The role of hydrophobins in surface growth by the Blue Stain fungi Aureobasidium pullulans

IRG/WP 15-10837

J Stenbæk, L Riber, J Blæsbjerg Nielsen, C Møller Hansen, B Jensen

Hydrophobins are small proteins found exclusively in filamentous fungi. These proteins are able to assemble spontaneously into amphiphilic monolayers at hydrophobic–hydrophilic interfaces. Hydrophobins have a diverse role, e.g. allowing the fungi to break through interfaces during aerial hyphae formation, sporulation, fruit body production and cell penetration. In this ongoing study, we are looking at the role of hydrophobins in the fungal ability to adhere to different substrates. We hypothesize that hydrophobins have a positive effect on the fungi by reducing the surface tension and assisting fungal growth of aerial hyphae and colonization of the fungi between humid and dry areas.The Blue Stain filamentous fungus, Aureobasidium pullulans, represents a common mold in the nature, commonly known to have a huge role in the attack of wood treated and untreated surfaces like commercial wood products. As Aureobasidium pullulans is also known to produce hydrophobins, a specific aim of this study includes the analysis of the impacts of hydrophobins on mediating surface growth of Aureobasidium pullulans on exterior wood coatings (e.g. wood paints). At least two gene sequences encoding hydrophobins in Aureobasidium pullulans were identified, both to be successively disrupted by integrating a recycled selectable marker into the open reading frames of the genes, creating a double knock-out mutant strain, using homologues recombination. In this study we will present our work and strategies for identification and clarification of the role of hydrophobins, which future wise can lead to new kind of Blue Stain controllers.


Keywords: hydrophobins, Aureobasidium pullulans, surface growth, blue stain, knock-out mutant, transformation

Conference: 15-05-10/14 Vina del Mar, Chile


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