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Balamurugan C, Steenwyk JL, Goldman GH, Rokas A. The evolution of the gliotoxin biosynthetic gene cluster in Penicillium fungi. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2024; 14:jkae063. [PMID: 38507596 PMCID: PMC11075534 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkae063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2023] [Revised: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
Fungi biosynthesize diverse secondary metabolites, small organic bioactive molecules with key roles in fungal ecology. Fungal secondary metabolites are often encoded by physically clustered genes known as biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). Fungi in the genus Penicillium produce a cadre of secondary metabolites, some of which are useful (e.g. the antibiotic penicillin and the cholesterol-lowering drug mevastatin) and others harmful (e.g. the mycotoxin patulin and the immunosuppressant gliotoxin) to human affairs. Fungal genomes often also encode resistance genes that confer protection against toxic secondary metabolites. Some Penicillium species, such as Penicillium decumbens, are known to produce gliotoxin, a secondary metabolite with known immunosuppressant activity. To investigate the evolutionary conservation of homologs of the gliotoxin BGC and of genes involved in gliotoxin resistance in Penicillium, we analyzed 35 Penicillium genomes from 23 species. Homologous, lesser fragmented gliotoxin BGCs were found in 12 genomes, mostly fragmented remnants of the gliotoxin BGC were found in 21 genomes, whereas the remaining 2 Penicillium genomes lacked the gliotoxin BGC altogether. In contrast, broad conservation of homologs of resistance genes that reside outside the BGC across Penicillium genomes was observed. Evolutionary rate analysis revealed that BGCs with higher numbers of genes evolve slower than BGCs with few genes, suggestive of constraint and potential functional significance or more recent decay. Gene tree-species tree reconciliation analyses suggested that the history of homologs in the gliotoxin BGC across the genus Penicillium likely involved multiple duplications, losses, and horizontal gene transfers. Our analyses suggest that genes encoded in BGCs can have complex evolutionary histories and be retained in genomes long after the loss of secondary metabolite biosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charu Balamurugan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, VU Station B #35-1634, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
- Vanderbilt Evolutionary Studies Initiative, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
| | - Jacob L Steenwyk
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, VU Station B #35-1634, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
- Vanderbilt Evolutionary Studies Initiative, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
- Howards Hughes Medical Institute and the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Gustavo H Goldman
- Faculdade de Ciencias Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo CEP 14040-903, Brazil
| | - Antonis Rokas
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, VU Station B #35-1634, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
- Vanderbilt Evolutionary Studies Initiative, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
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2
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Bingol E, Qi A, Karandeni-Dewage C, Ritchie F, Fitt BDL, Huang YJ. Co-inoculation timing affects the interspecific interactions between phoma stem canker pathogens Leptosphaeria maculans and Leptosphaeria biglobosa. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2024; 80:2443-2452. [PMID: 37759352 DOI: 10.1002/ps.7799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Phoma stem canker is an economically important disease of oilseed rape, caused by two co-existing fungal pathogen species, Leptosphaeria maculans (Plenodomus lingam) and Leptosphaeria biglobosa (Plenodomus biglobosus). Leptosphaeria maculans produces a phytotoxin called sirodesmin PL. Our previous work showed that L. biglobosa has an antagonistic effect on the production of sirodesmin PL if it is simultaneously co-inoculated with L. maculans. However, the effects of sequential co-inoculation on interspecific interactions between the two pathogens are not understood. RESULTS The interactions between L. maculans and L. biglobosa were investigated in liquid culture by inoculation with L. maculans first, followed by L. biglobosa sequentially at 1, 3, 5 or 7 days later and vice versa; the controls were inoculated with L. maculans only, L. biglobosa only, or L. maculans and L. biglobosa simultaneously. The results showed that L. biglobosa inhibited the growth of L. maculans, the production of both sirodesmin PL and its precursors if L. biglobosa was inoculated before, or simultaneously with, L. maculans. However, the antagonistic effects of L. biglobosa were lost if it was co-inoculated 5 or 7 days after L. maculans. CONCLUSION For the first time, the results of this study provided evidence that the timing when L. maculans and L. biglobosa meet significantly influences the outcome of the interspecific competition between them. Leptosphaeria biglobosa can inhibit the production of sirodesmin PL and the growth of L. maculans if it is inoculated before L. maculans or less than 3 days after L. maculans in liquid culture. There is a need to further investigate the timing of co-inoculation on interactions between L. maculans and L. biglobosa in their host plants for improving the control of phoma stem canker. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evren Bingol
- Centre for Agriculture, Food and Environmental Management Research, School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK
| | - Aiming Qi
- Centre for Agriculture, Food and Environmental Management Research, School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK
| | - Chinthani Karandeni-Dewage
- Centre for Agriculture, Food and Environmental Management Research, School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK
| | - Faye Ritchie
- Disease and Pest Management, ADAS Boxworth, Cambridge, UK
| | - Bruce D L Fitt
- Centre for Agriculture, Food and Environmental Management Research, School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK
| | - Yong-Ju Huang
- Centre for Agriculture, Food and Environmental Management Research, School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK
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3
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Tang Z, Wang H, Liu Y, Wang C, Li X, Yang Q. Current status and new experimental diagnostic methods of invasive fungal infections after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Arch Microbiol 2024; 206:237. [PMID: 38678508 DOI: 10.1007/s00203-024-03905-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) are common and life-threatening complications in post-hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (post-HSCT) recipients, Severe IFIs can lead to systemic infection and organ damage, which results in high mortality in HSCT recipients. With the development of the field of fungal infection diagnosis, more and more advanced non-culture diagnostic tools have been developed, such as glip biosensors, metagenomic next-generation sequencing, Magnetic Nanoparticles and Identified Using SERS via AgNPs+ , and artificial intelligence-assisted diagnosis. The advanced diagnostic approaches contribute to the success of HSCT and improve the overall survival of post-HSCT leukemia patients by supporting therapeutical decisions. This review provides an overview of the characteristics of two high-incidence IFIs in post-HSCT recipients and discusses some of the recently developed IFI detection technologies. Additionally, it explores the potential application of cationic conjugated polymer fluorescence resonance energy transfer (CCP-FRET) technology for IFI detection. The aim is to offer insights into selecting appropriate IFI detection methods and gaining an understanding of novel fungal diagnostic approaches in laboratory settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenhua Tang
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Genetic Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, 830046, China
| | - HaiTao Wang
- Department of Hematology, The Fifth Medical Center of Chinese, PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Yuankai Liu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Gene Resource and Molecular Development, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Chen Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Gene Resource and Molecular Development, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Xinye Li
- Lanzhou Petrochemical General Hospital (The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Gansu University of Chinese Medicine), Gansu, 730060, China.
| | - Qiong Yang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Gene Resource and Molecular Development, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
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4
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Seo HW, Wassano NS, Amir Rawa MS, Nickles GR, Damasio A, Keller NP. A Timeline of Biosynthetic Gene Cluster Discovery in Aspergillus fumigatus: From Characterization to Future Perspectives. J Fungi (Basel) 2024; 10:266. [PMID: 38667937 PMCID: PMC11051388 DOI: 10.3390/jof10040266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2024] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
In 1999, the first biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC), synthesizing the virulence factor DHN melanin, was characterized in Aspergillus fumigatus. Since then, 19 additional BGCs have been linked to specific secondary metabolites (SMs) in this species. Here, we provide a comprehensive timeline of A. fumigatus BGC discovery and find that initial advances centered around the commonly expressed SMs where chemical structure informed rationale identification of the producing BGC (e.g., gliotoxin, fumigaclavine, fumitremorgin, pseurotin A, helvolic acid, fumiquinazoline). Further advances followed the transcriptional profiling of a ΔlaeA mutant, which aided in the identification of endocrocin, fumagillin, hexadehydroastechrome, trypacidin, and fumisoquin BGCs. These SMs and their precursors are the commonly produced metabolites in most A. fumigatus studies. Characterization of other BGC/SM pairs required additional efforts, such as induction treatments, including co-culture with bacteria (fumicycline/neosartoricin, fumigermin) or growth under copper starvation (fumivaline, fumicicolin). Finally, four BGC/SM pairs were discovered via overexpression technologies, including the use of heterologous hosts (fumicycline/neosartoricin, fumihopaside, sphingofungin, and sartorypyrone). Initial analysis of the two most studied A. fumigatus isolates, Af293 and A1160, suggested that both harbored ca. 34-36 BGCs. However, an examination of 264 available genomes of A. fumigatus shows up to 20 additional BGCs, with some strains showing considerable variations in BGC number and composition. These new BGCs present a new frontier in the future of secondary metabolism characterization in this important species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hye-Won Seo
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA; (H.-W.S.); (N.S.W.); (M.S.A.R.); (G.R.N.)
| | - Natalia S. Wassano
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA; (H.-W.S.); (N.S.W.); (M.S.A.R.); (G.R.N.)
- Department of Biochemistry and Tissue Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), São Paulo 13083-970, Brazil;
| | - Mira Syahfriena Amir Rawa
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA; (H.-W.S.); (N.S.W.); (M.S.A.R.); (G.R.N.)
| | - Grant R. Nickles
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA; (H.-W.S.); (N.S.W.); (M.S.A.R.); (G.R.N.)
| | - André Damasio
- Department of Biochemistry and Tissue Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), São Paulo 13083-970, Brazil;
| | - Nancy P. Keller
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA; (H.-W.S.); (N.S.W.); (M.S.A.R.); (G.R.N.)
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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5
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Ye W, Liu T, Liu Y, Li M, Wang S, Li S, Zhang W. Enhancing gliotoxins production in deep-sea derived fungus Dichotomocyes cejpii by engineering the biosynthetic pathway. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2023; 377:128905. [PMID: 36931443 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.128905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Revised: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Gliotoxin can be developed as potent biopesticide. In this study, the positive transcriptional factor gliZ, glutathione-S transferase encoding gene gliG and gliN were firstly deleted by CRISPR/Cas9 system, which abolished the production of gliotoxin-like compounds in Dichotomomyces cejpii. CRISPR/dCas9 system targeting promoter of gliG was used to activate the biosynthetic genes in gli cluster. The overexpression of gliZ, gliN and gliG can significantly improve the yield of gliotoxin-like compunds. The gliotoxin yields was improved by 16.38 ± 1.36 fold, 18.98 ± 1.28 fold through gliZ overexpression and gliM deletion in D. cejpii FS110. In addtion, gliN was heterologously expressed in E. coli, the purified GliN can catalyze gliotoxin into methyl-gliotoxin. Furthermore, the binding sequences of GliZ in the promoters of gliG was determined by Dnase footprinting. This study firstly illustrated the transcriptional regulatory mechanism of DcGliZ for the gliotoxin biosynthesis in D. cejpii, and improved the yields of gliotoxins significantly in D. cejpii via biosynthetic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, No. 100 Xianlie Middle Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Taomei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, No. 100 Xianlie Middle Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Yuping Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, No. 100 Xianlie Middle Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Mengran Li
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, No. 100 Xianlie Middle Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Shixin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, No. 100 Xianlie Middle Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Saini Li
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, No. 100 Xianlie Middle Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Weimin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, No. 100 Xianlie Middle Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou 510070, China.
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6
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Brown AJP. Fungal resilience and host-pathogen interactions: Future perspectives and opportunities. Parasite Immunol 2023; 45:e12946. [PMID: 35962618 PMCID: PMC10078341 DOI: 10.1111/pim.12946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
We are constantly exposed to the threat of fungal infection. The outcome-clearance, commensalism or infection-depends largely on the ability of our innate immune defences to clear infecting fungal cells versus the success of the fungus in mounting compensatory adaptive responses. As each seeks to gain advantage during these skirmishes, the interactions between host and fungal pathogen are complex and dynamic. Nevertheless, simply compromising the physiological robustness of fungal pathogens reduces their ability to evade antifungal immunity, their virulence, and their tolerance against antifungal therapy. In this article I argue that this physiological robustness is based on a 'Resilience Network' which mechanistically links and controls fungal growth, metabolism, stress resistance and drug tolerance. The elasticity of this network probably underlies the phenotypic variability of fungal isolates and the heterogeneity of individual cells within clonal populations. Consequently, I suggest that the definition of the fungal Resilience Network represents an important goal for the future which offers the clear potential to reveal drug targets that compromise drug tolerance and synergise with current antifungal therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alistair J P Brown
- Medical Research Council Centre for Medical Mycology at the University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
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7
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Tsers I, Marenina E, Meshcherov A, Petrova O, Gogoleva O, Tkachenko A, Gogoleva N, Gogolev Y, Potapenko E, Muraeva O, Ponomareva M, Korzun V, Gorshkov V. First genome-scale insights into the virulence of the snow mold causal fungus Microdochium nivale. IMA Fungus 2023; 14:2. [PMID: 36627722 PMCID: PMC9830731 DOI: 10.1186/s43008-022-00107-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Pink snow mold, caused by a phytopathogenic and psychrotolerant fungus, Microdochium nivale, is a severe disease of winter cereals and grasses that predominantly occurs under snow cover or shortly after its melt. Snow mold has significantly progressed during the past decade, often reaching epiphytotic levels in northern countries and resulting in dramatic yield losses. In addition, M. nivale gradually adapts to a warmer climate, spreading to less snowy territories and causing different types of plant diseases throughout the growing period. Despite its great economic importance, M. nivale is poorly investigated; its genome has not been sequenced and its crucial virulence determinants have not been identified or even predicted. In our study, we applied a hybrid assembly based on Oxford Nanopore and Illumina reads to obtain the first genome sequence of M. nivale. 11,973 genes (including 11,789 protein-encoding genes) have been revealed in the genome assembly. To better understand the genetic potential of M. nivale and to obtain a convenient reference for transcriptomic studies on this species, the identified genes were annotated and split into hierarchical three-level functional categories. A file with functionally classified M. nivale genes is presented in our study for general use. M. nivale gene products that best meet the criteria for virulence factors have been identified. The genetic potential to synthesize human-dangerous mycotoxins (fumonisin, ochratoxin B, aflatoxin, and gliotoxin) has been revealed for M. nivale. The transcriptome analysis combined with the assays for extracellular enzymatic activities (conventional virulence factors of many phytopathogens) was carried out to assess the effect of host plant (rye) metabolites on the M. nivale phenotype. In addition to disclosing plant-metabolite-upregulated M. nivale functional gene groups (including those related to host plant protein destruction and amino acid metabolism, xenobiotic detoxication (including phytoalexins benzoxazinoids), cellulose destruction (cellulose monooxygenases), iron transport, etc.), the performed analysis pointed to a crucial role of host plant lipid destruction and fungal lipid metabolism modulation in plant-M. nivale interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Tsers
- grid.465285.80000 0004 0637 9007Federal Research Center, Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Kazan, Russia 420111
| | - Ekaterina Marenina
- grid.465285.80000 0004 0637 9007Federal Research Center, Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Kazan, Russia 420111
| | - Azat Meshcherov
- grid.465285.80000 0004 0637 9007Federal Research Center, Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Kazan, Russia 420111
| | - Olga Petrova
- grid.465285.80000 0004 0637 9007Federal Research Center, Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Kazan, Russia 420111
| | - Olga Gogoleva
- grid.465285.80000 0004 0637 9007Federal Research Center, Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Kazan, Russia 420111
| | - Alexander Tkachenko
- grid.35915.3b0000 0001 0413 4629Laboratory of Computer Technologies, ITMO University, Saint Petersburg, Russia 197101
| | - Natalia Gogoleva
- grid.465285.80000 0004 0637 9007Federal Research Center, Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Kazan, Russia 420111
| | - Yuri Gogolev
- grid.465285.80000 0004 0637 9007Federal Research Center, Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Kazan, Russia 420111
| | - Evgenii Potapenko
- grid.18098.380000 0004 1937 0562Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, 3498838 Haifa, Israel ,grid.18098.380000 0004 1937 0562Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, University of Haifa, 3498838 Haifa, Israel
| | - Olga Muraeva
- grid.512700.1Bioinformatics Institute, Saint Petersburg, Russia 197342
| | - Mira Ponomareva
- grid.465285.80000 0004 0637 9007Federal Research Center, Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Kazan, Russia 420111
| | - Viktor Korzun
- grid.465285.80000 0004 0637 9007Federal Research Center, Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Kazan, Russia 420111 ,grid.425691.dKWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA, 37555 Einbeck, Germany
| | - Vladimir Gorshkov
- grid.465285.80000 0004 0637 9007Federal Research Center, Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Kazan, Russia 420111
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Huber EM. Epipolythiodioxopiperazine-Based Natural Products: Building Blocks, Biosynthesis and Biological Activities. Chembiochem 2022; 23:e202200341. [PMID: 35997236 PMCID: PMC10086836 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202200341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Epipolythiodioxopiperazines (ETPs) are fungal secondary metabolites that share a 2,5-diketopiperazine scaffold built from two amino acids and bridged by a sulfide moiety. Modifications of the core and the amino acid side chains, for example by methylations, acetylations, hydroxylations, prenylations, halogenations, cyclizations, and truncations create the structural diversity of ETPs and contribute to their biological activity. However, the key feature responsible for the bioactivities of ETPs is their sulfide moiety. Over the last years, combinations of genome mining, reverse genetics, metabolomics, biochemistry, and structural biology deciphered principles of ETP production. Sulfurization via glutathione and uncovering of the thiols followed by either oxidation or methylation crystallized as fundamental steps that impact expression of the biosynthesis cluster, toxicity and secretion of the metabolite as well as self-tolerance of the producer. This article showcases structure and activity of prototype ETPs such as gliotoxin and discusses the current knowledge on the biosynthesis routes of these exceptional natural products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva M Huber
- Chair of Biochemistry, Center for Protein Assemblies, Technical University of Munich, Ernst-Otto-Fischer-Str. 8, 85748, Garching, Germany
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Mahata PK, Dass RS, Gunti L, Thorat PA. First report on the metabolic characterization of Sterigmatocystin production by select Aspergillus species from the Nidulantes section in Foeniculum vulgare. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:958424. [PMID: 36090109 PMCID: PMC9459157 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.958424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Spices are typically grown in climates that support the growth of toxigenic fungi and the production of mycotoxins. The Aspergilli described in this study, as well as the sterigmatocystin (STC) detected, are causes for concern due to their potential to induce food poisoning. One of the most well-known producers of the carcinogenic STC is Aspergillus nidulans. This research explores the occurrence of STC-producing fungi in Foeniculum vulgare, a spice that is marketed in India and other parts of the world. This innovative study details the mycotoxigenic potential of five Aspergilli belonging to Section Nidulantes, namely Aspergillus latus (02 isolates), Emericella quadrilineata (02 isolates), and Aspergillus nidulans (01 isolate), with respect to STC contamination. These five isolates of Aspergilli were screened to produce STC on yeast extract sucrose (YES) medium in a controlled environment with regard to light, temperature, pH, and humidity, among other variables. The expression patterns of regulatory genes, namely, aflR, laeA, pacC, fluG, flbA, pksA, and mtfA were studied on the Czapek–Dox agar (CDA) medium. STC biosynthesis by the test isolates was done in potato dextrose broth (PDB) under optimum conditions, followed by the extraction and purification of the broth using ethyl acetate. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with an ultraviolet (UV) detector was utilized to detect compounds in eluted samples. F. vulgare contains Aspergilli that have been shown to have mycotoxigenic potential, which can accumulate in the spice during its active growth and thereby cause the elaboration of mycotoxins.
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10
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Ninomiya A, Urayama SI, Hagiwara D. Antibacterial diphenyl ether production induced by co-culture of Aspergillus nidulans and Aspergillus fumigatus. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2022; 106:4169-4185. [PMID: 35595930 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-022-11964-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Fungi are a rich source of secondary metabolites with potent biological activities. Co-culturing a fungus with another microorganism has drawn much attention as a practical method for stimulating fungal secondary metabolism. However, in most cases, the molecular mechanisms underlying the activation of secondary metabolite production in co-culture are poorly understood. To elucidate such a mechanism, in this study, we established a model fungal-fungal co-culture system, composed of Aspergillus nidulans and Aspergillus fumigatus. In the co-culture of A. nidulans and A. fumigatus, production of antibacterial diphenyl ethers was enhanced. Transcriptome analysis by RNA-sequencing showed that the co-culture activated expression of siderophore biosynthesis genes in A. fumigatus and two polyketide biosynthetic gene clusters (the ors and cic clusters) in A. nidulans. Gene disruption experiments revealed that the ors cluster is responsible for diphenyl ether production in the co-culture. Interestingly, the ors cluster was previously reported to be upregulated by co-culture of A. nidulans with the bacterium Streptomyces rapamycinicus; orsellinic acid was the main product of the cluster in that co-culture. In other words, the main product of the ors cluster was different in fungal-fungal and bacterial-fungal co-culture. The genes responsible for biosynthesis of the bacterial- and fungal-induced polyketides were deduced using a heterologous expression system in Aspergillus oryzae. The molecular genetic mechanisms that trigger biosynthesis of two different types of compounds in A. nidulans in response to the fungus and the bacterium were demonstrated, which provides an insight into complex secondary metabolic response of fungi to microorganisms. KEY POINTS: • Co-culture of two fungal species triggered antibiotic diphenyl ether production. • The co-culture affected expression levels of several genes for secondary metabolism. • Gene cluster essential for induction of the antibiotics production was determined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akihiro Ninomiya
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8577, Japan.,Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan
| | - Syun-Ichi Urayama
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8577, Japan.,Microbiology Research Center for Sustainability, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8577, Japan
| | - Daisuke Hagiwara
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8577, Japan. .,Microbiology Research Center for Sustainability, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8577, Japan.
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11
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Zhao P, Liu H, Wu Q, Meng Q, Qu K, Yin X, Wang M, Zhao X, Qi J, Meng Y, Xia X, Zhang L. Investigation of chetomin as a lead compound and its biosynthetic pathway. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2022; 106:3093-3102. [PMID: 35471617 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-022-11925-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Revised: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Chaetomium fungi produce a diversity of bioactive compounds. Chaetomium cochliodes SD-280 possesses 91 secondary metabolite gene clusters and exhibits strong antibacterial activity. One of the active compounds responsible for that activity, chetomin, has a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for anti-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) of 0.05 μg/mL (vancomycin: 0.625 μg/mL). This study demonstrated that the addition of glutathione (GSH) can enhance chetomin yield dramatically, increasing its production 15.43-fold. Following genome sequencing, cluster prediction, and transcriptome and proteome analyses of the fungus were carried out. Furthermore, a relatively complete chetomin biosynthetic gene cluster was proposed, and the coding sequences were acquired. In the cluster of GSH-treated cells, proteome analysis revealed two up-regulated proteins that are critical enzymes for chetomin biosynthesis. One of these enzymes, a nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS), was heterologously expressed in Aspergillus nidulans, and one of its metabolites was determined to be an intermediate in the chetomin biosynthetic pathway. We present here, to our knowledge, the first experimental evidence that chetomin exhibits strong bioactivity against MRSA. Our work also provides extensive insights into the biosynthetic pathway of chetomin, in particular identifying two key enzymes (glutathione S-transferase (CheG) and NRPS (CheP)) that substantially up-regulate chetomin. These mechanistic insights into chetomin biosynthesis will provide the foundation for further investigation into the anti-pathogenic properties and applications of chetomin. KEY POINTS: • Chetomin exhibits strong anti-MRSA activity with MIC of 0.05 μg/mL. • Addition of glutathione improved the yield of chetomin by 15.43-fold. • CheG and CheP involved in the chetomin biosynthesis were revealed for the first time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peipei Zhao
- Biology Institute, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, 250103, Shandong Province, China
| | - Hairong Liu
- Biology Institute, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, 250103, Shandong Province, China
| | - Qinghua Wu
- Biology Institute, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, 250103, Shandong Province, China
| | - Qingzhou Meng
- Biology Institute, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, 250103, Shandong Province, China
| | - Kunyu Qu
- Biology Institute, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, 250103, Shandong Province, China
| | - Xin Yin
- Biology Institute, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, 250103, Shandong Province, China
| | - Mengmeng Wang
- Biology Institute, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, 250103, Shandong Province, China
| | - Xiangxiang Zhao
- Biology Institute, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, 250103, Shandong Province, China
| | - Jun Qi
- Biology Institute, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, 250103, Shandong Province, China
| | - Yiwei Meng
- Biology Institute, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, 250103, Shandong Province, China
| | - Xuekui Xia
- Biology Institute, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, 250103, Shandong Province, China.
| | - Lixin Zhang
- Biology Institute, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, 250103, Shandong Province, China. .,State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, and School of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST), Shanghai, 200237, China.
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12
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Redrado S, Esteban P, Domingo MP, Lopez C, Rezusta A, Ramirez-Labrada A, Arias M, Pardo J, Galvez EM. Integration of In Silico and In Vitro Analysis of Gliotoxin Production Reveals a Narrow Range of Producing Fungal Species. J Fungi (Basel) 2022; 8:jof8040361. [PMID: 35448592 PMCID: PMC9030297 DOI: 10.3390/jof8040361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Revised: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Gliotoxin is a fungal secondary metabolite with impact on health and agriculture since it might act as virulence factor and contaminate human and animal food. Homologous gliotoxin (GT) gene clusters are spread across a number of fungal species although if they produce GT or other related epipolythiodioxopiperazines (ETPs) remains obscure. Using bioinformatic tools, we have identified homologous gli gene clusters similar to the A. fumigatus GT gene cluster in several fungal species. In silico study led to in vitro confirmation of GT and Bisdethiobis(methylthio)gliotoxin (bmGT) production in fungal strain cultures by HPLC detection. Despite we selected most similar homologous gli gene cluster in 20 different species, GT and bmGT were only detected in section Fumigati species and in a Trichoderma virens Q strain. Our results suggest that in silico gli homology analyses in different fungal strains to predict GT production might be only informative when accompanied by analysis about mycotoxin production in cell cultures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Redrado
- Instituto de Carboquımica ICB-CSIC, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain; (S.R.); (M.P.D.)
| | - Patricia Esteban
- Biomedical Research Centre of Aragon (CIBA), Fundacion Instituto de Investigacion Sanitaria Aragon (IIS Aragon), 50009 Zaragoza, Spain; (P.E.); (A.R.-L.); (M.A.); (J.P.)
| | | | - Concepción Lopez
- Department of Microbiology, Hospital Universitario Miguel Servet, IIS Aragón, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain; (C.L.); (A.R.)
| | - Antonio Rezusta
- Department of Microbiology, Hospital Universitario Miguel Servet, IIS Aragón, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain; (C.L.); (A.R.)
| | - Ariel Ramirez-Labrada
- Biomedical Research Centre of Aragon (CIBA), Fundacion Instituto de Investigacion Sanitaria Aragon (IIS Aragon), 50009 Zaragoza, Spain; (P.E.); (A.R.-L.); (M.A.); (J.P.)
| | - Maykel Arias
- Biomedical Research Centre of Aragon (CIBA), Fundacion Instituto de Investigacion Sanitaria Aragon (IIS Aragon), 50009 Zaragoza, Spain; (P.E.); (A.R.-L.); (M.A.); (J.P.)
| | - Julián Pardo
- Biomedical Research Centre of Aragon (CIBA), Fundacion Instituto de Investigacion Sanitaria Aragon (IIS Aragon), 50009 Zaragoza, Spain; (P.E.); (A.R.-L.); (M.A.); (J.P.)
- Department of Microbiology, Pediatrics, Radiology and Public Health, University of Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
- Aragon I+D Foundation (ARAID), 50018 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Eva M. Galvez
- Instituto de Carboquımica ICB-CSIC, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain; (S.R.); (M.P.D.)
- Correspondence:
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13
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Industrially Important Genes from Trichoderma. Fungal Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-91650-3_16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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14
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Trichoderma and Its Products From Laboratory to Patient Bedside in Medical Science: An Emerging Aspect. Fungal Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-91650-3_19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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15
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Effective Inhibition of Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis by Silver Nanoparticles Biosynthesized with Artemisia sieberi Leaf Extract. NANOMATERIALS 2021; 12:nano12010051. [PMID: 35010001 PMCID: PMC8746907 DOI: 10.3390/nano12010051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Aspergillus fumigatus is one of the most common fungal pathogens that can cause a diversity of diseases ranging from invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) and aspergilloma to allergic syndromes. In this study, we investigated the antifungal effect of silver nanoparticles biosynthesized with Artemisia sieberi leaf extract (AS-AgNPs) against A. fumigatus in vitro and in vivo. The biosynthesized AS-AgNPs were characterized by imaging (transmission electron microscopy (TEM)), UV−VIS spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The microdilution method showed the antifungal activity of AS-AgNPs against A. fumigatus, with an MIC of 128 µg/mL. AS-AgNPs significantly inhibited the growth of hyphae in all directions, as imaged by SEM. Additionally, TEM on biofilm revealed invaginations of the cell membrane, a change in the vacuolar system, and the presence of multilamellar bodies within vacuoles. Interestingly, AS-AgNPs displayed low cytotoxicity on the A549 human lung cell line in vitro. Treatment of an invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) mouse model with AS-AgNPs demonstrated the potency of AS-AgNPs to significantly reduce lung tissue damage and to suppress the elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1 (IL-1), and interleukin-17 (IL-17). The therapeutic potential of AS-AgNPs was found to be due to their direct action to suppress the fungal burden and gliotoxin production in the lungs. In addition, AS-AgNPs reduced the oxidative stress in the lungs by increasing the enzymatic activities of catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Thus, our data indicate the biosynthesized AS-AgNPs as a novel antifungal alternative treatment against aspergillosis.
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16
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Traynor AM, Owens RA, Coughlin CM, Holton MC, Jones GW, Calera JA, Doyle S. At the metal-metabolite interface in Aspergillus fumigatus: towards untangling the intersecting roles of zinc and gliotoxin. MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 2021; 167. [PMID: 34738889 PMCID: PMC8743625 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Cryptic links between apparently unrelated metabolic systems represent potential new drug targets in fungi. Evidence of such a link between zinc and gliotoxin (GT) biosynthesis in Aspergillus fumigatus is emerging. Expression of some genes of the GT biosynthetic gene cluster gli is influenced by the zinc-dependent transcription activator ZafA, zinc may relieve GT-mediated fungal growth inhibition and, surprisingly, GT biosynthesis is influenced by zinc availability. In A. fumigatus, dithiol gliotoxin (DTG), which has zinc-chelating properties, is converted to either GT or bis-dethiobis(methylthio)gliotoxin (BmGT) by oxidoreductase GliT and methyltransferase GtmA, respectively. A double deletion mutant lacking both GliT and GtmA was previously observed to be hypersensitive to exogenous GT exposure. Here we show that compared to wild-type exposure, exogenous GT and the zinc chelator N,N,N',N'-tetrakis(2-pyridinylmethyl)-1,2-ethanediamine (TPEN) inhibit A. fumigatus ΔgliTΔgtmA growth, specifically under zinc-limiting conditions, which can be reversed by zinc addition. While GT biosynthesis is evident in zinc-depleted medium, addition of zinc (1 µM) suppressed GT and activated BmGT production. In addition, secretion of the unferrated siderophore, triacetylfusarinine C (TAFC), was evident by A. fumigatus wild-type (at >5 µM zinc) and ΔgtmA (at >1 µM zinc) in a low-iron medium. TAFC secretion suggests that differential zinc-sensing between both strains may influence fungal Fe3+ requirement. Label-free quantitative proteomic analysis of both strains under equivalent differential zinc conditions revealed protein abundance alterations in accordance with altered metabolomic observations, in addition to increased GliT abundance in ΔgtmA at 5 µM zinc, compared to wild-type, supporting a zinc-sensing deficiency in the mutant strain. The relative abundance of a range of oxidoreductase- and secondary metabolism-related enzymes was also evident in a zinc- and strain-dependent manner. Overall, we elaborate new linkages between zinc availability, natural product biosynthesis and oxidative stress homeostasis in A. fumigatus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aimee M Traynor
- Department of Biology, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland
| | - Rebecca A Owens
- Department of Biology, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland
| | - Claudia M Coughlin
- Department of Biology, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland
| | - Maeve C Holton
- Department of Biology, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland
| | - Gary W Jones
- Centre for Biomedical Science Research, School of Clinical and Applied Sciences, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK
| | - José A Calera
- Instituto de Biología Funcional y Genómica (IBFG-CSIC), Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
- Departamento de Microbiología y Genética, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Sean Doyle
- Department of Biology, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland
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17
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Pizarro D, Divakar PK, Grewe F, Crespo A, Dal Grande F, Lumbsch HT. Genome-Wide Analysis of Biosynthetic Gene Cluster Reveals Correlated Gene Loss with Absence of Usnic Acid in Lichen-Forming Fungi. Genome Biol Evol 2021; 12:1858-1868. [PMID: 33151307 PMCID: PMC7643366 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evaa189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Lichen-forming fungi are known to produce a large number of secondary metabolites. Some metabolites are deposited in the cortical layer of the lichen thallus where they exert important ecological functions, such as UV filtering. The fact that closely related lineages of lichen-forming fungi can differ in cortical chemistry suggests that natural product biosynthesis in lichens can evolve independent from phylogenetic constraints. Usnic acid is one of the major cortical pigments in lichens. Here we used a comparative genomic approach on 46 lichen-forming fungal species of the Lecanoromycetes to elucidate the biosynthetic gene content and evolution of the gene cluster putatively responsible for the biosynthesis of usnic acid. Whole-genome sequences were gathered from taxa belonging to different orders and families of Lecanoromycetes, where Parmeliaceae is the most well-represented taxon, and analyzed with a variety of genomic tools. The highest number of biosynthetic gene clusters was found in Evernia prunastri, Pannoparmelia angustata, and Parmotrema austrosinense, respectively, and lowest in Canoparmelia nairobiensis, Bulbothrix sensibilis, and Hypotrachyna scytodes. We found that all studied species producing usnic acid contain the putative usnic acid biosynthetic gene cluster, whereas the cluster was absent in all genomes of species lacking usnic acid. The absence of the gene cluster was supported by an additional unsuccessful search for ß-ketoacylsynthase, the most conserved domain of the gene cluster, in the genomes of species lacking usnic acid. The domain architecture of this PKS cluster—homologous to the already known usnic acid PKS cluster (MPAS) and CYT450 (MPAO)—varies within the studied species, whereas the gene arrangement is highly similar in closely related taxa. We hypothesize that the ancestor of these lichen-forming fungi contained the putative usnic acid producing PKS cluster and that the gene cluster was lost repeatedly during the evolution of these groups. Our study provides insight into the genomic adaptations to the evolutionary success of these lichen-forming fungal species and sets a baseline for further exploration of biosynthetic gene content and its evolutionary significance.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Pizarro
- Departamento de Farmacología, Farmacognosia y Botánica, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid 28040, Spain
| | - Pradeep K Divakar
- Departamento de Farmacología, Farmacognosia y Botánica, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid 28040, Spain
| | - Felix Grewe
- Department of Science & Education, The Field Museum, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Ana Crespo
- Departamento de Farmacología, Farmacognosia y Botánica, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid 28040, Spain
| | - Francesco Dal Grande
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main D-60325, Germany.,LOEWE Center for Translational Biodiversity Genomics, Frankfurt am Main D-60325, Germany
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18
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Wang W, Yu Y, Keller NP, Wang P. Presence, Mode of Action, and Application of Pathway Specific Transcription Factors in Aspergillus Biosynthetic Gene Clusters. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22168709. [PMID: 34445420 PMCID: PMC8395729 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22168709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Revised: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Fungal secondary metabolites are renowned toxins as well as valuable sources of antibiotics, cholesterol-lowering drugs, and immunosuppressants; hence, great efforts were levied to understand how these compounds are genetically regulated. The genes encoding for the enzymes required for synthesizing secondary metabolites are arranged in biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). Often, BGCs contain a pathway specific transcription factor (PSTF), a valuable tool in shutting down or turning up production of the BGC product. In this review, we present an in-depth view of PSTFs by examining over 40 characterized BGCs in the well-studied fungal species Aspergillus nidulans and Aspergillus fumigatus. Herein, we find BGC size is a predictor for presence of PSTFs, consider the number and the relative location of PSTF in regard to the cluster(s) regulated, discuss the function and the evolution of PSTFs, and present application strategies for pathway specific activation of cryptic BGCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjie Wang
- Ocean College, Zhejiang University, Zhoushan 316021, China; (W.W.); (Y.Y.)
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Yuchao Yu
- Ocean College, Zhejiang University, Zhoushan 316021, China; (W.W.); (Y.Y.)
| | - Nancy P. Keller
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
- Correspondence: (N.P.K.); (P.W.)
| | - Pinmei Wang
- Ocean College, Zhejiang University, Zhoushan 316021, China; (W.W.); (Y.Y.)
- Correspondence: (N.P.K.); (P.W.)
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19
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Navale V, Vamkudoth KR, Ajmera S, Dhuri V. Aspergillus derived mycotoxins in food and the environment: Prevalence, detection, and toxicity. Toxicol Rep 2021; 8:1008-1030. [PMID: 34408970 PMCID: PMC8363598 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2021.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Revised: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Aspergillus species are the paramount ubiquitous fungi that contaminate various food substrates and produce biochemicals known as mycotoxins. Aflatoxins (AFTs), ochratoxin A (OTA), patulin (PAT), citrinin (CIT), aflatrem (AT), secalonic acids (SA), cyclopiazonic acid (CPA), terrein (TR), sterigmatocystin (ST) and gliotoxin (GT), and other toxins produced by species of Aspergillus plays a major role in food and human health. Mycotoxins exhibited wide range of toxicity to the humans and animal models even at nanomolar (nM) concentration. Consumption of detrimental mycotoxins adulterated foodstuffs affects human and animal health even trace amounts. Bioaerosols consisting of spores and hyphal fragments are active elicitors of bronchial irritation and allergy, and challenging to the public health. Aspergillus is the furthermost predominant environmental contaminant unswervingly defile lives with a 40-90 % mortality risk in patients with conceded immunity. Genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics approaches useful for mycotoxins' detection which are expensive. Antibody based detection of toxins chemotypes may result in cross-reactivity and uncertainty. Aptamers (APT) are single stranded DNA (ssDNA/RNA), are specifically binds to the target molecules can be generated by systematic evolution of ligands through exponential enrichment (SELEX). APT are fast, sensitive, simple, in-expensive, and field-deployable rapid point of care (POC) detection of toxins, and a better alternative to antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vishwambar Navale
- Biochemical Sciences Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, 411008, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Anusandhan Bhawan, New Delhi, India
| | - Koteswara Rao Vamkudoth
- Biochemical Sciences Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, 411008, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Anusandhan Bhawan, New Delhi, India
| | | | - Vaibhavi Dhuri
- Biochemical Sciences Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, 411008, India
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20
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Understanding the fundamental role of virulence determinants to combat Aspergillus fumigatus infections: exploring beyond cell wall. Mycol Prog 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11557-021-01677-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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21
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Liu H, Fan J, Zhang P, Hu Y, Liu X, Li SM, Yin WB. New insights into the disulfide bond formation enzymes in epidithiodiketopiperazine alkaloids. Chem Sci 2021; 12:4132-4138. [PMID: 34163685 PMCID: PMC8179532 DOI: 10.1039/d0sc06647h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Epidithiodiketopiperazines (ETPs) are a group of bioactive fungal natural products and structurally feature unique transannular disulfide bridges between α, α or α, β carbons. However, no enzyme has yet been demonstrated to catalyse α, β-disulfide bond formation in these molecules. Through genome mining and gene deletion approaches in Trichoderma hypoxylon, we identified a putative biosynthetic gene cluster of pretrichodermamide A (1), which requires a FAD-dependent oxidoreductase, TdaR, for the irregular α, β-disulfide formation in 1 biosynthesis. In vitro assays of TdaR, together with AclT involved in aspirochlorine and GliT involved in gliotoxin biosynthesis, proved that all three enzymes catalyse not only the conversion of red-pretrichodermamide A (4) to α, β-disulfide-containing 1 but also that of red-gliotoxin (5) to α, α-disulfide-containing gliotoxin (6). These results provide new insights into the thiol-disulfide oxidases responsible for the disulfide bond formation in natural products with significant substrate and catalytic promiscuities. A FAD-dependent oxidoreductase TdaR was responsible for α, β-disulfide formation in the biosynthesis of pretrichodermamide A. TdaR, together with its homologs AclT and GliT, catalysed not only α, α- but also α, β-disulfide formation in fungi.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Huan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, CAS Key Laboratory of Microbial Physiological and Metabolic Engineering, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100101 P. R. China
| | - Jie Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, CAS Key Laboratory of Microbial Physiological and Metabolic Engineering, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100101 P. R. China
| | - Peng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, CAS Key Laboratory of Microbial Physiological and Metabolic Engineering, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100101 P. R. China
| | - Youcai Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College Beijing 100050 P. R. China
| | - Xingzhong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, CAS Key Laboratory of Microbial Physiological and Metabolic Engineering, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100101 P. R. China
| | - Shu-Ming Li
- Institut für Pharmazeutische Biologie und Biotechnologie, Fachbereich Pharmazie, Philipps-Universität Marburg Robert-Koch-Straße 4 Marburg 35037 Germany
| | - Wen-Bing Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, CAS Key Laboratory of Microbial Physiological and Metabolic Engineering, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100101 P. R. China .,Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100049 P. R. China
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22
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Lim JJJ, Koh J, Moo JR, Villanueva EMF, Putri DA, Lim YS, Seetoh WS, Mulupuri S, Ng JWZ, Nguyen NLU, Reji R, Foo H, Zhao MX, Chan TL, Rodrigues EE, Kairon RS, Hee KM, Chee NC, Low AD, Chen ZHX, Lim SC, Lunardi V, Fong TC, Chua CX, Koh KTS, Julca I, Delli-Ponti R, Ng JWX, Mutwil M. Fungi.guru: Comparative genomic and transcriptomic resource for the fungi kingdom. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2020; 18:3788-3795. [PMID: 33304470 PMCID: PMC7718472 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2020.11.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Revised: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The fungi kingdom is composed of eukaryotic heterotrophs, which are responsible for balancing the ecosystem and play a major role as decomposers. They also produce a vast diversity of secondary metabolites, which have antibiotic or pharmacological properties. However, our lack of knowledge of gene function in fungi precludes us from tailoring them to our needs and tapping into their metabolic diversity. To help remedy this, we gathered genomic and gene expression data of 19 most widely-researched fungi to build an online tool, fungi.guru, which contains tools for cross-species identification of conserved pathways, functional gene modules, and gene families. We exemplify how our tool can elucidate the molecular function, biological process and cellular component of genes involved in various biological processes, by identifying a secondary metabolite pathway producing gliotoxin in Aspergillus fumigatus, the catabolic pathway of cellulose in Coprinopsis cinerea and the conserved DNA replication pathway in Fusarium graminearum and Pyricularia oryzae. The tool is available at www.fungi.guru.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jolyn Jia Jia Lim
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Jace Koh
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Jia Rong Moo
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | | | - Dhira Anindya Putri
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Yuen Shan Lim
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Wei Song Seetoh
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Sriya Mulupuri
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Janice Wan Zhen Ng
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Nhi Le Uyen Nguyen
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Rinta Reji
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Herman Foo
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Margaret Xuan Zhao
- College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Old College, South Bridge, Edinburgh EH8 9YL, United Kingdom
| | - Tong Ling Chan
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Edbert Edric Rodrigues
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Ryanjit Singh Kairon
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Ker Min Hee
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Natasha Cassandra Chee
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Ann Don Low
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Zoe Hui Xin Chen
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Shan Chun Lim
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Vanessa Lunardi
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Tuck Choy Fong
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Cherlyn Xin'Er Chua
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Kenny Ting Sween Koh
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Irene Julca
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Riccardo Delli-Ponti
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Jonathan Wei Xiong Ng
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Marek Mutwil
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
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Hagee D, Abu Hardan A, Botero J, Arnone JT. Genomic clustering within functionally related gene families in Ascomycota fungi. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2020; 18:3267-3277. [PMID: 33209211 PMCID: PMC7653285 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2020.10.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Revised: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple mechanisms collaborate for proper regulation of gene expression. One layer of this regulation is through the clustering of functionally related genes at discrete loci throughout the genome. This phenomenon occurs extensively throughout Ascomycota fungi and is an organizing principle for many gene families whose proteins participate in diverse molecular functions throughout the cell. Members of this phylum include organisms that serve as model systems and those of interest medically, pharmaceutically, and for industrial and biotechnological applications. In this review, we discuss the prevalence of functional clustering through a broad range of organisms within the phylum. Position effects on transcription, genomic locations of clusters, transcriptional regulation of clusters, and selective pressures contributing to the formation and maintenance of clusters are addressed, as are common methods to identify and characterize clusters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Hagee
- Department of Biology, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ 07470, USA
| | - Ahmad Abu Hardan
- Department of Biology, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ 07470, USA
| | - Juan Botero
- Department of Biology, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ 07470, USA
| | - James T. Arnone
- Department of Biology, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ 07470, USA
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Abstract
An efficient moduling disulfuration was developed for polysulfide construction via a bilateral six-membered thiamine disulfurating reagent. Under the control of energy release of ring strain, diverse unsymmetrical trisulfides and tetrasulfides were generated through the assembly of nucleophiles on both sides of the sulfur-sulfur motif. This strategy exhibits features of high efficiency, mild conditions, and general scope.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiahui Xue
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Process, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai 200062, P. R. China
| | - Xuefeng Jiang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Process, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai 200062, P. R. China.,State Key Laboratory of Elemento-organic Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, P. R. China
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25
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van Munster JM, Daly P, Blythe MJ, Ibbett R, Kokolski M, Gaddipati S, Lindquist E, Singan VR, Barry KW, Lipzen A, Ngan CY, Petzold CJ, Chan LJG, Arvas M, Raulo R, Pullan ST, Delmas S, Grigoriev IV, Tucker GA, Simmons BA, Archer DB. Succession of physiological stages hallmarks the transcriptomic response of the fungus Aspergillus niger to lignocellulose. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 2020; 13:69. [PMID: 32313551 PMCID: PMC7155255 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-020-01702-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Understanding how fungi degrade lignocellulose is a cornerstone of improving renewables-based biotechnology, in particular for the production of hydrolytic enzymes. Considerable progress has been made in investigating fungal degradation during time-points where CAZyme expression peaks. However, a robust understanding of the fungal survival strategies over its life time on lignocellulose is thereby missed. Here we aimed to uncover the physiological responses of the biotechnological workhorse and enzyme producer Aspergillus niger over its life time to six substrates important for biofuel production. RESULTS We analysed the response of A. niger to the feedstock Miscanthus and compared it with our previous study on wheat straw, alone or in combination with hydrothermal or ionic liquid feedstock pretreatments. Conserved (substrate-independent) metabolic responses as well as those affected by pretreatment and feedstock were identified via multivariate analysis of genome-wide transcriptomics combined with targeted transcript and protein analyses and mapping to a metabolic model. Initial exposure to all substrates increased fatty acid beta-oxidation and lipid metabolism transcripts. In a strain carrying a deletion of the ortholog of the Aspergillus nidulans fatty acid beta-oxidation transcriptional regulator farA, there was a reduction in expression of selected lignocellulose degradative CAZyme-encoding genes suggesting that beta-oxidation contributes to adaptation to lignocellulose. Mannan degradation expression was wheat straw feedstock-dependent and pectin degradation was higher on the untreated substrates. In the later life stages, known and novel secondary metabolite gene clusters were activated, which are of high interest due to their potential to synthesize bioactive compounds. CONCLUSION In this study, which includes the first transcriptional response of Aspergilli to Miscanthus, we highlighted that life time as well as substrate composition and structure (via variations in pretreatment and feedstock) influence the fungal responses to lignocellulose. We also demonstrated that the fungal response contains physiological stages that are conserved across substrates and are typically found outside of the conditions with high CAZyme expression, as exemplified by the stages that are dominated by lipid and secondary metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jolanda M. van Munster
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD UK
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology (MIB) & School of Chemistry, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M1 7DN UK
| | - Paul Daly
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD UK
- Fungal Physiology, Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute & Fungal Molecular Physiology, Utrecht University, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Present Address: Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Martin J. Blythe
- Deep Seq, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Queen’s Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2UH UK
| | - Roger Ibbett
- School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, LE12 5RD UK
| | - Matt Kokolski
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD UK
| | - Sanyasi Gaddipati
- School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, LE12 5RD UK
| | - Erika Lindquist
- US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94598 USA
| | - Vasanth R. Singan
- US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94598 USA
| | - Kerrie W. Barry
- US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94598 USA
| | - Anna Lipzen
- US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94598 USA
| | - Chew Yee Ngan
- US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94598 USA
| | | | | | - Mikko Arvas
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Tietotie 2, P.O. Box FI-1000, 02044 VTT Espoo, Finland
| | - Roxane Raulo
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD UK
| | - Steven T. Pullan
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD UK
- Present Address: Public Health England, National Infection Service, Salisbury, UK
| | - Stéphane Delmas
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD UK
- Present Address: Laboratory of Computational and Quantitative Biology, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Igor V. Grigoriev
- US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94598 USA
| | - Gregory A. Tucker
- School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, LE12 5RD UK
| | | | - David B. Archer
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD UK
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Bulgari D, Fiorini L, Gianoncelli A, Bertuzzi M, Gobbi E. Enlightening Gliotoxin Biological System in Agriculturally Relevant Trichoderma spp. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:200. [PMID: 32226413 PMCID: PMC7080844 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.00200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Accepted: 01/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Gliotoxin (GT) is a dual fungal secondary metabolite (SM). It displays pleiotropic activities and possesses medicinal properties and biocontrol abilities but, unfortunately, has toxic properties in humans. Various Trichoderma species are used as fungal biological control agents (BCAs), as a sustainable alternative for crop protection worldwide. Among them is Trichoderma virens, a GT-producing fungus. Since no information was available on the genetically coded prerequisites for the production of GT in other Trichoderma spp., genome analyses were carried out in 10 Trichoderma spp. genomes. Moreover, a real-time PCR assay setup ad hoc and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses were employed to understand the GT-producing biological systems in T. virens GV29-8 (TvGv29-8) and Trichoderma afroharzianum T6776 (TaT6776), two relevant biocontrol fungi. The structure of the GT biosynthesis genes (GT-BG) is polymorphic, with two distinct types associated with the ability to produce GT. GliH, a key protein for GT synthesis, is absent in most of the Trichoderma GT biosynthetic pathways, which may be the reason for their inability to produce GT. The GT-BG are expressed in TvGv29-8 as expected, while they are silent in TaT6776. Interestingly, in the GT-non-producing TaT6776, only gliA (putative GT transporter) and gtmA (putative GT S-methyltransferase) were induced by exogenous GT, underlining the ability of this strain to reduce the deleterious effect of the toxin. This ability is confirmed by growth assays and by the detection of the bis-thiomethylated form of GT catalyzed by GtmA in the culture medium supplemented with GT. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first general description of the GT biological system in different Trichoderma spp. as far as the GT-BG content and organization is concerned and a preliminary insight into their functionality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Bulgari
- Piattaforma di Microbiologia Agroalimentare ed Ambientale (Pi.Mi.A.A.), AgroFood Lab, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Lisa Fiorini
- Piattaforma di Microbiologia Agroalimentare ed Ambientale (Pi.Mi.A.A.), AgroFood Lab, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Alessandra Gianoncelli
- Piattaforma di Proteomica, AgroFood Lab, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Michela Bertuzzi
- Piattaforma di Proteomica, AgroFood Lab, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Emanuela Gobbi
- Piattaforma di Microbiologia Agroalimentare ed Ambientale (Pi.Mi.A.A.), AgroFood Lab, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
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27
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Knowles SL, Mead ME, Silva LP, Raja HA, Steenwyk JL, Goldman GH, Oberlies NH, Rokas A. Gliotoxin, a Known Virulence Factor in the Major Human Pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus, Is Also Biosynthesized by Its Nonpathogenic Relative Aspergillus fischeri. mBio 2020; 11:e03361-19. [PMID: 32047138 PMCID: PMC7018655 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.03361-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Accepted: 01/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Aspergillus fumigatus is a major opportunistic human pathogen. Multiple traits contribute to A. fumigatus pathogenicity, including its ability to produce specific secondary metabolites, such as gliotoxin. Gliotoxin is known to inhibit the host immune response, and genetic mutants that inactivate gliotoxin biosynthesis (or secondary metabolism in general) attenuate A. fumigatus virulence. The genome of Aspergillus fischeri, a very close nonpathogenic relative of A. fumigatus, contains a biosynthetic gene cluster that is homologous to the A. fumigatus gliotoxin cluster. However, A. fischeri is not known to produce gliotoxin. To gain further insight into the similarities and differences between the major pathogen A. fumigatus and the nonpathogen A. fischeri, we examined whether A. fischeri strain NRRL 181 biosynthesizes gliotoxin and whether the production of secondary metabolites influences the virulence profile of A. fischeri We found that A. fischeri biosynthesizes gliotoxin under the same conditions as A. fumigatus However, whereas loss of laeA, a master regulator of secondary metabolite production (including gliotoxin biosynthesis), has previously been shown to reduce A. fumigatus virulence, we found that laeA loss (and loss of secondary metabolite production) in A. fischeri does not influence its virulence. These results suggest that LaeA-regulated secondary metabolites are virulence factors in the genomic and phenotypic background of the major pathogen A. fumigatus but are much less important in the background of the nonpathogen A. fischeri Understanding the observed spectrum of pathogenicity across closely related pathogenic and nonpathogenic Aspergillus species will require detailed characterization of their biological, chemical, and genomic similarities and differences.IMPORTANCEAspergillus fumigatus is a major opportunistic fungal pathogen of humans, but most of its close relatives are nonpathogenic. Why is that so? This important, yet largely unanswered, question can be addressed by examining how A. fumigatus and its close nonpathogenic relatives are similar or different with respect to virulence-associated traits. We investigated whether Aspergillus fischeri, a nonpathogenic close relative of A. fumigatus, can produce gliotoxin, a mycotoxin known to contribute to A. fumigatus virulence. We discovered that the nonpathogenic A. fischeri produces gliotoxin under the same conditions as those of the major pathogen A. fumigatus However, we also discovered that, in contrast to what has previously been observed in A. fumigatus, the loss of secondary metabolite production in A. fischeri does not alter its virulence. Our results are consistent with the "cards of virulence" model of opportunistic fungal disease, in which the ability to cause disease stems from the combination ("hand") of virulence factors ("cards") but not from individual factors per se.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonja L Knowles
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
| | - Matthew E Mead
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Lilian Pereira Silva
- Faculdade de Ciencias Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Huzefa A Raja
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jacob L Steenwyk
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Gustavo H Goldman
- Faculdade de Ciencias Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Nicholas H Oberlies
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
| | - Antonis Rokas
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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28
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Huang ZL, Ye W, Zhu MZ, Kong YL, Li SN, Liu S, Zhang WM. Interaction of a Novel Zn2Cys6 Transcription Factor DcGliZ with Promoters in the Gliotoxin Biosynthetic Gene Cluster of the Deep-Sea-Derived Fungus Dichotomomyces cejpii. Biomolecules 2019; 10:E56. [PMID: 31905743 PMCID: PMC7022936 DOI: 10.3390/biom10010056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2019] [Revised: 12/22/2019] [Accepted: 12/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Gliotoxin is an important epipolythiodioxopiperazine, which was biosynthesized by the gli gene cluster in Aspergillus genus. However, the regulatory mechanism of gliotoxin biosynthesis remains unclear. In this study, a novel Zn2Cys6 transcription factor DcGliZ that is responsible for the regulation of gliotoxin biosynthesis from the deep-sea-derived fungus Dichotomomyces cejpii was identified. DcGliZ was expressed in Escherichia coli and effectively purified from inclusion bodies by refolding. Using electrophoretic mobility shift assay, we demonstrated that purified DcGliZ can bind to gliG, gliM, and gliN promoter regions in the gli cluster. Furthermore, the binding kinetics and affinity of DcGliZ protein with different promoters were measured by surface plasmon resonance assays, and the results demonstrated the significant interaction of DcGliZ with the gliG, gliM, and gliN promoters. These new findings would lay the foundation for the elucidation of future gliotoxin biosynthetic regulation mechanisms in D. cejpii.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Wei Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Open Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China; (Z.-L.H.); (M.-Z.Z.); (Y.-L.K.); (S.-N.L.); (S.L.)
| | | | | | | | | | - Wei-Min Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Open Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China; (Z.-L.H.); (M.-Z.Z.); (Y.-L.K.); (S.-N.L.); (S.L.)
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29
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Seo H, Kang S, Park YS, Yun CW. The Role of Zinc in Gliotoxin Biosynthesis of Aspergillus fumigatus. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:E6192. [PMID: 31817957 PMCID: PMC6940964 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20246192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2019] [Revised: 12/04/2019] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Zinc performs diverse physiological functions, and virtually all living organisms require zinc as an essential trace element. To identify the detailed function of zinc in fungal pathogenicity, we carried out cDNA microarray analysis using the model system of Aspergillus fumigatus, a fungal pathogen. From microarray analysis, we found that the genes involved in gliotoxin biosynthesis were upregulated when zinc was depleted, and the microarray data were confirmed by northern blot analysis. In particular, zinc deficiency upregulated the expression of GliZ, which encodes a Zn2-Cys6 binuclear transcription factor that regulates the expression of the genes required for gliotoxin biosynthesis. The production of gliotoxin was decreased in a manner inversely proportional to the zinc concentration, and the same result was investigated in the absence of ZafA, which is a zinc-dependent transcription activator. Interestingly, we found two conserved ZafA-binding motifs, 5'-CAAGGT-3', in the upstream region of GliZ on the genome and discovered that deletion of the ZafA-binding motifs resulted in loss of ZafA-binding activity; gliotoxin production was decreased dramatically, as demonstrated with a GliZ deletion mutant. Furthermore, mutation of the ZafA-binding motifs resulted in an increase in the conidial killing activity of human macrophage and neutrophil cells, and virulence was decreased in a murine model. Finally, transcriptomic analysis revealed that the expression of ZafA and GliZ was upregulated during phagocytosis by macrophages. Taken together, these results suggest that zinc plays an important role in the pathogenicity of A. fumigatus by regulating gliotoxin production during the phagocytosis pathway to overcome the host defense system.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Cheol-Won Yun
- School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Korea University, Anam-dong, Sungbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Korea; (H.S.); (S.K.); (Y.-S.P.)
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30
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Occurrence and Properties of Thiosilvatins. Mar Drugs 2019; 17:md17120664. [PMID: 31779089 PMCID: PMC6950259 DOI: 10.3390/md17120664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Revised: 11/19/2019] [Accepted: 11/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The spread of studies on biodiversity in different environmental contexts is particularly fruitful for natural product discovery, with the finding of novel secondary metabolites and structural models, which are sometimes specific to certain organisms. Within the large class of the epipolythiodioxopiperazines, which are typical of fungi, thiosilvatins represent a homogeneous family that, so far, has been reported in low frequency in both marine and terrestrial contexts. However, recent observations indicate that these compounds have been possibly neglected in the metabolomic characterization of fungi, particularly from marine sources. Aspects concerning occurrence, bioactivities, structural, and biosynthetic properties of thiosilvatins are reviewed in this paper.
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31
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Baccile JA, Le HH, Pfannenstiel BT, Bok JW, Gomez C, Brandenburger E, Hoffmeister D, Keller NP, Schroeder FC. Diketopiperazine Formation in Fungi Requires Dedicated Cyclization and Thiolation Domains. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201909052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Joshua A. Baccile
- Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology Cornell University Ithaca NY USA
- Present Address: Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering California Institute of Technology Pasadena CA USA
| | - Henry H. Le
- Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology Cornell University Ithaca NY USA
| | - Brandon T. Pfannenstiel
- Departments of Bacteriology Medical Microbiology and Immunology University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison WI USA
| | - Jin Woo Bok
- Departments of Bacteriology Medical Microbiology and Immunology University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison WI USA
| | - Christian Gomez
- Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology Cornell University Ithaca NY USA
| | - Eileen Brandenburger
- Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology Hans-Knöll-Institute Friedrich Schiller University Jena Germany
| | - Dirk Hoffmeister
- Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology Hans-Knöll-Institute Friedrich Schiller University Jena Germany
| | - Nancy P. Keller
- Departments of Bacteriology Medical Microbiology and Immunology University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison WI USA
| | - Frank C. Schroeder
- Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology Cornell University Ithaca NY USA
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32
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Iqbal M, Dubey M, Broberg A, Viketoft M, Jensen DF, Karlsson M. Deletion of the Nonribosomal Peptide Synthetase Gene nps1 in the Fungus Clonostachys rosea Attenuates Antagonism and Biocontrol of Plant Pathogenic Fusarium and Nematodes. PHYTOPATHOLOGY 2019; 109:1698-1709. [PMID: 31120795 DOI: 10.1094/phyto-02-19-0042-r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Secondary metabolites produced by biological control agents may influence the outcome of their interactions with plant pathogenic microorganisms and plants. In the present study, we investigated the role of the nonribosomal peptide synthetase gene nps1 expressed by the biocontrol fungus Clonostachys rosea. A gene expression analysis showed that nps1 was induced during confrontations with the plant pathogenic fungus Botrytis cinerea. Gene deletion strains of nps1 displayed increased growth rates and conidiation. However, the nematicidal activity of culture filtrates from C. rosea Δnps1 strains was significantly weaker than that from wild-type filtrates (P ≤ 0.001); after 24 h of incubation with culture filtrates from nps1 deletion strains, only 13 to 33% of a mixed community of nematodes were dead compared with 42% of nematodes incubated with wild-type culture filtrates. The Δnps1 strains also showed reduced biocontrol efficacy during pot experiments, thus failing to protect wheat seedlings from foot rot disease caused by the plant pathogenic fungus Fusarium graminearum. Furthermore, C. rosea Δnps1 strains were not able to reduce populations of plant-parasitic nematodes in soil or in roots of wheat as efficiently as the wild-type strain. Both C. rosea wild-type and Δnps1 strains increased the dry shoot weight and shoot length of wheat by 20 and 13%, respectively. We showed that NPS1, a putative nonribosomal peptide synthetase encoded by nps1, is a biocontrol factor, presumably by producing a hitherto unknown nonribosomal peptide compound with antifungal and nematicidal properties that contributes to the biocontrol properties of C. rosea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mudassir Iqbal
- Department of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology, Uppsala BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Mukesh Dubey
- Department of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology, Uppsala BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Anders Broberg
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Uppsala BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Maria Viketoft
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Dan Funck Jensen
- Department of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology, Uppsala BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Magnus Karlsson
- Department of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology, Uppsala BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden
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Vassaux A, Meunier L, Vandenbol M, Baurain D, Fickers P, Jacques P, Leclère V. Nonribosomal peptides in fungal cell factories: from genome mining to optimized heterologous production. Biotechnol Adv 2019; 37:107449. [PMID: 31518630 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2019.107449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2019] [Revised: 09/06/2019] [Accepted: 09/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Fungi are notoriously prolific producers of secondary metabolites including nonribosomal peptides (NRPs). The structural complexity of NRPs grants them interesting activities such as antibiotic, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory properties. The discovery of these compounds with attractive activities can be achieved by using two approaches: either by screening samples originating from various environments for their biological activities, or by identifying the related clusters in genomic sequences thanks to bioinformatics tools. This genome mining approach has grown tremendously due to recent advances in genome sequencing, which have provided an incredible amount of genomic data from hundreds of microbial species. Regarding fungal organisms, the genomic data have revealed the presence of an unexpected number of putative NRP-related gene clusters. This highlights fungi as a goldmine for the discovery of putative novel bioactive compounds. Recent development of NRP dedicated bioinformatics tools have increased the capacity to identify these gene clusters and to deduce NRPs structures, speeding-up the screening process for novel metabolites discovery. Unfortunately, the newly identified compound is frequently not or poorly produced by native producers due to a lack of expression of the related genes cluster. A frequently employed strategy to increase production rates consists in transferring the related biosynthetic pathway in heterologous hosts. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview about the topic of NRPs discovery, from gene cluster identification by genome mining to the heterologous production in fungal hosts. The main computational tools and methods for genome mining are herein presented with an emphasis on the particularities of the fungal systems. The different steps of the reconstitution of NRP biosynthetic pathway in heterologous fungal cell factories will be discussed, as well as the key factors to consider for maximizing productivity. Several examples will be developed to illustrate the potential of heterologous production to both discover uncharacterized novel compounds predicted in silico by genome mining, and to enhance the productivity of interesting bio-active natural products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoine Vassaux
- TERRA Teaching and Research Centre, Microbial Processes and Interactions, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liege, Avenue de la Faculté d'Agronomie, B5030 Gembloux, Belgium; Univ. Lille, INRA, ISA, Univ. Artois, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, EA 7394-ICV-Institut Charles Viollette, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Loïc Meunier
- TERRA Teaching and Research Centre, Microbial Processes and Interactions, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liege, Avenue de la Faculté d'Agronomie, B5030 Gembloux, Belgium; InBioS-PhytoSYSTEMS, Eukaryotic Phylogenomics, University of Liege, Boulevard du Rectorat 27, B-4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Micheline Vandenbol
- TERRA Teaching and Research Centre, Microbiologie et Génomique, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liege, Avenue de la Faculté d'Agronomie, B5030 Gembloux, Belgium
| | - Denis Baurain
- InBioS-PhytoSYSTEMS, Eukaryotic Phylogenomics, University of Liege, Boulevard du Rectorat 27, B-4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Patrick Fickers
- TERRA Teaching and Research Centre, Microbial Processes and Interactions, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liege, Avenue de la Faculté d'Agronomie, B5030 Gembloux, Belgium
| | - Philippe Jacques
- TERRA Teaching and Research Centre, Microbial Processes and Interactions, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liege, Avenue de la Faculté d'Agronomie, B5030 Gembloux, Belgium
| | - Valérie Leclère
- Univ. Lille, INRA, ISA, Univ. Artois, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, EA 7394-ICV-Institut Charles Viollette, F-59000 Lille, France.
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Le Govic Y, Papon N, Le Gal S, Bouchara JP, Vandeputte P. Non-ribosomal Peptide Synthetase Gene Clusters in the Human Pathogenic Fungus Scedosporium apiospermum. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:2062. [PMID: 31551992 PMCID: PMC6737921 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.02062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2019] [Accepted: 08/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Scedosporium species are opportunistic fungi which preferentially affect patients with underlying conditions such as immunosuppression or cystic fibrosis (CF). While being the second most common molds capable to chronically colonize the CF lungs, the natural history of infection remains unclear. In filamentous fungi, a broad range of important secondary metabolites that are recognized as virulence factors are produced by multidomain non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs). The aim of this study was to provide a global in silico analysis of NRPS-encoding genes based on the recently sequenced Scedosporium apiospermum genome. We uncovered a total of nine NRPS genes, of which six exhibited sufficient similarity scores with other fungal NRPSs to predict the class of the generated peptide: siderophores (n = 2), epidithiodioxopiperazines (n = 2), and cyclopeptides (n = 2). Phylogenetic trees based on the multiple alignments of adenylation (A) domain sequences corroborated these findings. Nevertheless, substrate prediction methods for NRPS A-domains tended to fail, thus questioning about the exact nature of the peptide produced. Further studies should be undertaken since NRPSs, which are not synthesized by human cells, could represent attractive therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yohann Le Govic
- Groupe d'Etude des Interactions Hôte-Pathogène (GEIHP, EA 3142), SFR ICAT 4208, Université d'Angers, Angers, France.,Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Université d'Angers, Angers, France
| | - Nicolas Papon
- Groupe d'Etude des Interactions Hôte-Pathogène (GEIHP, EA 3142), SFR ICAT 4208, Université d'Angers, Angers, France
| | - Solène Le Gal
- Groupe d'Etude des Interactions Hôte-Pathogène (GEIHP, EA 3142), SFR ICAT 4208, Université de Bretagne Occidentale, Brest, France.,Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Université de Bretagne Occidentale, Brest, France
| | - Jean-Philippe Bouchara
- Groupe d'Etude des Interactions Hôte-Pathogène (GEIHP, EA 3142), SFR ICAT 4208, Université d'Angers, Angers, France.,Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Université d'Angers, Angers, France
| | - Patrick Vandeputte
- Groupe d'Etude des Interactions Hôte-Pathogène (GEIHP, EA 3142), SFR ICAT 4208, Université d'Angers, Angers, France.,Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Université d'Angers, Angers, France
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Baccile JA, Le HH, Pfannenstiel BT, Bok JW, Gomez C, Brandenburger E, Hoffmeister D, Keller NP, Schroeder FC. Diketopiperazine Formation in Fungi Requires Dedicated Cyclization and Thiolation Domains. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2019; 58:14589-14593. [PMID: 31342608 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201909052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Cyclization of linear dipeptidyl precursors derived from nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs) into 2,5-diketopiperazines (DKPs) is a crucial step in the biosynthesis of a large number of bioactive natural products. However, the mechanism of DKP formation in fungi has remained unclear, despite extensive studies of their biosyntheses. Here we show that DKP formation en route to the fungal virulence factor gliotoxin requires a seemingly extraneous couplet of condensation (C) and thiolation (T) domains in the NRPS GliP. In vivo truncation of GliP to remove the CT couplet or just the T domain abrogated production of gliotoxin and all other gli pathway metabolites. Point mutation of conserved active sites in the C and T domains diminished cyclization activity of GliP in vitro and abolished gliotoxin biosynthesis in vivo. Verified NRPSs of other fungal DKPs terminate with similar CT domain couplets, suggesting a conserved strategy for DKP biosynthesis by fungal NRPSs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua A Baccile
- Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.,Present Address: Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Henry H Le
- Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Brandon T Pfannenstiel
- Departments of Bacteriology, Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Jin Woo Bok
- Departments of Bacteriology, Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Christian Gomez
- Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Eileen Brandenburger
- Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Hans-Knöll-Institute, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
| | - Dirk Hoffmeister
- Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Hans-Knöll-Institute, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
| | - Nancy P Keller
- Departments of Bacteriology, Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Frank C Schroeder
- Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
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Stringlis IA, Zhang H, Pieterse CMJ, Bolton MD, de Jonge R. Microbial small molecules - weapons of plant subversion. Nat Prod Rep 2019; 35:410-433. [PMID: 29756135 DOI: 10.1039/c7np00062f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Covering: up to 2018 Plants live in close association with a myriad of microbes that are generally harmless. However, the minority of microbes that are pathogens can severely impact crop quality and yield, thereby endangering food security. By contrast, beneficial microbes provide plants with important services, such as enhanced nutrient uptake and protection against pests and diseases. Like pathogens, beneficial microbes can modulate host immunity to efficiently colonize the nutrient-rich niches within and around the roots and aerial tissues of a plant, a phenomenon mirroring the establishment of commensal microbes in the human gut. Numerous ingenious mechanisms have been described by which pathogenic and beneficial microbes in the plant microbiome communicate with their host, including the delivery of immune-suppressive effector proteins and the production of phytohormones, toxins and other bioactive molecules. Plants signal to their associated microbes via exudation of photosynthetically fixed carbon sources, quorum-sensing mimicry molecules and selective secondary metabolites such as strigolactones and flavonoids. Molecular communication thus forms an integral part of the establishment of both beneficial and pathogenic plant-microbe relations. Here, we review the current knowledge on microbe-derived small molecules that can act as signalling compounds to stimulate plant growth and health by beneficial microbes on the one hand, but also as weapons for plant invasion by pathogens on the other. As an exemplary case, we used comparative genomics to assess the small molecule biosynthetic capabilities of the Pseudomonas genus; a genus rich in both plant pathogenic and beneficial microbes. We highlight the biosynthetic potential of individual microbial genomes and the population at large, providing evidence for the hypothesis that the distinction between detrimental and beneficial microbes is increasingly fading. Knowledge on the biosynthesis and molecular activity of microbial small molecules will aid in the development of successful biological agents boosting crop resiliency in a sustainable manner and could also provide scientific routes to pathogen inhibition or eradication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioannis A Stringlis
- Plant-Microbe Interactions, Department of Biology, Science4Life, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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37
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Romsdahl J, Wang CCC. Recent advances in the genome mining of Aspergillus secondary metabolites (covering 2012-2018). MEDCHEMCOMM 2019; 10:840-866. [PMID: 31303983 PMCID: PMC6590338 DOI: 10.1039/c9md00054b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Accepted: 04/11/2019] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Secondary metabolites (SMs) produced by filamentous fungi possess diverse bioactivities that make them excellent drug candidates. Whole genome sequencing has revealed that fungi have the capacity to produce a far greater number of SMs than have been isolated, since many of the genes involved in SM biosynthesis are either silent or expressed at very low levels in standard laboratory conditions. There has been significant effort to activate SM biosynthetic genes and link them to their downstream products, as the SMs produced by these "cryptic" pathways offer a promising source for new drug discovery. Further, an understanding of the genes involved in SM biosynthesis facilitates product yield optimization of first-generation molecules and genetic engineering of second-generation analogs. This review covers advances made in genome mining SMs produced by Aspergillus nidulans, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus terreus in the past six years (2012-2018). Genetic identification and molecular characterization of SM biosynthetic gene clusters, along with proposed biosynthetic pathways, will be discussed in depth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jillian Romsdahl
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences , School of Pharmacy , University of Southern California , 1985 Zonal Avenue , Los Angeles , CA 90089 , USA . ; Tel: (323) 442 1670
| | - Clay C C Wang
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences , School of Pharmacy , University of Southern California , 1985 Zonal Avenue , Los Angeles , CA 90089 , USA . ; Tel: (323) 442 1670
- Department of Chemistry , Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences , University of Southern California , 3551 Trousdale Pkwy , Los Angeles , CA 90089 , USA
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38
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Zhao P, Xue Y, Li J, Li X, Zu X, Zhao Z, Quan C, Gao W, Feng S. Non-lipopeptide fungi-derived peptide antibiotics developed since 2000. Biotechnol Lett 2019; 41:651-673. [PMID: 31020454 DOI: 10.1007/s10529-019-02677-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2019] [Accepted: 04/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The 2,5-diketopiperazines (DKPs) are the smallest cyclopeptides and their basic structure includes a six-membered piperazine nucleus. Typical peptides lack a special functional group in the oligopeptide nucleus. Both are produced by at least 35 representative genera of fungi, and possess huge potential as pharmaceutical drugs and biocontrol agents. To date, only cyclosporin A has been developed into a commercial product. This review summarises 186 fungi-derived compounds reported since 2000. Antibiotic (antibacterial, antifungal, synergistic antifungal, antiviral, antimycobacterial, antimalarial, antileishmanial, insecticidal, antitrypanosomal, nematicidal and antimicroalgal) activities are discussed for 107 of them, including 66 DKPs (14 epipolythiodioxopiperazines, 20 polysulphide bridge-free thiodiketopiperazines, and 32 sulphur-free prenylated indole DKPs), 15 highly N-methylated, and 26 non-highly N-methylated typical peptides. Structure-activity relationships, mechanisms of action, and research methods are covered in detail. Additionally, biosynthases of tardioxopiperazines and neoechinulins are highlighted. These compounds have attracted considerable interest within the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengchao Zhao
- College of Medical Technology and Engineering, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471023, China
| | - Yun Xue
- College of Medical Technology and Engineering, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471023, China.
| | - Jinghua Li
- College of Medical Technology and Engineering, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471023, China
| | - Xin Li
- Life Science College, Yuncheng University, Yuncheng, 044000, China
| | - Xiangyang Zu
- College of Medical Technology and Engineering, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471023, China
| | - Zhanqin Zhao
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471023, China.
| | - Chunshan Quan
- Department of Life Science, Dalian Nationalities University, Dalian, 116600, China
| | - Weina Gao
- College of Medical Technology and Engineering, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471023, China
| | - Shuxiao Feng
- College of Chemical Engineering and Pharmacy, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471023, China
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39
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Mead ME, Knowles SL, Raja HA, Beattie SR, Kowalski CH, Steenwyk JL, Silva LP, Chiaratto J, Ries LNA, Goldman GH, Cramer RA, Oberlies NH, Rokas A. Characterizing the Pathogenic, Genomic, and Chemical Traits of Aspergillus fischeri, a Close Relative of the Major Human Fungal Pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus. mSphere 2019; 4:e00018-19. [PMID: 30787113 PMCID: PMC6382966 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00018-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2019] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Aspergillus fischeri is closely related to Aspergillus fumigatus, the major cause of invasive mold infections. Even though A. fischeri is commonly found in diverse environments, including hospitals, it rarely causes invasive disease. Why A. fischeri causes less human disease than A. fumigatus is unclear. A comparison of A. fischeri and A. fumigatus for pathogenic, genomic, and secondary metabolic traits revealed multiple differences in pathogenesis-related phenotypes. We observed that A. fischeri NRRL 181 is less virulent than A. fumigatus strain CEA10 in multiple animal models of disease, grows slower in low-oxygen environments, and is more sensitive to oxidative stress. Strikingly, the observed differences for some traits are of the same order of magnitude as those previously reported between A. fumigatus strains. In contrast, similar to what has previously been reported, the two species exhibit high genomic similarity; ∼90% of the A. fumigatus proteome is conserved in A. fischeri, including 48/49 genes known to be involved in A. fumigatus virulence. However, only 10/33 A. fumigatus biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) likely involved in secondary metabolite production are conserved in A. fischeri and only 13/48 A. fischeri BGCs are conserved in A. fumigatus Detailed chemical characterization of A. fischeri cultures grown on multiple substrates identified multiple secondary metabolites, including two new compounds and one never before isolated as a natural product. Additionally, an A. fischeri deletion mutant of laeA, a master regulator of secondary metabolism, produced fewer secondary metabolites and in lower quantities, suggesting that regulation of secondary metabolism is at least partially conserved. These results suggest that the nonpathogenic A. fischeri possesses many of the genes important for A. fumigatus pathogenicity but is divergent with respect to its ability to thrive under host-relevant conditions and its secondary metabolism.IMPORTANCEAspergillus fumigatus is the primary cause of aspergillosis, a devastating ensemble of diseases associated with severe morbidity and mortality worldwide. A. fischeri is a close relative of A. fumigatus but is not generally observed to cause human disease. To gain insights into the underlying causes of this remarkable difference in pathogenicity, we compared two representative strains (one from each species) for a range of pathogenesis-relevant biological and chemical characteristics. We found that disease progression in multiple A. fischeri mouse models was slower and caused less mortality than A. fumigatus Remarkably, the observed differences between A. fischeri and A. fumigatus strains examined here closely resembled those previously described for two commonly studied A. fumigatus strains, AF293 and CEA10. A. fischeri and A. fumigatus exhibited different growth profiles when placed in a range of stress-inducing conditions encountered during infection, such as low levels of oxygen and the presence of chemicals that induce the production of reactive oxygen species. We also found that the vast majority of A. fumigatus genes known to be involved in virulence are conserved in A. fischeri, whereas the two species differ significantly in their secondary metabolic pathways. These similarities and differences that we report here are the first step toward understanding the evolutionary origin of a major fungal pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew E Mead
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Sonja L Knowles
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
| | - Huzefa A Raja
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
| | - Sarah R Beattie
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Caitlin H Kowalski
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Jacob L Steenwyk
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Lilian P Silva
- Faculdade de Ciencias Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Jessica Chiaratto
- Faculdade de Ciencias Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Laure N A Ries
- Faculdade de Ciencias Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Gustavo H Goldman
- Faculdade de Ciencias Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Robert A Cramer
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Nicholas H Oberlies
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
| | - Antonis Rokas
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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40
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Gao S, Zheng X, Tang Y, Cheng Y, Hu X, Wu J. Development of a Fluorescently Labeled Aptamer Structure-Switching Assay for Sensitive and Rapid Detection of Gliotoxin. Anal Chem 2019; 91:1610-1618. [PMID: 30567425 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.8b05094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Gliotoxin, one of the most toxic metabolites produced during the growth of Aspergillus fumigatus, can cause direct damage to the immune system and results in infection and spread of Aspergillus, or even leads to invasive aspergillosis. Accurate, rapid, and sensitive detection of the disease-specific marker gliotoxin, particularly in serum, urine, or other body fluids, is therefore an important approach to achieving early and rapid diagnosis of Invasive Aspergillus Fumigatus Infection (IAFI). In this study, aptamers that specifically bind to gliotoxin were successfully obtained using immobilization-free GO-SELEX technology. Furthermore, the performance of the aptamer, including binding affinity, targeting specificity, and structural stability, was further improved by optimizing through truncation and mutation. Finally, the optimized aptamer APT8T1M was used to develop a novel fluorescently labeled aptamer structure-switching assay (FLASSA) for the detection of gliotoxin. The method exhibited a good linear range from 0.1 nM to 100 nM of gliotoxin, with a lower detection limit of 0.05 nM. Moreover, FLASSA was applied to the detection of gliotoxin in spiked serum and urine samples. A good mean recovery of 98.76-110.85% and a low coefficient of variation (5.45-14.59%) were obtained, indicating a high degree of selectivity for gliotoxin, good reproducibility, and stability. These results show that the developed FLASSA has significant potential and offers an alternative to the traditional analytical methods for the rapid, sensitive, and efficient detection of gliotoxin, thus, providing an effective tool for the early and rapid diagnosis of IAFI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shunxiang Gao
- Eye Institute, Eye and ENT Hospital , College of Medicine, Fudan University , Shanghai , China.,Shanghai Key Laboratory of Visual Impairment and Restoration , Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality , Shanghai , China.,NHC Key Laboratory of Myopia (Fudan University), Key Laboratory of Myopia , Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences , Shanghai , China
| | - Xin Zheng
- Department of Clinical Laboratory , Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine , Shanghai , China
| | - Yuan Tang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery , Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University , Shanghai , China
| | - Yajun Cheng
- Department of Orthopedics , Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University , Shanghai , China
| | - Xiaobo Hu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory , Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine , Shanghai , China
| | - Jihong Wu
- Eye Institute, Eye and ENT Hospital , College of Medicine, Fudan University , Shanghai , China.,Shanghai Key Laboratory of Visual Impairment and Restoration , Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality , Shanghai , China.,NHC Key Laboratory of Myopia (Fudan University), Key Laboratory of Myopia , Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences , Shanghai , China
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41
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Smith SD, Angelovici R, Heyduk K, Maeda HA, Moghe GD, Pires JC, Widhalm JR, Wisecaver JH. The renaissance of comparative biochemistry. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2019; 106:3-13. [PMID: 30629738 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2018] [Accepted: 12/04/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Stacey D Smith
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Ruthie Angelovici
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Karolina Heyduk
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Hiroshi A Maeda
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Gaurav D Moghe
- Plant Biology Section, School of Integrative Plant Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - J Chris Pires
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Joshua R Widhalm
- Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture and Center for Plant Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Jennifer H Wisecaver
- Department of Biochemistry and Center for Plant Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
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Functional and evolutionary characterization of a secondary metabolite gene cluster in budding yeasts. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:11030-11035. [PMID: 30297402 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1806268115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Secondary metabolites are key in how organisms from all domains of life interact with their environment and each other. The iron-binding molecule pulcherrimin was described a century ago, but the genes responsible for its production in budding yeasts have remained uncharacterized. Here, we used phylogenomic footprinting on 90 genomes across the budding yeast subphylum Saccharomycotina to identify the gene cluster associated with pulcherrimin production. Using targeted gene replacements in Kluyveromyces lactis, we characterized the four genes that make up the cluster, which likely encode two pulcherriminic acid biosynthesis enzymes, a pulcherrimin transporter, and a transcription factor involved in both biosynthesis and transport. The requirement of a functional putative transporter to utilize extracellular pulcherrimin-complexed iron demonstrates that pulcherriminic acid is a siderophore, a chelator that binds iron outside the cell for subsequent uptake. Surprisingly, we identified homologs of the putative transporter and transcription factor genes in multiple yeast genera that lacked the biosynthesis genes and could not make pulcherrimin, including the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae We deleted these previously uncharacterized genes and showed they are also required for pulcherrimin utilization in S. cerevisiae, raising the possibility that other genes of unknown function are linked to secondary metabolism. Phylogenetic analyses of this gene cluster suggest that pulcherrimin biosynthesis and utilization were ancestral to budding yeasts, but the biosynthesis genes and, subsequently, the utilization genes, were lost in many lineages, mirroring other microbial public goods systems that lead to the rise of cheater organisms.
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43
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Scharf DH, Dworschak JD, Chankhamjon P, Scherlach K, Heinekamp T, Brakhage AA, Hertweck C. Reconstitution of Enzymatic Carbon-Sulfur Bond Formation Reveals Detoxification-Like Strategy in Fungal Toxin Biosynthesis. ACS Chem Biol 2018; 13:2508-2512. [PMID: 30075079 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.8b00413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Gliotoxin is a virulence factor of the human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus, the leading cause of invasive aspergillosis. The activity of this metabolite is mediated by a transannular disulfide bond, a hallmark of the epipolythiodiketopiperazine (ETP) family. Through the creation of fungal gene deletion mutants and heterologous protein expression, we unveiled the critical role of the cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (CYP450) GliC for the stepwise bishydroxylation of the diketopiperazine (DKP) core. We show for the first time the formation of the C-S bond from the DKP in a combined assay of GliC and the glutathione- S-transferase (GST) GliG in vitro. Furthermore, we present experimental evidence for an intermediary imine species. The flexible substrate scope of GliC and GliG in combination parallels P450/GST pairs used in eukaryotic phase I/II detoxification pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel H. Scharf
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Jan D. Dworschak
- Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Pranatchareeya Chankhamjon
- Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Kirstin Scherlach
- Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Thorsten Heinekamp
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Axel A. Brakhage
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany
- Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Christian Hertweck
- Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany
- Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
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44
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Identification of Antifungal Targets Based on Computer Modeling. J Fungi (Basel) 2018; 4:jof4030081. [PMID: 29973534 PMCID: PMC6162656 DOI: 10.3390/jof4030081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2018] [Revised: 06/24/2018] [Accepted: 06/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Aspergillus fumigatus is a saprophytic, cosmopolitan fungus that attacks patients with a weak immune system. A rational solution against fungal infection aims to manipulate fungal metabolism or to block enzymes essential for Aspergillus survival. Here we discuss and compare different bioinformatics approaches to analyze possible targeting strategies on fungal-unique pathways. For instance, phylogenetic analysis reveals fungal targets, while domain analysis allows us to spot minor differences in protein composition between the host and fungi. Moreover, protein networks between host and fungi can be systematically compared by looking at orthologs and exploiting information from host⁻pathogen interaction databases. Further data—such as knowledge of a three-dimensional structure, gene expression data, or information from calculated metabolic fluxes—refine the search and rapidly put a focus on the best targets for antimycotics. We analyzed several of the best targets for application to structure-based drug design. Finally, we discuss general advantages and limitations in identification of unique fungal pathways and protein targets when applying bioinformatics tools.
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45
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Transcription Factors Controlling Primary and Secondary Metabolism in Filamentous Fungi: The β-Lactam Paradigm. FERMENTATION-BASEL 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/fermentation4020047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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46
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Vidal-García M, Redrado S, Domingo MP, Marquina P, Colmenarejo C, Meis JF, Rezusta A, Pardo J, Galvez EM. Production of the Invasive Aspergillosis Biomarker Bis(methylthio)gliotoxin Within the Genus Aspergillus: In Vitro and in Vivo Metabolite Quantification and Genomic Analysis. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:1246. [PMID: 29946309 PMCID: PMC6006755 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.01246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2018] [Accepted: 05/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Gliotoxin (GT) is a fungal secondary metabolite that has attracted great interest due to its high biological activity since it was discovered by the 1930s. An inactive derivative of this molecule, bis(methylthio)gliotoxin (bmGT), has been proposed as an invasive aspergillosis (IA) biomarker. Nevertheless, studies regarding bmGT production among common opportunistic fungi, including the Aspergillus genus, are scarce and sometimes discordant. As previously reported, bmGT is produced from GT by a methyl-transferase, named as GtmA, as a negative feedback regulatory system of GT production. In order to analyze the potential of bmGT detection to enable identification of infections caused by different members of the Aspergillus genus we have assessed bmGT production within the genus Aspergillus, including A, fumigatus, A. niger, A. nidulans, and A. flavus, and its correlation with gtmA presence. In order to validate the relevance of our in vitro findings, we compared bmGT during in vitro culture with the presence of bmGT in sera of patients from whom the Aspergillus spp. were isolated. Our results indicate that most A. fumigatus isolates produce GT and bmGT both in vitro and in vivo. In contrast, A. niger and A. nidulans were not able to produce GT or bmGT, although A. niger produced bmGT from a exogenous GT source. The frequency and amount of bmGT production in A. terreus and A. flavus isolates in vitro was lower than in A. fumigatus. Our results suggest that this defect could be related to the in vitro culture conditions, since isolates that did not produce bmGT in vitro were able to synthetize it in vivo. In summary, our study indicates that bmGT could be very useful to specifically detect the presence of A. fumigatus, the most prevalent agent causing IA. Concerning A. terreus and A. flavus a higher number of analyses from sera from infected patients will be required to reach a useful conclusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matxalen Vidal-García
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Aragón, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Aragón, Zaragoza, Spain.,Hospital Universitario Miguel Servet, Zaragoza, Spain
| | | | | | | | | | - Jacques F Meis
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, Netherlands.,Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Canisius Wilhelmina Hospital, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Antonio Rezusta
- Hospital Universitario Miguel Servet, Zaragoza, Spain.,Departamento de Microbiología, Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Julian Pardo
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Aragón, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Aragón, Zaragoza, Spain.,Fundacion Agencia Aragonesa para la Investigacion y el Desarrollo, Zaragoza, Spain.,Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.,Instituto de Nanociencia de Aragón, Zaragoza, Spain
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47
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Liang J, Cheng T, Huang Y, Liu J. Petroleum degradation by Pseudomonas sp. ZS1 is impeded in the presence of antagonist Alcaligenes sp. CT10. AMB Express 2018; 8:88. [PMID: 29808440 PMCID: PMC5972140 DOI: 10.1186/s13568-018-0620-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2018] [Accepted: 05/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Enhanced bioremediation is a favorable approach for petroleum pollutant cleanup, which depends on the growth of oil-eating microorganisms. In this study, we show that, by using the modified T-RFLP (mT-RFLP) methodology, one of the four major microbial populations derived from oil sludge has failed to propagate in MS medium supplemented with 2% yeast extract (YE). rDNA sequence-based analysis indicated that the four populations were Donghicola sp. CT5, Bacillus sp. CT6, Alcaligenes sp. CT10, and Pseudomonas sp. ZS1. Four purified strains grow well individually in MS medium supplemented with 2% YE, suggesting that ZS1 growth is antagonized by other strains. Co-growth analysis using mT-RFLP methodology and plate inhibitory assay indicated that ZS1 exhibited antagonistic effect against CT5 and CT6. On the other hand, co-growth analysis and plate inhibition assay showed that CT10 antagonized against ZS1. To investigate the potential compounds responsible for the antagonism, supernatant of CT10 culture was subjected to GC-MS analysis. Analysis indicated that CT10 produced a number of antimicrobial compounds including cyclodipeptide c-(L-Pro-L-Phe), which was known to inhibit the growth of Pseudomonas sp. Growth test using the purified c-(L-Pro-L-Phe) from CT10 confirmed its inhibitory activity. We further showed that, using both gravimetric and GC analysis, CT10 antagonism against the oil-eating ZS1 led to the diminishing of crude oil degradation. Together, our results indicate that bioremediation can be affected by environmental antagonists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jibei Liang
- Ocean College, Zhejiang University, Marine Science Building #379, Zhoushan Campus, 1 Zheda Road, Dinghai District, Zhoushan, 316000 ZJ China
| | - Tao Cheng
- Ocean College, Zhejiang University, Marine Science Building #379, Zhoushan Campus, 1 Zheda Road, Dinghai District, Zhoushan, 316000 ZJ China
| | - Yi Huang
- Ocean College, Zhejiang University, Marine Science Building #379, Zhoushan Campus, 1 Zheda Road, Dinghai District, Zhoushan, 316000 ZJ China
| | - Jianhua Liu
- Ocean College, Zhejiang University, Marine Science Building #379, Zhoushan Campus, 1 Zheda Road, Dinghai District, Zhoushan, 316000 ZJ China
- Ocean Research Center of Zhoushan, Zhejiang University, Zhoushan, 316021 ZJ China
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48
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He Y, Wang B, Chen W, Cox RJ, He J, Chen F. Recent advances in reconstructing microbial secondary metabolites biosynthesis in Aspergillus spp. Biotechnol Adv 2018; 36:739-783. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2018.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2017] [Revised: 01/30/2018] [Accepted: 02/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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49
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Bhatnagar I, Mahato K, Ealla KKR, Asthana A, Chandra P. Chitosan stabilized gold nanoparticle mediated self-assembled gliP nanobiosensor for diagnosis of Invasive Aspergillosis. Int J Biol Macromol 2017; 110:449-456. [PMID: 29253546 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2017.12.084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2017] [Revised: 11/20/2017] [Accepted: 12/13/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Diagnosis of Invasive Aspergillosis (IA) casused by Aspergillus fumigatus in miniaturized setting is challenging with great importance in human health. In this direction, we have designed a sensitive electrochemical nanobiosensor for diagnosis of IA through detecting the virulent glip target gene (glip-T) in a miniaturized experimetal setting. The sensor probe was fabricated using 1,6-Hexanedithiol and chitosan stabilized gold nanoparticle mediated self-assembly of glip probes (glip-P) on gold electrode. It was characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, cyclic voltametry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The ability of sensor to detect glip-T was analysed based on the hybridyzation reaction and the signal obtained using toluidine blue as indicator molecule. Analytical parameters were optimized in terms of glip-P concentration, temperature, reaction time, and concentration of toluidine blue. The biosensor showed the dynamic range between 1 × 10-14- 1 × 10-2 M with the detection limit of 0.32 ± 0.01 × 10-14(RSD < 5.2%). The regeneration of biosensor was evaluated and the interference due to non-target oligonucleotide sequences was evaluated individualy as well as in mixed sample to validate the high selectivity of the designed sensor. The stability of the designed sensor was examined and practical applicability of biosensor was tested by detecting glip-T in real sample environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ira Bhatnagar
- Clinical Research Facility, Medical Biotechnology Complex, CSIR - Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, 500007, India.
| | - Kuldeep Mahato
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, 781039, Assam, India
| | | | - Amit Asthana
- Clinical Research Facility, Medical Biotechnology Complex, CSIR - Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, 500007, India
| | - Pranjal Chandra
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, 781039, Assam, India.
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50
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Dolan SK, Bock T, Hering V, Owens RA, Jones GW, Blankenfeldt W, Doyle S. Structural, mechanistic and functional insight into gliotoxin bis-thiomethylation in Aspergillus fumigatus. Open Biol 2017; 7:rsob.160292. [PMID: 28179499 PMCID: PMC5356443 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.160292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2016] [Accepted: 01/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Gliotoxin is an epipolythiodioxopiperazine (ETP) class toxin, contains a disulfide bridge that mediates its toxic effects via redox cycling and is produced by the opportunistic fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus Self-resistance against gliotoxin is effected by the gliotoxin oxidase GliT, and attenuation of gliotoxin biosynthesis is catalysed by gliotoxin S-methyltransferase GtmA. Here we describe the X-ray crystal structures of GtmA-apo (1.66 Å), GtmA complexed to S-adenosylhomocysteine (1.33 Å) and GtmA complexed to S-adenosylmethionine (2.28 Å), providing mechanistic insights into this important biotransformation. We further reveal that simultaneous elimination of the ability of A. fumigatus to dissipate highly reactive dithiol gliotoxin, via deletion of GliT and GtmA, results in the most significant hypersensitivity to exogenous gliotoxin observed to date. Indeed, quantitative proteomic analysis of ΔgliT::ΔgtmA reveals an uncontrolled over-activation of the gli-cluster upon gliotoxin exposure. The data presented herein reveal, for the first time, the extreme risk associated with intracellular dithiol gliotoxin biosynthesis-in the absence of an efficient dismutation capacity. Significantly, a previously concealed protective role for GtmA and functionality of ETP bis-thiomethylation as an ancestral protection strategy against dithiol compounds is now evident.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen K Dolan
- Department of Biology, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland
| | - Tobias Bock
- Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Structure and Function of Proteins, Inhoffenstraße 7, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Vanessa Hering
- Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Structure and Function of Proteins, Inhoffenstraße 7, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Rebecca A Owens
- Department of Biology, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland
| | - Gary W Jones
- Department of Biology, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland
| | - Wulf Blankenfeldt
- Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Structure and Function of Proteins, Inhoffenstraße 7, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany .,Institute of Biochemistry, Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Spielmannstrasse 7, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Sean Doyle
- Department of Biology, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland
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