas DAF-FM diace a e (DAF-FM DA) is cell- pe meable and passi ely di uses ac oss cellula mem- b anes. Once inside he cells i is deace yla ed o DAF-FM by es e ases (Kojima e al., 1999). To es whe he hey could also be employed in Aspe gillus, ungal cells we e g own in liquid ammonium minimal medium. Ei he DAF-FM o DAF-FM DA was added o he cul u es. A e cells we e loaded wi h he dyes o 20 min, he excess o 16 A. T. Ma cos e al. ■ © 2015 The Au ho s. Molecula Mic obiology published by John Wiley & Sons L d., Molecula Mic obiology,99, 15–33 bo h dyes was washed ou in hal o he samples, and all o hem we e ans e ed o a 96-well pla e o moni o ing luo escence. As shown in Fig. 1A–B, he e was an inc ease in he luo escence o e ime when he excess o dye we e no washed o he cells. Howe e , when he cells we e washed, he luo escence eco ded was d as- ically lowe han in non-washed cells o in con ol medium. To analyse whe he he moni o ed luo escence was he esul o he eac ion wi h he NO-sensi i e p obe inside o ou side he cells, luo escence was imaged unde a luo escen mic oscope (Fig. 1C). When he cells we e no washed, luo escence was obse ed bo h ou side and inside he cells ega dless o he dye (DAF-FM o DAF-FM DA). A e he excess o dye was washed ou , luo escence was obse ed p e e en ially inside he cells. To con i m he biological o igin o he signal, Aspe gillus cells g own o 16 h in liquid ammo- nium minimal medium we e au ocla ed. DAF-FM DA was added o li e cells, dead cells and he minimal medium and luo escence was eco ded (Fig. 1D). While luo es- cence in li e cell samples inc eased con inuously wi h ime, he luo escence gene a ed in he samples con ain- 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 . x 1,000) Non-washed cells Washed cells DAF-FM Diace a e A 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 o escence (a.u Washed Con ol (medium) 0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 Flu Time (min) 18 0) DAF-FM B 8 10 12 14 16 ce (a.u. x 1,000 Non-washed cells Washed cells 0 2 4 6 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 Fluo escen Washed Con ol (medium) shed DAF-FM Diace a e DAF-FM Time (min) C Non-was Washed D E 7000 8000 Li e ungus 4000 5000 6000 c ence (a.u.) Killed ungus 1000 2000 3000 Fluo es c 0 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 Time (min) -1000 4000 9000 14000 19000 24000 29000 0 25 50 75 100 125 Fluo escence (a.u.) Time (min) NH4 NH4 + dNO NH4 + PTIO 100 NH4 + PTIO 500 NH4 + PTIO 1000 Fig. 1. Quan i ica ion o NO p oduced by Aspe gillus.A. nidulans was g own in liquid ammonium minimal medium. DAF-FM DA (A) o DAF-FM (B) was added o he cul u es and incuba ed o 20 min in he da k. A e cell loading o he dyes, one sample con aining each dye was washed h ee imes, whe eas con ol samples we e no washed. F esh medium was used as an addi ional con ol o de ec he backg ound signal. Fluo escence was moni o ed by luo ome y (A and B) o cells we e imaged by luo escen mic oscopy (C). (D) A. nidulans was g own in liquid ammonium minimal medium o 16 h. One sample was kep as a li ing con ol, whe eas he es o he cells we e killed by au ocla ing. DAF-FM DA was added o he samples and he luo escence was eco ded by luo ome y. Backg ound signal ob ained wi h esh medium was sub ac ed om signals ob ained wi h bo h cell samples. (E) Aspe gillus cells we e g own in he p esence o in he absence o he NO- eleasing compound dNO (1.5 mM) o di e en concen a ions o he NO-sca enge PTIO (100–1000 μM). DAF-FM DA was added o he samples and luo escence was eco ded by luo ome y. Unde all hese condi ions, ungal g ow h was simila . In all cases, one ep esen a i e expe imen is shown. Ni ic oxide syn hesis in Aspe gillus 17 © 2015 The Au ho s. Molecula Mic obiology published by John Wiley & Sons L d., Molecula Mic obiology,99, 15–33 ing hea -killed ungi emained cons an o e ime, sug- ges ing ha NO p oduc ion was media ed by li e cells. I has been p e iously epo ed ha he DAF amily o NO-sensi i e dyes can also eac wi h asco bic acid and dehyd oasco bic acid (Zhang e al., 2002a,b). Al hough his possibili y was al eady dis ega ded by Samalo a and collabo a o s in Magnapo he (Samalo a e al., 2013), we es ed his possibili y in Aspe gillus by employing he NO-sca enge 4,4,5,5- e ame hylimidazoline-l-oxyl3- oxide (PTIO). Addi ion o di e en concen a ions o PTIO esul ed in a dose-dependen dec ease o luo escence compa ed wi h he con ol sample in he absence o he NO sca enge (Fig. 1E). Addi ion o he NO- eleasing compound de aNONOATE (dNO) p oduced a high inc ease o luo escence, as expec ed. Collec i ely, i shows ha DAF-FM and DAF-FM DA we e able o de ec he NO p oduced by Aspe gillus, bo h in acellula and ex acellula ly. We selec ed DAF-FM DA o he es o he s udy o ha ing a be e signal a io be ween samples con aining cells and con ol media in ou 96-well pla e assays (3.3 wi h DAF-FM DA e sus 1.5- old wi h DAF-FM). NO syn hesis du ing g ow h in liquid media pa ially depends on niaD I has been known o a long ime ha ungi can p oduce NO (Ninnemann and Maie , 1996); howe e , he mecha- nisms o NO syn hesis ha e emained obscu e so a . In o de o s udy a possible ole o he ni a e assimila ion pa hway in he biosyn hesis o NO, ou expe imen al se up was as ollows: he A. nidulans wild ype s ain was g own in liquid media con aining ni a e, ni i e o ammo- nium as sole ni ogen sou ce o 16 h; hen NO le els we e ollowed o up o 200 min by addi ion o he NO-sensi i e luo escen dye DAF-FM DA di ec ly o he g ow h medium and by subsequen luo ome ic quan i i- ca ion (Fig. 2A). The le el o luo escence in ensi y inc eased in he samples con aining ungal cells o e ime, o a highe ex en han in con ol samples (which con ain only he cul u e media). Sub ac ion o he back- g ound signal de i ed om he g ow h media con i med ha , in e es ingly, NO le els we e highe in ammonium han in ni i e o ni a e-con aining media (Fig. 2B, wild ype s ain). We hen in es iga ed whe he a ni a e educ ase- dependen ou e o he syn hesis o NO is ope a ional in A. nidulans, simila o he si ua ion desc ibed in plan s (Dean and Ha pe , 1988; Yamasaki and Sakihama, 2000; Rockel e al., 2002). We employed a ΔniaD mu an lacking ni a e educ ase. Ob iously his mu an canno g ow on ni a e as sole ni ogen sou ce, bu i can g ow on ni i e, which is, in plan s, he subs a e o he ni a e educ ase o p oduce NO. No majo di e ences we e ound in he NO le els be ween he wild ype and he mu an s ain on ammonium (Fig. 2B). Howe e , when bo h s ains we e g own in ni i e, he ΔniaD mu an p oduced 30% less NO han he wild ype, indica ing ha his enzyme pa icipa es in he p oduc ion o NO and is esponsible o a ound 30% o his me aboli e syn hesis when ni i e se ed as N-sou ce. On ni a e medium, he wild ype s ain showed he smalles amoun o NO compa ed wi h he o he wo ypes o ni ogen (Fig. 2B). In o de o es also NO p o- duc ion o ΔniaD on ni a e, he s ains we e p e-g own on ammonium o 12 h and hen ans e ed o ni a e- con aining ammonium liquid medium o back o sole ammonium medium as con ol. A e 6 h o g ow h unde hese condi ions, DAF-FM DA was added o he cul u es, and luo escence was quan i ied (Fig. 2C). The wild- ype s ain showed highe NO le els han he mu an when he medium was supplemen ed wi h ni a e indica ing again ha NR is in ol ed in he p oduc ion o NO h ough he ni a e assimila ion ou e. Ou da a sugges ed a pu a i e ole o niaD in medi- a ing he syn hesis o NO. P e ious da a easoned ha he la ohaemoglobin genes could be in ol ed in he ca abolism and hus de oxi ica ion o NO (Schinko e al., 2010). The dele ion o bo h la ohaemoglobin genes, hbA and hbB, did no a ec NO le els in ammonium medium (Fig. 2C–D, compa e NO le els wi h he wild ype s ain), bu he e was a d as ic inc ease in NO le els much highe han in he wild ype (up o 3.5- old inc ease) when ni a e was p esen in he medium (Fig. 2D). Impo an ly, e en in he p esence o he ep essing ni ogen sou ce ammonium, ni a e was an ob ious sou ce o NO p oduc ion. This is in ag eemen wi h indings by Schinko e al. (2010), who showed ha he ansc ip ion o hbA is independen om A eA unc- ion and ha ull induc ion o his gene also occu s unde induced- ep essed condi ions (i.e. ammonium plus ni a e). When he ni a e educ ase niaD was dele ed in he la ohaemoglobin dele ion mu an (ΔniaD Δ hbA Δ hbB), he inc ease o NO in he p esence o ni a e was no obse ed, con i ming ha a ni a e pa hway ope a es o syn hesise NO in A. nidulans and ha his pa hway equi es a unc ional niaD gene. Dele ion o niaD esul s in d as ic educ ion o NO p oduc ion du ing g ow h on solid media P e ious ansc ip omic da a ob ained in ou labo a o y sugges ed ha he ni a e u ilisa ion pa hway was exp essed du ing he induc ion o conidia ion (Cano as e al., 2014), which allowed us o hypo hesise ha , in addi ion o ege a i e g ow h, NO could also be p oduced h ough he ni a e pa hway du ing de elopmen . Fo his eason, we we e in e es ed in in es iga ing whe he NR was also ele an o NO p oduc ion on solid medium. We 18 A. T. Ma cos e al. ■ © 2015 The Au ho s. Molecula Mic obiology published by John Wiley & Sons L d., Molecula Mic obiology,99, 15–33 compa ed he NO le els in he wild ype and he ΔniaD s ain. Bo h s ains we e g own on solid medium con ain- ing di e en ni ogen sou ces (ammonium, p oline o p oline supplemen ed wi h ni a e). P oline allows he g ow h o he wild ype and also he ΔniaD s ain, and i is a neu al (non- ep essing, non-inducing) ni ogen sou ce o he ni a e assimila ion sys em. Su p isingly, we ound ha NO le els o he ΔniaD mu an on ammonium solid medium was only 41% o he wild ype (Fig. 3A), whe eas in liquid ammonium medium bo h exhibi ed simila le els (Fig. 2). On p oline solid medium, he ΔniaD mu an p o- duced less NO compa ed wi h he wild ype. When ni a e was added o he p oline solid media, he wild ype inc eased NO p oduc ion (P<0.05; S uden ’s - es ), whe eas in he ΔniaD s ain educed le els we e ound: 30% less ela i e o p oline media (P<0.05; S uden ’s - es ), and 55% less NO han he wild ype in p oline plus ni a e (P<0.01; S uden ’s - es ). In his case, we obse ed ha he NO le els in he ni i e educ ase de ec- i e mu an (niiA4) we e simila o he wild- ype le els (Fig. 3A). The e o e, all hese da a sugges ha he e is a niaD-dependen pa hway o he syn hesis o NO bo h in liquid and on solid media and ha addi ional pa hway(s) o he syn hesis o NO mus ope a e in A. nidulans. 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 NH4 NO2 NO3 Pe cen age ( % luo escence / OD595) A B 0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000 14000 0 50 100 150 200 Fluo escence (a.u.) Time (min) Con ol_NH4 A. nidulans_NH4 Con ol_NO2 A. nidulans_NO2 Con ol_NO3 A. nidulans_NO3 Wild ype ΔniaD n.d. NH4+NO3- NO2- Con ol NH4+ Con ol NO3- Con ol NO2- A. nidulans NH4+ A. nidulans NO3- A. nidulans NO2- 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Fluo escence (a.u.) / mg d y weigh C 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 Fluo escence (a.u.) / mg d y weigh D WT ΔniaD Δ hbAB ΔniaD Δ hbAB NH4+NH4+ + 10 mM NO3- NH4+NH4+ + 10 mM NO3- NH4+NH4++ 10 mM NO3- NH4++ 100 mM NO3- NH4+NH4++ 10 mM NO3- NH4++ 100 mM NO3- Fig. 2. NO quan i ica ion in mycelium in liquid medium. A. A. nidulans wild ype was inocula ed in media con aining he indica ed compounds as sole ni ogen sou ces. DAF-FM DA was added o he cul u es and non-inocula ed media (con ol samples). Media, which was no inocula ed, was employed as con ol o de e mine he biological o igin o he NO p oduced. Fluo escence was eco ded o e ime. One ep esen a i e expe imen is shown. B. A. nidulans wild ype (ligh g ey ba s) and ΔniaD (da k g ey ba s) s ains we e g own in liquid media wi h he indica ed ni ogen sou ces. The ΔniaD s ain could no g ow in ni a e, and consequen ly, NO p oduc ion was no es ed in his sample (n.d.). Da a shown co espond o one ime poin a e addi ion o DAF-FM DA (100 min) and a e e e ed o he wild- ype s ain g own in ammonium media (100%). Da a shown a e he mean and he s anda d e o o he mean o a leas h ee independen biological eplica es. N.d.: no de e mined. C. A. nidulans wild ype and ΔniaD s ains we e g own in ammonium liquid medium o 12 h. The mycelia we e il e ed, washed and ans e ed o ammonium (con ol) and ammonium +10 mM ni a e. The cul u es we e g own o 6 addi ional hou s. DAF-FM DA was added o quan i y NO p oduc ion, and luo escence was eco ded o 60 min. Da a shown a e he mean and he s anda d e o o he mean o wo independen biological eplica es. D. A. nidulans Δ hbA Δ hbB and Δ hbA Δ hbB ΔniaD s ains we e g own in ammonium liquid medium o 12 h. The mycelia we e il e ed, washed and ans e ed o ammonium (con ol), ammonium +10 mM ni a e, and ammonium +100 mM ni a e. The cul u es we e g own o 6 addi ional hou s. DAF-FM DA was added o quan i y NO p oduc ion, and luo escence was eco ded o 60 min. Da a shown a e he mean and he s anda d e o o he mean o wo independen biological eplica es. Ni ic oxide syn hesis in Aspe gillus 19 © 2015 The Au ho s. Molecula Mic obiology published by John Wiley & Sons L d., Molecula Mic obiology,99, 15–33 Wi h he aim o con i m he sou ce o NO, he la ohae- moglobin mu an s we e used again o educe NO ca abo- lism and hus o inc ease he o e all le els o his me aboli e. The h ee s ains we e g own on solid media con aining p oline as a sole ni ogen sou ce; he luo es- cence eco ding was s a ed by addi ion o DAF-FM, and hen di e en ni ogen sou ces we e indi idually added o he assay as he eco ding con inued. As shown in Fig. 3B, addi ion o ni a e did no ha e majo e ec s on Δ hbA Δ hbB. Howe e , addi ion o ni i e elici ed an inc ease in he luo escence. The ni i e educ ase mu an (Δ hbA Δ hbB niiA4), on he o he hand, exhibi ed an inc ease in he NO le els a e he addi ion o ei he ni a e o ni i e, bu no ammonium, demons a ing ha he ni i e educ ase (NiR) was no esponsible o he syn hesis o NO. Addi ion o ei he ni a e o ni i e o he Δ hbA Δ hbB ΔniaD mu an did no inc ease he NO le els o e he con ol sample; u he mo e, his s ain showed educed NO le els in he con ol condi ions (p oline) compa ed wi h he wild ype (Δ hbA Δ hbB) and he Δ hbA Δ hbB niiA4 s ains (Fig. 3B). Addi ion o ammonium o any o he s ains did no change he NO le els signi ican ly o e he con ol condi ion (p oline), as expec ed. The e o e, aken oge he , ou da a demons a e ha he ni a e educ ase is pa ially esponsible o he syn hesis o NO employing ni i e as subs a e. NO le els a e highe on solid medium han in liquid medium Du ing he p e ious expe imen s, we obse ed a highe p oduc ion o NO du ing g ow h on solid media han in liquid media. In o de o compa e he NO le els in bo h ype o media, he A. nidulans wild- ype s ain was g own in liquid o solid media con aining ammonium (con ol) o ammonium supplemen ed wi h 10 o 100 mM ni a e o 18 h. DAF-FM was added o he samples, and luo es- cence was eco ded o 200 min. In e es ingly, p oduc ion o NO was much highe when A. nidulans was g own on solid media han in subme ged cul u e unde hese expe imen al condi ions (Fig. 4A). Addi ionally, he inc e- men in he p oduc ion o NO in he p esence o ni a e was also signi ican ly highe on solid media. In o de o ind ou whe he NO was p oduced o accu- mula ed in hyphae o conidiopho es, Aspe gillus was g own on solid medium. DAF-FM DA was added and allowed o pe mea e he cells o 20 min be o e washing ou he excess o he dye. Visualisa ion unde he luo es- cen mic oscope e ealed ha bo h hyphae and conidi- opho es we e s ained; howe e , he signal was s onge in he conidiopho es han in he hyphae (Fig. 4B). Unde his low magni ica ion and using a luo escen mic oscope, he signal appea ed o be g ea e in s e igma a cells (me ulae and phialides) han in he s alk cells. Con ocal mic oscopy con i med ha he luo escen signal could be de ec ed in he s e igma a cells (Fig. 4C–E), bu also in he esicle and s alk cells, and in hyphae (Fig. 4C). Fungal g ow h media es ni i e and ni a e syn hesis in ammonium media The high le els o NO obse ed on ammonium we e in iguing, bu he ac ha he ΔniaD s ain p oduced less NO han he wild ype on ammonium solid medium (Fig. 3A) posed wo in e es ing ques ions. The i s one is: can NO be syn hesised om ni a e in a medium con ain- 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 % Fluo escence (a.u.) / OD595 Δ hbAB ΔniaD Δ hbAB Δ hbAB niiA4 P ol P ol + NO3- P ol + NO2- P ol + NH4+ ΔniaD WT niiA4 P ol P ol + NO3- NH4+ A B 0 25 50 75 100 125 150 175 % Fluo escence (a.u.) / OD595 Fig. 3. NO quan i ica ion on solid medium. A. A. nidulans wild- ype, ΔniaD and niiA4 s ains we e g own on solid media con aining he indica ed ni ogen sou ces a 10 mM (ammonium o ni a e) o 3 mM (p oline) a 37°C o 18 h. DAF-FM DA was added o quan i y NO p oduc ion, and luo escence was eco ded o 100 min. Da a shown a e e e ed o he wild- ype s ain g own on ammonium media (100%). Da a shown a e he mean and he s anda d e o o he mean o a leas h ee independen biological eplica es. B. A. nidulans Δ hbA Δ hbB, Δ hbA Δ hbB ΔniaD and Δ hbA Δ hbB niiA4 s ains we e g own on p oline solid media o 18 h. DAF-FM DA was added o quan i y NO p oduc ion. Then, he indica ed ni ogen sou ces we e added, and luo escence was eco ded o 60 min. Da a shown a e e e ed o he con ol s ain (Δ hbA Δ hbB) g own on p oline wi hou he addi ion o any o he ni ogen sou ce. E o ba s ep esen he s anda d e o o he mean. 20 A. T. Ma cos e al. ■ © 2015 The Au ho s. Molecula Mic obiology published by John Wiley & Sons L d., Molecula Mic obiology,99, 15–33 ing ammonium as sole ni ogen sou ce? This sugges s ha ni a e could be p esen in his medium. To es his hypo hesis, we employed he A. nidulans ΔniaD s ain, which does no me abolise ni a e allowing i s accumula- ion, and quan i ied bo h ni a e and ni i e du ing g ow h in he media. The ΔniaD s ain was g own on he su ace o a pe i dish con aining liquid media supplemen ed wi h ammonium as sole ni ogen sou ce, as p e iously desc ibed (Ruge -He e os e al., 2011). Unde hese con- di ions, A. nidulans conidia ion p oceeded as on solid media. Nei he ni a e no ni i e could be de ec ed in he cul u e media be o e he inocula ion wi h he ungal spo es. Bu su p isingly, bo h ni a e and ni i e we e ound in he cul u e media a e 19, 24 and 48 h o ungal g ow h (Fig. 5). When he expe imen was pe o med wi h a wild- ype s ain, ni a e and ni i e we e also ound in he media bu a lowe le els, due o he me abolism o ni a e by an ac i e ni a e educ ase (Supplemen a y Fig. S1). niaD is induced du ing conidia ion The second ques ion is: i acco ding o he heo y o ni ogen egula ion, he ni a e educ ase gene niaD mus be ep essed in a media con aining he ep essing ni o- gen sou ce ammonium (A s and Co e, 1973), how is he ni a e educ ase ac i e in hese condi ions? T ansc ip- omics da a ob ained p e iously sugges ed ha he ni a e u ilisa ion pa hway was exp essed du ing induc ion o de elopmen on ammonium ni a e medium (Cano as e al., 2014). To u he con i m his, we i s ob ained 0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000 14000 16000 0 50 100 150 200 Fluo escence (a.u.) / OD595 Time (min) SOL AMM SOL AMM + 10 mM NIT SOL AMM + 100 mM NIT LIQ AMM LIQ AMM + 10 mM NIT LIQ AMM + 100 mM NIT SOL NH4+ SOL NH4+ + 10 mM NO3- SOL NH4+ + 100 mM NO3- LIQ NH4+ LIQ NH4+ + 10 mM NO3- LIQ NH4+ + 100 mM NO3- D E C DIC DAF-FM MERGE A B Fig. 4. NO p oduc ion is highe on solid medium han in liquid medium. A. A. nidulans wild- ype s ain was g own in liquid o solid media o 18 h. In liquid medium, A. nidulans was g own in ammonium liquid medium o 12 h. The mycelia we e il e ed, washed and ans e ed o ammonium (LIQ NH4+), ammonium +10 mM ni a e (LIQ NH4++10 mM NO3−) and ammonium + 100 mM ni a e (LIQ NH4++100 mM NO3−). The cul u es we e g own o 6 addi ional hou s ( o al g ow h ime was 18 h). On solid media spo es we e inocula ed on solid media con aining ammonium (SOL NH4+), ammonium +10 mM ni a e (SOL NH4++10 mM NO3−) and ammonium +100 mM ni a e (SOL NH4+ +100 mM NO3−), and he pla es we e incuba ed a 37°C o 18 h. DAF-FM DA was added o all cul u es o quan i y NO p oduc ion, and luo escence was eco ded o 200 min. The plo shown is he a e age o wo eplica e samples o a ep esen a i e expe imen . B–E. Aspe gillus wild- ype s ain was g own on solid ammonium medium o 24 h. Aga cubes con aining ungal biomass we e subme ged in a DAF-FM DA solu ion o 20 min and washed h ee imes. Conidiopho es we e imaged by luo escence mic oscopy (B) o con ocal mic oscopy (maximal p ojec ion in C, and single planes in D–E). Ni ic oxide syn hesis in Aspe gillus 21 © 2015 The Au ho s. Molecula Mic obiology published by John Wiley & Sons L d., Molecula Mic obiology,99, 15–33 wild- ype ege a i e mycelia g own in ammonium liquid medium o 18 h, and hen, conidia ion was induced by ans e ing he mycelia o solid media con aining ammo- nium o ni a e as a sole ni ogen sou ce (Fig. 6). Two hou s a e he induc ion o conidia ion, niaD mRNA le els we e oughly 70- old highe on ni a e solid media han in ege a i e mycelia and, s ikingly, niaD was also an- sc ibed on ammonium solid media. Howe e , he ni a e- induced le el was 8.6- old highe compa ed wi h ammonium. Longe induc ion o conidia ion on ni a e solid media did no esul in much u he inc ease o niaD exp ession ( om 70- o 92- old induc ion compa ed wi h ege a i e mycelia). Howe e , longe induc ion o conidi- a ion on ammonium media inc eased he induc ion o niaD om 8.5- o 23- old ela i e o ege a i e mycelia. We also quan i ied he le els o he la ohaemoglobin mRNAs a e he induc ion o conidia ion. As p e iously epo ed, hbA was induced by ni a e (Schinko e al., 2010), and he e was no signi ican a ia ion in he exp ession le els in ammonium du ing he i s hou s o conidia ion (Fig. 6). On he o he hand, he hbB gene was sligh ly ep essed immedia ely a e induc ion o asexual de elopmen ega dless o he ni ogen sou ce and d opped h ee old a e 2 h (Fig. 6). Down egula ion o hbB was simila in bo h ni ogen sou ces ammonium and ni a e, sugges ing ha hbB is no cons i u i e, bu a he de elopmen ally egula ed. NO le els a e inc eased du ing he i s hou s o conidia ion The highe le els o NO p oduced du ing g ow h on solid media compa ed wi h liquid media sugges s ha he e migh be a connec ion be ween NO and de elopmen . Indeed he exp ession pa e n o hbB poin s o an ea ly egula ion o he NO le els du ing he ansi ion om ege a i e g ow h o conidia ion. In o de o s udy his possible connec ion be ween NO and asexual de elop- men , we i s quan i ied he NO le els a he ea ly s ages o he ansi ion om ege a i e g ow h o conidia ion. The wild- ype s ain and he mu an lacking bo h la ohaemo- globins (Δ hbA Δ hbB), which canno de oxi y NO, we e 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 0h 19h 24h 48h NO3- o NO2- (ppm) NO3- NO2- Fig. 5. Quan i ica ion o ni a e and ni i e in he cul u e media. A. nidulans ΔniaD s ain was g own on he su ace o a pe i dish con aining liquid media o he indica ed ime poin s. Ni a e (ligh g ey ba s) and ni i e (da k g ey ba s) we e quan i ied wi h he G iess eagen . Nei he ni a e no ni i e was de ec ed in he media be o e ungal g ow h. NO3- NH4+ 0.000 0.005 0.010 0.015 0.020 0.025 Rela i e exp ession hbB 0 h 2 h 4 h 6 h Time ( h ) 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 Rela i e exp ession hbA 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 Rela i e exp ession niaD Fig. 6. Exp ession o he la ohaemoglobins and ni a e educ ase genes in media con aining ni a e o ammonium as sole ni ogen sou ce ea ly du ing conidia ion. A. nidulans wild- ype s ain was g own ege a i ely in ammonium liquid minimal medium o 18 h and hen ans e ed o ni a e (da k g ey ba s) o ammonium (ligh g ey ba s) solid medium o induce conidia ion. Samples we e aken a he indica ed ime poin s o RNA isola ion. hbA, hbB and niaD exp ession was quan i ied by eal ime RT-PCR. Da a we e no malised agains he exp ession o he ß- ubuline gene (benA). The plo s show he a e age and s anda d e o o he mean o he ela i e exp ession alues in a leas h ee independen expe imen s. 22 A. T. Ma cos e al. ■ © 2015 The Au ho s. Molecula Mic obiology published by John Wiley & Sons L d., Molecula Mic obiology,99, 15–33 g own in ammonium liquid medium, and hen ans e ed o solid media o induce conidia ion as abo e. Samples we e aken a 1 h in e als, and NO was quan i ied wi h DAF-FM. As can be seen in Fig. 7A–B, NO inc eased a e 1 h o induc ion compa ed wi h ege a i e g ow h in all he condi ions. In ac , we obse ed his inc ease a e induc ion o conidia ion o 1 h, and i emained ele a ed a leas o 7 h (da a no shown). The e we e no majo di e ences in he NO le els be ween ammonium and ni a e g ow h condi ions du ing he ea ly induc ion o conidia ion. We we e in e es ed in c ea ing a highe ange o NO le els o he ollowing expe imen s. The e o e, we added he NO- eleasing chemical compound de aNONOa e (dNO), which was p e iously es ed o inc eased le els o NO (Fig. 1E), and checked o an addi ional inc ease o NO le els (Fig. 7C). In his case, we ound a d as ic inc ease o NO in bo h s ains, as expec ed, and NO le els we e h ee old highe in he mu an han in he wild ype. Conidia ion (asexual de elopmen ) is ep essed by ele a ed NO le els In o de o ge insigh in o he e ec s o NO du ing ep o- duc ion, we i s es ed he e ec s o di e en NO le els on conidia ion using he wild- ype s ain and he mu an lacking bo h la ohaemoglobins (Δ hbA Δ hbB). Conidia- ion was induced as desc ibed abo e by ans e ing eg- e a i e mycelia o bo h s ains o solid media wi h o wi hou dNO. Based on he esul s shown abo e, we expec ed ha hese condi ions and s ains gene a ed a g adien o NO. As NO le els quickly inc eased a e induc ion o conidia ion, we quan i ied he le els unde hese condi ions and obse ed he expec ed g adien o inc easing NO le els (Fig. 8A). A e 3 days o incuba ion, he numbe o conidia was coun ed. Conidia ion was sligh ly educed in he double mu an compa ed wi h he wild ype in he con ol ni a e media (Fig. 8B). Addi ion o he NO-dono dNO o he media esul ed in a d as ic inc ease o NO le els, especially in he mu an s ain, and a u he educ ion o conidia ion (ca. 60%) bo h in he wild ype (P<0.1; S uden ’s - es ) and in he mu an s ain (P<0.05; S uden ’s - es ). Obse a ion o he ungal g ow h on he solid media wi h a s e eoscopic mic oscope e ealed a educ ion in he densi y o conidiopho es (Fig. S2). These esul s sugges ha an inc ease o NO co e- la es wi h a dec ease in conidia ion. Sexual de elopmen is induced by NO Conidia ion and sexual de elopmen a e no mally bal- anced in A. nidulans, meaning ha when one o hem inc eases, he o he one dec eases (Adams e al., 1998; Rod iguez-Rome o e al., 2010; Dye and O’Go man, 2012). To s udy he e ec s o NO in sexual de elopmen o A. nidulans, we ollowed a simila s a egy as desc ibed abo e bu g owing s ains unde condi ions o induce sexual de elopmen (i.e., sealed pla es in he da k). Again, his s a egy also allowed c ea ing he NO g adien unde he condi ions o induce sexual de elopmen (Fig. 8C). Opposi e o he e ec s obse ed in conidia ion, he e was an inc ease in he numbe o cleis o hecia ( he sexual ep oduc i e s uc u es o A. nidulans)in he mu an s ain compa ed wi h he wild ype in he con ol medium (Fig. 8D). When he NO- eleasing compound dNO was added o he media, he numbe o cleis o hecia e en inc eased in he pa en al s ain compa ed wi h he con ol media (Fig. 8D). Simila esul s we e ob ained by Baidya e al. (2011). This inc ease in he numbe o cleis- o hecia co ela ed wi h he inc ease o NO. Howe e , 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 Fluo escence (a.u.) 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 Fluo escence (a.u.) 0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 VEG 1 h 2 h 3 h 4 h Fluo escence (a.u.) Ammonium Ni a e Ni a e + dNO Wild ype Δ hbA Δ hbB A B C Time (h) Fig. 7. NO quan i ica ion a e induc ion o de elopmen . A. nidulans wild- ype s ain (ligh g ey ba s) and a Δ hbA Δ hbB mu an (da k g ey ba s) we e g own ege a i ely in ammonium liquid medium o 18 h (VEG) and hen ans e ed o solid media con aining di e en ni ogen sou ces o induce de elopmen : ammonium a a e as con ol ni ogen sou ce (A), sodium ni a e (B) and sodium ni a e supplemen ed wi h NO- eleasing chemical compound dNO (C). Samples we e aken a di e en imes, and he luo escence p oduced by he eac ion o NO and DAF-FM DA was quan i ied. Please no e he di e en g aph scales in A–C. Ni ic oxide syn hesis in Aspe gillus 23 © 2015 The Au ho s. Molecula Mic obiology published by John Wiley & Sons L d., Molecula Mic obiology,99, 15–33 ligh o conidia ion condi ions, o al e na i ely hey we e sealed and incuba ed in he da k o sexual de elopmen al condi ions. Plugs we e cu ou om he pla e 72 h a e induc- ion o de elopmen . Conidia in he plugs we e esuspended in Tween 0.1% bu e and coun ed. Fo coun ing cleis o he- cia, pla es incuba ed o 15 days we e i s sp ayed wi h 70% e hanol o acili a e he isualisa ion o he sexual s uc u es and hen pho og aphed. Da a shown a e he a e age o a leas ou independen expe imen s. NO quan i ica ion Ni ic oxide was quan i ied in samples by using he NO-sensi i e luo escen dye DAF-FM DA (In i ogen) ollow- ing he manu ac u e ’s ins uc ions excep in Fig. 1, in which DAF-FM (Sigma) was also employed. In Fig. 1, ungal cells we e g own in liquid ammonium minimal medium o 16 h, and 50 μlo 5μM DAF-FM DA o DAF-FM we e added o 100 μlo each sample. Cells we e loaded wi h he dye o 20 min and washed h ee imes wi h a 0.05% ween solu ion (when indi- ca ed). Samples we e ans e ed o 96-well pla es, and luo escence was eco ded in a Syne gy HT Mul i-mode Mic opla e Reade (Bio ek) equipped wi h FITC il e se s (λEm 488 nm, λEx 520 nm). In Fig. 2Aand B, conidia we e inocula ed in o 100 μl o minimal media a a inal concen a ion o 105conidia ml−1in 96-well pla es, and he pla es we e incu- ba ed wi h shaking a 37°C o 16 h o allow ae a ion o he cul u e. A e incuba ion, DAF-FM DA was added o he cul- u es o a inal concen a ion o 2.5 μM, and luo escence was eco ded in POLARs a Omega luo ome e (MG Lab ech) equipped wi h FITC il e se s (λEm 488 nm, λEx 520 nm) o up o 200 min. Da a we e analysed wi h Omega Con ol ( e sion 1.10) so wa e. Fo he es o he expe imen s, he s ains we e g own in ammonium liquid medium o 12 h, hen ans- e ed o liquid media con aining he app op ia e ni ogen sou ces and incuba ion con inued o 6 addi ional hou s. Cells we e loaded wi h he dye o 20 min and ans e ed o 96-well pla es. Al e na i ely, he s ains we e g own in ammonium liquid medium o 18 h and hen ans e ed o solid media o he indica ed ime poin s. Pla es we e incuba ed unde he condi ions desc ibed abo e o conidia ion o sexual de elop- men . Samples we e aken om he pla es a he indica ed ime poin s, subme ged in a solu ion o 5 μM DAF-FM DA o 1 h. Samples we e cen i uged, and he supe na an was ans e ed o a 96-well pla e o luo escence quan i ica ion. Fo he o he expe imen s pe o med on solid media in Figs 3 and 4, 105conidia we e inocula ed on 96-well pla es con ain- ing solid media con aining he indica ed ni ogen sou ces and incuba ed o 18 h be o e quan i ica ion o NO. In Fig. 3B, ungal cells we e g own in p oline solid media o 18 h, luo- escence quan i ica ion s a ed a e addi ion o DAF-FM DA and hen he indica ed ni ogen sou ces we e added and luo escence quan i ica ion con inued o 2 addi ional hou s. In all cases 2.5 μM DAF-FM DA was added o he samples. Fluo escence was de ec ed and quan i ied in a Syne gy HT Mul i-mode Mic opla e Reade (Bio ek) equipped wi h GFP il e se s. Da a we e analysed wi h Gen5TM Da a Analysis So wa e. In all expe imen s, da a we e no malised o d y weigh o OD595 as indica ed. Expe imen s we e epea ed a leas wo imes and pe o med in duplica es o iplica es, depending on he expe imen . Mic oscopy Aspe gillus was g own ei he on liquid ammonium medium o 14–16 h o solid ammonium medium o 24 h. A solu ion o 5μM DAF-FM DA(solid and liquid samples) o DAF-FM (liquid samples) was added o he mycelium. A e cell loading o he dye o 20 min, he excess o dye was washed ou wi h a 0.05% Tween 80 solu ion. Images we e eco ded in an Olympus IX2-UCB in e ed luo escence mic oscope equipped wi h a FITC il e se (λEm 488 nm; λEx 520 nm). Images in Fig. 1C we e aken using iden ical se ings o compa a i e pu poses. Images in Fig. 4B we e p ocessed and me ged using Adobe ImageReady CS2 (Adobe Sys ems Inco po a ed, CA, USA). Con ocal images we e ob ained in a ZEISS LSM 7 DUO con ocal mic oscope wi h an exci a ion a 488 nm using an OPSS lase beam. Con ocal images we e p ocessed using ZEN Li e 2012 (Zeiss, Ge many). Ni a e and ni i e measu emen s in he cul u e supe na an Ni a e and ni i e we e quan i ied in he cul u e media using he G iess eagen as p e iously desc ibed (Schinko e al., 2010). Acknowledgemen s We would like o hank Michael Hynes o he niiA4 s ain, Tho s en Schinko o help ul discussions, Modes o Ca ballo o help wi h he luo ome ic assays (Se icio de Biología, Cen o de In es igación Tecnología e Inno ación, Uni e sidad de Se illa) and Juan Luis Ribas o help wi h he con ocal mic oscopy (Cen o de In es igación Tecnología e Inno ación, Uni e sidad de Se illa). Wo k in Valencia was suppo ed by g an numbe BIO2012-34381 om he MINECO o JFM, and in Vienna was suppo ed by g an numbe LS12-009 om he n( +b) Lowe Aus ia Science Fund and M01693-B22 om he FWF. We would like o hank he anonymous e e ees o help ul sugges ions o imp o e his manusc ip . Re e ences Adams, T.H., Boylan, M.T., and Timbe lake, W.E. 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