The fungal colony is a complex multicellular unit consisting of various cell types and functions. Asexual spore formation (conidiation) is integrated through sensory and regulatory elements into the general morphogenetic plan, in which the activation of the transcription factor BrlA is the first determining step. A number of early regulatory elements acting upstream of BrlA ( fluG and flbA-E ) have been identified, but their functional relations remain to be further investigated. In this report we describe FlbB as a putative basic-zipper-type transcription factor restricted to filamentous fungi. FlbB accumulates at the hyphal apex during early vegetative growth but is later found in apical nuclei, suggesting that an activating modification triggers nuclear import. Moreover, proper temporal and quantitative expression of FlbB is a prerequisite for brlA transcription, and misscheduled overexpression inhibits conidiation. We also present evidence that FlbB activation results in the production of a second diffusible signal, acting downstream from the FluG factor, to induce conidiation.

Summary: Fungi are capable of generating diverse cell types through developmental processes that stem from hyphae, acting as pluripotent cells. The formation of mitospores on emergence of hyphae to the air involves the participation of transcription factors, which co‐ordinate the genesis of new cell types, eventually leading to spore formation.In this investigation, we show that bZip transcription factor FlbB, which has been attributed to participate in transducing the aerial stimulus signal, activates the expression of c‐Myb transcription factor FlbD. Both factors then jointly activate brlA, a C₂H₂ zinc finger transcription factor, which plays a central role in spore formation. This sequence of regulatory events resembles developmental control mechanisms involving c‐Myb and bZip counterparts in metazoans and plants.

Summary: Aspergillus nidulans switches from vegetative growth to conidiation when aerial hyphae make contact with the atmosphere, or are subjected to specific environmental stress. The activation of the central conidiation pathway led by the transcription factor brlA is a critical milestone in this morphogenetic transition. A number of upstream developmental activators (UDAs), expressed in vegetative cells, are required for this process to occur in conjunction with cessation of vegetative growth. Mutants affected in these factors remain aconidial (fluffy) with low brlA expression levels (flb). In this report, we describe FlbE as a UDA containing two conserved but hitherto uncharacterized domains, which functions in close association with putative transcription factor FlbB. Both UDAs are functionally interdependent, and colocalize at the hypha tip in an actin cytoskeleton‐dependent manner. Moreover, bimolecular fluorescence studies show that they physically interact in vivo. These findings add evidence in favour of the existence of a signalling complex at or near the Spitzenkörper as an important part of the machinery controlling the morphogenetic transition between vegetative growth and conidiation.

Summary: Conidiophore formation in Aspergillus nidulans involves a developmental programme in which vegetative hyphae give rise to an ordered succession of differentiated cells: foot cell, stalk, vesicle, metulae, phialides and conidia. The developmental transition requires factors that are expressed in vegetative hyphae that activate the expression of the main regulator of conidiation, BrlA. One such element is the bZIP‐type transcription factor FlbB. We found that flbB^‐ mutants show defective branching patterns and are susceptible to autolysis under high sorbitol or sucrose concentrations, revealing a role in vegetative growth. In addition, FlbB plays a role in conidiophore initiation, as its upregulation reduces conidiophore vesicle swelling and generates a reduced number of metulae. FlbB was located at the tip of growing metulae, following a similar pattern as described in vegetative hyphae. In wild‐type strains, the transition from metulae to phialides could be reversed to generate vegetative hyphae, indicating the existence of a specific control point at this stage of conidiophore formation. The combined evidence points to FlbB as a key factor in the transition to asexual development, playing a role at various control points in which the process could be reversed.