Functional analysis of an APSES transcription factor (GlSwi6) involved in fungal growth, fruiting body development and ganoderic-acid biosynthesis in Ganoderma lucidum

The APSES transcription factors have been identified as key regulators of fungal development and other biological processes in fungi. In the present study, the function of Ganoderma lucidum GlSwi6, a homolog of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Swi6, was characterized. RNAi was used to examine the function of GlSwi6 in G. lucidum. Silencing GlSwi6 resulted in multiple developmental defects, including reduced fungal growth and increased hyphal branching, and the GlSwi6-silenced strains did not exhibit primordium or fruiting body formation. In addition, the H2O2 and ganoderic-acid (GA) levels of the GlSwi6-silenced strains decreased approximately 50% and 25%, respectively, compared with those of the WT strain. Furthermore, the addition of H2O2 led to the recovery of the GA levels of GlSwi6-silenced strains, implying that GlSwi6 might regulate GA biosynthesis by regulating the intracellular ROS levels. Taken together, these results indicate that GlSwi6 is involved in fungal growth, development and GA biosynthesis in G. lucidum.