NsdD is a key repressor of asexual development in Aspergillus nidulans

Asexual development (conidiation) of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans occurs via balanced activities of multiple positive and negative regulators. For instance, FluG (+) and SfgA (-) govern upstream regulation of the developmental switch, and BrlA (+) and VosA (-) control the progression and completion of conidiation. To identify negative regulators of conidiation downstream of FluG-SfgA, we carried out multicopy genetic screens using sfgA deletion strains. After visually screening >100,000 colonies, we isolated 61 transformants exhibiting reduced conidiation. Responsible genes were identified as AN3152 (nsdD), AN7507, AN2009, AN1652, AN5833, and AN9141. Importantly, nsdD, a key activator of sexual reproduction, was present in 10 independent transformants. Furthermore, deletion, overexpression, and double-mutant analyses of individual genes have led to the conclusion that, of the six genes, only nsdD functions in the FluG-activated conidiation pathway. The deletion of nsdD bypassed the need for fluG and flbA∼flbE, but not brlA or abaA, in conidiation, and partially restored production of the mycotoxin sterigmatocystin (ST) in the ΔfluG, ΔflbA, and ΔflbB mutants, suggesting that NsdD is positioned between FLBs and BrlA in A. nidulans. Nullifying nsdD caused formation of conidiophores in liquid submerged cultures, where wild-type strains do not develop. Moreover, the removal of both nsdD and vosA resulted in even more abundant development of conidiophores in liquid submerged cultures and high-level accumulation of brlA messenger (m)RNA even at 16 hr of vegetative growth. Collectively, NsdD is a key negative regulator of conidiation and likely exerts its repressive role via downregulating brlA.