A reusable module for the central genetic regulatory cascade that commits vegetative hyphae to asexual sporulation (conidiation) in filamentous ascomycetes. The shared logic - light/nutrient gating -> a master transcriptional activator -> stage-specific regulators -> structural output (hydrophobin rodlet layer and pigment) - is realized by two largely non-orthologous programs, captured as taxon variants: the Aspergillus nidulans FluG/Flb -> BrlA -> AbaA -> WetA/velvet pathway with G-protein/FlbA gating, and the Neurospora crassa fluffy (FL) program gated by the blue-light White Collar Complex and the circadian clock.
Reusable ABSTRACT module with two taxon variants (EXACTLY_ONE): the Aspergillus nidulans BrlA central-regulatory-pathway paradigm and the Neurospora crassa fluffy/WCC-clock macroconidiation program. All 30 grounded genes have validated gene reviews (genes/EMENI/ and genes/NEUCR/). Conserved-role annotons are grounded as FAMILY selectors with a PANTHER PTHR family term, a verified UniProtKB representative member, and PAINT ancestral_nodes (PANTHER:PTN...) taken from the GOA WITH/FROM evidence on each gene's IBA annotations (GO_REF:0000033); PTN ids were never guessed. Nodes propagating terms flagged in the gene reviews were deliberately excluded (e.g. the flbD cell-cycle node PTN000067791 and the wA oxidoreductase node PTN002453893). Species-specific members without an IBD node (fluG, flbE, sfgA, rodA, dewA, wA, FL, FRQ, EAS, CON-10) remain GENE_PRODUCT selectors grounded by verified UniProtKB accessions. Molecular-function terms are on the leaf annotons.
All recommended fields populated.
✓ present
✓ representative grounding skipped for abstract module.
✓ every declared conforms_to bundle matches its template motif.
29 complete review(s) · 0 with deep research · 0 missing review · 30 reviewed but lacking deep research
| Gene | Review | Complete | Deep research |
|---|---|---|---|
| abaA P20945 | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| acon-2 U9W570 | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| acon-3 Q7SB37 | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| brlA P10069 | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| con-10 P10713 | ✓ | 0/0 | ✗ |
| con-6 P34762 | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| dewA P52750 | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| eas Q04571 | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| fadA Q00743 | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| fl O13360 | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| flbA P38093 | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| flbB C8VBM8 | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| flbC G5EAS8 | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| flbD G5EAY5 | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| flbE Q5BFF9 | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| fluG P38094 | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| frq P19970 | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| gpgA Q5B9N8 | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| laeA C8VQG9 | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| rodA P28346 | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| sfaD Q5BH99 | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| sfgA Q3I5F3 | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| veA C8VTV4 | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| velB C8VTS4 | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| vosA Q5BBX1 | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| wA Q03149 | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| wc-1 Q01371 | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| wc-2 P78714 | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| wetA P22022 | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| yA P17489 | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
The two programs are analogous (same developmental logic: gate -> master activator -> stage regulation -> structural output) but largely non-orthologous: Aspergillus BrlA/AbaA/WetA have no one-to-one Neurospora counterparts, and Neurospora forms macroconidia by budding rather than on a dedicated conidiophore. Additional Aspergilli (A. fumigatus, A. flavus) follow the Aspergillus paradigm.
The Aspergillus nidulans realization of the conidiation cascade: FluG/Flb upstream activators induce the C2H2 master regulator BrlA, which activates AbaA and then WetA plus the velvet complex (VosA/VelB/VeA/LaeA), building a multicellular conidiophore and maturing the conidia. G-protein (FadA) proliferation signaling, attenuated by the RGS protein FlbA, gates entry.
FluG generates a low-molecular-weight extracellular signal that relieves repression by SfgA; the fluffy (Flb) transcription factors FlbB, FlbC and FlbD (with FlbE) then converge to induce the master regulator brlA.
Synthesizes the diffusible extracellular factor required to trigger conidiation; loss gives a fluffy aconidial colony.
bZIP transcription factor acting upstream of brlA.
C2H2 zinc-finger transcription factor contributing to brlA induction.
cMyb-family transcription factor acting with FlbB to activate brlA.
Accessory factor that interacts with FlbB and is required for its activity.
BrlA, a C2H2 zinc-finger transcription factor, is the master regulator whose activation switches hyphal growth to conidiophore development.
Master switch; required for conidiophore vesicle and sterigmata formation. brlA mutants form bristle-like stalks without conidia.
AbaA, a TEA/ATTS-domain transcription factor activated by BrlA during mid-development, drives differentiation of the spore-producing phialides.
TEA/ATTS transcription factor for phialide differentiation; abaA mutants form beaded (abacus) chains instead of conidia.
AbaA activates wetA, which together with the velvet-complex regulators VosA and VelB (with VeA and the methyltransferase LaeA) drives spore-specific gene expression, conidial wall maturation, trehalose biosynthesis, dormancy and stress resistance.
Late regulator of conidium-specific gene expression and wall maturation; wetA mutants make conidia that autolyse (wet-white). Acts as a developmental regulator of gene expression; a specific sequence-specific DNA-binding activity is not firmly established, so no molecular function term is asserted (see gene review).
Velvet-family regulator of spore maturation, trehalose biosynthesis and dormancy; represses premature germination.
Velvet-complex subunit partnering VosA in spore maturation.
Light-responsive bridging subunit of the velvet complex coordinating the asexual/sexual developmental balance; nuclear import is favored in the dark.
Velvet-complex methyltransferase linking development to secondary metabolism.
Late-activated structural genes build the mature conidial surface: class I hydrophobins RodA and DewA form the hydrophobic rodlet layer, and the WA polyketide synthase with the YA laccase produce the conidial green (DHN-derived) pigment.
Principal rodlet-layer hydrophobin conferring conidial surface hydrophobicity.
Second conidial hydrophobin contributing to spore-wall surface properties.
Polyketide synthase producing the naphthopyrone precursor of the conidial pigment; wA mutants have white conidia.
Conidial laccase (p-diphenol oxidase) converting the WA-derived pigment intermediate to the mature green pigment; yA mutants have yellow conidia.
The heterotrimeric G protein (FadA-alpha, SfaD-beta, GpgA-gamma) promotes vegetative proliferation and represses conidiation; the RGS protein FlbA attenuates FadA signaling to license development. SfgA is a negative regulator downstream of FluG.
Galpha subunit; active GTP-bound FadA drives proliferation and blocks conidiation.
Gbeta subunit of the proliferation-promoting heterotrimeric G protein.
Ggamma subunit of the proliferation-promoting heterotrimeric G protein.
RGS protein that stimulates FadA GTP hydrolysis, dampening proliferation signaling so conidiation can proceed; flbA mutants are fluffy and aconidial.
Zn(II)2Cys6 negative regulator acting downstream of FluG and upstream of the Flb factors; FluG signaling relieves SfgA repression.
The Neurospora crassa realization: an analogous but non-orthologous program. Neurospora forms macroconidia by budding/fission of aerial hyphae rather than a brlA-type conidiophore. The blue-light White Collar Complex (WC-1/WC-2) and the circadian clock (FRQ) gate the timing of conidiation (the classic banding rhythm); the Gal4-type Zn(II)2Cys6 transcription factor FL (fluffy) is the central activator; conidiation-specific and rodlet (hydrophobin) genes provide structural output. Stage genes acon-2 and acon-3 control successive morphological steps. The staged cascade is acon-2 -> FL -> acon-3, conceptually parallel to Aspergillus BrlA -> AbaA -> WetA but built from non-orthologous families; whether acon-3 acts upstream of the conidiation-specific con genes is not established (see the acon-3 -> structural-output connection below).
The blue-light photoreceptor White Collar Complex (WC-1/WC-2) and the circadian oscillator FRQ gate the timing/rhythm of conidiation; in parallel the cAMP phosphodiesterase ACON-2 dampens cAMP/PKA signaling, acting upstream of FL to permit conidiation.
GATA-type, LOV-domain blue-light photoreceptor; with WC-2 forms the White Collar Complex that activates light-induced genes including conidiation and frq.
GATA-type transcription factor partnering WC-1 in the White Collar Complex.
Core negative-feedback oscillator that, with the WCC, imposes circadian control on conidiation (banding rhythm).
cAMP phosphodiesterase that dampens cAMP/PKA signaling and acts upstream of FL to permit conidiation.
FL (fluffy), a Gal4-type Zn(II)2Cys6 transcription factor, is the central activator of the macroconidiation program; fl mutants grow as undifferentiated fluffy aerial hyphae.
Zn(II)2Cys6 transcription factor; the central positive regulator of macroconidiation (functional analog of the Aspergillus BrlA role, but non-orthologous). Acts with the stage regulators acon-2 and acon-3.
ACON-3 (MEDUSA/MedA family, DUF7082) acts downstream of FL and is required for later stages of macroconidiation; its position relative to the conidiation-specific con genes is not established.
Nuclear MEDUSA/MedA-family (DUF7082) regulator downstream of FL; required for later conidiation stages. Position relative to the con genes is unestablished. Molecular function uncharacterized.
Conidiation-specific (con) genes and the EAS/CCG-2 class I hydrophobin build the mature macroconidium surface, including the rodlet layer.
Class I hydrophobin forming the conidial rodlet layer; clock-controlled (ccg-2).
Conidiation-specific gene product accumulating during macroconidiation.
Light- and development-regulated conidiation-specific gene product.