An autophagy gene, TrATG5, affects conidiospore differentiation in Trichoderma reesei

Autophagy is a highly conserved process in lower to higher eukaryotic organisms, and occurs in many types of cells as tissues are remodeled during development. In this study, we investigated the functional role of the Trichoderma reesei TrATG5 gene, which encodes an essential protein required for autophagy. TrATG5 is conserved in structure and function in the filamentous fungi and might clearly rescue the pathogenicity function of MgATG5 in Magnaporthe oryzae. Target gene disruption was used to study the functions of TrATG5. It was found that the autophagic process was blocked in the TrATG5 deletion mutant. The mutant was sensitive to nutrient starvation, with abnormal conidiophores and reduced production of conidia. This new evidence might help to elucidate the molecular machinery of autophagy in filamentous fungi.