A hierarchical regulatory cascade programs chlamydospore formation in the nematode-trapping fungus Arthrobotrys flagrans

In model fungi, the conserved regulators LaeA, Ste12, VelB, StuA, and AbaA coordinate spore differentiation, stress responses, and secondary metabolism, yet their genome-wide targets and regulatory hierarchies in A. flagrans have never been explored. To fill this gap, we performed ChIP-seq to map the global DNA-binding profiles of these seven transcription factors during chlamydospore formation.

Our goal is to decode the regulatory circuitry governing this process, identify direct target genes, and elucidate the transcriptional cascades that drive spore morphogenesis and stress adaptation.