A transmembrane phospholipase D in Phytophthora; a novel PLD subfamily

Searching for the Mechanism that Mediates Mefenoxam-Acquired Resistance in Phytophthora infestans and How It Is Regulated

Phytophthora infestans, the causal agent of late blight disease of potatoes, is mainly controlled by the use of fungicides. Isolates that are resistant to commonly used fungicides have been reported. Also, several studies show that originally mefenoxam-sensitive isolates acquire resistance to this fungicide when exposed to sublethal concentrations. This phenomenon, termed "mefenoxam-acquired resistance," has been observed in different Phytophthora species and seems to be unique to mefenoxam. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the molecular mechanism mediating this type of resistance as well as a possible regulatory process behind it. A combination of computational analyses and experimental approaches was used to identify differentially expressed genes with a potential association to the phenomenon. These genes were classified into seven functional groups. Most of them seem to be associated with a pleiotropic drug resistance (PDR) phenotype, typically involved in the expulsion of diverse metabolites, drugs, or other substances out of the cell. Despite the importance of RNA Polymerase I for the constitutive resistance of P. infestans to mefenoxam, our results indicate no clear interaction between this protein and the acquisition of mefenoxam resistance. Several small non-coding RNAs were found to be differentially expressed and specifically related to genes mediating the PDR phenotype, thus suggesting a possible regulatory process. We propose a model of the molecular mechanisms acting within the cell when P. infestans acquires resistance to mefenoxam after exposed to sublethal concentrations of the fungicide. This study provides important insights into P. infestans' cellular and regulatory functionalities.

Phytophthora infestans small phospholipase D-like proteins elicit plant cell death and promote virulence

The successful invasion of host tissue by (hemi-)biotrophic plant pathogens is dependent on modifications of the host plasma membrane to facilitate the two-way transfer of proteins and other compounds. Haustorium formation and the establishment of extrahaustorial membranes are probably dependent on a variety of enzymes that modify membranes in a coordinated fashion. Phospholipases, enzymes that hydrolyse phospholipids, have been implicated as virulence factors in several pathogens. The oomycete Phytophthora infestans is a hemibiotrophic pathogen that causes potato late blight. It possesses different classes of phospholipase D (PLD) proteins, including small PLD-like proteins with and without signal peptide (sPLD-likes and PLD-likes, respectively). Here, we studied the role of sPLD-like-1, sPLD-like-12 and PLD-like-1 in the infection process. They are expressed in expanding lesions on potato leaves and during in vitro growth, with the highest transcript levels in germinating cysts. When expressed in planta in the presence of the silencing suppressor P19, all three elicited a local cell death response that was visible at the microscopic level as autofluorescence and strongly boosted in the presence of calcium. Moreover, inoculation of leaves expressing the small PLD-like genes resulted in increased lesion growth and greater numbers of sporangia, but this was abolished when mutated PLD-like genes were expressed with non-functional PLD catalytic motifs. These results show that the three small PLD-likes are catalytically active and suggest that their enzymatic activity is required for the promotion of virulence, possibly by executing membrane modifications to support the growth of P. infestans in the host.

Quantitative proteomics links metabolic pathways to specific developmental stages of the plant-pathogenic oomycete Phytophthora capsici

The oomycete Phytophthora capsici is a plant pathogen responsible for important losses to vegetable production worldwide. Its asexual reproduction plays an important role in the rapid propagation and spread of the disease in the field. A global proteomics study was conducted to compare two key asexual life stages of P. capsici, i.e. the mycelium and cysts, to identify stage-specific biochemical processes. A total of 1200 proteins was identified using qualitative and quantitative proteomics. The transcript abundance of some of the enriched proteins was also analysed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Seventy-three proteins exhibited different levels of abundance between the mycelium and cysts. The proteins enriched in the mycelium are mainly associated with glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid (or citric acid) cycle and the pentose phosphate pathway, providing the energy required for the biosynthesis of cellular building blocks and hyphal growth. In contrast, the proteins that are predominant in cysts are essentially involved in fatty acid degradation, suggesting that the early infection stage of the pathogen relies primarily on fatty acid degradation for energy production. The data provide a better understanding of P. capsici biology and suggest potential metabolic targets at the two different developmental stages for disease control.

The diversity of algal phospholipase D homologs revealed by biocomputational analysis

Phospholipase D (PLD) participates in the formation of phosphatidic acid, a precursor in glycerolipid biosynthesis and a second messenger. PLDs are part of a superfamily of proteins that hydrolyze phosphodiesters and share a catalytic motif, HxKxxxxD, and hence a mechanism of action. Although HKD-PLDs have been thoroughly characterized in plants, animals and bacteria, very little is known about these enzymes in algae. To fill this gap in knowledge, we performed a biocomputational analysis by means of HMMER iterative profiling, using most eukaryotic algae genomes available. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that algae exhibit very few eukaryotic-type PLDs but possess, instead, many bacteria-like PLDs. Among algae eukaryotic-type PLDs, we identified C2-PLDs and PXPH-like PLDs. In addition, the dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense features several proteins phylogenetically related to oomycete PLDs. Our phylogenetic analysis also showed that algae bacteria-like PLDs (proteins with putative PLD activity) fall into five clades, three of which are novel lineages in eukaryotes, composed almost entirely of algae. Specifically, Clade II is almost exclusive to diatoms, whereas Clade I and IV are mainly represented by proteins from prasinophytes. The other two clades are composed of mitochondrial PLDs (Clade V or Mito-PLDs), previously found in mammals, and a subfamily of potentially secreted proteins (Clade III or SP-PLDs), which includes a homolog formerly characterized in rice. In addition, our phylogenetic analysis shows that algae have non-PLD members within the bacteria-like HKD superfamily with putative cardiolipin synthase and phosphatidylserine/phosphatidylglycerophosphate synthase activities. Altogether, our results show that eukaryotic algae possess a moderate number of PLDs that belong to very diverse phylogenetic groups.

Comparative proteomic analysis of hyphae and germinating cysts of Phytophthora pisi and Phytophthora sojae

The recently described oomycete pathogen Phytophthora pisi causes root rot on pea and faba bean, while the closely related Phytophthora sojae is the causal agent of soybean root and stem rot. Differences in the pathogenicity factor repertoires that enable the two species to have distinct host specificity towards pea and soybean, were studied using tandem mass spectrometry in a global proteome study of hyphae and germinating cysts in P. pisi and P. sojae. In total 2775 proteins from P. pisi and 2891 proteins from P. sojae were identified. Fifty-eight orthologous proteins were more abundant in germinated cysts of both pathogens and thus identified as candidate proteins for the infective stage. Several of these proteins were associated with lipid transport and metabolism, and energy production. Twenty-three orthologous proteins were more abundant in hyphae of both pathogens and thus identified as candidate proteins for vegetative growth. Proteins uniquely present in germinating cysts of either P. pisi or P. sojae were considered as candidates for species-specific pathogenicity factors that may be involved in host specificity. Among these proteins were serine proteases, membrane transporters and a berberine-like protein. These results significantly expand the knowledge of the expressed proteome in P. pisi and P. sojae.

BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE

P. sojae and P. pisi are closely related species that specifically cause root rot on soybean and pea, respectively. The pathogenicity factors contributing to their host specificity remained unknown. We carried out a comparative large-scale proteome analysis of vegetative (hyphae) and infective (germinating cysts) life stages in P. pisi and P. sojae. This study provides knowledge of the common factors and mechanism involved in initiation of infection and species-specific proteins that may contribute to the host specificity of these pathogens. This knowledge will lead to a better understanding of the infection biology of these pathogens, allowing new possibilities towards developing alternative and effective plant protection measures.

Phytophthora infestans has a plethora of phospholipase D enzymes including a subclass that has extracellular activity

In eukaryotes phospholipase D (PLD) is involved in many cellular processes. Currently little is known about PLDs in oomycetes. Here we report that the oomycete plant pathogen Phytophthora infestans has a large repertoire of PLDs divided over six subfamilies: PXPH-PLD, PXTM-PLD, TM-PLD, PLD-likes, and type A and B sPLD-likes. Since the latter have signal peptides we developed a method using metabolically labelled phospholipids to monitor if P. infestans secretes PLD. In extracellular medium of ten P. infestans strains PLD activity was detected as demonstrated by the production of phosphatidic acid and the PLD specific marker phosphatidylalcohol.

Loss of heterozygosity in Phytophthora capsici after N-ethyl-nitrosourea mutagenesis

Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) occurs in a variety of diploid organisms after chemical mutagenesis and was observed in the vegetable pathogen Phytophthora capsici after N-ethyl-nitrosourea (ENU) mutagenesis at three loci during reverse genetic screening. Our objectives were to determine (i) the frequency of LOH among mutants, (ii) the directionality of the LOH events and (iii) the length of the genomic tracts exhibiting LOH. Of the 1152 ENU mutants screened, LOH was most frequent at locus 3 (99 ENU mutants), with locus 1 (10 ENU mutants) and locus 2 (9 ENU mutants) undergoing LOH at similar frequencies. LOH was bidirectional for all three loci, with locus 3 mutants biased toward one haplotype. Analysis of upstream and downstream heterozygosity indicates that the LOH events spanned up to at least 4.6 kb. The implications of mitotic recombination and LOH for reverse genetics and natural variation in Phytophthora are discussed.

Transcriptomic changes arising during light-induced sporulation in Physarum polycephalum

BACKGROUND

Physarum polycephalum is a free-living amoebozoan protist displaying a complex life cycle, including alternation between single- and multinucleate stages through sporulation, a simple form of cell differentiation. Sporulation in Physarum can be experimentally induced by several external factors, and Physarum displays many biochemical features typical for metazoan cells, including metazoan-type signaling pathways, which makes this organism a model to study cell cycle, cell differentiation and cellular reprogramming.

RESULTS

In order to identify the genes associated to the light-induced sporulation in Physarum, especially those related to signal transduction, we isolated RNA before and after photoinduction from sporulation- competent cells, and used these RNAs to synthesize cDNAs, which were then analyzed using the 454 sequencing technology. We obtained 16,669 cDNAs that were annotated at every computational level. 13,169 transcripts included hit count data, from which 2,772 displayed significant differential expression (upregulated: 1,623; downregulated: 1,149). Transcripts with valid annotations and significant differential expression were later integrated into putative networks using interaction information from orthologs.

CONCLUSIONS

Gene ontology analysis suggested that most significantly downregulated genes are linked to DNA repair, cell division, inhibition of cell migration, and calcium release, while highly upregulated genes were involved in cell death, cell polarization, maintenance of integrity, and differentiation. In addition, cell death- associated transcripts were overrepresented between the upregulated transcripts. These changes are associated to a network of actin-binding proteins encoded by genes that are differentially regulated before and after light induction.

Genomewide analysis of phospholipid signaling genes in Phytophthora spp.: novelties and a missing link

Phospholipids are cellular membrane components in eukaryotic cells that execute many important roles in signaling. Genes encoding enzymes required for phospholipid signaling and metabolism have been characterized in several organisms, but only a few have been described for oomycetes. In this study, the genome sequences of Phytophthora sojae and P. ramorum were explored to construct a comprehensive genomewide inventory of genes involved in the most universal phospholipid signaling pathways. Several genes and gene families were annotated, including those encoding phosphatidylinositol synthase (PIS), phosphatidylinositol (phosphate) kinase (PI[P]K), diacylglycerol kinase (DAG), and phospholipase D (PLD). The most obvious missing link is a gene encoding phospholipase C (PLC). In all eukaryotic genomes sequenced to date, PLC genes are annotated based on certain conserved features; however, these genes seem to be absent in Phytophthora spp. Analysis of the structural and regulatory domains and domain organization of the predicted isoforms of PIS, PIK, PIPK, DAG, and PLD revealed many novel features compared with characterized representatives in other eukaryotes. Examples are transmembrane proteins with a C-terminal catalytic PLD domain, secreted PLD-like proteins, and PIPKs that have an N-terminal G-protein-coupled receptor-transmembrane signature. Compared with other sequenced eukaryotes, the genus Phytophthora clearly has several exceptional features in its phospholipid-modifying enzymes.

Targeted gene mutation in Phytophthora spp

The genus Phytophthora belongs to the oomycetes and is composed of plant pathogens. Currently, there are no strategies to mutate specific genes for members of this genus. Whole genome sequences are available or being prepared for Phytophthora sojae, P. ramorum, P. infestans, and P. capsici and the development of molecular biological techniques for functional genomics is encouraged. This article describes the adaptation of the reverse-genetic strategy of targeting induced local lesions in genomes (TILLING) to isolate gene-specific mutants in Phytophthora spp. A genomic library of 2,400 ethylnitrosourea (ENU) mutants of P. sojae was created and screened for induced point mutations in the genes encoding a necrosisinducing protein (PsojNIP) and a Phytophthora-specific phospholipase D (PsPXTM-PLD). Mutations were detected in single individuals and included silent, missense, and nonsense changes. Homozygous mutant isolates carrying a potentially deleterious missense mutation in PsojNIP and a premature stop codon in PsPXTM-PLD were identified. No phenotypic effect has yet been found for the homozygous mutant of PsojNIP. For those of PsPXTM-PLD, a reduction in growth rate and an appressed mycelial growth was observed. This demonstrates the feasibility of target-selected gene disruption for Phytophthora spp. and adds an important tool for functional genomic investigation.

Novel phosphatidylinositol phosphate kinases with a G-protein coupled receptor signature are shared by Dictyostelium and Phytophthora

G-protein coupled receptors (GPCR) and phosphatidylinositol phosphate kinases (PIPK) are important key switches in signal transduction pathways. A novel class of proteins was identified in the genomes of two unrelated organisms that harbor both a GPCR and a PIPK domain. Dictyostelium discoideum contains one GPCR-PIPK, which is crucial in cell-density sensing, and the genomes of Phytophthora sojae and Phytophthora ramorum each encode twelve GPCR-PIPKs. Intriguingly, these are currently the only species that have these two domains combined in one protein. Here, the structural and regulatory characteristics of GPCR-PIPKs are presented and discussed. It is hypothesized that, upon activation, GPCR-PIPKs are able to trigger heterotrimeric G-protein signaling and phosphoinositide second-messenger synthesis.