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Martín JF. Interaction of calcium responsive proteins and transcriptional factors with the PHO regulon in yeasts and fungi. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1225774. [PMID: 37601111 PMCID: PMC10437122 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1225774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Phosphate and calcium ions are nutrients that play key roles in growth, differentiation and the production of bioactive secondary metabolites in filamentous fungi. Phosphate concentration regulates the biosynthesis of hundreds of fungal metabolites. The central mechanisms of phosphate transport and regulation, mediated by the master Pho4 transcriptional factor are known, but many aspects of the control of gene expression need further research. High ATP concentration in the cells leads to inositol pyrophosphate molecules formation, such as IP3 and IP7, that act as phosphorylation status reporters. Calcium ions are intracellular messengers in eukaryotic organisms and calcium homeostasis follows elaborated patterns in response to different nutritional and environmental factors, including cross-talking with phosphate concentrations. A large part of the intracellular calcium is stored in vacuoles and other organelles forming complexes with polyphosphate. The free cytosolic calcium concentration is maintained by transport from the external medium or by release from the store organelles through calcium permeable transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels. Calcium ions, particularly the free cytosolic calcium levels, control the biosynthesis of fungal metabolites by two mechanisms, 1) direct interaction of calcium-bound calmodulin with antibiotic synthesizing enzymes, and 2) by the calmodulin-calcineurin signaling cascade. Control of very different secondary metabolites, including pathogenicity determinants, are mediated by calcium through the Crz1 factor. Several interactions between calcium homeostasis and phosphate have been demonstrated in the last decade: 1) The inositol pyrophosphate IP3 triggers the release of calcium ions from internal stores into the cytosol, 2) Expression of the high affinity phosphate transporter Pho89, a Na+/phosphate symporter, is controlled by Crz1. Also, mutants defective in the calcium permeable TRPCa7-like of Saccharomyces cerevisiae shown impaired expression of Pho89. This information suggests that CrzA and Pho89 play key roles in the interaction of phosphate and calcium regulatory pathways, 3) Finally, acidocalcisomes organelles have been found in mycorrhiza and in some melanin producing fungi that show similar characteristics as protozoa calcisomes. In these organelles there is a close interaction between orthophosphate, pyrophosphate and polyphosphate and calcium ions that are absorbed in the polyanionic polyphosphate matrix. These advances open new perspectives for the control of fungal metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan F. Martín
- Departamento de Biología Molecular, Área de Microbiología, Universidad de León, León, Spain
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2
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Dos Reis TF, de Castro PA, Bastos RW, Pinzan CF, Souza PFN, Ackloo S, Hossain MA, Drewry DH, Alkhazraji S, Ibrahim AS, Jo H, Lightfoot JD, Adams EM, Fuller KK, deGrado WF, Goldman GH. A host defense peptide mimetic, brilacidin, potentiates caspofungin antifungal activity against human pathogenic fungi. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2052. [PMID: 37045836 PMCID: PMC10090755 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37573-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Fungal infections cause more than 1.5 million deaths a year. Due to emerging antifungal drug resistance, novel strategies are urgently needed to combat life-threatening fungal diseases. Here, we identify the host defense peptide mimetic, brilacidin (BRI) as a synergizer with caspofungin (CAS) against CAS-sensitive and CAS-resistant isolates of Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans, C. auris, and CAS-intrinsically resistant Cryptococcus neoformans. BRI also potentiates azoles against A. fumigatus and several Mucorales fungi. BRI acts in A. fumigatus by affecting cell wall integrity pathway and cell membrane potential. BRI combined with CAS significantly clears A. fumigatus lung infection in an immunosuppressed murine model of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. BRI alone also decreases A. fumigatus fungal burden and ablates disease development in a murine model of fungal keratitis. Our results indicate that combinations of BRI and antifungal drugs in clinical use are likely to improve the treatment outcome of aspergillosis and other fungal infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thaila Fernanda Dos Reis
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Patrícia Alves de Castro
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Rafael Wesley Bastos
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Camila Figueiredo Pinzan
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Pedro F N Souza
- Visiting professor at Drug Research and Development Center, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, 60451, Brazil
| | - Suzanne Ackloo
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University of Toronto, 101 College Street, MaRS South Tower, Suite 700, Toronto, ON, M5G 1L7, Canada
| | - Mohammad Anwar Hossain
- Structural Genomics Consortium, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - David Harold Drewry
- Structural Genomics Consortium, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Sondus Alkhazraji
- Division of Infectious Diseases, The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center, Torrance, CA, 90502, USA
| | - Ashraf S Ibrahim
- Division of Infectious Diseases, The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center, Torrance, CA, 90502, USA
- David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Hyunil Jo
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Jorge D Lightfoot
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA
| | - Emily M Adams
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA
| | - Kevin K Fuller
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA
| | - William F deGrado
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Gustavo H Goldman
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.
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3
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Wang H, Gai Y, Zhao Y, Wang M, Ma Z. The calcium-calcineurin and high-osmolarity glycerol pathways co-regulate tebuconazole sensitivity and pathogenicity in Fusarium graminearum. PESTICIDE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 190:105311. [PMID: 36740345 DOI: 10.1016/j.pestbp.2022.105311] [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: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The calcium-calcineurin and high-osmolarity glycerol (HOG) pathways play crucial roles in fungal development, pathogenicity, and in responses to various environmental stresses. However, interaction of these pathways in regulating fungicide sensitivity remains largely unknown in phytopathogenic fungi. In this study, we investigated the function of the calcium-calcineurin signalling pathway in Fusarium graminearum, the causal agent of Fusarium head blight. Inhibitors of Ca2+ and calcineurin enhanced antifungal activity of tebuconazole (an azole fungicide) against F. graminearum. Deletion of the putative downstream transcription factor FgCrz1 resulted in significantly increased sensitivity of F. graminearum to tebuconazole. FgCrz1-GFP was translocated to the nucleus upon tebuconazole treatment in a calcineurin-dependent manner. In addition, deletion of FgCrz1 increased the phosphorylation of FgHog1 in response to tebuconazole. Moreover, the calcium-calcineurin and HOG signalling pathways exhibited synergistic effect in regulating pathogenicity and sensitivity of F. graminearum to tebuconazole and multiple other stresses. RNA-seq data revealed that FgCrz1 regulated expression of a set of non-CYP51 genes that are associated with tebuconazole sensitivity, including multidrug transporters, membrane lipid biosynthesis and metabolism, and cell wall organization. Our findings demonstrate that the calcium-calcineurin and HOG pathways act coordinately to orchestrate tebuconazole sensitivity and pathogenicity in F. graminearum, which may provide novel insights in management of Fusarium disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiyuan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Yunpeng Gai
- School of Grassland Science, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Youfu Zhao
- Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center, Department of Plant Pathology, Washington State University, Prosser, WA 99350, USA
| | - Minhui Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
| | - Zhonghua Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
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Ancuceanu R, Hovaneț MV, Cojocaru-Toma M, Anghel AI, Dinu M. Potential Antifungal Targets for Aspergillus sp. from the Calcineurin and Heat Shock Protein Pathways. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232012543. [PMID: 36293395 PMCID: PMC9603945 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232012543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Revised: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Aspergillus species, especially A. fumigatus, and to a lesser extent others (A. flavus, A. niger, A. terreus), although rarely pathogenic to healthy humans, can be very aggressive to immunocompromised patients (they are opportunistic pathogens). Although survival rates for such infections have improved in recent decades following the introduction of azole derivatives, they remain a clinical challenge. The fact that current antifungals act as fungistatic rather than fungicide, that they have limited safety, and that resistance is becoming increasingly common make the need for new, more effective, and safer therapies to become more acute. Over the last decades, knowledge about the molecular biology of A. fumigatus and other Aspergillus species, and particularly of calcineurin, Hsp90, and their signaling pathway proteins, has progressed remarkably. Although calcineurin has attracted much interest, its adverse effects, particularly its immunosuppressive effects, make it less attractive than it might at first appear. The situation is not very different for Hsp90. Other proteins from their signaling pathways, such as protein kinases phosphorylating the four SPRR serine residues, CrzA, rcnA, pmcA-pmcC (particularly pmcC), rfeF, BAR adapter protein(s), the phkB histidine kinase, sskB MAP kinase kinase, zfpA, htfA, ctfA, SwoH (nucleoside diphosphate kinase), CchA, MidA, FKBP12, the K27 lysine position from Hsp90, PkcA, MpkA, RlmA, brlA, abaA, wetA, other heat shock proteins (Hsp70, Hsp40, Hsp12) currently appear promising and deserve further investigation as potential targets for antifungal drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Ancuceanu
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020956 Bucharest, Romania
- Correspondence: (R.A.); (M.V.H.)
| | - Marilena Viorica Hovaneț
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020956 Bucharest, Romania
- Correspondence: (R.A.); (M.V.H.)
| | - Maria Cojocaru-Toma
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Nicolae Testemițanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 2025 Chisinau, Moldova
| | - Adriana-Iuliana Anghel
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020956 Bucharest, Romania
| | - Mihaela Dinu
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020956 Bucharest, Romania
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Anta-Fernández F, Santander-Gordón D, Becerra S, Santamaría R, Díaz-Mínguez JM, Benito EP. Nitric Oxide Metabolism Affects Germination in Botrytis cinerea and Is Connected to Nitrate Assimilation. J Fungi (Basel) 2022; 8:jof8070699. [PMID: 35887455 PMCID: PMC9324006 DOI: 10.3390/jof8070699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Nitric oxide regulates numerous physiological processes in species from all taxonomic groups. Here, its role in the early developmental stages of the fungal necrotroph Botrytis cinerea was investigated. Pharmacological analysis demonstrated that NO modulated germination, germ tube elongation and nuclear division rate. Experimental evidence indicates that exogenous NO exerts an immediate but transitory negative effect, slowing down germination-associated processes, and that this effect is largely dependent on the flavohemoglobin BCFHG1. The fungus exhibited a “biphasic response” to NO, being more sensitive to low and high concentrations than to intermediate levels of the NO donor. Global gene expression analysis in the wild-type and ΔBcfhg1 strains indicated a situation of strong nitrosative and oxidative stress determined by exogenous NO, which was much more intense in the mutant strain, that the cells tried to alleviate by upregulating several defense mechanisms, including the simultaneous upregulation of the genes encoding the flavohemoglobin BCFHG1, a nitronate monooxygenase (NMO) and a cyanide hydratase. Genetic evidence suggests the coordinated expression of Bcfhg1 and the NMO coding gene, both adjacent and divergently arranged, in response to NO. Nitrate assimilation genes were upregulated upon exposure to NO, and BCFHG1 appeared to be the main enzymatic system involved in the generation of the signal triggering their induction. Comparative expression analysis also showed the influence of NO on other cellular processes, such as mitochondrial respiration or primary and secondary metabolism, whose response could have been mediated by NmrA-like domain proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Anta-Fernández
- Institute for Agribiotechnology Research (CIALE), Department of Microbiology and Genetics, University of Salamanca, 37008 Salamanca, Spain; (F.A.-F.); (S.B.); (J.M.D.-M.)
| | - Daniela Santander-Gordón
- Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas (FICA), Carrera de Ingeniería en Biotecnología, Universidad de las Américas (UDLA), Quito 170513, Ecuador;
| | - Sioly Becerra
- Institute for Agribiotechnology Research (CIALE), Department of Microbiology and Genetics, University of Salamanca, 37008 Salamanca, Spain; (F.A.-F.); (S.B.); (J.M.D.-M.)
| | - Rodrigo Santamaría
- Department of Computer Science, University of Salamanca, 37008 Salamanca, Spain;
| | - José María Díaz-Mínguez
- Institute for Agribiotechnology Research (CIALE), Department of Microbiology and Genetics, University of Salamanca, 37008 Salamanca, Spain; (F.A.-F.); (S.B.); (J.M.D.-M.)
| | - Ernesto Pérez Benito
- Institute for Agribiotechnology Research (CIALE), Department of Microbiology and Genetics, University of Salamanca, 37008 Salamanca, Spain; (F.A.-F.); (S.B.); (J.M.D.-M.)
- Correspondence:
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6
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Squizani ED, Reuwsaat JC, Motta H, Tavanti A, Kmetzsch L. Calcium: a central player in Cryptococcus biology. FUNGAL BIOL REV 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fbr.2021.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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7
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Zhang X, Cao S, Li W, Sun H, Deng Y, Zhang A, Chen H. Functional Characterization of Calcineurin-Responsive Transcription Factors Fg01341 and Fg01350 in Fusarium graminearum. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:597998. [PMID: 33324378 PMCID: PMC7726117 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.597998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Ca2 +/calmodulin-dependent phosphatase calcineurin is one of the important regulators of intracellular calcium homeostasis and has been investigated extensively in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. However, only a few reports have explored the function of the Crz1 homolog in filamentous fungi, especially in Fusarium graminearum. In this study, we identified Fg01341 as a potential ortholog of yeast Crz1. Fg01341 could interact with calcineurin and initiate nuclear transport in a calcineurin-dependent manner. The ΔFg01341 mutant exhibited normal hyphal growth on basic medium and conidia formation, but sexual reproduction was partially blocked. Pathogenicity assays showed that the virulence of the ΔFg01341 mutant in flowering wheat heads and corn silks dramatically decreased and was thus consistent with the reduction in deoxynivalenol production. Unexpectedly, the sensitivity to osmotic stress of the deletion mutant and that of the wild-type strain did not present any differences. The deletion mutant showed higher sensitivity to tebuconazole than the wild-type strain. Results also showed that the transcription factor Fg01350 might be the calcineurin target and was independent of Crz1. Furthermore, ΔFg01350 showed defects in hyphal growth, sexual production, virulence, and deoxynivalenol production. Collectively, the results indicate that these two proteins functionally redundant and that the calcineurin-Crz1-independent pathway is particularly important in F. graminearum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangxiang Zhang
- Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, China.,The Management of Scientific Research, Jiangsu Coastal Area Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Yancheng, China
| | - Shulin Cao
- Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Wei Li
- Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Haiyan Sun
- Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Yuanyu Deng
- Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Aixiang Zhang
- Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Huaigu Chen
- Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, China
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Freitas e Silva KS, C. Silva L, Gonçales RA, Neves BJ, Soares CM, Pereira M. Setting New Routes for Antifungal Drug Discovery Against Pathogenic Fungi. Curr Pharm Des 2020; 26:1509-1520. [DOI: 10.2174/1381612826666200317125956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2019] [Accepted: 02/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
:Fungal diseases are life-threatening to human health and responsible for millions of deaths around the world. Fungal pathogens lead to a high number of morbidity and mortality. Current antifungal treatment comprises drugs, such as azoles, echinocandins, and polyenes and the cure is not guaranteed. In addition, such drugs are related to severe side effects and the treatment lasts for an extended period. Thus, setting new routes for the discovery of effective and safe antifungal drugs should be a priority within the health care system. The discovery of alternative and efficient antifungal drugs showing fewer side effects is time-consuming and remains a challenge. Natural products can be a source of antifungals and used in combinatorial therapy. The most important natural products are antifungal peptides, antifungal lectins, antifungal plants, and fungi secondary metabolites. Several proteins, enzymes, and metabolic pathways could be targets for the discovery of efficient inhibitor compounds and recently, heat shock proteins, calcineurin, salinomycin, the trehalose biosynthetic pathway, and the glyoxylate cycle have been investigated in several fungal species. HSP protein inhibitors and echinocandins have been shown to have a fungicidal effect against azole-resistant fungi strains. Transcriptomic and proteomic approaches have advanced antifungal drug discovery and pointed to new important specific-pathogen targets. Certain enzymes, such as those from the glyoxylate cycle, have been a target of antifungal compounds in several fungi species. Natural and synthetic compounds inhibited the activity of such enzymes and reduced the ability of fungal cells to transit from mycelium to yeast, proving to be promisor antifungal agents. Finally, computational biology has developed effective approaches, setting new routes for early antifungal drug discovery since normal approaches take several years from discovery to clinical use. Thus, the development of new antifungal strategies might reduce the therapeutic time and increase the quality of life of patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kleber S. Freitas e Silva
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Lívia C. Silva
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Relber A. Gonçales
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Bruno J. Neves
- LabMol - Laboratory for Molecular Modeling and Drug Design, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, 74605-510, Brazil
| | - Célia M.A. Soares
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Maristela Pereira
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
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Jung JA, Yoon YJ. Development of Non-Immunosuppressive FK506 Derivatives as Antifungal and Neurotrophic Agents. J Microbiol Biotechnol 2020; 30:1-10. [PMID: 31752059 PMCID: PMC9728173 DOI: 10.4014/jmb.1911.11008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
FK506, also known as tacrolimus, is a clinically important immunosuppressant drug and has promising therapeutic potentials owing to its antifungal, neuroprotective, and neuroregenerative activities. To generate various FK506 derivatives, the structure of FK506 has been modified by chemical methods or biosynthetic pathway engineering. Herein, we describe the mode of the antifungal action of FK506 and the structure-activity relationship of FK506 derivatives in the context of immunosuppressive and antifungal activities. In addition, we discuss the neurotrophic mechanism of FK506 known to date, along with the neurotrophic FK506 derivatives with significantly reduced immunosuppressive activity. This review suggests the possibility to generate novel FK506 derivatives as antifungal as well as neuroregenerative/neuroprotective agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin A Jung
- Department of Chemistry and Nanoscience, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea
| | - Yeo Joon Yoon
- Department of Chemistry and Nanoscience, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea,Corresponding author Phone: +82-2-3277-4082 Fax: +82-2-3277-3419 E-mail:
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10
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de Castro PA, Colabardini AC, Manfiolli AO, Chiaratto J, Silva LP, Mattos EC, Palmisano G, Almeida F, Persinoti GF, Ries LNA, Mellado L, Rocha MC, Bromley M, Silva RN, de Souza GS, Loures FV, Malavazi I, Brown NA, Goldman GH. Aspergillus fumigatus calcium-responsive transcription factors regulate cell wall architecture promoting stress tolerance, virulence and caspofungin resistance. PLoS Genet 2019; 15:e1008551. [PMID: 31887136 PMCID: PMC6948819 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2019] [Revised: 01/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Aspergillus fumigatus causes invasive aspergillosis, the most common life-threatening fungal disease of immuno-compromised humans. The treatment of disseminated infections with antifungal drugs, including echinocandin cell wall biosynthesis inhibitors, is increasingly challenging due to the rise of drug-resistant pathogens. The fungal calcium responsive calcineurin-CrzA pathway influences cell morphology, cell wall composition, virulence, and echinocandin resistance. A screen of 395 A. fumigatus transcription factor mutants identified nine transcription factors important to calcium stress tolerance, including CrzA and ZipD. Here, comparative transcriptomics revealed CrzA and ZipD regulated the expression of shared and unique gene networks, suggesting they participate in both converged and distinct stress response mechanisms. CrzA and ZipD additively promoted calcium stress tolerance. However, ZipD also regulated cell wall organization, osmotic stress tolerance and echinocandin resistance. The absence of ZipD in A. fumigatus caused a significant virulence reduction in immunodeficient and immunocompetent mice. The ΔzipD mutant displayed altered cell wall organization and composition, while being more susceptible to macrophage killing and eliciting an increased pro-inflammatory cytokine response. A higher number of neutrophils, macrophages and activated macrophages were found in ΔzipD infected mice lungs. Collectively, this shows that ZipD-mediated regulation of the fungal cell wall contributes to the evasion of pro-inflammatory responses and tolerance of echinocandin antifungals, and in turn promoting virulence and complicating treatment options.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrícia Alves de Castro
- Departamento de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Ana Cristina Colabardini
- Departamento de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Adriana Oliveira Manfiolli
- Departamento de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Jéssica Chiaratto
- Departamento de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Lilian Pereira Silva
- Departamento de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Eliciane Cevolani Mattos
- Departamento de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Giuseppe Palmisano
- Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Fausto Almeida
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Gabriela Felix Persinoti
- Laboratório Nacional de Biorrenováveis (LNBR), Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais (CNPEM), Campinas, São Paulo, Brasil
| | - Laure Nicolas Annick Ries
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Laura Mellado
- Departamento de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Marina Campos Rocha
- Departamento de Genética e Evolução, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Michael Bromley
- Manchester Fungal Infection Group, Institute of Inflammation and Repair, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Roberto Nascimento Silva
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Gabriel Scalini de Souza
- Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São José dos Campos, Brazil
| | - Flávio Vieira Loures
- Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São José dos Campos, Brazil
| | - Iran Malavazi
- Departamento de Genética e Evolução, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Neil Andrew Brown
- Department of Biology & Biochemistry, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, United Kingdom
| | - Gustavo H Goldman
- Departamento de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
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11
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Abstract
Respiratory fungal infection is a severe clinical problem, especially in patients with compromised immune functions. Aspergillus, Cryptococcus, Pneumocystis, and endemic fungi are major pulmonary fungal pathogens that are able to result in life-threatening invasive diseases. Growing data being reported have indicated that multiple cells and molecules orchestrate the host's response to a fungal infection in the lung. Upon fungal challenge, innate myeloid cells including macrophages, dendritic cells (DC), and recruited neutrophils establish the first line of defense through the phagocytosis and secretion of cytokines. Natural killer cells control the fungal expansion in the lung via the direct and indirect killing of invading organisms. Adaptive immune cells including Th1 and Th17 cells confer anti-fungal activity by producing their signature cytokines, interferon-γ, and IL-17. In addition, lung epithelial cells (LEC) also participate in the resistance against fungal infection by internalization, inflammatory cytokine production, or antimicrobial peptide secretion. In the host cells mentioned above, various molecules with distinct functions modulate the immune defense signaling: Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) such as dectin-1 expressed on the cell surface are involved in fungal recognition; adaptor proteins such as MyD88 and TRAF6 are required for transduction of signals to the nucleus for transcriptional regulation; inflammasomes also play crucial roles in the host's defense against a fungal infection in the lung. Furthermore, transcriptional factors modulate the transcriptions of a series of genes, especially those encoding cytokines and chemokines, which are predominant regulators in the infectious microenvironment, mediating the cellular and molecular immune responses against a fungal infection in the lung.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi Li
- The Joint Center for Infection and Immunity, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Institute of Pediatrics, Guangzhou, China
- The Joint Center for Infection and Immunity, Institute Pasteur of Shanghai, Chinese Academy of Science, Shanghai, China
| | - Gen Lu
- The Joint Center for Infection and Immunity, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Institute of Pediatrics, Guangzhou, China
| | - Guangxun Meng
- The Joint Center for Infection and Immunity, Institute Pasteur of Shanghai, Chinese Academy of Science, Shanghai, China
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12
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Rocha MC, Santos CA, Malavazi I. The Regulatory Function of the Molecular Chaperone Hsp90 in the Cell Wall Integrity of Pathogenic Fungi. CURR PROTEOMICS 2018. [DOI: 10.2174/1570164615666180820155807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Different signaling cascades including the Cell Wall Integrity (CWI), the High Osmolarity Glycerol (HOG) and the Ca2+/calcineurin pathways control the cell wall biosynthesis and remodeling in fungi. Pathogenic fungi, such as Aspergillus fumigatus and Candida albicans, greatly rely on these signaling circuits to cope with different sources of stress, including the cell wall stress evoked by antifungal drugs and the host’s response during infection. Hsp90 has been proposed as an important regulatory protein and an attractive target for antifungal therapy since it stabilizes major effector proteins that act in the CWI, HOG and Ca2+/calcineurin pathways. Data from the human pathogen C. albicans have provided solid evidence that loss-of-function of Hsp90 impairs the evolution of resistance to azoles and echinocandin drugs. In A. fumigatus, Hsp90 is also required for cell wall integrity maintenance, reinforcing a coordinated function of the CWI pathway and this essential molecular chaperone. In this review, we focus on the current information about how Hsp90 impacts the aforementioned signaling pathways and consequently the homeostasis and maintenance of the cell wall, highlighting this cellular event as a key mechanism underlying antifungal therapy based on Hsp90 inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Campos Rocha
- Departmento de Genetica e Evolucao, Centro de Ciencias Biologicas e da Saude, Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos, Sao Carlos, Brazil
| | - Camilla Alves Santos
- Departmento de Genetica e Evolucao, Centro de Ciencias Biologicas e da Saude, Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos, Sao Carlos, Brazil
| | - Iran Malavazi
- Departmento de Genetica e Evolucao, Centro de Ciencias Biologicas e da Saude, Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos, Sao Carlos, Brazil
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13
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Zheng YH, Ma YY, Ding Y, Chen XQ, Gao GX. An insight into new strategies to combat antifungal drug resistance. DRUG DESIGN DEVELOPMENT AND THERAPY 2018; 12:3807-3816. [PMID: 30464412 PMCID: PMC6225914 DOI: 10.2147/dddt.s185833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Invasive fungal infections especially in immunocompromised patients represent a dominating cause of mortality. The most commonly used antifungal agents can be divided into three broad categories, including triazoles, echinocandins and polyenes. Antifungal resistance is on the increase, posing a growing threat to the stewardship of immunocompromised patients with fungal infections. The paucity of currently available antifungals leads to the rapid emergence of drug resistance and thus aggravates the refractoriness of invasive fungal infections. Therefore, deep exploration into mechanisms of drug resistance and search for new antifungal targets are required. This review highlights the therapeutic strategies targeting Hsp90, calcineurin, trehalose biosynthesis and sphingolipids biosynthesis, in an attempt to provide clinical evidence for overcoming drug resistance and to form the rationale for combination therapy of conventional antifungals and agents with novel mechanisms of action. What’s more, this review also gives a concise introduction of three new-fashioned antifungals, including carboxymethyl chitosan, silver nanoparticles and chromogranin A-N46.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Hua Zheng
- Department of Hematology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China, ;
| | - Yue-Yun Ma
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Yi Ding
- Department of Pharmacy, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Xie-Qun Chen
- Department of Hematology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China, ;
| | - Guang-Xun Gao
- Department of Hematology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China, ;
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14
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The transcription factor FgCrz1A is essential for fungal development, virulence, deoxynivalenol biosynthesis and stress responses in Fusarium graminearum. Curr Genet 2018; 65:153-166. [DOI: 10.1007/s00294-018-0853-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2018] [Revised: 06/02/2018] [Accepted: 06/04/2018] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
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15
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Functions of CaPhm7 in the regulation of ion homeostasis, drug tolerance, filamentation and virulence in Candida albicans. BMC Microbiol 2018; 18:49. [PMID: 29866033 PMCID: PMC5987382 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-018-1193-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2018] [Accepted: 05/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Calcium-permeable transient receptor potential (TRP) channels exist in eukaryotic cells from yeasts to animals and plants. and they act as sensors for various stresses. Arabidopsis thaliana calcium permeable stress-gated cation channel 1 (AtCSC1) was the first plant calcium-permeable TRP to be described and can be activated by hyperosmotic shock. Candida albicans CaPHM7 is one of the sequence homologs of AtCSC1, but its function remains unknown. RESULTS We show here that CaPhm7 is localized to the plasma membrane in both the yeast and hyphal cells of C. albicans. C. albicans cells lacking CaPHM7 are sensitive to SDS and ketoconazole but tolerant to rapamycin and zinc. In addition, deletion of CaPHM7 leads to a filamentation defect, reduced colony growth and attenuated virulence in the mouse model of systemic infection. CONCLUSIONS CaPhm7 is involved in the regulation of ion homeostasis, drug tolerance, filamentation and virulence in this important human fungal pathogen. CaPhm7 could be a potential target of antifungal drugs.
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16
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Mitic M, Berry D, Brasell E, Green K, Young CA, Saikia S, Rakonjac J, Scott B. Disruption of calcineurin catalytic subunit (cnaA) in Epichloë festucae induces symbiotic defects and intrahyphal hyphae formation. MOLECULAR PLANT PATHOLOGY 2018; 19:1414-1426. [PMID: 28990722 PMCID: PMC6638138 DOI: 10.1111/mpp.12624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2017] [Revised: 10/03/2017] [Accepted: 10/04/2017] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Calcineurin is a conserved calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase, consisting of a catalytic subunit A and a regulatory subunit B, which is involved in calcium-dependent signalling and regulation of various important cellular processes. In this study, we functionally characterized the catalytic subunit A (CnaA) of the endophytic fungus Epichloë festucae which forms a symbiotic association with the grass host Lolium perenne. We deleted the CnaA-encoding gene cnaA in E. festucae and examined its role in hyphal growth, cell wall integrity and symbiosis. This ΔcnaA strain had a severe growth defect with loss of radial growth and hyper-branched hyphae. Transmission electron microscopy and confocal microscopy analysis of the mutant revealed cell wall defects, aberrant septation and the formation of intrahyphal hyphae, both in culture and in planta. The mutant strain also showed a reduced infection rate in planta. The fluorescence of mutant hyphae stained with WGA-AF488 was reduced, indicating reduced chitin accessibility. Together, these results show that E. festucae CnaA is required for fungal growth, maintaining cell wall integrity and host colonization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milena Mitic
- Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey UniversityPalmerston North4442New Zealand
- BioProtection Research Centre, Massey UniversityPalmerston North4442New Zealand
| | - Daniel Berry
- Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey UniversityPalmerston North4442New Zealand
| | - Emma Brasell
- Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey UniversityPalmerston North4442New Zealand
| | - Kimberly Green
- Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey UniversityPalmerston North4442New Zealand
- BioProtection Research Centre, Massey UniversityPalmerston North4442New Zealand
| | | | - Sanjay Saikia
- Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey UniversityPalmerston North4442New Zealand
| | - Jasna Rakonjac
- Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey UniversityPalmerston North4442New Zealand
| | - Barry Scott
- Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey UniversityPalmerston North4442New Zealand
- BioProtection Research Centre, Massey UniversityPalmerston North4442New Zealand
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17
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Sherrington SL, Kumwenda P, Kousser C, Hall RA. Host Sensing by Pathogenic Fungi. ADVANCES IN APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY 2017; 102:159-221. [PMID: 29680125 DOI: 10.1016/bs.aambs.2017.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The ability to cause disease extends from the ability to grow within the host environment. The human host provides a dynamic environment to which fungal pathogens must adapt to in order to survive. The ability to grow under a particular condition (i.e., the ability to grow at mammalian body temperature) is considered a fitness attribute and is essential for growth within the human host. On the other hand, some environmental conditions activate signaling mechanisms resulting in the expression of virulence factors, which aid pathogenicity. Therefore, pathogenic fungi have evolved fitness and virulence attributes to enable them to colonize and infect humans. This review highlights how some of the major pathogenic fungi respond and adapt to key environmental signals within the human host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah L Sherrington
- Institute for Microbiology and Infection, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Pizga Kumwenda
- Institute for Microbiology and Infection, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Courtney Kousser
- Institute for Microbiology and Infection, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Rebecca A Hall
- Institute for Microbiology and Infection, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
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18
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Choi K, Marek SM. A noncanonical poly(A) RNA polymerase gene affects morphology in Phoma medicaginis. Fungal Genet Biol 2017; 111:47-59. [PMID: 29155068 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2017.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2017] [Revised: 11/12/2017] [Accepted: 11/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Phoma medicaginis (syn. Ascochyta medicaginicola Qchen & L. Cai) causes spring black stem and leaf spot, an important disease of alfalfa and annual medics. P. medicaginis forms uninucleate conidia in melanized pycnidia and is genetically tractable using Agrobacterium mediated transformation (ATMT), resulting in random integration of T-DNA that occasionally generates pycnidial mutants. The T-DNA tagged mutant, P265 displayed smaller pycnidia and more aerial hyphae than the wild type. A single T-DNA disrupted a putative noncanonical poly(A) RNA polymerase gene, Pmncpap1, which in yeast interacts with ribonucleotide reductase (RNR). As in yeast mutants, P265 showed sensitivity to hydroxyurea (HU), a RNR inhibitor. To characterize the role of Pmncpap1, targeted ΔPmncpap1 mutants were created using a hygromycin selectable marker flanked by 1 Kbp regions of Pmncpap1. ΔPmncpap1 mutants possessed similar morphological features to those of P265. The plasmid for rescue of PmncPAP1, pCAM-Nat1 (nourseothricin selection) was constructed and used to introduce full-length PmncPAP1 into mutants. Rescued P265 showed partial recovery of wild type and the original T-DNA was lost due to homologous integration. To our knowledge, this is the first ncPAP to be examined in a filamentous fungus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kihyuck Choi
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA; Department of Applied Bioscience, Dong-A University, Busan, Republic of Korea.
| | - Stephen M Marek
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
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19
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Loss O, Bertuzzi M, Yan Y, Fedorova N, McCann BL, Armstrong-James D, Espeso EA, Read ND, Nierman WC, Bignell EM. Mutual independence of alkaline- and calcium-mediated signalling in Aspergillus fumigatus refutes the existence of a conserved druggable signalling nexus. Mol Microbiol 2017; 106:861-875. [PMID: 28922497 PMCID: PMC5725717 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Functional coupling of calcium‐ and alkaline responsive signalling occurs in multiple fungi to afford efficient cation homeostasis. Host microenvironments exert alkaline stress and potentially toxic concentrations of Ca2+, such that highly conserved regulators of both calcium‐ (Crz) and pH‐ (PacC/Rim101) responsive signalling are crucial for fungal pathogenicity. Drugs targeting calcineurin are potent antifungal agents but also perturb human immunity thereby negating their use as anti‐infectives, abrogation of alkaline signalling has, therefore, been postulated as an adjunctive antifungal strategy. We examined the interdependency of pH‐ and calcium‐mediated signalling in Aspergillus fumigatus and found that calcium chelation severely impedes hyphal growth indicating a critical requirement for this ion independently of ambient pH. Transcriptomic responses to alkaline pH or calcium excess exhibited minimal similarity. Mutants lacking calcineurin, or its client CrzA, displayed normal alkaline tolerance and nuclear translocation of CrzA was unaffected by ambient pH. Expression of a highly conserved, alkaline‐regulated, sodium ATPase was tolerant of genetic or chemical perturbations of calcium‐mediated signalling, but abolished in null mutants of the pH‐responsive transcription factor PacC, and PacC proteolytic processing occurred normally during calcium excess. Taken together our data demonstrate that in A. fumigatus the regulatory hierarchy governing alkaline tolerance circumvents calcineurin signalling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omar Loss
- Microbiology Section, Centre for Molecular Microbiology and Infection, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Margherita Bertuzzi
- Manchester Fungal Infection Group, Division of Infection, Immunity and Respiratory Medicine, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9NT, UK
| | - Yu Yan
- The J. Craig Venter Institute, Infectious Diseases Program, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Natalie Fedorova
- The J. Craig Venter Institute, Infectious Diseases Program, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Bethany L McCann
- Manchester Fungal Infection Group, Division of Infection, Immunity and Respiratory Medicine, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9NT, UK
| | - Darius Armstrong-James
- Fungal Pathogens Laboratory, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London SW7 2AY, UK
| | - Eduardo A Espeso
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas (C.S.I.C.), Madrid, Spain
| | - Nick D Read
- Manchester Fungal Infection Group, Division of Infection, Immunity and Respiratory Medicine, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9NT, UK
| | - William C Nierman
- The J. Craig Venter Institute, Infectious Diseases Program, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Elaine M Bignell
- Manchester Fungal Infection Group, Division of Infection, Immunity and Respiratory Medicine, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9NT, UK
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20
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Juvvadi PR. Balancing iron and calcium: Flavin carrier family proteins in Aspergillus fumigatus virulence. Virulence 2017; 8:621-624. [PMID: 27820672 PMCID: PMC5626335 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2016.1257459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2016] [Accepted: 10/31/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Praveen R. Juvvadi
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
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21
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Vital role for cyclophilin B (CypB) in asexual development, dimorphic transition and virulence of Beauveria bassiana. Fungal Genet Biol 2017; 105:8-15. [PMID: 28552321 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2017.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2017] [Revised: 05/19/2017] [Accepted: 05/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Cyclophilin B (CypB) was previously revealed as one of many putative secretory proteins in the transcriptome of Beauveria bassiana infection to a lepidopteran pest. Here we show a main localization of CypB in hyphal cell walls and septa and its essential role in the in vitro and in vivo asexual cycles of the fungal insect pathogen. Deletion of cypB reduced colony growth by 16-42% on two rich media and 30 scant media with different carbon or nitrogen sources. The deletion mutant suffered a delayed conidiation on a standard medium and a final 47% reduction in conidial yield, accompanied with drastic transcript depression of several key genes required for conidiation and conidial maturation. The mutant conidia required 10h longer to germinate 50% at optimal 25°C than wild-type conidia. Intriguingly, cultivation of the mutant conidia in a trehalose-peptone broth mimic to insect hemolymph resulted in 83% reduction in blastospore yield but only slight decrease in biomass level, indicating severe defects in transition of hyphae to blastospores. LT50 for the deletion mutant against Galleria mellonella larvae through normal cuticle infection was prolonged to 7.4d from a wild-type estimate of 4.7d. During colony growth, additionally, the deletion mutant displayed hypersensitivity to Congo red, menadione, H2O2 and heat shock but increased tolerance to cyclosporine A and rapamycin. All of changes were restored by targeted gene complementation. Altogether, CypB takes part in sustaining normal growth, aerial conidiation, conidial germination, dimorphic transition, stress tolerance and pathogenicity in B. bassiana.
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22
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Zhang L, Zhang JJ, Liu S, Nian HJ, Chen LM. Characterization of calcineurin from Cryptococcus humicola and the application of calcineurin in aluminum tolerance. BMC Biotechnol 2017; 17:35. [PMID: 28356086 PMCID: PMC5372313 DOI: 10.1186/s12896-017-0350-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2016] [Accepted: 03/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Calcineurin (CaN) is a Ca2+- and calmodulin (CaM)-dependent serine/threonine phosphatase. Previous studies have found that CaN is involved in the regulation of the stress responses. RESULTS In this study, the growth of Cryptococcus humicola was inhibited by the CaN inhibitor tacrolimus (FK506) under aluminum (Al) stress. The expression of CNA encoding a catalytic subunit A (CNA) and its interaction with CaM were upregulated when the concentration of Al was increased. A CaM-binding domain and key amino acids responsible for interaction with CaM were identified. ∆CNAb with a deletion from S454 to A639 was detected to bind to CaM, while ∆CNAa with a deletion from R436 to A639 showed no binding to CaM. The binding affinities of CNA1 and CNA2, in which I439 or I443 were replaced by Ala, were decreased relative to wild-type CNA. The phosphatase activities of ∆CNAa, CNA1 and CNA2 were lower than the wild-type protein. These results suggest that the region between R436 and S454 is essential for the interaction with CaM and I439, I443 are key amino acids in this region. The ability of the CNA transgenic yeast to develop resistance to Al was significantly higher than that of control yeast. Residual Al in the CNA transgenic yeast culture media was significantly lower than the amount of Al originally added to the media or the residual Al remaining in the control yeast culture media. These findings suggest that CNA confers Al tolerance, and the mechanism of Al tolerance may involve absorption of active Al. CONCLUSIONS Al stress up-regulated the expression of CNA. CaM-binding domain and key amino acids responsible for interaction with CaM were identified and both are required for phosphatase activities. CNA conferred yeast Al resistance indicating that the gene has a potential to improve Al-tolerance through gene engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Zhang
- Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
| | - Jing-jing Zhang
- Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
| | - Shuai Liu
- Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
| | - Hong-juan Nian
- Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
| | - Li-mei Chen
- Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
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23
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Juvvadi PR, Lee SC, Heitman J, Steinbach WJ. Calcineurin in fungal virulence and drug resistance: Prospects for harnessing targeted inhibition of calcineurin for an antifungal therapeutic approach. Virulence 2017; 8:186-197. [PMID: 27325145 PMCID: PMC5354160 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2016.1201250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2016] [Revised: 06/07/2016] [Accepted: 06/08/2016] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Increases in the incidence and mortality due to the major invasive fungal infections such as aspergillosis, candidiasis and cryptococcosis caused by the species of Aspergillus, Candida and Cryptococcus, are a growing threat to the immunosuppressed patient population. In addition to the limited armamentarium of the current classes of antifungal agents available (pyrimidine analogs, polyenes, azoles, and echinocandins), their toxicity, efficacy and the emergence of resistance are major bottlenecks limiting successful patient outcomes. Although these drugs target distinct fungal pathways, there is an urgent need to develop new antifungals that are more efficacious, fungal-specific, with reduced or no toxicity and simultaneously do not induce resistance. Here we review several lines of evidence which indicate that the calcineurin signaling pathway, a target of the immunosuppressive drugs FK506 and cyclosporine A, orchestrates growth, virulence and drug resistance in a variety of fungal pathogens and can be exploited for novel antifungal drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Praveen R. Juvvadi
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Soo Chan Lee
- Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Joseph Heitman
- Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - William J. Steinbach
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
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24
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Ellett F, Jorgensen J, Frydman GH, Jones CN, Irimia D. Neutrophil Interactions Stimulate Evasive Hyphal Branching by Aspergillus fumigatus. PLoS Pathog 2017; 13:e1006154. [PMID: 28076396 PMCID: PMC5261818 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2016] [Revised: 01/24/2017] [Accepted: 12/28/2016] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Invasive aspergillosis (IA), primarily caused by Aspergillus fumigatus, is an opportunistic fungal infection predominantly affecting immunocompromised and neutropenic patients that is difficult to treat and results in high mortality. Investigations of neutrophil-hypha interaction in vitro and in animal models of IA are limited by lack of temporal and spatial control over interactions. This study presents a new approach for studying neutrophil-hypha interaction at single cell resolution over time, which revealed an evasive fungal behavior triggered by interaction with neutrophils: Interacting hyphae performed de novo tip formation to generate new hyphal branches, allowing the fungi to avoid the interaction point and continue invasive growth. Induction of this mechanism was independent of neutrophil NADPH oxidase activity and neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation, but could be phenocopied by iron chelation and mechanical or physiological stalling of hyphal tip extension. The consequence of branch induction upon interaction outcome depends on the number and activity of neutrophils available: In the presence of sufficient neutrophils branching makes hyphae more vulnerable to destruction, while in the presence of limited neutrophils the interaction increases the number of hyphal tips, potentially making the infection more aggressive. This has direct implications for infections in neutrophil-deficient patients and opens new avenues for treatments targeting fungal branching.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Ellett
- BioMEMS Resource Center, Division of Surgery, Innovation and Bioengineering, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Shriners Burns Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Julianne Jorgensen
- BioMEMS Resource Center, Division of Surgery, Innovation and Bioengineering, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Shriners Burns Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Galit H Frydman
- BioMEMS Resource Center, Division of Surgery, Innovation and Bioengineering, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Shriners Burns Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Division of Comparative Medicine, Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Caroline N Jones
- BioMEMS Resource Center, Division of Surgery, Innovation and Bioengineering, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Shriners Burns Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Daniel Irimia
- BioMEMS Resource Center, Division of Surgery, Innovation and Bioengineering, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Shriners Burns Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts, United States of America
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de Castro PA, Chiaratto J, Morais ER, Dos Reis TF, Mitchell TK, Brown NA, Goldman GH. The putative flavin carrier family FlcA-C is important for Aspergillus fumigatus virulence. Virulence 2016; 8:797-809. [PMID: 27652896 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2016.1239010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Aspergillus fumigatus is an opportunistic fungal pathogen and the most important species causing pulmonary fungal infections. The signaling by calcium is very important for A. fumigatus pathogenicity and it is regulated by the transcription factor CrzA. We have previously used used ChIP-seq (Chromatin Immunoprecipitation DNA sequencing) aiming to identify gene targets regulated by CrzA. We have identified among several genes regulated by calcium stress, the putative flavin transporter, flcA. This transporter belongs to a small protein family composed of FlcA, B, and C. The ΔflcA null mutant showed several phenotypes, such as morphological defects, increased sensitivity to calcium chelating-agent ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid (EGTA), cell wall or oxidative damaging agents and metals, repre-sentative of deficiencies in calcium signaling and iron homeostasis. Increasing calcium concentrations improved significantly the ΔflcA growth and conidiation, indicating that ΔflcA mutant has calcium insufficiency. Finally, ΔflcA-C mutants showed reduced flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) and were avirulent in a low dose murine infection model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrícia A de Castro
- a Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto and Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto , Universidade de São Paulo , Ribeirão Preto , Brazil
| | - Jéssica Chiaratto
- a Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto and Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto , Universidade de São Paulo , Ribeirão Preto , Brazil
| | - Enyara Rezende Morais
- a Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto and Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto , Universidade de São Paulo , Ribeirão Preto , Brazil
| | - Thaila Fernanda Dos Reis
- a Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto and Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto , Universidade de São Paulo , Ribeirão Preto , Brazil
| | - Thomas K Mitchell
- b Department of Plant Pathology , The Ohio State University , Columbus , OH , USA
| | - Neil A Brown
- c Plant Biology and Crop Science, Rothamsted Research , Harpenden, Herts , UK
| | - Gustavo H Goldman
- a Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto and Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto , Universidade de São Paulo , Ribeirão Preto , Brazil
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Gupta P, Chanda R, Rai N, Kataria VK, Kumar N. Antihypertensive, Amlodipine Besilate Inhibits Growth and Biofilm of Human Fungal Pathogen Candida. Assay Drug Dev Technol 2016; 14:291-297. [DOI: 10.1089/adt.2016.714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Payal Gupta
- Department of Biotechnology, Graphic Era University, Dehradun, India
| | - Reshmi Chanda
- Department of Microbiology, Shri Guru Ram Rai Institute of Medical and Health Sciences, Dehradun, India
| | - Nishant Rai
- Department of Biotechnology, Graphic Era University, Dehradun, India
| | - Vijay K. Kataria
- Department of Microbiology, Shri Guru Ram Rai Institute of Medical and Health Sciences, Dehradun, India
| | - Navin Kumar
- Department of Biotechnology, Graphic Era University, Dehradun, India
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A putative mitochondrial calcium uniporter in A. fumigatus contributes to mitochondrial Ca(2+) homeostasis and stress responses. Fungal Genet Biol 2016; 94:15-22. [PMID: 27378202 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2016.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2016] [Revised: 06/14/2016] [Accepted: 07/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Ca(2+) uptake into mitochondria plays a central role in cell physiology by stimulating ATP production, shaping cytosolic Ca(2+) transients and regulating cell survival or death. Although this system has been studied extensively in mammalian cells, the physiological implications of Ca(2+) uptake into mitochondria in fungal cells are still unknown. In this study, a bi-directional best-hit BLASTP search revealed that the genome of Aspergillus fumigatus encodes a homolog of a putative mitochondrial Ca(2+) uniporter (MCU) and a mitochondrial carrier protein AGC1/MICU1 homolog. Both putative homologs are mitochondrially localized and required for the response to azole and oxidative stress such that the loss of either McuA or AgcA results in reduced susceptibility to azole and oxidative stress, suggesting a role in environmental stress adaptation. Overexpressing mcuA restores the azole-resistance phenotype of the ΔagcA strain to wild-type levels, but not vice versa, indicating McuA plays a dominant role during these stress responses. Using a mitochondrially targeted version of the calcium-sensitive photoprotein aequorin, we found that only mcuA deletion leads to dysfunctional [Ca(2+)]mt and [Ca(2+)]c homeostasis, suggesting that McuA, but not AgcA, contributes to Ca(2+) uptake into mitochondria. Further point-mutation experiments combined with extracellular Ca(2+) chelator treatment verified that two predicted Ca(2+)-binding sites in McuA are required for Ca(2+) uptake into mitochondria and stress responses through the regulation of [Ca(2+)]c homeostasis.
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Lange M, Weihmann F, Schliebner I, Horbach R, Deising HB, Wirsel SGR, Peiter E. The Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) Channel Family in Colletotrichum graminicola: A Molecular and Physiological Analysis. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0158561. [PMID: 27359114 PMCID: PMC4928787 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0158561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2016] [Accepted: 06/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Calcium (Ca2+) is a universal second messenger in all higher organisms and centrally involved in the launch of responses to environmental stimuli. Ca2+ signals in the cytosol are initiated by the activation of Ca2+ channels in the plasma membrane and/or in endomembranes. Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) contains a Ca2+-permeable channel of the TRP family, TRPY1, which is localized in the vacuolar membrane and contributes to cytosolic free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]cyt) elevations, for example in response to osmotic upshock. A TRPY1 homologue in the rice blast fungus is known to be important for growth and pathogenicity. To determine the role of the TRP channel family in the maize pathogen Colletotrichum graminicola, proteins homologous to TRPY1 were searched. This identified not one, but four genes in the C. graminicola genome, which had putative orthologs in other fungi, and which we named CgTRPF1 through 4. The topology of the CgTRPF proteins resembled that of TRPY1, albeit with a variable number of transmembrane (TM) domains additional to the six-TM-domain core and a diverse arrangement of putatively Ca2+-binding acidic motifs. All CgTRPF genes were expressed in axenic culture and throughout the infection of maize. Like TRPY1, all TRPF proteins of C. graminicola were localized intracellularly, albeit three of them were found not in large vacuoles, but co-localized in vesicular structures. Deletion strains for the CgTRPF genes were not altered in processes thought to involve Ca2+ release from internal stores, i.e. spore germination, the utilization of complex carbon sources, and the generation of tip-focussed [Ca2+]cyt spikes. Heterologous expression of CgTRPF1 through 4 in a tryp1Δ yeast mutant revealed that none of the channels mediated the release of Ca2+ in response to osmotic upshock. Accordingly, aequorin-based [Ca2+]cyt measurements of C. graminicola showed that in this fungus, osmotic upshock-triggered [Ca2+]cyt elevations were generated entirely by influx of Ca2+ from the extracellular space. Cgtrpf mutants did not show pathogenicity defects in leaf infection assays. In summary, our study reveals major differences between different fungi in the contribution of TRP channels to Ca2+-mediated signal transduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Lange
- Plant Nutrition Laboratory, Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences (IAEW), Faculty of Natural Sciences III, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Crop Plant Research (IZN), Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Fabian Weihmann
- Phytopathology and Plant Protection, Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences (IAEW), Faculty of Natural Sciences III, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Ivo Schliebner
- Phytopathology and Plant Protection, Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences (IAEW), Faculty of Natural Sciences III, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Crop Plant Research (IZN), Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Ralf Horbach
- Phytopathology and Plant Protection, Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences (IAEW), Faculty of Natural Sciences III, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Crop Plant Research (IZN), Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Holger B. Deising
- Phytopathology and Plant Protection, Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences (IAEW), Faculty of Natural Sciences III, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Crop Plant Research (IZN), Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Stefan G. R. Wirsel
- Phytopathology and Plant Protection, Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences (IAEW), Faculty of Natural Sciences III, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Crop Plant Research (IZN), Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Edgar Peiter
- Plant Nutrition Laboratory, Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences (IAEW), Faculty of Natural Sciences III, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Crop Plant Research (IZN), Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
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Lange M, Peiter E. Cytosolic free calcium dynamics as related to hyphal and colony growth in the filamentous fungal pathogen Colletotrichum graminicola. Fungal Genet Biol 2016; 91:55-65. [PMID: 27063059 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2016.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2015] [Revised: 04/02/2016] [Accepted: 04/04/2016] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Tip growth of pollen tubes and root hairs of plants is oscillatory and orchestrated by tip-focussed variations of cytosolic free calcium ([Ca(2+)]cyt). Hyphae of filamentous fungi are also tubular tip-growing cells, and components of the Ca(2+) signalling machinery, such as Ca(2+) channels and Ca(2+) sensors, are known to be important for fungal growth. In this study, we addressed the questions if tip-focussed [Ca(2+)]cyt transients govern hyphal and whole-colony growth in the maize pathogen Colletotrichum graminicola, and whether colony-wide [Ca(2+)]cyt dynamics rely on external Ca(2+) or internal Ca(2+) stores. Ratiometric fluorescence microscopy of individual hyphae expressing the Ca(2+) reporter Yellow Cameleon 3.6 revealed that Ca(2+) spikes in hyphal tips precede the re-initiation of growth after wounding. Tip-focussed [Ca(2+)]cyt spikes were also observed in undisturbed growing hyphae. They occurred not regularly and at a higher rate in hyphae growing at a medium-glass interface than in those growing on an agar surface. Hyphal tip growth was non-pulsatile, and growth speed was not correlated with the rate of spike occurrence. A possible relationship of [Ca(2+)]cyt spike generation and growth of whole colonies was assessed by using a codon-optimized version of the luminescent Ca(2+) reporter Aequorin. Depletion of extracellular free Ca(2+) abolished [Ca(2+)]cyt spikes nearly completely, but had only a modest effect on colony growth. In a pharmacological survey, some inhibitors targeting Ca(2+) influx or release from internal stores repressed growth strongly. However, although some of those inhibitors also affected [Ca(2+)]cyt spike generation, the effects on both parameters were not correlated. Collectively, the results indicate that tip growth of C. graminicola is non-pulsatile and not mechanistically linked to tip-focused or global [Ca(2+)]cyt spikes, which are likely a response to micro-environmental parameters, such as the physical properties of the growth surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Lange
- Plant Nutrition Laboratory, Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences (IAEW), Faculty of Natural Sciences III, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06099 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Edgar Peiter
- Plant Nutrition Laboratory, Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences (IAEW), Faculty of Natural Sciences III, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06099 Halle (Saale), Germany.
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Tamuli R, Deka R, Borkovich KA. Calcineurin Subunits A and B Interact to Regulate Growth and Asexual and Sexual Development in Neurospora crassa. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0151867. [PMID: 27019426 PMCID: PMC4809485 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2015] [Accepted: 03/04/2016] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Calcineurin is a calcium/calmodulin dependent protein phosphatase in eukaryotes that consists of a catalytic subunit A and a regulatory subunit B. Previous studies in the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa had suggested that the catalytic subunit of calcineurin might be an essential protein. We generated N. crassa strains expressing the A (cna-1) and B (cnb-1) subunit genes under the regulation of Ptcu-1, a copper-responsive promoter. In these strains, addition of bathocuproinedisulfonic acid (BCS), a copper chelator, results in induction of cna-1 and cnb-1, while excess Cu2+ represses gene expression. Through analysis of these strains under repressing and inducing conditions, we found that the calcineurin is required for normal growth, asexual development and female fertility in N. crassa. Moreover, we isolated and analyzed cnb-1 mutant alleles generated by repeat-induced point mutation (RIP), with the results further supporting roles for calcineurin in growth and fertility in N. crassa. We demonstrated a direct interaction between the CNA-1 and CNB-1 proteins using an assay system developed to study protein-protein interactions in N. crassa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ranjan Tamuli
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, United States of America
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, India
- * E-mail:
| | - Rekha Deka
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, United States of America
| | - Katherine A. Borkovich
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, United States of America
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The contribution of Aspergillus fumigatus stress responses to virulence and antifungal resistance. J Microbiol 2016; 54:243-53. [PMID: 26920884 DOI: 10.1007/s12275-016-5510-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2015] [Revised: 10/21/2015] [Accepted: 10/22/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Invasive aspergillosis has emerged as one of the most common life-threatening fungal disease of humans. The emergence of antifungal resistant pathogens represents a current and increasing threat to society. In turn, new strategies to combat fungal infection are urgently required. Fungal adaptations to stresses experienced within the human host are a prerequisite for the survival and virulence strategies of the pathogen. Here, we review the latest information on the signalling pathways in Aspergillus fumigatus that contribute to stress adaptations and virulence, while highlighting their potential as targets for the development of novel combinational antifungal therapies.
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Juvvadi PR, Pemble CW, Ma Y, Steinbach WJ. Novel motif in calcineurin catalytic subunit is required for septal localization of calcineurin in Aspergillus fumigatus. FEBS Lett 2016; 590:501-8. [PMID: 26864964 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.12075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2015] [Revised: 01/01/2016] [Accepted: 01/15/2016] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Calcineurin heterodimer, comprised of the catalytic (CnaA) and regulatory (CnaB) subunits, localizes at the hyphal tips and septa to direct growth, septation, and disease in the human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus. Here we discovered a novel motif (FMDVF) required for this critical CnaA septal localization, including residues Phe368, Asp370 and Phe372 overlapping the cyclosporine A-cyclophilin A-binding domain, CnaB-binding helix and the FK506-FKBP12-binding pocket. Mutations in adjacent residues Asn367, Trp374, and Ser375 confer FK506 resistance without impacting CnaA septal localization. Modeling A. fumigatus CnaA confirmed that the FMDVF motif forms a bridge between the two known substrate-binding motifs, PxIxIT and LxVP, and concurrent mutations (F368A D370A; F368A F372A) in the FMDVF motif disrupt CnaA-substrate interaction at the septum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Praveen R Juvvadi
- Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Charles W Pemble
- Duke Macromolecular Crystallography Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Yan Ma
- Department of Dermatology and Venereology, The Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
| | - William J Steinbach
- Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.,Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
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Gautam P, Mushahary D, Hassan W, Upadhyay SK, Madan T, Sirdeshmukh R, Sundaram CS, Sarma PU. In-depth 2-DE reference map of Aspergillus fumigatus and its proteomic profiling on exposure to itraconazole. Med Mycol 2016; 54:524-36. [PMID: 26868900 DOI: 10.1093/mmy/myv122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2015] [Accepted: 12/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Aspergillus fumigatus (A. fumigatus) is a medically important opportunistic fungus that may lead to invasive aspergillosis in humans with weak immune system. Proteomic profiling of this fungus on exposure to itraconazole (ITC), an azole antifungal drug, may lead to identification of its molecular targets and better understanding on the development of drug resistance against ITC in A. fumigatus. Here, proteome analysis was performed using 2-DE followed by mass spectrometric analysis which resulted in identification of a total of 259 unique proteins. Further, proteome profiling of A. fumigatus was carried out on exposure to ITC, 0.154 μg/ml, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC50). Image analysis showed altered levels of 175 proteins (66 upregulated and 109 downregulated) of A. fumigatus treated with ITC as compared to the untreated control. Peptide mass fingerprinting led to the identification of 54 proteins (12 up-regulated and 42 down-regulated). The differentially expressed proteins include proteins related to cell stress, carbohydrate metabolism and amino acid metabolism. We also observed four proteins, including nucleotide phosphate kinase (NDK), that are reported to interact with calcineurin, a protein involved in regulation of cell morphology and fungal virulence. Comparison of differentially expressed proteins on exposure to ITC with artemisinin (ART), an antimalarial drug with antifungal activity(1), revealed a total of 26 proteins to be common among them suggesting that common proteins and pathways are targeted by these two antifungal agents. The proteins targeted by ITC may serve as important leads for development of new antifungal drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Poonam Gautam
- CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, Delhi, India CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India
| | - Dolly Mushahary
- CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India
| | - Wazid Hassan
- CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, Delhi, India
| | | | - Taruna Madan
- CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, Delhi, India National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health, Mumbai, India
| | - Ravi Sirdeshmukh
- CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India
| | | | - Puranam Usha Sarma
- CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, Delhi, India Department of Plant pathology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Delhi, India
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Juvvadi PR, Steinbach WJ. Calcineurin Orchestrates Hyphal Growth, Septation, Drug Resistance and Pathogenesis of Aspergillus fumigatus: Where Do We Go from Here? Pathogens 2015; 4:883-93. [PMID: 26694470 PMCID: PMC4693169 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens4040883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2015] [Revised: 12/07/2015] [Accepted: 12/11/2015] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies on fungal pathogens belonging to the ascomycota phylum are critical given the ubiquity and frequency with which these fungi cause infections in humans. Among these species, Aspergillus fumigatus causes invasive aspergillosis, a leading cause of death in immunocompromised patients. Fundamental to A. fumigatus pathogenesis is hyphal growth. However, the precise mechanisms underlying hyphal growth and virulence are poorly understood. Over the past 10 years, our research towards the identification of molecular targets responsible for hyphal growth, drug resistance and virulence led to the elucidation of calcineurin as a key signaling molecule governing these processes. In this review, we summarize our salient findings on the significance of calcineurin for hyphal growth and septation in A. fumigatus and propose future perspectives on exploiting this pathway for designing new fungal-specific therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Praveen R Juvvadi
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
| | - William J Steinbach
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
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Zhang C, Meng X, Wei X, Lu L. Highly efficient CRISPR mutagenesis by microhomology-mediated end joining in Aspergillus fumigatus. Fungal Genet Biol 2015; 86:47-57. [PMID: 26701308 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2015.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 166] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2015] [Revised: 11/30/2015] [Accepted: 12/09/2015] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Filamentous fungi have a dominant nonhomologous-end joining (NHEJ) DNA repair pathway, which results in the majority of transformed progenies having random heterologous insertion mutagenesis. Thus, lack of a versatile genome-editing tool prevents us from carrying out precise genome editing to explore the mechanism of pathogenesis. Moreover, clinical isolates that have a wild-type ku80 background without any selection nutrition marker especially suffer from low homologous integration efficiency. In this study, we have established a highly efficient CRISPR mutagenesis system to carry out precise and efficient in-frame integration with or without marker insertion with approximately 95-100% accuracy via very short (approximately 35-bp) homology arms in a process referred to as microhomology-mediated end joining (MMEJ). Based on this system, we have successfully achieved an efficient and precise integration of an exogenous GFP tag at the predicted site without marker insertion and edited a conidial melanin gene pksP and a catalytic subunit of calcineurin gene cnaA at multiple predicted sites with or without selection marker insertion. Moreover, we found that MMEJ-mediated CRISPR-Cas9 mutagenesis is independent of the ku80 pathway, indicating that this system can function as a powerful and versatile genome-editing tool in clinical Aspergillus isolates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Microbes and Functional Genomics, Jiangsu Engineering and Technology Research Center for Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Xiuhua Meng
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Microbes and Functional Genomics, Jiangsu Engineering and Technology Research Center for Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Xiaolei Wei
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Microbes and Functional Genomics, Jiangsu Engineering and Technology Research Center for Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Ling Lu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Microbes and Functional Genomics, Jiangsu Engineering and Technology Research Center for Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China.
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Muñoz A, Bertuzzi M, Bettgenhaeuser J, Iakobachvili N, Bignell EM, Read ND. Different Stress-Induced Calcium Signatures Are Reported by Aequorin-Mediated Calcium Measurements in Living Cells of Aspergillus fumigatus. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0138008. [PMID: 26402916 PMCID: PMC4581630 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0138008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2015] [Accepted: 08/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Aspergillus fumigatus is an inhaled fungal pathogen of human lungs, the developmental growth of which is reliant upon Ca2+-mediated signalling. Ca2+ signalling has regulatory significance in all eukaryotic cells but how A. fumigatus uses intracellular Ca2+ signals to respond to stresses imposed by the mammalian lung is poorly understood. In this work, A. fumigatus strains derived from the clinical isolate CEA10, and a non-homologous recombination mutant ΔakuBKU80, were engineered to express the bioluminescent Ca2+-reporter aequorin. An aequorin-mediated method for routine Ca2+ measurements during the early stages of colony initiation was successfully developed and dynamic changes in cytosolic free calcium ([Ca2+]c) in response to extracellular stimuli were measured. The response to extracellular challenges (hypo- and hyper-osmotic shock, mechanical perturbation, high extracellular Ca2+, oxidative stress or exposure to human serum) that the fungus might be exposed to during infection, were analysed in living conidial germlings. The 'signatures' of the transient [Ca2+]c responses to extracellular stimuli were found to be dose- and age-dependent. Moreover, Ca2+-signatures associated with each physico-chemical treatment were found to be unique, suggesting the involvement of heterogeneous combinations of Ca2+-signalling components in each stress response. Concordant with the involvement of Ca2+-calmodulin complexes in these Ca2+-mediated responses, the calmodulin inhibitor trifluoperazine (TFP) induced changes in the Ca2+-signatures to all the challenges. The Ca2+-chelator BAPTA potently inhibited the initial responses to most stressors in accordance with a critical role for extracellular Ca2+ in initiating the stress responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Muñoz
- Manchester Fungal Infection Group, Institute of Inflammation and Repair, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Fungal Cell Biology Group, Institute of Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Margherita Bertuzzi
- Manchester Fungal Infection Group, Institute of Inflammation and Repair, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jan Bettgenhaeuser
- Fungal Cell Biology Group, Institute of Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Nino Iakobachvili
- Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Elaine M. Bignell
- Manchester Fungal Infection Group, Institute of Inflammation and Repair, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (NDR); (EMB)
| | - Nick D. Read
- Manchester Fungal Infection Group, Institute of Inflammation and Repair, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Fungal Cell Biology Group, Institute of Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (NDR); (EMB)
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Calcium signaling mediates antifungal activity of triazole drugs in the Aspergilli. Fungal Genet Biol 2015; 81:182-90. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2014.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2014] [Revised: 12/15/2014] [Accepted: 12/18/2014] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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Li M, Chen T, Gao T, Miao Z, Jiang A, Shi L, Ren A, Zhao M. UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase influences polysaccharide synthesis, cell wall components, and hyphal branching in Ganoderma lucidum via regulation of the balance between glucose-1-phosphate and UDP-glucose. Fungal Genet Biol 2015; 82:251-63. [PMID: 26235043 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2015.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2015] [Revised: 07/29/2015] [Accepted: 07/30/2015] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (UGP) is a key enzyme involved in carbohydrate metabolism, but there are few studies on the functions of this enzyme in fungi. The ugp gene of Ganoderma lucidum was cloned, and enzyme kinetic parameters of the UGP recombinant protein were determined in vitro, revealing that this protein was functional and catalyzed the reversible conversion between Glc-1-P and UDP-Glc. ugp silencing by RNA interference resulted in changes in the levels of the intermediate metabolites Glc-1-P and UDP-Glc. The compounds and structure of the cell wall in the silenced strains were also altered compared with those in the wild-type strains. Moreover, the number of hyphal branches was also changed in the silenced strains. To verify the role of UGP in hyphal branching, a ugp-overexpressing strain was constructed. The results showed that the number of hyphal branches was influenced by UGP. The mechanism underlying hyphal branching was further investigated by adding exogenous Glc-1-P. Our results showed that hyphal branching was regulated by a change in the cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration, which was affected by the level of the intermediate metabolite Glc-1-P, in G. lucidum. Our findings indicate the existence of an interaction between carbon metabolism and Ca(2+) signaling in this fungus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengjiao Li
- College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Microbiological Engineering of Agricultural Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Nanjing 210095, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Tianxi Chen
- College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Microbiological Engineering of Agricultural Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Nanjing 210095, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Tan Gao
- College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Microbiological Engineering of Agricultural Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Nanjing 210095, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhigang Miao
- College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Microbiological Engineering of Agricultural Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Nanjing 210095, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Ailiang Jiang
- College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Microbiological Engineering of Agricultural Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Nanjing 210095, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Liang Shi
- College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Microbiological Engineering of Agricultural Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Nanjing 210095, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Ang Ren
- College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Microbiological Engineering of Agricultural Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Nanjing 210095, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Mingwen Zhao
- College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Microbiological Engineering of Agricultural Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Nanjing 210095, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.
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Winkelströter LK, Dolan SK, Fernanda Dos Reis T, Bom VLP, Alves de Castro P, Hagiwara D, Alowni R, Jones GW, Doyle S, Brown NA, Goldman GH. Systematic Global Analysis of Genes Encoding Protein Phosphatases in Aspergillus fumigatus. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2015; 5:1525-39. [PMID: 25943523 PMCID: PMC4502386 DOI: 10.1534/g3.115.016766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2015] [Accepted: 04/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Aspergillus fumigatus is a fungal pathogen that causes several invasive and noninvasive diseases named aspergillosis. This disease is generally regarded as multifactorial, considering that several pathogenicity determinants are present during the establishment of this illness. It is necessary to obtain an increased knowledge of how, and which, A. fumigatus signal transduction pathways are engaged in the regulation of these processes. Protein phosphatases are essential to several signal transduction pathways. We identified 32 phosphatase catalytic subunit-encoding genes in A. fumigatus, of which we were able to construct 24 viable deletion mutants. The role of nine phosphatase mutants in the HOG (high osmolarity glycerol response) pathway was evaluated by measuring phosphorylation of the p38 MAPK (SakA) and expression of osmo-dependent genes. We were also able to identify 11 phosphatases involved in iron assimilation, six that are related to gliotoxin resistance, and three implicated in gliotoxin production. These results present the creation of a fundamental resource for the study of signaling in A. fumigatus and its implications in the regulation of pathogenicity determinants and virulence in this important pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lizziane K Winkelströter
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, 13083-970 Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Stephen K Dolan
- Department of Biology, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland
| | - Thaila Fernanda Dos Reis
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, 13083-970 Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Vinícius Leite Pedro Bom
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, 13083-970 Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Patrícia Alves de Castro
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, 13083-970 Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Daisuke Hagiwara
- Medical Mycology Research Center, Chiba University, Chiba 260-8673, Japan
| | - Raneem Alowni
- Department of Biology, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland
| | - Gary W Jones
- Department of Biology, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland
| | - Sean Doyle
- Department of Biology, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland
| | - Neil Andrew Brown
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, 13083-970 Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Gustavo H Goldman
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, 13083-970 Ribeirão Preto, Brazil National Laboratory of Science and Technology of Bioethanol (CTBE), 13083-970 Campinas, Brazil
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Bok JW, Wiemann P, Garvey GS, Lim FY, Haas B, Wortman J, Keller NP. Illumina identification of RsrA, a conserved C2H2 transcription factor coordinating the NapA mediated oxidative stress signaling pathway in Aspergillus. BMC Genomics 2014; 15:1011. [PMID: 25416206 PMCID: PMC4252986 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-15-1011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2014] [Accepted: 11/12/2014] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Chemical mutagenesis screens are useful to identify mutants involved in biological processes of interest. Identifying the mutation from such screens, however, often fails when using methodologies involving transformation of the mutant to wild type phenotype with DNA libraries. Results Here we analyzed Illumina sequence of a chemically derived mutant of Aspergillus nidulans and identified a gene encoding a C2H2 transcription factor termed RsrA for regulator of stress response. RsrA is conserved in filamentous fungal genomes, and upon deleting the gene in three Aspergillus species (A. nidulans, A. flavus and A. fumigatus), we found two conserved phenotypes: enhanced resistance to oxidative stress and reduction in sporulation processes. For all species, rsrA deletion mutants were more resistant to hydrogen peroxide treatment. In depth examination of this latter characteristic in A. nidulans showed that upon exposure to hydrogen peroxide, RsrA loss resulted in global up-regulation of several components of the oxidative stress metabolome including the expression of napA and atfA, the two bZIP transcription factors mediating resistance to reactive oxygen species (ROS) as well as NapA targets in thioredoxin and glutathione systems. Coupling transcriptional data with examination of ΔrsrAΔatfA and ΔrsrAΔnapA double mutants indicate that RsrA primarily operates through NapA-mediated stress response pathways. A model of RsrA regulation of ROS response in Aspergillus is presented. Conclusion RsrA, found in a highly syntenic region in Aspergillus genomes, coordinates a NapA mediated oxidative response in Aspergillus fungi. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2164-15-1011) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Nancy P Keller
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
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Sugui JA, Kwon-Chung KJ, Juvvadi PR, Latgé JP, Steinbach WJ. Aspergillus fumigatus and related species. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 2014; 5:a019786. [PMID: 25377144 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a019786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The genus Aspergillus contains etiologic agents of aspergillosis. The clinical manifestations of the disease range from allergic reaction to invasive pulmonary infection. Among the pathogenic aspergilli, Aspergillus fumigatus is most ubiquitous in the environment and is the major cause of the disease, followed by Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus terreus, Aspergillus nidulans, and several species in the section Fumigati that morphologically resemble A. fumigatus. Patients that are at risk for acquiring aspergillosis are those with an altered immune system. Early diagnosis, species identification, and adequate antifungal therapy are key elements for treatment of the disease, especially in cases of pulmonary invasive aspergillosis that often advance very rapidly. Incorporating knowledge of the basic biology of Aspergillus species to that of the diseases that they cause is fundamental for further progress in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janyce A Sugui
- Laboratory of Clinical Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
| | - Kyung J Kwon-Chung
- Laboratory of Clinical Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
| | - Praveen R Juvvadi
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27715
| | - Jean-Paul Latgé
- Unité des Aspergillus, Institut Pasteur, Paris 75724, France
| | - William J Steinbach
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27715 Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27710
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42
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Li F, Wang ZL, Zhang LB, Ying SH, Feng MG. The role of three calcineurin subunits and a related transcription factor (Crz1) in conidiation, multistress tolerance and virulence in Beauveria bassiana. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2014; 99:827-40. [DOI: 10.1007/s00253-014-6124-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2014] [Revised: 09/28/2014] [Accepted: 09/30/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Juvvadi PR, Lamoth F, Steinbach WJ. Calcineurin as a Multifunctional Regulator: Unraveling Novel Functions in Fungal Stress Responses, Hyphal Growth, Drug Resistance, and Pathogenesis. FUNGAL BIOL REV 2014; 28:56-69. [PMID: 25383089 DOI: 10.1016/j.fbr.2014.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Calcineurin signaling plays diverse roles in fungi in regulating stress responses, morphogenesis and pathogenesis. Although calcineurin signaling is conserved among fungi, recent studies indicate important divergences in calcineurin-dependent cellular functions among different human fungal pathogens. Fungal pathogens utilize the calcineurin pathway to effectively survive the host environment and cause life-threatening infections. The immunosuppressive calcineurin inhibitors (FK506 and cyclosporine A) are active against fungi, making targeting calcineurin a promising antifungal drug development strategy. Here we summarize current knowledge on calcineurin in yeasts and filamentous fungi, and review the importance of understanding fungal-specific attributes of calcineurin to decipher fungal pathogenesis and develop novel antifungal therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Praveen R Juvvadi
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Duke University Medical Center, Durham NC, USA
| | - Frédéric Lamoth
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Duke University Medical Center, Durham NC, USA ; Infectious Diseases Service, Department of Medicine, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland ; Institute of Microbiology, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - William J Steinbach
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Duke University Medical Center, Durham NC, USA ; Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham NC, USA
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44
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de Castro PA, Chen C, de Almeida RSC, Freitas FZ, Bertolini MC, Morais ER, Brown NA, Ramalho LNZ, Hagiwara D, Mitchell TK, Goldman GH. ChIP-seq reveals a role for CrzA in the Aspergillus fumigatus high-osmolarity glycerol response (HOG) signalling pathway. Mol Microbiol 2014; 94:655-74. [PMID: 25196896 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.12785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/03/2014] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Aspergillus fumigatus is an opportunistic pathogen and allergen of mammals. Calcium signalling is essential for A. fumigatus pathogenicity and is regulated by the CrzA transcription factor. We used ChIP-seq (Chromatin Immunoprecipitation DNA sequencing) to explore CrzA gene targets in A. fumigatus. In total, 165 potential binding peaks including 102 directly regulated genes were identified, resulting in the prediction of the A[GT][CG]CA[AC][AG] CrzA-binding motif. The 102 CrzA putatively regulated genes exhibited a diverse array of functions. The phkB (Afu3g12530) histidine kinase and the sskB (Afu1g10940) MAP kinase kinase kinase of the HOG (high-osmolarity glycerol response) pathway were regulated by CrzA. Several members of the two-component system (TCS) and the HOG pathway were more sensitive to calcium. CrzA::GFP was translocated to the nucleus upon osmotic stress. CrzA is important for the phosphorylation of the SakA MAPK in response to osmotic shock. The ΔsskB was more sensitive to CaCl2 , NaCl, and paraquat stress, while being avirulent in a murine model of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. The presence of CaCl2 and osmotic stresses resulted in synergistic inhibition of ΔcrzA and ΔsskB growth. These results suggest there is a genetic interaction between the A. fumigatus calcineurin-CrzA and HOG pathway that is essential for full virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrícia A de Castro
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
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45
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Perez-Nadales E, Nogueira MFA, Baldin C, Castanheira S, El Ghalid M, Grund E, Lengeler K, Marchegiani E, Mehrotra PV, Moretti M, Naik V, Oses-Ruiz M, Oskarsson T, Schäfer K, Wasserstrom L, Brakhage AA, Gow NAR, Kahmann R, Lebrun MH, Perez-Martin J, Di Pietro A, Talbot NJ, Toquin V, Walther A, Wendland J. Fungal model systems and the elucidation of pathogenicity determinants. Fungal Genet Biol 2014; 70:42-67. [PMID: 25011008 PMCID: PMC4161391 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2014.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2014] [Revised: 06/23/2014] [Accepted: 06/25/2014] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Fungi have the capacity to cause devastating diseases of both plants and animals, causing significant harvest losses that threaten food security and human mycoses with high mortality rates. As a consequence, there is a critical need to promote development of new antifungal drugs, which requires a comprehensive molecular knowledge of fungal pathogenesis. In this review, we critically evaluate current knowledge of seven fungal organisms used as major research models for fungal pathogenesis. These include pathogens of both animals and plants; Ashbya gossypii, Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans, Fusarium oxysporum, Magnaporthe oryzae, Ustilago maydis and Zymoseptoria tritici. We present key insights into the virulence mechanisms deployed by each species and a comparative overview of key insights obtained from genomic analysis. We then consider current trends and future challenges associated with the study of fungal pathogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Perez-Nadales
- Department of Genetics, Edificio Gregor Mendel, Planta 1. Campus de Rabanales, University of Cordoba, 14071 Cordoba, Spain.
| | | | - Clara Baldin
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans Knöll Institute (HKI), Beutembergstr. 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany; Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Beutenbergstr. 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Sónia Castanheira
- Instituto de Biología Funcional y GenómicaCSIC, Universidad de Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain
| | - Mennat El Ghalid
- Department of Genetics, Edificio Gregor Mendel, Planta 1. Campus de Rabanales, University of Cordoba, 14071 Cordoba, Spain
| | - Elisabeth Grund
- Functional Genomics of Plant Pathogenic Fungi, UMR 5240 CNRS-UCB-INSA-Bayer SAS, Bayer CropScience, 69263 Lyon, France
| | - Klaus Lengeler
- Carlsberg Laboratory, Department of Yeast Genetics, Gamle Carlsberg Vej 10, DK-1799, Copenhagen V, Denmark
| | - Elisabetta Marchegiani
- Evolution and Genomics of Plant Pathogen Interactions, UR 1290 INRA, BIOGER-CPP, Campus AgroParisTech, 78850 Thiverval-Grignon, France
| | - Pankaj Vinod Mehrotra
- Aberdeen Fungal Group, School of Medical Sciences, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Marino Moretti
- Max-Planck-Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Department of Organismic Interactions, Karl-von-Frisch-Strasse 10, D-35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Vikram Naik
- Max-Planck-Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Department of Organismic Interactions, Karl-von-Frisch-Strasse 10, D-35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Miriam Oses-Ruiz
- School of Biosciences, Geoffrey Pope Building, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
| | - Therese Oskarsson
- Carlsberg Laboratory, Department of Yeast Genetics, Gamle Carlsberg Vej 10, DK-1799, Copenhagen V, Denmark
| | - Katja Schäfer
- Department of Genetics, Edificio Gregor Mendel, Planta 1. Campus de Rabanales, University of Cordoba, 14071 Cordoba, Spain
| | - Lisa Wasserstrom
- Carlsberg Laboratory, Department of Yeast Genetics, Gamle Carlsberg Vej 10, DK-1799, Copenhagen V, Denmark
| | - Axel A Brakhage
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans Knöll Institute (HKI), Beutembergstr. 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany; Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Beutenbergstr. 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Neil A R Gow
- Aberdeen Fungal Group, School of Medical Sciences, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Regine Kahmann
- Max-Planck-Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Department of Organismic Interactions, Karl-von-Frisch-Strasse 10, D-35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Marc-Henri Lebrun
- Evolution and Genomics of Plant Pathogen Interactions, UR 1290 INRA, BIOGER-CPP, Campus AgroParisTech, 78850 Thiverval-Grignon, France
| | - José Perez-Martin
- Instituto de Biología Funcional y GenómicaCSIC, Universidad de Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain
| | - Antonio Di Pietro
- Department of Genetics, Edificio Gregor Mendel, Planta 1. Campus de Rabanales, University of Cordoba, 14071 Cordoba, Spain
| | - Nicholas J Talbot
- School of Biosciences, Geoffrey Pope Building, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
| | - Valerie Toquin
- Biochemistry Department, Bayer SAS, Bayer CropScience, CRLD, 69263 Lyon, France
| | - Andrea Walther
- Carlsberg Laboratory, Department of Yeast Genetics, Gamle Carlsberg Vej 10, DK-1799, Copenhagen V, Denmark
| | - Jürgen Wendland
- Carlsberg Laboratory, Department of Yeast Genetics, Gamle Carlsberg Vej 10, DK-1799, Copenhagen V, Denmark
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Colabardini AC, Ries LNA, Brown NA, Savoldi M, Dinamarco TM, von Zeska MR, Goldman MHS, Goldman GH. Protein kinase C overexpression suppresses calcineurin-associated defects in Aspergillus nidulans and is involved in mitochondrial function. PLoS One 2014; 9:e104792. [PMID: 25153325 PMCID: PMC4143261 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0104792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2014] [Accepted: 07/11/2014] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
In filamentous fungi, intracellular signaling pathways which are mediated by changing calcium levels and/or by activated protein kinase C (Pkc), control fungal adaptation to external stimuli. A rise in intracellular Ca2+ levels activates calcineurin subunit A (CnaA), which regulates cellular calcium homeostasis among other processes. Pkc is primarily involved in maintaining cell wall integrity (CWI) in response to different environmental stresses. Cross-talk between the Ca2+ and Pkc-mediated pathways has mainly been described in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and in a few other filamentous fungi. The presented study describes a genetic interaction between CnaA and PkcA in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans. Overexpression of pkcA partially rescues the phenotypes caused by a cnaA deletion. Furthermore, CnaA appears to affect the regulation of a mitogen-activated kinase, MpkA, involved in the CWI pathway. Reversely, PkcA is involved in controlling intracellular calcium homeostasis, as was confirmed by microarray analysis. Furthermore, overexpression of pkcA in a cnaA deletion background restores mitochondrial number and function. In conclusion, PkcA and CnaA-mediated signaling appear to share common targets, one of which appears to be MpkA of the CWI pathway. Both pathways also regulate components involved in mitochondrial biogenesis and function. This study describes targets for PkcA and CnaA-signaling pathways in an A. nidulans and identifies a novel interaction of both pathways in the regulation of cellular respiration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Cristina Colabardini
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Neil Andrew Brown
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marcela Savoldi
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Taísa Magnani Dinamarco
- Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marcia Regina von Zeska
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Maria Helena S. Goldman
- Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Gustavo Henrique Goldman
- Laboratório Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia do Bioetanol – CTBE, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- * E-mail:
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47
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Phylogenetic analyses on the diversity of Aspergillus fumigatus sensu lato based on five orthologous loci. Mycopathologia 2014; 178:163-76. [PMID: 25106755 DOI: 10.1007/s11046-014-9790-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2013] [Accepted: 07/27/2014] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
One hundred isolates of Aspergillus fumigatus sensu lato mainly from China, as well as from Australia, France, India, Indonesia, Ireland, UK, and USA were analyzed to infer their sequence types (STs) and population diversity based on partial calmodulin, calcineurin regulatory subunit B, beta-tubulin, cytochrome C and calcineurin catalytic subunit A genes as well as their mating types, using ClonalFrame, Structure and MEGA software. Our results inferred 48 STs and showed that most of the STs or lineages evolved independently and without clear population structure among them. Whereas one lineage was recognized that could be a true population and in which one clade might diverge into another distinct lineage, namely, a cryptic species, A. neoellipticus. In addition, we found that mutation, parasexual, and sexual recombination could, respectively, play specific roles in the evolution of these fungi. Our results also showed that MAT1-1/MAT1-2 mating type ratios of A. fumigatus sensu lato was biased to nearly 1:1.4 (20/28) when clone-corrected, but when not clone-corrected, the ratio of MAT1-1/MAT1-2 was so biased as near 1:2 (35/65), which might mean that isolates with MAT1-2 are in the process of losing sexual ability preceding those with MAT1-1.
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48
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de Castro PA, Chiaratto J, Winkelströter LK, Bom VLP, Ramalho LNZ, Goldman MHS, Brown NA, Goldman GH. The involvement of the Mid1/Cch1/Yvc1 calcium channels in Aspergillus fumigatus virulence. PLoS One 2014; 9:e103957. [PMID: 25083783 PMCID: PMC4118995 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0103957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2014] [Accepted: 07/03/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Aspergillus fumigatus is a major opportunistic pathogen and allergen of mammals. Calcium homeostasis and signaling is essential for numerous biological processes and also influences A. fumigatus pathogenicity. The presented study characterized the function of the A. fumigatus homologues of three Saccharomyces cerevisiae calcium channels, voltage-gated Cch1, stretch-activated Mid1 and vacuolar Yvc1. The A. fumigatus calcium channels cchA, midA and yvcA were regulated at transcriptional level by increased calcium levels. The YvcA::GFP fusion protein localized to the vacuoles. Both ΔcchA and ΔmidA mutant strains showed reduced radial growth rate in nutrient-poor minimal media. Interestingly, this growth defect in the ΔcchA strain was rescued by the exogenous addition of CaCl2. The ΔcchA, ΔmidA, and ΔcchA ΔmidA strains were also sensitive to the oxidative stress inducer, paraquat. Restriction of external Ca2+ through the addition of the Ca2+-chelator EGTA impacted upon the growth of the ΔcchA and ΔmidA strains. All the A. fumigatus ΔcchA, ΔmidA, and ΔyvcA strains demonstrated attenuated virulence in a neutropenic murine model of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. Infection with the parental strain resulted in a 100% mortality rate at 15 days post-infection, while the mortality rate of the ΔcchA, ΔmidA, and ΔyvcA strains after 15 days post-infection was only 25%. Collectively, this investigation strongly indicates that CchA, MidA, and YvcA play a role in A. fumigatus calcium homeostasis and virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrícia Alves de Castro
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Jéssica Chiaratto
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Lizziane K. Winkelströter
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Vinícius Leite Pedro Bom
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | | | - Maria Helena S. Goldman
- Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Neil Andrew Brown
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Gustavo H. Goldman
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
- National Laboratory of Science and Technology of Bioethanol (CTBE), Campinas, Brazil
- * E-mail:
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Tsai HC, Chung KR. Calcineurin phosphatase and phospholipase C are required for developmental and pathological functions in the citrus fungal pathogen Alternaria alternata. MICROBIOLOGY-SGM 2014; 160:1453-1465. [PMID: 24763426 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.077818-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Excessive Ca(2+) or compounds interfering with phosphoinositide cycling have been found to inhibit the growth of the tangerine pathotype of Alternaria alternata, suggesting a crucial role of Ca(2+) homeostasis in this pathotype. The roles of PLC1, a phospholipase C-coding gene and CAL1, a calcineurin phosphatase-coding gene were investigated. Targeted gene disruption showed that both PLC1 and CAL1 were required for vegetative growth, conidial formation and pathogenesis in citrus. Fungal strains lacking PLC1 or CAL1 exhibited extremely slow growth and induced small lesions on calamondin leaves. Δplc1 mutants produced fewer conidia, which germinated at slower rates than wild-type. Δcal1 mutants produced abnormal hyphae and failed to produce any mature conidia, but instead produced highly melanized bulbous hyphae with distinct septae. Fluorescence microscopy using Fluo-3 dye as a Ca(2+) indicator revealed that the Δplc1 mutant hyphae emitted stronger cytosolic fluorescence, and the Δcal1 mutant hyphae emitted less cytosolic fluorescence, than those of wild-type. Infection assessed on detached calamondin leaves revealed that application of CaCl2 or neomycin 24 h prior to inoculation provided protection against Alt. alternata. These data indicate that a dynamic equilibrium of cellular Ca(2+) is critical for developmental and pathological processes of Alt. alternata.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsieh-Chin Tsai
- Citrus Research and Education Center, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS), University of Florida, 700 Experiment Station Road, Lake Alfred, FL 33850, USA
| | - Kuang-Ren Chung
- Department of Plant Pathology, IFAS, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.,Citrus Research and Education Center, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS), University of Florida, 700 Experiment Station Road, Lake Alfred, FL 33850, USA
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Govindaraghavan M, McGuire Anglin SL, Shen KF, Shukla N, De Souza CP, Osmani SA. Identification of interphase functions for the NIMA kinase involving microtubules and the ESCRT pathway. PLoS Genet 2014; 10:e1004248. [PMID: 24675878 PMCID: PMC3967960 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1004248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2013] [Accepted: 02/03/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The Never in Mitosis A (NIMA) kinase (the founding member of the Nek family of kinases) has been considered a mitotic specific kinase with nuclear restricted roles in the model fungus Aspergillus nidulans. By extending to A. nidulans the results of a synthetic lethal screen performed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae using the NIMA ortholog KIN3, we identified a conserved genetic interaction between nimA and genes encoding proteins of the Endosomal Sorting Complex Required for Transport (ESCRT) pathway. Absence of ESCRT pathway functions in combination with partial NIMA function causes enhanced cell growth defects, including an inability to maintain a single polarized dominant cell tip. These genetic insights suggest NIMA potentially has interphase functions in addition to its established mitotic functions at nuclei. We therefore generated endogenously GFP-tagged NIMA (NIMA-GFP) which was fully functional to follow its interphase locations using live cell spinning disc 4D confocal microscopy. During interphase some NIMA-GFP locates to the tips of rapidly growing cells and, when expressed ectopically, also locates to the tips of cytoplasmic microtubules, suggestive of non-nuclear interphase functions. In support of this, perturbation of NIMA function either by ectopic overexpression or through partial inactivation results in marked cell tip growth defects with excess NIMA-GFP promoting multiple growing cell tips. Ectopic NIMA-GFP was found to locate to the plus ends of microtubules in an EB1 dependent manner, while impairing NIMA function altered the dynamic localization of EB1 and the cytoplasmic microtubule network. Together, our genetic and cell biological analyses reveal novel non-nuclear interphase functions for NIMA involving microtubules and the ESCRT pathway for normal polarized fungal cell tip growth. These insights extend the roles of NIMA both spatially and temporally and indicate that this conserved protein kinase could help integrate cell cycle progression with polarized cell growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meera Govindaraghavan
- Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
- Department of Molecular Genetics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | | | - Kuo-Fang Shen
- Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
- Department of Molecular Genetics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Nandini Shukla
- Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
- Ohio State Biochemistry Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Colin P. De Souza
- Department of Molecular Genetics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Stephen A. Osmani
- Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
- Department of Molecular Genetics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
- Ohio State Biochemistry Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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