Aoatg11 and Aoatg33 are indispensable for mitophagy, and contribute to conidiation, the stress response, and pathogenicity in the nematode-trapping fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora

Mitophagy is one of the most important cellular processes to ensure mitochondrial quality control, which aims to transport damaged, dysfunctional, or excess mitochondria for degradation and reuse. Here, we determined the function of AoAtg11 and AoAtg33, two orthologous autophagy-related proteins involved in yeast mitophagy, in the typical nematode-trapping fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora. Deletion of Aoatg11 and Aoatg33 impairs mitophagy, mitochondrial morphology and activity, autophagy, cell apoptosis, reactive oxygen species levels, lipid droplet accumulation, and endocytosis. These combined effects resulted in slow vegetative growth; reduced conidiation, trap formation, cell nucleus, and extracellular protease activity; increased susceptibility to the stress response; and arthrobotrisin production in the Delta Aoatg11 and Delta Aoatg33 mutants, compared with the wild-type strain. In addition, the absence of Aoatg11 caused an endoplasmic reticulum stress response. Transcriptome analysis revealed that many differentially expressed genes in the Delta Aoatg11 mutants were involved in various important cellular processes, such as lipid metabolism, the TCA cycle, mitophagy, nitrogen metabolism, endo-cytosis, and the MAPK signaling pathway. In conclusion, our study revealed that Aoatg11 and Aoatg33 mediate autophagy and mitophagy in A. oligospora, and provides a basis for elucidating the links between mitophagy and fungal vegetative growth, conidiation, and pathogenicity.