Genetic requirements for initiating asexual development in Aspergillus nidulans

Conidiation in the filamentous ascomycete Aspergillus nidulans requires activation of brlA, a well-characterized transcriptional regulator of genes that are induced specifically during asexual development. We have isolated and characterized developmental mutations in six loci, designated fluG, flbA, flbB, flbC, flbD, and flbE, that result in defective development and reduced brlA expression. These mutants grow indeterminately to produce masses of aerial hyphae resulting in the formation of cotton-like colonies with a "fluffy" morphology. The results of growth and epistasis tests involving all pairwise combinations of fluffy mutations indicate complex hierarchical relationships among these loci. We discuss these genetic interactions and propose that there are multiple mechanisms for activating brlA.