Fig. 7

Mechanistic model of DMF induction of cellulase overexpression in T. reesei. DMF promotes a cytosolic Ca²⁺ burst that activates calcium signaling, which in turn is required for cellulase overexpression. The effects of adding EGTA and LaCl₃ suggest that extracellular Ca²⁺ and Ca²⁺ channels are responsible for the cytosolic Ca²⁺ burst and cellulase production induced by DMF. Deletion of crz1 confirmed that calcium signaling plays a dominant role in DMF-induced cellulase production. Deletion of plc-e implied that PLC-E is involved in Ca²⁺ signal transduction induced by DMF. Additionally, the cell permeability of T. reesei mycelia increased after treatment with DMF, which is beneficial for cellulase secretion. Solid arrows indicate data supported by our own experiments