Putative APSES family transcription factor mbp1 plays an essential role in regulating cell wall synthesis in the agaricomycete Pleurotus ostreatus.

The clade A APSES family transcription factors (Mbp1, Swi4, and Swi6) contribute to cell wall synthesis regulation in fungi. Herein, evolutionary relationships among these proteins were clarified by phylogenetic analysis using various ascomycetes and basidiomycetes, and then the detailed function of Mbp1 in cell wall synthesis regulation was analyzed in Pleurotus ostreatus. Our phylogenetic analysis revealed that Mbp1 and Swi6 are widely conserved among various fungi, whereas Swi4 is a protein specific for Saccharomycotina.