Identification and functional characterization of a Bcl-2 associated athanogene in Aspergillus nidulans. 
S. JAIN (1), N. Keller (1), M. Kabbage (1) (1) University of Wisconsin-Madison, U.S.A.

The BAG (Bcl-2 associated athanogene) family is a multifunctional group of proteins that is involved in multiple cellular processes ranging from apoptosis to tumorigenesis. As evolutionarily conserved proteins, they are distinguished by a common conserved region known as the BAG domain. In animals and plants, BAG genes are believed to function as adapter proteins forming complexes with signaling molecules and molecular chaperones. In this study, we focus on the model filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans to study BAG function in fungi. In order to characterize this gene, we generated over-expression and knock-out strains of bag in A. nidulans. Preliminary characterization suggests that Δbag strains were negatively impacted in their sexual development and had an altered secondary metabolite (SM) profile in both sexual and vegetative growth phases when compared to wild type strains. HPLC analysis showed increased production of known SMs such as asperthecin and sterigmatocystin. Importantly, bag deletion led to an increased output of other unknown metabolites as evidenced by HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) analysis. SMs from microorganisms play a role in niche securement and those produced by fungi have been particularly rich source of useful natural products. Thus, our results suggest that the disruption of cell death pathways could alter the SM profile of fungi and might help uncover novel bioactive compounds, including antimicrobials and pharmaceutical drugs.

Abstract Number: P7-176
Session Type: Poster