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Lim YJ, Lee YH. Solo or in Concert: SUMOylation in Pathogenic Fungi. THE PLANT PATHOLOGY JOURNAL 2025; 41:140-152. [PMID: 40211619 PMCID: PMC11986368 DOI: 10.5423/ppj.rw.11.2024.0180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2024] [Revised: 02/27/2025] [Accepted: 03/02/2025] [Indexed: 04/14/2025]
Abstract
SUMOylation plays a pivotal role in DNA replication and repair, transcriptional stability, and stress response. Although SUMOylation is a conserved posttranslational modification (PTM) in eukaryotes, the number, type, and function of SUMOylation-associated components vary among mammals, plants, and fungi. SUMOylation shares overlapping features with ubiquitination, another well-known PTM. However, comparative studies on the interplay between these two PTMs are largely limited to yeast among fungal species. Recently, the role of SUMOylation in pathogenicity and its potential for crosstalk with ubiquitination have gained attention in fungal pathogens. In this review, we summarize recent findings on the distinct components of SUMOylation across organisms and describe its critical functions in fungal pathogens. Furthermore, we propose new research directions for SUMOylation in fungal pathogens, both independently and in coordination with other PTMs. This review aims to illuminate the potential for advancing PTM crosstalk research in fungal systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- You-Jin Lim
- Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
| | - Yong-Hwan Lee
- Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
- Interdisciplinary Program in Agricultural Genomics, Center for Fungal Genetic Resources, Plant Immunity Research Center, and Center for Plant Microbiome Research, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
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Zhu G, Tong N, Zhu Y, Wang L, Wang Q. The crosstalk between SUMOylation and immune system in host-pathogen interactions. Crit Rev Microbiol 2025; 51:164-186. [PMID: 38619159 DOI: 10.1080/1040841x.2024.2339259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
Pathogens can not only cause infectious diseases, immune system diseases, and chronic diseases, but also serve as potential triggers or initiators for certain tumors. They directly or indirectly damage human health and are one of the leading causes of global deaths. Small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) modification, a type of protein post-translational modification (PTM) that occurs when SUMO groups bond covalently to particular lysine residues on substrate proteins, plays a crucial role in both innate and adaptive immunologic responses, as well as pathogen-host immune system crosstalk. SUMOylation participates in the host's defense against pathogens by regulating immune responses, while numerically vast and taxonomically diverse pathogens have evolved to exploit the cellular SUMO modification system to break through innate defenses. Here, we describe the characteristics and multiple functions of SUMOylation as a pivotal PTM mechanism, the tactics employed by various pathogens to counteract the immune system through targeting host SUMOylation, and the character of the SUMOylation system in the fight between pathogens and the host immune system. We have also included a summary of the potential anti-pathogen SUMO enzyme inhibitors. This review serves as a reference for basic research and clinical practice in the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of pathogenic microorganism-caused disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gangli Zhu
- Guangdong Province Solid Waste Recycling and Heavy Metal Pollution Control Engineering Technology Research Center, Guangdong Polytechnic of Environment Protection Engineering, Foshan, Guangdong, China
| | - Ni Tong
- Department of Molecular Biology, State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of the People's Republic of China, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Yipeng Zhu
- Guagnzhou NO.6 Middle school, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Lize Wang
- General Department, Institute of Software Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qirui Wang
- Department of Molecular Biology, State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of the People's Republic of China, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
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Gupta D, Shukla R, Mishra K. SUMO-targeted Ubiquitin Ligases as crucial mediators of protein homeostasis in Candida glabrata. PLoS Pathog 2024; 20:e1012742. [PMID: 39642165 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1012742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2024] [Revised: 12/18/2024] [Accepted: 11/11/2024] [Indexed: 12/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Candida glabrata is an opportunistic human pathogen, capable of causing severe systemic infections that are often resistant to standard antifungal treatments. To understand the importance of protein SUMOylation in the physiology and pathogenesis of C. glabrata, we earlier identified the components of SUMOylation pathway and demonstrated that the deSUMOylase CgUlp2 is essential for pathogenesis. In this work we show that the CgUlp2 is essential to maintain protein homeostasis via the SUMO-targeted ubiquitin ligase pathway. The dual loss of deSUMOylase and specific ubiquitin ligase, CgSlx8, results in heightened protein degradation, rendering the cells vulnerable to various stressors. This degradation affects crucial processes such as purine biosynthesis and compromises mitochondrial function in the mutants. Importantly, the absence of these ubiquitin ligases impedes the proliferation of C. glabrata in macrophages. These findings underscore the significance of SUMOylation and SUMO-mediated protein homeostasis as pivotal regulators of C. glabrata physiology and capacity to survive in host cells. Understanding these mechanisms could pave the way for the development of effective antifungal treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dipika Gupta
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India
| | - Renu Shukla
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India
| | - Krishnaveni Mishra
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India
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Song J, Chen H, Xie D, Li J, Huang B, Wang Z. The SUMO gene MrSmt3 is involved in SUMOylation, conidiation and stress response in Metarhizium robertsii. Sci Rep 2024; 14:22213. [PMID: 39333232 PMCID: PMC11436951 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-73039-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2024] [Accepted: 09/12/2024] [Indexed: 09/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Smt3, as a small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO), play an essential role in the regulation of protein SUMOylation, and thus this process can affect various important biological functions. Here, we investigated the roles of MrSmt3 (yeast SUMO/Smt3 homologs) in the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium robertsii. Our results of subcellular localization assays demonstrated that MrSmt3 was present in the cytoplasm and nucleus, whereas MrSmt3 was largely localized in the nucleus during oxidative stress. Importantly, disruption of MrSmt3 significantly decreased the level of protein SUMOylation under heat stress. Deletion of MrSmt3 led to a significant decrease in conidial production, and increased sensitivity to various stresses, including heat, oxidative, and cell wall-disturbing agents. However, bioassays of direct injection and topical inoculation demonstrated that deletion of MrSmt3 did not affect fungal virulence. Furthermore, RNA-seq analysis identified 1,484 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of the WT and ΔMrSmt3 during conidiation, including 971 down-regulated DEGs and 513 up-regulated DEGs, and further analysis showed that the expression level of several classical conidiation-associated genes, such as transcription factor AbaA (MAA_00694), transcription factor bZIP (MAA_00888) and transcription factor Ste12 (MAA_10450), was down-regulated in the ΔMrSmt3 mutant. Specifically, the major downregulated DEGs were mainly associated with a variety of metabolic regulatory processes including metabolic process, organic substance metabolic process and primary metabolic process. Collectively, our findings highlight the important roles of the SUMO gene MrSmt3 in modulating SUMOylation, conidiation and stress response in M. robertsii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jueping Song
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Crop Integrated Pest Management, School of Plant Protection, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, China
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Pest Control, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, China
| | - Hanyuan Chen
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Crop Integrated Pest Management, School of Plant Protection, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, China
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Pest Control, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, China
| | - Dajie Xie
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Crop Integrated Pest Management, School of Plant Protection, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, China
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Pest Control, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, China
| | - Jie Li
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Crop Integrated Pest Management, School of Plant Protection, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, China
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Pest Control, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, China
| | - Bo Huang
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Pest Control, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, China.
| | - Zhangxun Wang
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Crop Integrated Pest Management, School of Plant Protection, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, China.
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Pest Control, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, China.
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Li G, Cao X, Tumukunde E, Zeng Q, Wang S. The target of rapamycin signaling pathway regulates vegetative development, aflatoxin biosynthesis, and pathogenicity in Aspergillus flavus. eLife 2024; 12:RP89478. [PMID: 38990939 PMCID: PMC11239180 DOI: 10.7554/elife.89478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/13/2024] Open
Abstract
The target of rapamycin (TOR) signaling pathway is highly conserved and plays a crucial role in diverse biological processes in eukaryotes. Despite its significance, the underlying mechanism of the TOR pathway in Aspergillus flavus remains elusive. In this study, we comprehensively analyzed the TOR signaling pathway in A. flavus by identifying and characterizing nine genes that encode distinct components of this pathway. The FK506-binding protein Fkbp3 and its lysine succinylation are important for aflatoxin production and rapamycin resistance. The TorA kinase plays a pivotal role in the regulation of growth, spore production, aflatoxin biosynthesis, and responses to rapamycin and cell membrane stress. As a significant downstream effector molecule of the TorA kinase, the Sch9 kinase regulates aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) synthesis, osmotic and calcium stress response in A. flavus, and this regulation is mediated through its S_TKc, S_TK_X domains, and the ATP-binding site at K340. We also showed that the Sch9 kinase may have a regulatory impact on the high osmolarity glycerol (HOG) signaling pathway. TapA and TipA, the other downstream components of the TorA kinase, play a significant role in regulating cell wall stress response in A. flavus. Moreover, the members of the TapA-phosphatase complexes, SitA and Ppg1, are important for various biological processes in A. flavus, including vegetative growth, sclerotia formation, AFB1 biosynthesis, and pathogenicity. We also demonstrated that SitA and Ppg1 are involved in regulating lipid droplets (LDs) biogenesis and cell wall integrity (CWI) signaling pathways. In addition, another phosphatase complex, Nem1/Spo7, plays critical roles in hyphal development, conidiation, aflatoxin production, and LDs biogenesis. Collectively, our study has provided important insight into the regulatory network of the TOR signaling pathway and has elucidated the underlying molecular mechanisms of aflatoxin biosynthesis in A. flavus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guoqi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Key Laboratory of Pathogenic, Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry UniversityFuzhouChina
| | - Xiaohong Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Key Laboratory of Pathogenic, Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry UniversityFuzhouChina
| | - Elisabeth Tumukunde
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Key Laboratory of Pathogenic, Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry UniversityFuzhouChina
| | - Qianhua Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Key Laboratory of Pathogenic, Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry UniversityFuzhouChina
| | - Shihua Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Key Laboratory of Pathogenic, Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry UniversityFuzhouChina
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Li S, Chen F, Wei X, Yuan L, Qin J, Li R, Chen B. CpSmt3, an ortholog of small ubiquitin-like modifier, is essential for growth, organelle function, virulence, and antiviral defense in Cryphonectria parasitica. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1391855. [PMID: 38784801 PMCID: PMC11111931 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1391855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction SUMOylation is an important post-translational modification that regulates the expression, localization, and activity of substrate proteins, thereby participating in various important cellular processes such as the cell cycle, cell metabolism, gene transcription, and antiviral activity. However, the function of SUMOylation in phytopathogenic fungi has not yet been adequately explored. Methods A comprehensive analysis composed of proteomics, affinity pull-down, molecular and cellular approaches was performed to explore the roles of SUMOylation in Cryphonectria parasitica, the fungal pathogen responsible for chestnut blight. Results and discussion CpSmt3, the gene encoding the SUMO protein CpSmt3 in C. parasitica was identified and characterized. Deletion of the CpSmt3 gene resulted in defects in mycelial growth and hyphal morphology, suppression of sporulation, attenuation of virulence, weakening of stress tolerance, and elevated accumulation of hypovirus dsRNA. The ΔCpSmt3 deletion mutant exhibited an increase in mitochondrial ROS, swollen mitochondria, excess autophagy, and thickened cell walls. About 500 putative SUMO substrate proteins were identified by affinity pull-down, among which many were implicated in the cell cycle, ribosome, translation, and virulence. Proteomics and SUMO substrate analyses further revealed that deletion of CpSmt3 reduced the accumulation of CpRho1, an important protein that is involved in TOR signal transduction. Silencing of CpRho1 resulted in a phenotype similar to that of ΔCpSmt3, while overexpression of CpRho1 could partly rescue some of the prominent defects in ΔCpSmt3. Together, these findings demonstrate that SUMOylation by CpSmt3 is vitally important and provide new insights into the SUMOylation-related regulatory mechanisms in C. parasitica.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuangcai Li
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Fengyue Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Xiangyu Wei
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Luying Yuan
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Jiayao Qin
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Ru Li
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biology, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Baoshan Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biology, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
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Azizullah, Noman M, Gao Y, Wang H, Xiong X, Wang J, Li D, Song F. The SUMOylation pathway regulates the pathogenicity of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum in watermelon through stabilizing the pH regulator FonPalC via SUMOylation. Microbiol Res 2024; 281:127632. [PMID: 38310728 DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2024.127632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 01/28/2024] [Indexed: 02/06/2024]
Abstract
SUMOylation is a key post-translational modification, where small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) proteins regulate crucial biological processes, including pathogenesis, in phytopathogenic fungi. Here, we investigated the function and mechanism of the SUMOylation pathway in the pathogenicity of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum (Fon), the fungal pathogen that causes watermelon Fusarium wilt. Disruption of key SUMOylation pathway genes, FonSMT3, FonAOS1, FonUBC9, and FonMMS21, significantly reduced pathogenicity, impaired penetration ability, and attenuated invasive growth capacity of Fon. Transcription and proteomic analyses identified a diverse set of SUMOylation-regulated differentially expressed genes and putative FonSMT3-targeted proteins, which are predicted to be involved in infection, DNA damage repair, programmed cell death, reproduction, growth, and development. Among 155 putative FonSMT3-targeted proteins, FonPalC, a Pal/Rim-pH signaling regulator, was confirmed to be SUMOylated. The FonPalC protein accumulation was significantly decreased in SUMOylation-deficient mutant ∆Fonsmt3. Deletion of FonPalC resulted in impaired mycelial growth, decreased pathogenicity, enhanced osmosensitivity, and increased intracellular vacuolation in Fon. Importantly, mutations in conserved SUMOylation sites of FonPalC failed to restore the defects in ∆Fonpalc mutant, indicating the critical function of the SUMOylation in FonPalC stability and Fon pathogenicity. Identifying key SUMOylation-regulated pathogenicity-related proteins provides novel insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying Fon pathogenesis regulated by SUMOylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azizullah
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China; Key Laboratory of Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China; State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology and Breeding, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Muhammad Noman
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China; Key Laboratory of Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China; State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology and Breeding, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China; State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Treats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Institute of Plant Protection and Microbiology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China
| | - Yizhou Gao
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China; Key Laboratory of Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China; State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology and Breeding, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Hui Wang
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China; Key Laboratory of Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China; State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology and Breeding, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Xiaohui Xiong
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China; Key Laboratory of Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China; State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology and Breeding, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Jiajing Wang
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China; Key Laboratory of Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China; State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology and Breeding, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Dayong Li
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China; Key Laboratory of Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China; State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology and Breeding, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Fengming Song
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China; Key Laboratory of Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China; State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology and Breeding, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China.
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Xie R, Zhang B, Tumukunde E, Zhuang Z, Yuan J, Wang S. Succinylated acetyl-CoA carboxylase contributes to aflatoxin biosynthesis, morphology development, and pathogenicity in Aspergillus flavus. Int J Food Microbiol 2024; 413:110585. [PMID: 38246023 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2024.110585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), which catalyzes acetyl-CoA to produce malonyl-CoA, is crucial for the synthesis of mycotoxins, ergosterol, and fatty acids in various genera. However, its biofunction in Aspergillus flavus has not been reported. In this study, the accA gene was deleted and site-mutated to explore the influence of ACC on sporulation, sclerotium formation, and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) biosynthesis. The results revealed that ACC positively regulated conidiation and sclerotium formation, but negatively regulated AFB1 production. In addition, we found that ACC is a succinylated protein, and mutation of lysine at position 990 of ACC to glutamic acid or arginine (accAK990E or accAK990R) changed the succinylation level of ACC. The accAK990E and accAK990R mutations (to imitate the succinylation and desuccinylation at K990 of ACC, respectively) downregulated fungal conidiation and sclerotium formation while increasing AFB1 production, revealing that the K990 is an important site for ACC's biofunction. These results provide valuable perspectives for future mechanism studies of the emerging roles of succinylated ACC in the regulation of the A. flavus phenotype, which is advantageous for the prevention and control of A. flavus hazards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, 350002 Fuzhou, China
| | - Bei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, 350002 Fuzhou, China
| | - Elisabeth Tumukunde
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, 350002 Fuzhou, China
| | - Zhenhong Zhuang
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, 350002 Fuzhou, China
| | - Jun Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, 350002 Fuzhou, China
| | - Shihua Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, 350002 Fuzhou, China.
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Huang Z, Wu D, Yang S, Fu W, Ma D, Yao Y, Lin H, Yuan J, Yang Y, Zhuang Z. Regulation of Fungal Morphogenesis and Pathogenicity of Aspergillus flavus by Hexokinase AfHxk1 through Its Domain Hexokinase_2. J Fungi (Basel) 2023; 9:1077. [PMID: 37998882 PMCID: PMC10671980 DOI: 10.3390/jof9111077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 10/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
As a filamentous pathogenic fungus with high-yield of aflatoxin B1, Aspergillus flavus is commonly found in various agricultural products. It is crucial to develop effective strategies aimed at the prevention of the contamination of A. flavus and aflatoxin. Hexokinase AfHxk1 is a critical enzyme in fungal glucose metabolism. However, the role of AfHxk1 in A. flavus development, aflatoxin biosynthesis, and virulence has not yet been explored. In this study, afHxk1 gene deletion mutant (ΔafHxk1), complementary strain (Com-afHxk1), and the domain deletion strains (afHxk1ΔD1 and afHxk1ΔD2) were constructed by homologous recombination. Phenotype study and RT-qPCR revealed that AfHxk1 upregulates mycelium growth and spore and sclerotia formation, but downregulates AFB1 biosynthesis through related classical signaling pathways. Invading models and environmental stress analysis revealed that through involvement in carbon source utilization, conidia germination, and the sensitivity response of A. flavus to a series of environmental stresses, AfHxk1 deeply participates in the regulation of pathogenicity of A. flavus to crop kernels and Galleria mellonella larvae. The construction of domain deletion strains, afHxk1ΔD1 and afHxk1ΔD2, further revealed that AfHxk1 regulates the morphogenesis, mycotoxin biosynthesis, and the fungal pathogenicity mainly through its domain, Hexokinase_2. The results of this study revealed the biological role of AfHxk1 in Aspergillus spp., and might provide a novel potential target for the early control of the contamination of A. flavus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zongting Huang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, Proteomic Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (Z.H.); (D.W.); (S.Y.); (W.F.); (Y.Y.); (H.L.); (J.Y.); (Y.Y.)
| | - Dandan Wu
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, Proteomic Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (Z.H.); (D.W.); (S.Y.); (W.F.); (Y.Y.); (H.L.); (J.Y.); (Y.Y.)
| | - Sile Yang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, Proteomic Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (Z.H.); (D.W.); (S.Y.); (W.F.); (Y.Y.); (H.L.); (J.Y.); (Y.Y.)
| | - Wangzhuo Fu
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, Proteomic Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (Z.H.); (D.W.); (S.Y.); (W.F.); (Y.Y.); (H.L.); (J.Y.); (Y.Y.)
| | - Dongmei Ma
- College of Animal Sciences (College of Bee Science), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China;
| | - Yanfang Yao
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, Proteomic Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (Z.H.); (D.W.); (S.Y.); (W.F.); (Y.Y.); (H.L.); (J.Y.); (Y.Y.)
| | - Hong Lin
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, Proteomic Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (Z.H.); (D.W.); (S.Y.); (W.F.); (Y.Y.); (H.L.); (J.Y.); (Y.Y.)
| | - Jun Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, Proteomic Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (Z.H.); (D.W.); (S.Y.); (W.F.); (Y.Y.); (H.L.); (J.Y.); (Y.Y.)
| | - Yanling Yang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, Proteomic Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (Z.H.); (D.W.); (S.Y.); (W.F.); (Y.Y.); (H.L.); (J.Y.); (Y.Y.)
| | - Zhenhong Zhuang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, Proteomic Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (Z.H.); (D.W.); (S.Y.); (W.F.); (Y.Y.); (H.L.); (J.Y.); (Y.Y.)
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10
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Zheng X, Wang L, Zhang Z, Tang H. The emerging roles of SUMOylation in pulmonary diseases. Mol Med 2023; 29:119. [PMID: 37670258 PMCID: PMC10478458 DOI: 10.1186/s10020-023-00719-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Small ubiquitin-like modifier mediated modification (SUMOylation) is a critical post-translational modification that has a broad spectrum of biological functions, including genome replication and repair, transcriptional regulation, protein stability, and cell cycle progression. Perturbation or deregulation of a SUMOylation and deSUMOylation status has emerged as a new pathophysiological feature of lung diseases. In this review, we highlighted the link between SUMO pathway and lung diseases, especially the sumoylated substrate such as C/EBPα in bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BDP), PPARγ in pneumonia, TFII-I in asthma, HDAC2 in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), KLF15 in hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (HPH), SMAD3 in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and YTHDF2 in cancer. By exploring the impact of SUMOylation in pulmonary diseases, we intend to shed light on its potential to inspire the development of innovative diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, holding promise for improving patient outcomes and overall respiratory health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuyang Zheng
- Department of pediatrics, The Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310000, Zhejiang, P.R. China.
| | - Lingqiao Wang
- Department of pediatrics, The Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310000, Zhejiang, P.R. China
| | - Zhen Zhang
- Department of Orthopedics Surgery, The Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 31000, Zhejiang, P.R. China
| | - Huifang Tang
- Department of Pharmacology, Zhejiang Respiratory Drugs Research Laboratory, School of Basic Medicial Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, Zhejiang, P.R. China.
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11
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Nie XY, Xue Y, Li L, Jiang Z, Qin B, Wang Y, Wang S. A functional intact SUMOylation machinery in Aspergillus flavus contributes to fungal and aflatoxin contamination of food. Int J Food Microbiol 2023; 398:110241. [PMID: 37167787 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2023.110241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 04/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
SUMO adducts occur in Aspergillus flavus, and are implicated in fungal biology, while the underlying mechanism and the SUMOylation apparatus components in this saprophytic food spoilage mould, remain undefined. Herein, genes encoding SUMOylation cascade enzymes in A. flavus, including two heterodimeric SUMO E1 activating enzymes, a unique SUMO E2 conjugating enzyme, and one of SUMO E3 ligases, were identified and functionally analyzed. Global SUMO adducts immunoassay, multiple morphological comparison, aflatoxin attributes test, fungal infection and transcriptomic analyses collectively revealed that: E1 and E2 were essential for intracellular SUMOylation, and contributed to both stress response and fungal virulence-related events, including sporulation, colonization, aflatoxins biosynthesis; the primary E3 in this fungus, AfSizA, might serve as the molecular linkage of SUMOylation pathway to fungal virulence rather than SUMOylation-mediated stress adaptation. These findings demonstrated that SUMOylation machinery in A. flavus was functionally intact and contributed to multiple pathobiological processes, hence offering ideas and targets to control food contamination by this mycotoxigenic fungus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin-Yi Nie
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.
| | - Yang Xue
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Ling Li
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Zhixin Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Bei Qin
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yu Wang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Shihua Wang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.
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12
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Shao W, Sun K, Ma T, Jiang H, Hahn M, Ma Z, Jiao C, Yin Y. SUMOylation regulates low-temperature survival and oxidative DNA damage tolerance in Botrytis cinerea. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 238:817-834. [PMID: 36651012 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
SUMOylation as one of the protein post-translational modifications plays crucial roles in multiple biological processes of eukaryotic organisms. Botrytis cinerea is a devastating fungal pathogen and capable of infecting plant hosts at low temperature. However, the molecular mechanisms of low-temperature adaptation are largely unknown in fungi. Combining with biochemical methods and biological analyses, we report that SUMOylation regulates pathogen survival at low temperature and oxidative DNA damage response during infection in B. cinerea. The heat shock protein (Hsp70) BcSsb and E3 ubiquitin ligase BcRad18 were identified as substrates of SUMOylation; moreover, their SUMOylation both requires a single unique SUMO-interacting motif (SIM). SUMOylated BcSsb regulates β-tubulin accumulation, thereby affecting the stability of microtubules and consequently mycelial growth at low temperature. On the contrary, SUMOylated BcRad18 modulates mono-ubiquitination of the sliding clamp protein proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), which is involved in response to oxidative DNA damage during infection. Our study uncovers the molecular mechanisms of SUMOylation-mediated low-temperature survival and oxidative DNA damage tolerance during infection in a devastating fungal pathogen, which provides novel insights into low-temperature adaptation and pathogenesis for postharvest pathogens as well as new targets for inhibitor invention in disease control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenyong Shao
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Kewei Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Tianling Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Huixian Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Matthias Hahn
- Department of Biology, University of Kaiserslautern, PO Box 3049, 67653, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Zhonghua Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Chen Jiao
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Yanni Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, 310058, China
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13
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Jian Y, Chen X, Sun K, Liu Z, Cheng D, Cao J, Liu J, Cheng X, Wu L, Zhang F, Luo Y, Hahn M, Ma Z, Yin Y. SUMOylation regulates pre-mRNA splicing to overcome DNA damage in fungi. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 237:2298-2315. [PMID: 36539920 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Pathogenic fungi are subject to DNA damage stress derived from host immune responses during infection. Small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) modification and precursor (pre)-mRNA splicing are both involved in DNA damage response (DDR). However, the mechanisms of how SUMOylation and splicing coordinated in DDR remain largely unknown. Combining with biochemical analysis, RNA-Seq method, and biological analysis, we report that SUMO pathway participates in DDR and virulence in Fusarium graminearum, a causal agent of Fusarium head blight of cereal crops world-wide. Interestingly, a key transcription factor FgSR is SUMOylated upon DNA damage stress. SUMOylation regulates FgSR nuclear-cytoplasmic partitioning and its phosphorylation by FgMec1, and promotes its interaction with chromatin remodeling complex SWI/SNF for activating the expression of DDR-related genes. Moreover, the SWI/SNF complex was found to further recruit splicing-related NineTeen Complex, subsequently modulates pre-mRNA splicing during DDR. Our findings reveal a novel function of SUMOylation in DDR by regulating a transcription factor to orchestrate gene expression and pre-mRNA splicing to overcome DNA damage during the infection of F. graminearum, which advances the understanding of the delicate regulation of DDR by SUMOylation in pathogenic fungi, and extends the knowledge of cooperation of SUMOylation and pre-mRNA splicing in DDR in eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunqing Jian
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Xia Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Kewei Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Zunyong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Danni Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Jie Cao
- MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Jianzhao Liu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Xiaofei Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Germplasm Enhancement, Physiology and Ecology of Food Crops in Cold Region of Chinese Education Ministry, College of Agriculture, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, China
| | - Liang Wu
- Institute of Crop Science, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Feng Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide, College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Yuming Luo
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Eco-Agricultural Biotechnology around Hongze Lake, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Regional Modern Agriculture and Environmental Protection, Huaiyin Normal University, Huai'an, 223300, China
| | - Matthias Hahn
- Department of Biology, University of Kaiserslautern, PO Box 3049, 67653, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Zhonghua Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Yanni Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, 310058, China
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14
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Wang Y, Lin R, Liu M, Wang S, Chen H, Zeng W, Nie X, Wang S. N-Myristoyltransferase, a Potential Antifungal Candidate Drug-Target for Aspergillus flavus. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0421222. [PMID: 36541770 PMCID: PMC9927591 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.04212-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The filamentous fungus Aspergillus flavus causes devastating diseases not only to cash crops but also to humans by secreting a series of secondary metabolites called aflatoxins. In the cotranslational or posttranslational process, N-myristoyltransferase (Nmt) is a crucial enzyme that catalyzes the myristate group from myristoyl-coenzyme A (myristoyl-CoA) to the N terminus or internal glycine residue of a protein by forming a covalent bond. Members of the Nmt family execute a diverse range of biological functions across a broad range of fungi. However, the underlying mechanism of AflNmt action in the A. flavus life cycle is unclear, particularly during the growth, development, and secondary metabolic synthesis stages. In the present study, AlfNmt was found to be essential for the development of spore and sclerotia, based on the regulation of the xylose-inducible promoter. AflNmt, located in the cytoplasm of A. flavus, is also involved in modulating aflatoxin (AFB1) in A. flavus, which has not previously been reported in Aspergillus spp. In addition, we purified, characterized, and crystallized the recombinant AflNmt protein (rAflNmt) from the Escherichia coli expression system. Interestingly, the crystal structure of rAlfNmt is moderately different from the models predicted by AlphaFold2 in the N-terminal region, indicating the limitations of machine-learning prediction. In conclusion, these results provide a molecular basis for the functional role of AflNmt in A. flavus and structural insights concerning protein prediction. IMPORTANCE As an opportunistic pathogen, A. flavus causes crop loss due to fungal growth and mycotoxin contamination. Investigating the role of virulence factors during infection and searching for novel drug targets have been popular scientific topics in the field of fungal control. Nmt has become a potential target in some organisms. However, whether Nmt is involved in the developmental stages of A. flavus and aflatoxin synthesis, and whether AlfNmt is an ideal target for structure-based drug design, remains unclear. This study systematically explored and identified the role of AlfNmt in the development of spore and sclerotia, especially in aflatoxin biosynthesis. Moreover, although there is not much difference between the AflNmt model predicted using the AlphaFold2 technique and the structure determined using the X-ray method, current AI prediction models may not be suitable for structure-based drug development. There is still room for further improvements in protein prediction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
- School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Ranxun Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
- School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Mengxin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
- School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Sen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
- School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Hongyu Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
- School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Wanlin Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
- School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Xinyi Nie
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
- School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Shihua Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
- School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
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15
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The SUMOylation Pathway Components Are Required for Vegetative Growth, Asexual Development, Cytotoxic Responses, and Programmed Cell Death Events in Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum. J Fungi (Basel) 2023; 9:jof9010094. [PMID: 36675915 PMCID: PMC9866417 DOI: 10.3390/jof9010094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 01/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
SUMOylation is an essential protein modification process that regulates numerous crucial cellular and biochemical processes in phytopathogenic fungi, and thus plays important roles in multiple biological functions. The present study characterizes the SUMOylation pathway components, including SMT3 (SUMO), AOS1 (an E1 enzyme), UBC9 (an E2 enzyme), and MMS21 (an E3 ligase), in Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum (Fon), the causative agent of watermelon Fusarium wilt, in terms of the phylogenetic relationship, gene/protein structures, and basic biological functions. The SUMOylation components FonSMT3, FonAOS1, FonUBC9, and FonMMS21 are predominantly located in the nucleus. FonSMT3, FonAOS1, FonUBC9, and FonMMS21 are highly expressed in the germinating macroconidia, but their expression is downregulated gradually in infected watermelon roots with the disease progression. The disruption of FonUBA2 and FonSIZ1 seems to be lethal in Fon. The deletion mutant strains for FonSMT3, FonAOS1, FonUBC9, and FonMMS21 are viable, but exhibit significant defects in vegetative growth, asexual reproduction, conidial morphology, spore germination, responses to metal ions and DNA-damaging agents, and apoptosis. The disruption of FonSMT3, FonAOS1, FonUBC9, and FonMMS21 enhances sensitivity to cell wall-perturbing agents, but confers tolerance to digestion by cell wall-degrading enzymes. Furthermore, the disruption of FonSMT3, FonAOS1, and FonUBC9 negatively regulates autophagy in Fon. Overall, these results demonstrate that the SUMOylation pathway plays vital roles in regulating multiple basic biological processes in Fon, and, thus, can serve as a potential target for developing a disease management approach to control Fusarium wilt in watermelon.
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16
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Hatmaker EA, Rangel-Grimaldo M, Raja HA, Pourhadi H, Knowles SL, Fuller K, Adams EM, Lightfoot JD, Bastos RW, Goldman GH, Oberlies NH, Rokas A. Genomic and Phenotypic Trait Variation of the Opportunistic Human Pathogen Aspergillus flavus and Its Close Relatives. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0306922. [PMID: 36318036 PMCID: PMC9769809 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03069-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Fungal diseases affect millions of humans annually, yet fungal pathogens remain understudied. The mold Aspergillus flavus can cause both aspergillosis and fungal keratitis infections, but closely related species are not considered clinically relevant. To study the evolution of A. flavus pathogenicity, we examined genomic and phenotypic traits of two strains of A. flavus and three closely related species, Aspergillus arachidicola (two strains), Aspergillus parasiticus (two strains), and Aspergillus nomiae (one strain). We identified >3,000 orthologous proteins unique to A. flavus, including seven biosynthetic gene clusters present in A. flavus strains and absent in the three nonpathogens. We characterized secondary metabolite production for all seven strains under two clinically relevant conditions, temperature and salt concentration. Temperature impacted metabolite production in all species, whereas salinity did not affect production of any species. Strains of the same species produced different metabolites. Growth under stress conditions revealed additional heterogeneity within species. Using the invertebrate fungal disease model Galleria mellonella, we found virulence of strains of the same species varied widely; A. flavus strains were not more virulent than strains of the nonpathogens. In a murine model of fungal keratitis, we observed significantly lower disease severity and corneal thickness for A. arachidicola compared to other species at 48 h postinfection, but not at 72 h. Our work identifies variations in key phenotypic, chemical, and genomic attributes between A. flavus and its nonpathogenic relatives and reveals extensive strain heterogeneity in virulence that does not correspond to the currently established clinical relevance of these species. IMPORTANCE Aspergillus flavus is a filamentous fungus that causes opportunistic human infections, such as aspergillosis and fungal keratitis, but its close relatives are considered nonpathogenic. To begin understanding how this difference in pathogenicity evolved, we characterized variation in infection-relevant genomic, chemical, and phenotypic traits between strains of A. flavus and its relatives. We found extensive variation (or strain heterogeneity) within the pathogenic A. flavus as well as within its close relatives, suggesting that strain-level differences may play a major role in the ability of these fungi to cause disease. Surprisingly, we also found that the virulence of strains from species not considered to be pathogens was similar to that of A. flavus in both invertebrate and murine models of disease. These results contrast with previous studies on Aspergillus fumigatus, another major pathogen in the genus, for which significant differences in infection-relevant chemical and phenotypic traits are observed between closely related pathogenic and nonpathogenic species.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. Anne Hatmaker
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Evolutionary Studies Initiative, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Manuel Rangel-Grimaldo
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
| | - Huzefa A. Raja
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
| | - Hadi Pourhadi
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
| | - Sonja L. Knowles
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
| | - Kevin Fuller
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Emily M. Adams
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Jorge D. Lightfoot
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Rafael W. Bastos
- Biosciences Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Gustavo H. Goldman
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Nicholas H. Oberlies
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
| | - Antonis Rokas
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Evolutionary Studies Initiative, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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17
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Zhuang Z, Pan X, Zhang M, Liu Y, Huang C, Li Y, Hao L, Wang S. Set2 family regulates mycotoxin metabolism and virulence via H3K36 methylation in pathogenic fungus Aspergillus flavus. Virulence 2022; 13:1358-1378. [PMID: 35943142 PMCID: PMC9364737 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2022.2101218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Aspergillus flavus infects various crops with aflatoxins, and leads to aspergillosis opportunistically. Though H3K36 methylation plays an important role in fungal toxin metabolism and virulence, no data about the biological function of H3K36 methylation in A. flavus virulence has been reported. Our study showed that the Set2 histone methyltransferase family, AshA and SetB, involves in morphogenesis and mycotoxin anabolism by regulating related transcriptional factors, and they are important for fungal virulence to crops and animals. Western-blotting and double deletion analysis revealed that AshA mainly regulates H3K36me2, whereas SetB is mainly responsible for H3K36me3 in the nucleus. By construction of domain deletion A. flavus strain and point mutation strains by homologous recombination, the study revealed that SET domain is indispensable in mycotoxin anabolism and virulence of A. flavus, and N455 and V457 in it are the key amino acid residues. ChIP analysis inferred that the methyltransferase family controls fungal reproduction and regulates the production of AFB1 by directly regulating the production of the transcriptional factor genes, including wetA, steA, aflR and amylase, through H3K36 trimethylation in their chromatin fragments, based on which this study proposed that, by H3K36 trimethylation, this methyltransferase family controls AFB1 anabolism through transcriptional level and substrate utilization level. This study illuminates the epigenetic mechanism of the Set2 family in regulating fungal virulence and mycotoxin production, and provides new targets for controlling the virulence of the fungus A. flavus.
AUTHOR SUMMARY
The methylation of H3K36 plays an important role in the fungal secondary metabolism and virulence, but no data about the regulatory mechanism of H3K36 methylation in the virulence of A. flavus have been reported. Our study revealed that, in the histone methyltransferase Set2 family, AshA mainly catalyzes H3K36me2, and involves in the methylation of H3K36me1, and SetB mainly catalyzes H3K36me3 and H3K36me1. Through domain deletion and point mutation analysis, this study also revealed that the SET domain was critical for the normal biological function of the Set2 family and that N455 and V457 in the domain were critical for AshA. By ChIP-seq and ChIP-qPCR analysis, H3K36 was found to be trimethylation modified in the promotors and ORF positions of wetA, steA, aflR and the amylase gene (AFLA_084340), and further qRT-PCR results showed that these methylation modifications regulate the expression levels of these genes. According to the results of ChIP-seq analysis, we proposed that, by H3K36 trimethylation, this methyltransferase family controls the metabolism of mycotoxin through transcriptional level and substrate utilization level. All the results from this study showed that Set2 family is essential for fungal secondary metabolism and virulence, which lays a theoretical groundwork in the early prevention and treatment of A. flavus pollution, and also provides an effective strategy to fight against other pathogenic fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenhong Zhuang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Xiaohua Pan
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.,Fujian Key Laboratory of Propagated Sensation along Meridian, Fujian Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Fuzhou, China
| | - Mengjuan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yaju Liu
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Chuanzhong Huang
- Immuno-Oncology Laboratory of Fujian Cancer Hospital, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Medicine, Fujian Medical University Cancer Hospital, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yu Li
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Ling Hao
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Shihua Wang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
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18
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Lv Y, Yang H, Wang J, Wei S, Zhai H, Zhang S, Hu Y. Afper1 contributes to cell development and aflatoxin biosynthesis in Aspergillus flavus. Int J Food Microbiol 2022; 377:109828. [PMID: 35843028 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2022.109828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Revised: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Aspergillus flavus contaminates crops and produces carcinogenic aflatoxins that pose severe threat to food safety and human health. To identify potential targets to control aflatoxin contamination, we characterized a novel Afper1 protein, which regulates cell development and secondary metabolite biosynthesis in A. flavus. Afper1 is localized in the nucleus and is required for hyphal growth, conidial and sclerotial production, and responses to osmotic stress and essential oils such as cinnamaldehyde and thymol. More importantly, aflatoxin production was impaired in the Afper1 deletion mutant. Proteomics analysis revealed that extracellular hydrolases and proteins involved in conidial development, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) homeostasis, and aflatoxin biosynthesis were differentially regulated in ΔAfper1. Unexpectedly, enzymes participated in reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging, including catalase (catA, catB) and superoxide dismutase (sodM) were significantly downregulated, and the ROS accumulation and sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide were confirmed experimentally. Additionally, Afper1 deletion significantly upregulated heterochromatin protein HepA and downregulated acetyltransferases involved in heterochromatin formation. Accompanying ROS accumulation and chromatin remodeling, proteins related to aflatoxins, ustiloxin B and gliotoxin were downregulated. These results implied that Afper1 deletion affected chromatin remodeling and disturbed ER homeostasis, leading to ROS accumulation, and ultimately resulting in defective growth and impaired secondary metabolite biosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yangyong Lv
- College of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, People's Republic of China; Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Biological Processing and Nutritional Function of Wheat, Zhengzhou 450001, People's Republic of China.
| | - Haojie Yang
- College of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, People's Republic of China; Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Biological Processing and Nutritional Function of Wheat, Zhengzhou 450001, People's Republic of China
| | - Jing Wang
- College of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, People's Republic of China; Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Biological Processing and Nutritional Function of Wheat, Zhengzhou 450001, People's Republic of China
| | - Shan Wei
- College of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, People's Republic of China; Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Biological Processing and Nutritional Function of Wheat, Zhengzhou 450001, People's Republic of China
| | - Huanchen Zhai
- College of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, People's Republic of China; Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Biological Processing and Nutritional Function of Wheat, Zhengzhou 450001, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuaibing Zhang
- College of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, People's Republic of China; Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Biological Processing and Nutritional Function of Wheat, Zhengzhou 450001, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuansen Hu
- College of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, People's Republic of China; Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Biological Processing and Nutritional Function of Wheat, Zhengzhou 450001, People's Republic of China.
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19
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Wen M, Lan H, Sun R, Chen X, Zhang X, Zhu Z, Tan C, Yuan J, Wang S. Histone deacetylase SirE regulates development, DNA damage response and aflatoxin production in Aspergillus flavus. Environ Microbiol 2022; 24:5596-5610. [PMID: 36059183 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Aspergillus flavus is a ubiquitous saprotrophic soil-borne pathogenic fungus that causes crops contamination with the carcinogen aflatoxins. Although Sirtuin E (SirE) is known to be a NAD-dependent histone deacetylase involved in global transcriptional regulation. Its biological functions in A. flavus are not fully understood. To explore the effects of SirE, we found that SirE was located in the nucleus and increased the level of H3K56 acetylation. The ΔsirE mutant had the most severe growth defect in the sirtuin family. The RNA-Seq revealed that sirE was crucial for secondary metabolism production as well as genetic information process and oxidation-reduction in A. flavus. Further analysis revealed that the ΔsirE mutant increased aflatoxin production. Both the sirE deletion and H3K56 mutants were highly sensitive to DNA damage and oxidative stresses, indicating that SirE was required for DNA damage and redox reaction by the H3K56 locus. Furthermore, the ΔsirE mutant displayed high sensitivity to osmotic stress and cell wall stress, but they may not be associated with the H3K56. Finally, the catalytic activity site N192 of SirE was required for regulating growth, deacetylase function and aflatoxin production. Together, SirE is essential for histone deacetylation and biological function in A. flavus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meifang Wen
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Huahui Lan
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Ruilin Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Xuan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Xin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Zhuo Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Can Tan
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Jun Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Shihua Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
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20
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Li Y, Song Z, Wang E, Dong L, Bai J, Wang D, Zhu J, Zhang C. Potential antifungal targets based on histones post-translational modifications against invasive aspergillosis. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:980615. [PMID: 36016791 PMCID: PMC9395700 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.980615] [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: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
As a primary cause of death in patients with hematological malignancies and transplant recipients, invasive aspergillosis (IA) is a condition that warrants attention. IA infections have been increasing, which remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. During the past decade, antifungal drug resistance has emerged, which is especially concerning for management given the limited options for treating azole-resistant infections and the possibility of failure of prophylaxis in those high-risk patients. Histone posttranslational modifications (HPTMs), mainly including acetylation, methylation, ubiquitination and phosphorylation, are crucial epigenetic mechanisms regulating various biological events, which could modify the conformation of histone and influence chromatin-associated nuclear processes to regulate development, cellular responsiveness, and biological phenotype without affecting the underlying genetic sequence. In recent years, fungi have become important model organisms for studying epigenetic regulation. HPTMs involves in growth and development, secondary metabolite biosynthesis and virulence in Aspergillus. This review mainly aims at summarizing the acetylation, deacetylation, methylation, demethylation, and sumoylation of histones in IA and connect this knowledge to possible HPTMs-based antifungal drugs. We hope this research could provide a reference for exploring new drug targets and developing low-toxic and high-efficiency antifungal strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiman Li
- Department of Pharmacy, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhihui Song
- Department of Pharmacy, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Ente Wang
- Department of Pharmacy, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Liming Dong
- Department of Pharmacy, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Jie Bai
- Department of Pharmacy, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Dong Wang
- Department of Pharmacy, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Jinyan Zhu
- Department of Hematology, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Chao Zhang
- Department of Pharmacy, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Chao Zhang,
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21
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Regulator of G Protein Signaling Contributes to the Development and Aflatoxin Biosynthesis in Aspergillus flavus through the Regulation of Gα Activity. Appl Environ Microbiol 2022; 88:e0024422. [PMID: 35638847 PMCID: PMC9238415 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00244-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Heterotrimeric G-proteins play crucial roles in growth, asexual development, and pathogenicity of fungi. The regulator of G-protein signaling (RGS) proteins function as negative regulators of the G proteins to control the activities of GTPase in Gα subunits. In this study, we functionally characterized the six RGS proteins (i.e., RgsA, RgsB, RgsC, RgsD, RgsE, and FlbA) in the pathogenic fungus Aspergillus flavus. All the aforementioned RGS proteins were also found to be functionally different in conidiation, aflatoxin (AF) biosynthesis, and pathogenicity in A. flavus. Apart from FlbA, all other RGS proteins play a negative role in regulating both the synthesis of cyclic AMP (cAMP) and the activation of protein kinase A (PKA). Additionally, we also found that although RgsA and RgsE play a negative role in regulating the FadA-cAMP/PKA pathway, they function distinctly in aflatoxin biosynthesis. Similarly, RgsC is important for aflatoxin biosynthesis by negatively regulating the GanA-cAMP/PKA pathway. PkaA, which is the cAMP-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit, also showed crucial influences on A. flavus phenotypes. Overall, our results demonstrated that RGS proteins play multiple roles in the development, pathogenicity, and AF biosynthesis in A. flavus through the regulation of Gα subunits and cAMP-PKA signals. IMPORTANCE RGS proteins, as crucial regulators of the G protein signaling pathway, are widely distributed in fungi, while little is known about their roles in Aspergillus flavus development and aflatoxin. In this study, we identified six RGS proteins in A. flavus and revealed that these proteins have important functions in the regulation of conidia, sclerotia, and aflatoxin formation. Our findings provide evidence that the RGS proteins function upstream of cAMP-PKA signaling by interacting with the Gα subunits (GanA and FadA). This study provides valuable information for controlling the contamination of A. flavus and mycotoxins produced by this fungus in pre- and postharvest of agricultural crops.
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22
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Yang K, Tian J, Keller NP. Post-translational modifications drive secondary metabolite biosynthesis in Aspergillus: a review. Environ Microbiol 2022; 24:2857-2881. [PMID: 35645150 PMCID: PMC9545273 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2022] [Revised: 04/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Post‐translational modifications (PTMs) are important for protein function and regulate multiple cellular processes and secondary metabolites (SMs) in fungi. Aspergillus species belong to a genus renown for an abundance of bioactive secondary metabolites, many important as toxins, pharmaceuticals and in industrial production. The genes required for secondary metabolites are typically co‐localized in biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs), which often localize in heterochromatic regions of genome and are ‘turned off’ under laboratory condition. Efforts have been made to ‘turn on’ these BGCs by genetic manipulation of histone modifications, which could convert the heterochromatic structure to euchromatin. Additionally, non‐histone PTMs also play critical roles in the regulation of secondary metabolism. In this review, we collate the known roles of epigenetic and PTMs on Aspergillus SM production. We also summarize the proteomics approaches and bioinformatics tools for PTM identification and prediction and provide future perspectives on the emerging roles of PTM on regulation of SM biosynthesis in Aspergillus and other fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kunlong Yang
- School of Life Science, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, 221116, Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China.,Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, 53705, USA
| | - Jun Tian
- School of Life Science, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, 221116, Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Nancy P Keller
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, 53705, USA
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23
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Lv Y, Wang J, Yang H, Li N, Farzaneh M, Wei S, Zhai H, Zhang S, Hu Y. Lysine 2-hydroxyisobutyrylation orchestrates cell development and aflatoxin biosynthesis in Aspergillus flavus. Environ Microbiol 2022; 24:4356-4368. [PMID: 35621059 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Lysine 2-hydroxyisobutyrylation (Khib ) is a recently identified post-translational modifications (PTM) that regulates numerous cellular metabolic processes. In pathogenic microorganism, although glycolysis and fungal virulence are regulated by Khib , its potential roles in fungi remains to be elusive. Our preliminary results showed that levels of Khib fluctuate over time in Aspergillus flavus, which frequently contaminates crops and produces carcinogenic aflatoxins. However, the perception of Khib function in A. flavus is limited, especially in mycotoxin-producing strains. Here, we performed a comprehensive analysis of Khib in A. flavus, and 7156 Khib sites were identified in 1473 proteins. Notably, we demonstrated that Khib of AflM, a key enzyme in aflatoxin biosynthesis, affected conidia production and sclerotia formation. Furthermore, aflM deletion impaired aflatoxin biosynthesis, and more importantly, strains in which Khib was mimicked by K to T mutation at K49, K179 and K180 sites showed reduced aflatoxin production compared with wild type and ΔaflM complementation strains. These results indicate that Khib at these sites of AflM negatively regulates aflatoxin biosynthesis in A. flavus. In summary, our study revealed the potential roles of Khib in A. flavus, and particularly shed light on a new way to regulate aflatoxin production via Khib . This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yangyong Lv
- College of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450001, People's Republic of China.,Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Biological Processing and Nutritional Function of Wheat, Zhengzhou, 450001, People's Republic of China
| | - Jing Wang
- College of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450001, People's Republic of China.,Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Biological Processing and Nutritional Function of Wheat, Zhengzhou, 450001, People's Republic of China
| | - Haojie Yang
- College of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450001, People's Republic of China.,Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Biological Processing and Nutritional Function of Wheat, Zhengzhou, 450001, People's Republic of China
| | - Na Li
- College of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450001, People's Republic of China.,Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Biological Processing and Nutritional Function of Wheat, Zhengzhou, 450001, People's Republic of China
| | - Mohsen Farzaneh
- Department of Agriculture, Medicinal Plants and Drugs Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, 1983969411, Tehran, Iran
| | - Shan Wei
- College of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450001, People's Republic of China.,Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Biological Processing and Nutritional Function of Wheat, Zhengzhou, 450001, People's Republic of China
| | - Huanchen Zhai
- College of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450001, People's Republic of China.,Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Biological Processing and Nutritional Function of Wheat, Zhengzhou, 450001, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuaibing Zhang
- College of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450001, People's Republic of China.,Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Biological Processing and Nutritional Function of Wheat, Zhengzhou, 450001, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuansen Hu
- College of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450001, People's Republic of China.,Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Biological Processing and Nutritional Function of Wheat, Zhengzhou, 450001, People's Republic of China
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24
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Zhao Y, Zhang L, Ju C, Zhang X, Huang J. Quantitative multiplexed proteomics analysis reveals reshaping of the lysine 2-hydroxyisobutyrylome in Fusarium graminearum by tebuconazole. BMC Genomics 2022; 23:145. [PMID: 35180840 PMCID: PMC8855566 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-08372-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Backgrounds Lysine 2-hydroxyisobutyrylation (Khib) is a newly discovered posttranslational modification (PTM) and has been identified in several prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. Fusarium graminearum, a major pathogen of Fusarium head blight (FHB) in cereal crops, can cause considerable yield loss and produce various mycotoxins that threaten human health. The application of chemical fungicides such as tebuconazole (TEC) remains the major method to control this pathogen. However, the distribution of Khib in F. graminearum and whether Khib is remodified in response to fungicide stress remain unknown. Results Here, we carried out a proteome-wide analysis of Khib in F. graminearum, identifying the reshaping of the lysine 2-hydroxyisobutyrylome by tebuconazole, using the most recently developed high-resolution LC–MS/MS technique in combination with high-specific affinity enrichment. Specifically, 3501 Khib sites on 1049 proteins were identified, and 1083 Khib sites on 556 modified proteins normalized to the total protein content were changed significantly after TEC treatment. Bioinformatics analysis showed that Khib proteins are involved in a wide range of biological processes and may be involved in virulence and deoxynivalenol (DON) production, as well as sterol biosynthesis, in F. graminearum. Conclusions Here, we provided a wealth of resources for further study of the roles of Khib in the fungicide resistance of F. graminearum. The results enhanced our understanding of this PTM in filamentous ascomycete fungi and provided insight into the remodification of Khib sites during azole fungicide challenge in F. graminearum. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-022-08372-4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanxiang Zhao
- College of Plant Health and Medicine and Key Lab of Integrated Crop Disease and Pest Management of Shandong Province, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, 266109, Shandong Province, China
| | - Limin Zhang
- College of Plant Health and Medicine and Key Lab of Integrated Crop Disease and Pest Management of Shandong Province, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, 266109, Shandong Province, China
| | - Chao Ju
- College of Plant Health and Medicine and Key Lab of Integrated Crop Disease and Pest Management of Shandong Province, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, 266109, Shandong Province, China
| | - Xiaoyan Zhang
- College of Agriculture, Ludong University, Yantai, 264025, Shandong Province, China
| | - Jinguang Huang
- College of Plant Health and Medicine and Key Lab of Integrated Crop Disease and Pest Management of Shandong Province, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, 266109, Shandong Province, China.
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25
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Updates on the Functions and Molecular Mechanisms of the Genes Involved in Aspergillus flavus Development and Biosynthesis of Aflatoxins. J Fungi (Basel) 2021; 7:jof7080666. [PMID: 34436205 PMCID: PMC8401812 DOI: 10.3390/jof7080666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2021] [Revised: 08/08/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Aspergillus flavus (A. flavus) is a ubiquitous and opportunistic fungal pathogen that causes invasive and non-invasive aspergillosis in humans and animals. This fungus is also capable of infecting a large number of agriculture crops (e.g., peanuts, maze, cotton seeds, rice, etc.), causing economic losses and posing serious food-safety concerns when these crops are contaminated with aflatoxins, the most potent naturally occurring carcinogens. In particular, A. flavus and aflatoxins are intensely studied, and they continue to receive considerable attention due to their detrimental effects on humans, animals, and crops. Although several studies have been published focusing on the biosynthesis of the aforementioned secondary metabolites, some of the molecular mechanisms (e.g., posttranslational modifications, transcription factors, transcriptome, proteomics, metabolomics and transcriptome, etc.) involved in the fungal development and aflatoxin biosynthesis in A. flavus are still not fully understood. In this study, a review of the recently published studies on the function of the genes and the molecular mechanisms involved in development of A. flavus and the production of its secondary metabolites is presented. It is hoped that the information provided in this review will help readers to develop effective strategies to reduce A. flavus infection and aflatoxin production.
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26
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López-Berges MS, Scheven MT, Hortschansky P, Misslinger M, Baldin C, Gsaller F, Werner ER, Krüger T, Kniemeyer O, Weber J, Brakhage AA, Haas H. The bZIP Transcription Factor HapX Is Post-Translationally Regulated to Control Iron Homeostasis in Aspergillus fumigatus. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22147739. [PMID: 34299357 PMCID: PMC8307855 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22147739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The airborne fungus Aspergillus fumigatus causes opportunistic infections in humans with high mortality rates in immunocompromised patients. Previous work established that the bZIP transcription factor HapX is essential for virulence via adaptation to iron limitation by repressing iron-consuming pathways and activating iron acquisition mechanisms. Moreover, HapX was shown to be essential for transcriptional activation of vacuolar iron storage and iron-dependent pathways in response to iron availability. Here, we demonstrate that HapX has a very short half-life during iron starvation, which is further decreased in response to iron, while siderophore biosynthetic enzymes are very stable. We identified Fbx22 and SumO as HapX interactors and, in agreement, HapX post-translational modifications including ubiquitination of lysine161, sumoylation of lysine242 and phosphorylation of threonine319. All three modifications were enriched in the immediate adaptation from iron-limiting to iron-replete conditions. Interfering with these post-translational modifications, either by point mutations or by inactivation, of Fbx22 or SumO, altered HapX degradation, heme biosynthesis and iron resistance to different extents. Consistent with the need to precisely regulate HapX protein levels, overexpression of hapX caused significant growth defects under iron sufficiency. Taken together, our results indicate that post-translational regulation of HapX is important to control iron homeostasis in A. fumigatus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Sánchez López-Berges
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Biocenter, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria; (M.M.); (C.B.); (F.G.)
- Correspondence: (M.S.L.-B.); (A.A.B.); (H.H.)
| | - Mareike Thea Scheven
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (Leibniz-HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany; (M.T.S.); (P.H.); (T.K.); (O.K.); (J.W.)
- Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Peter Hortschansky
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (Leibniz-HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany; (M.T.S.); (P.H.); (T.K.); (O.K.); (J.W.)
| | - Matthias Misslinger
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Biocenter, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria; (M.M.); (C.B.); (F.G.)
| | - Clara Baldin
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Biocenter, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria; (M.M.); (C.B.); (F.G.)
| | - Fabio Gsaller
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Biocenter, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria; (M.M.); (C.B.); (F.G.)
| | - Ernst R. Werner
- Division of Biological Chemistry, Biocenter, Innsbruck Medical University, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria;
| | - Thomas Krüger
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (Leibniz-HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany; (M.T.S.); (P.H.); (T.K.); (O.K.); (J.W.)
| | - Olaf Kniemeyer
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (Leibniz-HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany; (M.T.S.); (P.H.); (T.K.); (O.K.); (J.W.)
| | - Jakob Weber
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (Leibniz-HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany; (M.T.S.); (P.H.); (T.K.); (O.K.); (J.W.)
| | - Axel A. Brakhage
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (Leibniz-HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany; (M.T.S.); (P.H.); (T.K.); (O.K.); (J.W.)
- Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
- Correspondence: (M.S.L.-B.); (A.A.B.); (H.H.)
| | - Hubertus Haas
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Biocenter, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria; (M.M.); (C.B.); (F.G.)
- Correspondence: (M.S.L.-B.); (A.A.B.); (H.H.)
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Vaz WF, Neves BJ, Custodio JM, Silva LL, D'Oliveira GD, Lemes JA, Lacerda BF, Santos SX, Perez CN, Napolitano HB. In silico-driven identification and structural analysis of nitrodihydroquinolinone pesticide candidates with antifungal activity. J Mol Struct 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2020.129326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Yang M, Zhu Z, Zhuang Z, Bai Y, Wang S, Ge F. Proteogenomic Characterization of the Pathogenic Fungus Aspergillus flavus Reveals Novel Genes Involved in Aflatoxin Production. Mol Cell Proteomics 2020; 20:100013. [PMID: 33568340 PMCID: PMC7950108 DOI: 10.1074/mcp.ra120.002144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2020] [Revised: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Aspergillus flavus (A. flavus), a pathogenic fungus, can produce carcinogenic and toxic aflatoxins that are a serious agricultural and medical threat worldwide. Attempts to decipher the aflatoxin biosynthetic pathway have been hampered by the lack of a high-quality genome annotation for A. flavus. To address this gap, we performed a comprehensive proteogenomic analysis using high-accuracy mass spectrometry data for this pathogen. The resulting high-quality data set confirmed the translation of 8724 previously predicted genes and identified 732 novel proteins, 269 splice variants, 447 single amino acid variants, 188 revised genes. A subset of novel proteins was experimentally validated by RT-PCR and synthetic peptides. Further functional annotation suggested that a number of the identified novel proteins may play roles in aflatoxin biosynthesis and stress responses in A. flavus. This comprehensive strategy also identified a wide range of posttranslational modifications (PTMs), including 3461 modification sites from 1765 proteins. Functional analysis suggested the involvement of these modified proteins in the regulation of cellular metabolic and aflatoxin biosynthetic pathways. Together, we provided a high-quality annotation of A. flavus genome and revealed novel insights into the mechanisms of aflatoxin production and pathogenicity in this pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingkun Yang
- School of Life Sciences, and Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China; State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhuo Zhu
- School of Life Sciences, and Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Zhenhong Zhuang
- School of Life Sciences, and Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Youhuang Bai
- School of Life Sciences, and Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Shihua Wang
- School of Life Sciences, and Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.
| | - Feng Ge
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China.
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Lv A, Lv Y, Tian P, Wei S, Zhang S, Hu Y. The antifungal activity of puroindoline A protein and its biocontrol potential for inhibiting Aspergillus flavus infection in peanut and corn. Lebensm Wiss Technol 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lwt.2020.110184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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Ssu72 Regulates Fungal Development, Aflatoxin Biosynthesis and Pathogenicity in Aspergillus flavus. Toxins (Basel) 2020; 12:toxins12110717. [PMID: 33202955 PMCID: PMC7696088 DOI: 10.3390/toxins12110717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Revised: 11/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The RNA polymerase II (Pol II) transcription process is coordinated by the reversible phosphorylation of its largest subunit-carboxy terminal domain (CTD). Ssu72 is identified as a CTD phosphatase with specificity for phosphorylation of Ser5 and Ser7 and plays critical roles in regulation of transcription cycle in eukaryotes. However, the biofunction of Ssu72 is still unknown in Aspergillus flavus, which is a plant pathogenic fungus and produces one of the most toxic mycotoxins-aflatoxin. Here, we identified a putative phosphatase Ssu72 and investigated the function of Ssu72 in A. flavus. Deletion of ssu72 resulted in severe defects in vegetative growth, conidiation and sclerotia formation. Additionally, we found that phosphatase Ssu72 positively regulates aflatoxin production through regulating expression of aflatoxin biosynthesis cluster genes. Notably, seeds infection assays indicated that phosphatase Ssu72 is crucial for pathogenicity of A. flavus. Furthermore, the Δssu72 mutant exhibited more sensitivity to osmotic and oxidative stresses. Taken together, our study suggests that the putative phosphatase Ssu72 is involved in fungal development, aflatoxin production and pathogenicity in A. flavus, and may provide a novel strategy to prevent the contamination of this pathogenic fungus.
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Gupta D, Garapati HS, Kakumanu AV, Shukla R, Mishra K. SUMOylation in fungi: A potential target for intervention. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2020; 18:3484-3493. [PMID: 33294142 PMCID: PMC7691676 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2020.10.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2020] [Revised: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
SUMOylation is a post-translational, reversible modification process which occurs in eukaryotes. Small Ubiquitin like MOdifier or (SUMO) proteins are a family of small proteins that are covalently attached to and detached from other proteins to modify the target protein function. In pathogenic fungi, SUMO has been identified and preliminary studies indicate its importance either for survival and/or for virulence. In this review we provide an overview of the current state of knowledge of SUMOylation in fungi and the effects on pathogenesis. Subsequently we identify the orthologs of the SUMOylation pathway components across fungi. We also show the level of conservation of the proteins involved and identify the similarities/differences in the orthologs across fungi and the human and plant hosts to identify potential targets of intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dipika Gupta
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad 500046, India
| | - Hita Sony Garapati
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad 500046, India
| | - Akhil V.S. Kakumanu
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad 500046, India
| | - Renu Shukla
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad 500046, India
| | - Krishnaveni Mishra
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad 500046, India
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Smt3, a homologue of yeast SUMO, contributes to asexual development, environmental adaptation, and host infection of a filamentous entomopathogen. Fungal Biol 2020; 124:924-931. [PMID: 33059844 DOI: 10.1016/j.funbio.2020.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Revised: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Small ubiquitin-like modifiers (SUMOs) act as the modifiers that regulate several important eukaryotic cell events during sumoylation, but little is known about the functions of SUMO or sumoylation in filamentous entomopathogens. Here, we report the important roles of a single SUMO-encoding gene, smt3, in Beauveria bassiana, a filamentous fungal insect pathogen that serves as a main source of wide-spectrum fungal insecticides. The deletion of smt3 led to significant growth defects on the minimal media with different carbon and nitrogen sources, an obvious reduction (45.7 %) in aerial conidiation during optimal cultivation, and increasing sensitivities to metal ions, oxidation, cell wall perturbation, and the fungicide carbendazim during conidial germination and/or colony growth. Compared with the wild-type, the percentage of germination of conidia stored at 4 °C decreased by 83.9 %, and virulence to Galleria mellonella via normal infection was delayed by 24.6 %. However, conidial thermotolerance increased slightly by 11.4 % in Δsmt3. These findings concurred with the repressed transcripts of some phenotype-related genes and decreased activities of antioxidant enzymes. Taken together, smt3 or sumoylation plays vital roles in the asexual development, environmental adaptation, and pathogenicity of B. bassiana.
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Yang G, Cao X, Ma G, Qin L, Wu Y, Lin J, Ye P, Yuan J, Wang S. MAPK pathway-related tyrosine phosphatases regulate development, secondary metabolism and pathogenicity in fungus Aspergillus flavus. Environ Microbiol 2020; 22:5232-5247. [PMID: 32813277 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2020] [Revised: 08/15/2020] [Accepted: 08/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades are highly conserved in eukaryotic cells and are known to play crucial roles in the regulation of various cellular processes. However, compared with kinase-mediated phosphorylation, dephosphorylation catalysed by phosphatases has not been well characterized in filamentous fungi. In this study, we identified five MAPK pathway-related phosphatases (Msg5, Yvh1, Ptp1, Ptp2 and Oca2) and characterized their functions in Aspergillus flavus, which produces aflatoxin B1 (AFB1 ), one of the most toxic and carcinogenic secondary metabolites. These five phosphatases were identified as negative regulators of MAPK (Slt2, Fus3 and Hog1) pathways. Deletion of Msg5 and Yvh1 resulted in significant defects in conidiation, sclerotia formation, aflatoxin production and crop infection. Additionally, double knockout mutants (ΔMsg5/ΔPtp1, ΔMsg5/ΔPtp2 and ΔMsg5/ΔOca2) displayed similar defects to those observed in the ΔMsg5 single mutant, indicating that Msg5 plays a major role in the regulation of development and pathogenicity in A. flavus. Importantly, we found that the active site at C439 is essential for the function of the Msg5 phosphatase. Furthermore, the MAP kinase Fus3 was found to be involved in the regulation of development, aflatoxin biosynthesis and pathogenicity, and its conserved phosphorylation residues (Thr and Tyr) were critical for the full range of its functions in A. flavus. Overall, our results reveal that MAPK related tyrosine phosphatases play important roles in the regulation of development, secondary metabolism and pathogenicity in A. flavus, and could be developed as potential targets for preventing damage caused by this fungal pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guang Yang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Xiaohong Cao
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Genli Ma
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Ling Qin
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Yuanzhen Wu
- Department of Applied Biology, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Jian Lin
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Peng Ye
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Jun Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Shihua Wang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
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Musungu B, Bhatnagar D, Quiniou S, Brown RL, Payne GA, O’Brian G, Fakhoury AM, Geisler M. Use of Dual RNA-seq for Systems Biology Analysis of Zea mays and Aspergillus flavus Interaction. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:853. [PMID: 32582038 PMCID: PMC7285840 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.00853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Accepted: 04/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The interaction between Aspergillus flavus and Zea mays is complex, and the identification of plant genes and pathways conferring resistance to the fungus has been challenging. Therefore, the authors undertook a systems biology approach involving dual RNA-seq to determine the simultaneous response from the host and the pathogen. What was dramatically highlighted in the analysis is the uniformity in the development patterns of gene expression of the host and the pathogen during infection. This led to the development of a "stage of infection index" that was subsequently used to categorize the samples before down-stream system biology analysis. Additionally, we were able to ascertain that key maize genes in pathways such as the jasmonate, ethylene and ROS pathways, were up-regulated in the study. The stage of infection index used for the transcriptomic analysis revealed that A. flavus produces a relatively limited number of transcripts during the early stages (0 to 12 h) of infection. At later stages, in A. flavus, transcripts and pathways involved in endosomal transport, aflatoxin production, and carbohydrate metabolism were up-regulated. Multiple WRKY genes targeting the activation of the resistance pathways (i.e., jasmonate, phenylpropanoid, and ethylene) were detected using causal inference analysis. This analysis also revealed, for the first time, the activation of Z. mays resistance genes influencing the expression of specific A. flavus genes. Our results show that A. flavus seems to be reacting to a hostile environment resulting from the activation of resistance pathways in Z. mays. This study revealed the dynamic nature of the interaction between the two organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryan Musungu
- Department of Plant Biology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, United States
| | - Deepak Bhatnagar
- Southern Regional Research Center, USDA-ARS, New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Sylvie Quiniou
- Warm Water Aquaculture Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Stoneville, MS, United States
| | - Robert L. Brown
- Southern Regional Research Center, USDA-ARS, New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Gary A. Payne
- Department of Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Greg O’Brian
- Department of Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Ahmad M. Fakhoury
- Department of Plant Soil and Agriculture Systems, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, United States
| | - Matt Geisler
- Department of Plant Biology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, United States
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Sahu MS, Patra S, Kumar K, Kaur R. SUMOylation in Human Pathogenic Fungi: Role in Physiology and Virulence. J Fungi (Basel) 2020; 6:E32. [PMID: 32143470 PMCID: PMC7096222 DOI: 10.3390/jof6010032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2020] [Revised: 03/02/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) protein is an important component of the post-translational protein modification systems in eukaryotic cells. It is known to modify hundreds of proteins involved in diverse cellular processes, ranging from nuclear pore dynamics to signal transduction pathways. Owing to its reversible nature, the SUMO-conjugation of proteins (SUMOylation) holds a prominent place among mechanisms that regulate the functions of a wide array of cellular proteins. The dysfunctional SUMOylation system has been associated with many human diseases, including neurodegenerative and autoimmune disorders. Furthermore, the non-pathogenic yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has served as an excellent model to advance our understanding of enzymes involved in SUMOylation and proteins modified by SUMOylation. Taking advantage of the tools and knowledge obtained from the S. cerevisiae SUMOylation system, research on fungal SUMOylation is beginning to gather pace, and new insights into the role of SUMOylation in the pathobiology of medically important fungi are emerging. Here, we summarize the known information on components of the SUMOylation machinery, and consequences of overexpression or deletion of these components in the human pathogenic fungi, with major focus on two prevalent Candida bloodstream pathogens, C. albicans and C. glabrata. Additionally, we have identified SUMOylation components, through in silico analysis, in four medically relevant fungi, and compared their sequence similarity with S. cerevisiae counterparts. SUMOylation modulates the virulence of C. albicans and C. glabrata, while it is required for conidia production in Aspergillus nidulans and A. flavus. In addition to highlighting these recent developments, we discuss how SUMOylation fine tunes the expression of virulence factors, and influences survival of fungal cells under diverse stresses in vitro and in the mammalian host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahima Sagar Sahu
- Laboratory of Fungal Pathogenesis, Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Hyderabad 500039, Telangana, India; (M.S.S.); (S.P.); (K.K.)
- Graduate studies, Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad 121001, Haryana, India
| | - Sandip Patra
- Laboratory of Fungal Pathogenesis, Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Hyderabad 500039, Telangana, India; (M.S.S.); (S.P.); (K.K.)
- Graduate studies, Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad 121001, Haryana, India
| | - Kundan Kumar
- Laboratory of Fungal Pathogenesis, Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Hyderabad 500039, Telangana, India; (M.S.S.); (S.P.); (K.K.)
- Graduate studies, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal 576104, Karnataka, India
| | - Rupinder Kaur
- Laboratory of Fungal Pathogenesis, Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Hyderabad 500039, Telangana, India; (M.S.S.); (S.P.); (K.K.)
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Liu Y, Zhang M, Xie R, Zhang F, Wang S, Pan X, Wang S, Zhuang Z. The Methyltransferase AflSet1 Is Involved in Fungal Morphogenesis, AFB1 Biosynthesis, and Virulence of Aspergillus flavus. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:234. [PMID: 32132990 PMCID: PMC7040179 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.00234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2019] [Accepted: 01/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The filament fungal pathogen, Aspergillus flavus, spreads worldwide and contaminates several important crops. Histone posttranslational modifications are deeply involved in fungal development and virulence, but the biological function of the histone methyltransferase AflSet1 in A. flavus is still unknown. In the study, Aflset1 deletion strain was constructed through homologous recombination, and it was found that AflSet1 up-regulates hyphae growth, and promotes conidiation by sporulation regulation genes: abaA and brlA. It was also found that AflSet1 involves in sclerotia formation and AFB1 biosynthesis via sclerotia related transcriptional factors and orthodox AFB1 synthesis pathway, respectively. Crop models revealed that AflSet1 plays critical roles in colonization and AFB1 production on crop kernels. Lipase activity analysis suggested that AflSet1 affects fungal virulence to crops via digestive enzymes. Stresses tests revealed that AflSet1 is deeply involved in fungal resistance against osmotic, oxidative and cell membrane stress. The preparation of N_SET, SET domain deletion mutants and H988K mutant revealed that both domains play critical roles in fungal development and AFB1 production, and that H988 is very important in executing biological functions on morphogenesis and AFB1 synthesis. Subcellular location analysis revealed that AflSet1 is stably accumulated in nuclei in both spore germination and hyphae growth stages, even under the stress of SDS. Through immunoblot analysis, it was found that AflSet1 methylates H3K4me2 and me3 as well as H3K9me2. This study provides a solid evidence to discover the biological functions of histone methyltransferase in pathogenic fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaju Liu
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Mengjuan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Rui Xie
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Feng Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Sen Wang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Xiaohua Pan
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Shihua Wang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Zhenhong Zhuang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
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Li D, Qin L, Wang Y, Xie Q, Li N, Wang S, Yuan J. AflSte20 Regulates Morphogenesis, Stress Response, and Aflatoxin Biosynthesis of Aspergillus flavus. Toxins (Basel) 2019; 11:toxins11120730. [PMID: 31847206 PMCID: PMC6950481 DOI: 10.3390/toxins11120730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2019] [Revised: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Various signaling pathways in filamentous fungi help cells receive and respond to environmental information. Previous studies have shown that the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway is phosphorylation-dependent and activated by different kinase proteins. Serine/threonine kinase plays a very important role in the MAPK pathway. In this study, we selected the serine/threonine kinase AflSte20 in Aspergillus flavus for functional study. By constructing Aflste20 knockout mutants and complemented strains, it was proven that the Aflste20 knockout mutant (ΔAflste20) showed a significant decrease in growth, sporogenesis, sclerotinogenesis, virulence, and infection compared to the WT (wild type) and complemented strain (ΔAflste20C). Further research indicated that ΔAflste20 has more sensitivity characteristics than WT and ΔAflste20C under various stimuli such as osmotic stress and other types of environmental stresses. Above all, our study showed that the mitogen-activated kinase AflSte20 plays an important role in the growth, conidia production, stress response and sclerotia formation, as well as aflatoxin biosynthesis, in A. flavus.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Shihua Wang
- Correspondence: (S.W.); (J.Y.); Tel./Fax: +86-591-8378-7126 (S.W.)
| | - Jun Yuan
- Correspondence: (S.W.); (J.Y.); Tel./Fax: +86-591-8378-7126 (S.W.)
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38
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Yang G, Yue Y, Ren S, Yang M, Zhang Y, Cao X, Wang Y, Zhang J, Ge F, Wang S. Lysine acetylation contributes to development, aflatoxin biosynthesis and pathogenicity in
Aspergillus flavus. Environ Microbiol 2019; 21:4792-4807. [DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.14825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2019] [Revised: 09/28/2019] [Accepted: 10/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Guang Yang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian ProvinceSchool of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University Fuzhou China
| | - Yuewei Yue
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian ProvinceSchool of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University Fuzhou China
| | - Silin Ren
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian ProvinceSchool of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University Fuzhou China
| | - Mingkun Yang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian ProvinceSchool of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University Fuzhou China
- Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education MinistrySchool of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University Fuzhou China
- Key Laboratory of Algal Biology, Institute of HydrobiologyChinese Academy of Sciences Wuhan China
| | - Yi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian ProvinceSchool of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University Fuzhou China
- Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education MinistrySchool of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University Fuzhou China
| | - Xiaohong Cao
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian ProvinceSchool of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University Fuzhou China
- Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education MinistrySchool of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University Fuzhou China
| | - Yinchun Wang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian ProvinceSchool of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University Fuzhou China
- Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education MinistrySchool of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University Fuzhou China
| | - Jia Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Algal Biology, Institute of HydrobiologyChinese Academy of Sciences Wuhan China
| | - Feng Ge
- Key Laboratory of Algal Biology, Institute of HydrobiologyChinese Academy of Sciences Wuhan China
| | - Shihua Wang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian ProvinceSchool of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University Fuzhou China
- Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education MinistrySchool of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University Fuzhou China
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Liu YF, Yue YF, Feng LX, Zhu HJ, Cao F. Asperienes A-D, Bioactive Sesquiterpenes from the Marine-Derived Fungus Aspergillus flavus. Mar Drugs 2019; 17:md17100550. [PMID: 31561527 PMCID: PMC6836145 DOI: 10.3390/md17100550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2019] [Revised: 09/24/2019] [Accepted: 09/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Marine-derived fungi of the genera Aspergillus could produce novel compounds with significant bioactivities. Among these fungi, the strain Aspergillus flavus is notorious for its mutagenic mycotoxins production. However, some minor components with certain toxicities from A. flavus have not been specifically surveyed and might have potent biological activities. Our investigation of the marine-derived fungus Aspergillus flavus CF13-11 cultured in solid medium led to the isolation of four C-6′/C-7′ epimeric drimane sesquiterpene esters, asperienes A–D (1–4). Their absolute configurations were assigned by electronic circular dichroism (ECD) and Snatzke’s methods. This is the first time that two pairs of C-6′/C-7′ epimeric drimane sesquiterpene esters have successfully been separated. Aperienes A–D (1–4) displayed potent bioactivities towards four cell lines with the IC50 values ranging from 1.4 to 8.3 μM. Interestingly, compounds 1 and 4 exhibited lower toxicities than 2 and 3 toward normal GES-1 cells, indicating more potential for development as an antitumor agent in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun-Feng Liu
- Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics of Education Ministry of China, Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Quality Control of Hebei Province, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, China.
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, China.
| | - Yu-Fei Yue
- Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics of Education Ministry of China, Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Quality Control of Hebei Province, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, China.
| | - Li-Xi Feng
- Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics of Education Ministry of China, Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Quality Control of Hebei Province, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, China.
| | - Hua-Jie Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics of Education Ministry of China, Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Quality Control of Hebei Province, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, China.
| | - Fei Cao
- Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics of Education Ministry of China, Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Quality Control of Hebei Province, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, China.
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, China.
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Lan H, Wu L, Sun R, Keller NP, Yang K, Ye L, He S, Zhang F, Wang S. The HosA Histone Deacetylase Regulates Aflatoxin Biosynthesis Through Direct Regulation of Aflatoxin Cluster Genes. MOLECULAR PLANT-MICROBE INTERACTIONS : MPMI 2019; 32:1210-1228. [PMID: 30986121 DOI: 10.1094/mpmi-01-19-0033-r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Histone deacetylases (HDACs) always function as corepressors and sometimes as coactivators in the regulation of fungal development and secondary metabolite production. However, the mechanism through which HDACs play positive roles in secondary metabolite production is still unknown. Here, classical HDAC enzymes were identified and analyzed in Aspergillus flavus, a fungus that produces one of the most carcinogenic secondary metabolites, aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). Characterization of the HDACs revealed that a class I family HDAC, HosA, played crucial roles in growth, reproduction, the oxidative stress response, AFB1 biosynthesis, and pathogenicity. To a lesser extent, a class II family HDAC, HdaA, was also involved in sclerotia formation and AFB1 biosynthesis. An in vitro analysis of HosA revealed that its HDAC activity was considerably diminished at nanomolar concentrations of trichostatin A. Notably, chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments indicated that HosA bound directly to AFB1 biosynthesis cluster genes to regulate their expression. Finally, we found that a transcriptional regulator, SinA, interacts with HosA to regulate fungal development and AFB1 biosynthesis. Overall, our results reveal a novel mechanism by which classical HDACs mediate the induction of secondary metabolite genes in fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huahui Lan
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Lianghuan Wu
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Ruilin Sun
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Nancy P Keller
- Departments of Bacteriology, Medical Microbiology, and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, U.S.A
| | - Kunlong Yang
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Liuqing Ye
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Shuibin He
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Feng Zhang
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Shihua Wang
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
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Wang Y, Wang S, Nie X, Yang K, Xu P, Wang X, Liu M, Yang Y, Chen Z, Wang S. Molecular and structural basis of nucleoside diphosphate kinase-mediated regulation of spore and sclerotia development in the fungus Aspergillus flavus. J Biol Chem 2019; 294:12415-12431. [PMID: 31243100 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra119.007505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2019] [Revised: 06/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The fundamental biological function of nucleoside diphosphate kinase (NDK) is to catalyze the reversible exchange of the γ-phosphate between nucleoside triphosphate (NTP) and nucleoside diphosphate (NDP). This kinase also has functions that extend beyond its canonically defined enzymatic role as a phosphotransferase. However, the role of NDK in filamentous fungi, especially in Aspergillus flavus (A. flavus), is not yet known. Here we report that A. flavus has two NDK-encoding gene copies as assessed by qPCR. Using gene-knockout and complementation experiments, we found that AfNDK regulates spore and sclerotia development and is involved in plant virulence as assessed in corn and peanut seed-based assays. An antifungal test with the inhibitor azidothymidine suppressed AfNDK activity in vitro and prevented spore production and sclerotia formation in A. flavus, confirming AfNDK's regulatory functions. Crystallographic analysis of AfNDK, coupled with site-directed mutagenesis experiments, revealed three residues (Arg-104, His-117, and Asp-120) as key sites that contribute to spore and sclerotia development. These results not only enrich our knowledge of the regulatory role of this important protein in A. flavus, but also provide insights into the prevention of A. flavus infection in plants and seeds, as well as into the structural features relevant for future antifungal drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Wang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Sen Wang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Xinyi Nie
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Kunlong Yang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Peng Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry and CAS Key Laboratory, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Xiuna Wang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Mengxin Liu
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Yongshuai Yang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry and CAS Key Laboratory, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Zhuo Chen
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry and CAS Key Laboratory, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Shihua Wang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
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Yang K, Liu Y, Wang S, Wu L, Xie R, Lan H, Fasoyin OE, Wang Y, Wang S. Cyclase-Associated Protein Cap with Multiple Domains Contributes to Mycotoxin Biosynthesis and Fungal Virulence in Aspergillus flavus. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2019; 67:4200-4213. [PMID: 30916945 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.8b07115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
In Aspergillus, the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) signaling modulates asexual development and mycotoxin biosynthesis. Here, we characterize the cyclase-associated protein Cap in the pathogenic fungus Aspergillus flauvs. The cap disruption mutant exhibited dramatic reduction in hyphal growth, conidiation, and spore germination, while an enhanced production of the sclerotia was observed in this mutant. Importantly, the cap gene was found to be important for mycotoxin biosynthesis and virulence. The domain deletion study demonstrated that each domain played an important role for the Cap protein in regulating cAMP/protein kinase A (PKA) signaling, while only P1 and CARP domains were essential for the full function of Cap. The phosphorylation of Cap at S35 was identified in A. flavus, which was found to play a negligible role for the function of Cap. Overall, our results indicated that Cap with multiple domains engages in mycotoxin production and fungal pathogenicity, which could be designed as potential control targets for preventing this fungal pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kunlong Yang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences , Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University , Fuzhou , Fujian 350002 , People's Republic of China
- School of Life Science , Jiangsu Normal University , Xuzhou , Jiangsu 221116 , People's Republic of China
| | - Yinghang Liu
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences , Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University , Fuzhou , Fujian 350002 , People's Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology , Shandong University , Jinan , Shandong 250100 , People's Republic of China
| | - Sen Wang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences , Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University , Fuzhou , Fujian 350002 , People's Republic of China
| | - Lianghuan Wu
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences , Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University , Fuzhou , Fujian 350002 , People's Republic of China
| | - Rui Xie
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences , Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University , Fuzhou , Fujian 350002 , People's Republic of China
| | - Huahui Lan
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences , Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University , Fuzhou , Fujian 350002 , People's Republic of China
| | - Opemipo Esther Fasoyin
- Biotechnology Research Institute , Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences , 12 Zhongguancun South Street , Beijing 100081 , People's Republic of China
| | - Yu Wang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences , Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University , Fuzhou , Fujian 350002 , People's Republic of China
| | - Shihua Wang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences , Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University , Fuzhou , Fujian 350002 , People's Republic of China
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Yuan J, Li D, Qin L, Shen J, Guo X, Tumukunde E, Li M, Wang S. HexA is required for growth, aflatoxin biosynthesis and virulence in Aspergillus flavus. BMC Mol Biol 2019; 20:4. [PMID: 30744561 PMCID: PMC6371581 DOI: 10.1186/s12867-019-0121-3] [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: 09/15/2018] [Accepted: 01/31/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Woronin bodies are fungal-specific organelles whose formation is derived from peroxisomes. The former are believed to be involved in the regulation of mycotoxins biosynthesis, but not in their damage repair function. The hexagonal peroxisome protein (HexA or Hex1) encoded by hexA gene in Aspergillus is the main and the essential component of the Woronin body. However, little is known about HexA in Aspergillus flavus. Results In this study, hexA knock-out mutant (ΔhexA) and complementation strain (ΔhexAC) were produced using homologous recombination. The results showed that, ΔhexA and ΔhexAC were successfully constructed. And the data analysis indicated that the colony diameter, stress sensitivity and the sclerotia formation of A. flavus were nearly not affected by the absence of HexA. Yet, the deletion of hexA gene reduced the production of asexual spores and lessened virulence on peanuts and maize seeds markedly. In addition, it was also found that there was a significant decrease of Aflatoxin B1 production in deletion mutant, when compared to wild type. Conclusions Therefore, it suggested that the hexA gene has an essential function in conidia production and secondary metabolism in A. flavus. The gene is also believed to be playing an important role in the invasion of A. flavus to the host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Ding Li
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Ling Qin
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Jiaojiao Shen
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Xiaodong Guo
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Elisabeth Tumukunde
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Mingzhu Li
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Shihua Wang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China.
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Tumukunde E, Li D, Qin L, Li Y, Shen J, Wang S, Yuan J. Osmotic-Adaptation Response of sakA/hogA Gene to Aflatoxin Biosynthesis, Morphology Development and Pathogenicity in Aspergillus flavus. Toxins (Basel) 2019; 11:toxins11010041. [PMID: 30646608 PMCID: PMC6356625 DOI: 10.3390/toxins11010041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2018] [Revised: 12/19/2018] [Accepted: 01/11/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Aspergillus flavus is one of the fungi from the big family of Aspergillus genus and it is capable of colonizing a large number of seed/crops and living organisms such as animals and human beings. SakA (also called hogA/hog1) is an integral part of the mitogen activated protein kinase signal of the high osmolarity glycerol pathway. In this study, the AfsakA gene was deleted (∆AfsakA) then complemented (∆AfsakA::AfsakA) using homologous recombination and the osmotic stress was induced by 1.2 mol/L D-sorbital and 1.2 mol/L sodium chloride. The result showed that ∆AfsakA mutant caused a significant influence on conidial formation compared to wild-type and ∆AfsakA::AfsakA strains. It was also found that AfsakA responds to both the osmotic stress and the cell wall stress. In the absence of osmotic stress, ∆AfsakA mutant produced more sclerotia in contrast to other strains, whereas all strains failed to generate sclerotia under osmotic stress. Furthermore, the deletion of AfsakA resulted in the increase of Aflatoxin B1 production compared to other strains. The virulence assay on both maize kernel and peanut seeds showed that ∆AfsakA strain drastically produced more conidia and Aflatoxin B1 than wild-type and complementary strains. AfSakA-mCherry was located to the cytoplasm in the absence of osmotic stress, while it translocated to the nucleus upon exposure to the osmotic stimuli. This study provides new insights on the development and evaluation of aflatoxin biosynthesis and also provides better understanding on how to prevent Aspergillus infections which would be considered the first step towards the prevention of the seeds damages caused by A. flavus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth Tumukunde
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of the Ministry of Education and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
| | - Ding Li
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of the Ministry of Education and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
| | - Ling Qin
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of the Ministry of Education and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
| | - Yu Li
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of the Ministry of Education and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
| | - Jiaojiao Shen
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of the Ministry of Education and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
| | - Shihua Wang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of the Ministry of Education and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
| | - Jun Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of the Ministry of Education and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
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Bai W, Feng T, Lan F, Lin G, Li Y, Fasoyin OE, Liu Y, Jia K. Study on the bio-function of lipA gene in Aspergillus flavus. Genes Genomics 2018; 41:107-111. [PMID: 30264213 DOI: 10.1007/s13258-018-0744-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2018] [Accepted: 09/14/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Lipoic acid synthase (LipA) plays a role in lipoic acid synthesis and potentially affects the levels of acetyl-CoA, the critical precursor of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Considering the potential effect of LipA on TCA cycle, whether the enzyme is involved in the growth and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) biosynthesis, the significant events in Aspergillus flavus is yet known. The study was designed to explore the role of lipA gene in A. flavus, including growth rate, conidiation, sclerotia formation, and biosynthesis of AFB1. LipA coding lipoic acid synthetase was knocked out using homologous recombination. The role of lipA gene in A. flavus morphogenesis (including colony size, conidiation, and sclerotia formation) was explored on various media, and the bio-function of lipA gene in the biosynthesis of AFB1 was analyzed by thin layer chromatography analysis. The growth was suppressed in △lipA. The formation of conidia and sclerotia was also reduced when lipA gene was deleted. Moreover, AFB1 was down-regulated in ΔlipA compared with WT controls. LipA plays a role in the development of A. flavus and AFB1 biosynthesis, contributing to the full understanding of the lipA bio-function in A. flavus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenzhao Bai
- College of Biological Science and Engineering, Shaanxi University of Technology, Hanzhong, 723001, Shaanxi, China
| | - Tiejun Feng
- School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Faxiu Lan
- School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Guanglan Lin
- School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Yu Li
- School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Opemipo Esther Fasoyin
- School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Yaju Liu
- School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Kunzhi Jia
- School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China.
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Lim Y, Kim K, Lee Y. SUMOylation is required for fungal development and pathogenicity in the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. MOLECULAR PLANT PATHOLOGY 2018; 19:2134-2148. [PMID: 29633464 PMCID: PMC6638150 DOI: 10.1111/mpp.12687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2017] [Revised: 02/27/2018] [Accepted: 04/04/2018] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Amongst the various post-translational modifications (PTMs), SUMOylation is a conserved process of attachment of a small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) to a protein substrate in eukaryotes. This process regulates many important biological mechanisms, including transcriptional regulation, protein stabilization, cell cycle, DNA repair and pathogenesis. However, the functional role of SUMOylation is not well understood in plant-pathogenic fungi, including the model fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae. In this study, we elucidated the roles of four SUMOylation-associated genes that encode one SUMO protein (MoSMT3), two E1 enzymes (MoAOS1 and MoUBA2) and one E2 enzyme (MoUBC9) in fungal development and pathogenicity. Western blot assays showed that SUMO modification was abolished in all deletion mutants. MoAOS1 and MoUBA2 were mainly localized in the nucleus, whereas MoSMT3 and MoUBC9 were localized in both the nucleus and cytoplasm. However, the four SUMOylation-associated proteins were predominantly localized in the nucleus under oxidative stress conditions. Deletion mutants for each of the four genes were viable, but showed significant defects in mycelial growth, conidiation, septum formation, conidial germination, appressorium formation and pathogenicity. Several proteins responsible for conidiation were predicted to be SUMOylated, suggesting that conidiation is controlled at the post-translational level by SUMOylation. In addition to infection-related development, SUMOylation also played important roles in resistance to nutrient starvation, DNA damage and oxidative stresses. Therefore, SUMOylation is required for infection-related fungal development, stress responses and pathogenicity in M. oryzae. This study provides new insights into the role of SUMOylation in the molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis of the rice blast fungus and other plant pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- You‐Jin Lim
- Department of Agricultural BiotechnologySeoul National UniversitySeoul 08826South Korea
| | - Ki‐Tae Kim
- Department of Agricultural BiotechnologySeoul National UniversitySeoul 08826South Korea
| | - Yong‐Hwan Lee
- Department of Agricultural BiotechnologySeoul National UniversitySeoul 08826South Korea
- Center for Fungal Genetic Resources, Plant Genomics and Breeding Institute, and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National UniversitySeoul 08826South Korea
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47
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Liu C, Li Z, Xing J, Yang J, Wang Z, Zhang H, Chen D, Peng YL, Chen XL. Global analysis of sumoylation function reveals novel insights into development and appressorium-mediated infection of the rice blast fungus. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2018; 219:1031-1047. [PMID: 29663402 DOI: 10.1111/nph.15141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2018] [Accepted: 03/02/2018] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Protein post-translational modifications play critical roles in cellular processes, development and stress response. The small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) to proteins is one of the essential modifications in eukaryotes, but its function remains largely unknown in plant pathogenic fungi. We present a comprehensive analysis combined with proteomic, molecular and cellular approaches to explore the roles of sumoylation in the model plant fungal pathogen, Magnaporthe oryzae. We found the SUMO pathway plays key roles in colony growth, conidia formation and virulence to the host, as well as cell-cycle-related phenotypes. Sumoylation is also involved in responding to different stresses. Affinity purification identified 940 putative SUMO substrates, many of which were reported to be involved in development, stress response and infection. Interestingly, four septins were also shown to be sumoylated. Mutation of consensus sumoylation sites in each septin all resulted in reduced virulence to the host and dislocation of septins in appressoria. Moreover, sumoylation is also involved in extracellular secretion of different effector proteins. Our study on the functions of sumoylation provides novel insight into development and infection of the rice blast fungus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caiyun Liu
- College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, The Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology of Hubei Province, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Zhigang Li
- College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, The Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology of Hubei Province, Wuhan, 430070, China
- College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Pest Monitoring and Green Management, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Junjie Xing
- State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, Hunan Hybrid Rice Research Center, Changsha, 410125, China
| | - Jun Yang
- College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Pest Monitoring and Green Management, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Zhao Wang
- College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, The Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology of Hubei Province, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Hong Zhang
- College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, The Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology of Hubei Province, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Deng Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, Hunan Hybrid Rice Research Center, Changsha, 410125, China
| | - You-Liang Peng
- College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Pest Monitoring and Green Management, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Xiao-Lin Chen
- College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, The Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology of Hubei Province, Wuhan, 430070, China
- State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, Hunan Hybrid Rice Research Center, Changsha, 410125, China
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48
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Hu Y, Yang G, Zhang D, Liu Y, Li Y, Lin G, Guo Z, Wang S, Zhuang Z. The PHD Transcription Factor Rum1 Regulates Morphogenesis and Aflatoxin Biosynthesis in Aspergillus flavus. Toxins (Basel) 2018; 10:toxins10070301. [PMID: 30036940 PMCID: PMC6070901 DOI: 10.3390/toxins10070301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2018] [Revised: 07/16/2018] [Accepted: 07/18/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Aspergillus flavus produces mycotoxins especially aflatoxin B1 and infects crops worldwide. As a PHD transcription factor, there is no report on the role of Rum1 in the virulence of Aspergillus spp. yet. This study explored the biological function of Rum1 in A. flavus through the construction of rum1 deletion mutants and rum1 complementation strains with the method of homologous recombination. It was found, in the study, that Rum1 negatively regulates conidiation through abaA and brlA, positively regulates sclerotia formation through nsdC, nsdD, and sclR, triggers aflatoxin biological synthesis, and enhances the activity of amylase. Our findings suggested that Rum1 plays a major role in the growth of mycelia, conidia, and sclerotia production along with aflatoxin biosynthesis in A. flavus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yule Hu
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
| | - Guang Yang
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
| | - Danping Zhang
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
| | - Yaju Liu
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
| | - Yu Li
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
- Xiamen Genokon Medical Genokon Company, Xiamen 361115, China.
| | - Guanglan Lin
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
| | - Zhiqiang Guo
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
| | - Shihua Wang
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
| | - Zhenhong Zhuang
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, and School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
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49
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Nie X, Li B, Wang S. Epigenetic and Posttranslational Modifications in Regulating the Biology of Aspergillus Species. ADVANCES IN APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY 2018; 105:191-226. [PMID: 30342722 DOI: 10.1016/bs.aambs.2018.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Epigenetic and posttranslational modifications have been proved to participate in multiple cellular processes and suggested to be an important regulatory mechanism on transcription of genes in eukaryotes. However, our knowledge about epigenetic and posttranslational modifications mainly comes from the studies of yeasts, plants, and animals. Recently, epigenetic and posttranslational modifications have also raised concern for the relevance of regulating fungal biology in Aspergillus. Emerging evidence indicates that these modifications could be a connection between genetic elements and environmental factors, and their combined effects may finally lead to fungal phenotypical changes. This article describes the advances in typical DNA and protein modifications in the genus Aspergillus, focusing on methylation, acetylation, phosphorylation, ubiquitination, sumoylation, and neddylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyi Nie
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Bowen Li
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China; State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou, China
| | - Shihua Wang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
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50
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Fasoyin OE, Wang B, Qiu M, Han X, Chung KR, Wang S. Carbon catabolite repression gene creA regulates morphology, aflatoxin biosynthesis and virulence in Aspergillus flavus. Fungal Genet Biol 2018; 115:41-51. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2018.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2017] [Revised: 04/08/2018] [Accepted: 04/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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