The Glycosylphosphatidylinositol-Anchored <i>DFG</i> Family Is Essential for the Insertion of Galactomannan into the β-(1,3)-Glucan–Chitin Core of the Cell Wall of Aspergillus fumigatus

Abstract

The fungal cell wall is a complex and dynamic entity essential for the development of fungi. It is composed mainly of polysaccharides that are synthetized by protein complexes. At the cell wall level, enzyme activities are involved in postsynthesis polysaccharide modifications such as cleavage, elongation, branching, and cross-linking. Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins have been shown to participate in cell wall biosynthesis and specifically in polysaccharide remodeling. Among these proteins, the DFG family plays an essential role in controlling polar growth in yeast. In the filamentous fungus and opportunistic human pathogen <i>Aspergillus fumigatus</i>, the <i>DFG</i> gene family contains seven orthologous <i>DFG</i> genes among which only six are expressed under <i>in vitro</i> growth conditions. Deletions of single <i>DFG</i> genes revealed that <i>DFG3</i> plays the most important morphogenetic role in this gene family. A sextuple-deletion mutant resulting from the deletion of all <i>in vitro</i> expressed <i>DFG</i> genes did not contain galactomannan in the cell wall and has severe growth defects. This study has shown that DFG members are absolutely necessary for the insertion of galactomannan into the cell wall of <i>A. fumigatus</i> and that the proper cell wall localization of the galactomannan is essential for correct fungal morphogenesis in <i>A. fumigatus</i><b>IMPORTANCE</b> The fungal cell wall is a complex and dynamic entity essential for the development of fungi. It is composed mainly of polysaccharides that are synthetized by protein complexes. Enzymes involved in postsynthesis polysaccharide modifications, such as cleavage, elongation, branching, and cross-linking, are essential for fungal life. Here, we investigated in <i>Aspergillus fumigatus</i> the role of the members of the Dfg family, one of the 4 GPI-anchored protein families common to yeast and molds involved in cell wall remodeling. Molecular and biochemical approaches showed that DFG members are required for filamentous growth, conidiation, and cell wall organization and are essential for the life of this fungal pathogen.