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Yu Y, Song Y, Zhao Y, Wang N, Wei B, Linhardt RJ, Dordick JS, Zhang F, Wang H. Quality control, safety assessment and preparation approaches of low molecular weight heparin. Carbohydr Polym 2024; 339:122216. [PMID: 38823901 DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2024.122216] [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: 02/02/2024] [Revised: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/27/2024] [Indexed: 06/03/2024]
Abstract
Low Molecular Weight Heparins (LMWHs) are well-established for use in the prevention and treatment of thrombotic diseases, and as a substitute for unfractionated heparin (UFH) due to their predictable pharmacokinetics and subcutaneous bioavailability. LMWHs are produced by various depolymerization methods from UFH, resulting in heterogeneous compounds with similar biochemical and pharmacological properties. However, the delicate supply chain of UFH and potential contamination from animal sources require new manufacturing approaches for LMWHs. Various LMWH preparation methods are emerging, such as chemical synthesis, enzymatic or chemical depolymerization and chemoenzymatic synthesis. To establish the sameness of active ingredients in both innovator and generic LMWH products, the Food and Drug Administration has implemented a stringent scientific method of equivalence based on physicochemical properties, heparin source material and depolymerization techniques, disaccharide composition and oligosaccharide mapping, biological and biochemical properties, and in vivo pharmacodynamic profiles. In this review, we discuss currently available LMWHs, potential manufacturing methods, and recent progress for manufacturing quality control of these LMWHs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanlei Yu
- College of Pharmaceutical Science & Collaborative Innovation Center for Yangtze River Delta Region Green Pharmaceuticals, Key Laboratory of Marine Fishery Resources Exploitment & Utilization of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University of Technology, 310014 Hangzhou, China
| | - Yue Song
- College of Pharmaceutical Science & Collaborative Innovation Center for Yangtze River Delta Region Green Pharmaceuticals, Key Laboratory of Marine Fishery Resources Exploitment & Utilization of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University of Technology, 310014 Hangzhou, China
| | - Yunjie Zhao
- College of Pharmaceutical Science & Collaborative Innovation Center for Yangtze River Delta Region Green Pharmaceuticals, Key Laboratory of Marine Fishery Resources Exploitment & Utilization of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University of Technology, 310014 Hangzhou, China
| | - Ningning Wang
- College of Pharmaceutical Science & Collaborative Innovation Center for Yangtze River Delta Region Green Pharmaceuticals, Key Laboratory of Marine Fishery Resources Exploitment & Utilization of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University of Technology, 310014 Hangzhou, China
| | - Bin Wei
- College of Pharmaceutical Science & Collaborative Innovation Center for Yangtze River Delta Region Green Pharmaceuticals, Key Laboratory of Marine Fishery Resources Exploitment & Utilization of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University of Technology, 310014 Hangzhou, China; Binjiang Cyberspace Security Institute of ZJUT, Hangzhou 310056, China
| | - Robert J Linhardt
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, United States
| | - Jonathan S Dordick
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, United States
| | - Fuming Zhang
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, United States.
| | - Hong Wang
- College of Pharmaceutical Science & Collaborative Innovation Center for Yangtze River Delta Region Green Pharmaceuticals, Key Laboratory of Marine Fishery Resources Exploitment & Utilization of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University of Technology, 310014 Hangzhou, China; Binjiang Cyberspace Security Institute of ZJUT, Hangzhou 310056, China.
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Lu D, Wang W, Li X, Wang L, Guo Y, Zhu C, Wang X, Lian B, Bai J, Zhang Q. Identification and characterization of a PL35 GAGs lyase with 4-O-sulfated N-acetylgalactosamine (A-type)-rich structures producing property. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 266:131283. [PMID: 38561119 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.131283] [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: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Glycosaminoglycan (GAG) lyases are important tools for investigating the structure of GAGs and preparing low-molecular-weight GAGs. The PL35 family, a recently established polysaccharide lyase family, should be further investigated. In this study, we discovered a new GAG lyase, CHa1, which belongs to the PL35 family. When expressed heterologously in Escherichia coli (BL21), CHa1 exhibited high expression levels and solubility. The optimal activity was observed in Tris-HCl buffer (pH 7.0) or sodium phosphate buffer (pH 8.0) at 30 °C. The specific activities towards HA, CSA, CSC, CSD, CSE, and HS were 3.81, 13.03, 36.47, 18.46, 6.46, and 0.50 U/mg protein, respectively. CHa1 digests substrate chains randomly that acting as an endolytic lyase and shows a significant preference for GlcA-containing structures, prefers larger oligosaccharides (≥UDP8) and can generate a series of oligosaccharides composed mainly of the A unit when digesting CSA. These oligosaccharides include ΔC-A, ΔC-A-A, ΔC-A-A-A, ΔC-A-A-A-A, and ΔC-A-A-A-A-A. The residues Tyr257 and His421 play crucial roles in the catalytic process, and Ser211, Asn212, Asn213, Trp214, Gln216, Lys360, Arg460 and Gln462 may participate in the binding process of CHa1. This study on CHa1 contributes to our understanding of the PL35 family and provides valuable tools for investigating the structure of GAGs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danrong Lu
- School of Life Science and Technology, Shandong Second Medical University, 7166 Baotong West Street, Weifang 261053, China
| | - Wenwen Wang
- School of Life Science and Technology, Shandong Second Medical University, 7166 Baotong West Street, Weifang 261053, China
| | - Xiaoyun Li
- School of Life Science and Technology, Shandong Second Medical University, 7166 Baotong West Street, Weifang 261053, China
| | - Luping Wang
- School of Life Science and Technology, Shandong Second Medical University, 7166 Baotong West Street, Weifang 261053, China
| | - Yankai Guo
- School of Life Science and Technology, Shandong Second Medical University, 7166 Baotong West Street, Weifang 261053, China
| | - Changjian Zhu
- School of Life Science and Technology, Shandong Second Medical University, 7166 Baotong West Street, Weifang 261053, China
| | - Xiaohui Wang
- School of Life Science and Technology, Shandong Second Medical University, 7166 Baotong West Street, Weifang 261053, China
| | - Bo Lian
- School of Life Science and Technology, Shandong Second Medical University, 7166 Baotong West Street, Weifang 261053, China
| | - Jingkun Bai
- School of Life Science and Technology, Shandong Second Medical University, 7166 Baotong West Street, Weifang 261053, China.
| | - Qingdong Zhang
- School of Life Science and Technology, Shandong Second Medical University, 7166 Baotong West Street, Weifang 261053, China.
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Ricard-Blum S, Vivès RR, Schaefer L, Götte M, Merline R, Passi A, Heldin P, Magalhães A, Reis CA, Skandalis SS, Karamanos NK, Perez S, Nikitovic D. A biological guide to glycosaminoglycans: current perspectives and pending questions. FEBS J 2024. [PMID: 38500384 DOI: 10.1111/febs.17107] [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: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
Mammalian glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), except hyaluronan (HA), are sulfated polysaccharides that are covalently attached to core proteins to form proteoglycans (PGs). This article summarizes key biological findings for the most widespread GAGs, namely HA, chondroitin sulfate/dermatan sulfate (CS/DS), keratan sulfate (KS), and heparan sulfate (HS). It focuses on the major processes that remain to be deciphered to get a comprehensive view of the mechanisms mediating GAG biological functions. They include the regulation of GAG biosynthesis and postsynthetic modifications in heparin (HP) and HS, the composition, heterogeneity, and function of the tetrasaccharide linkage region and its role in disease, the functional characterization of the new PGs recently identified by glycoproteomics, the selectivity of interactions mediated by GAG chains, the display of GAG chains and PGs at the cell surface and their impact on the availability and activity of soluble ligands, and on their move through the glycocalyx layer to reach their receptors, the human GAG profile in health and disease, the roles of GAGs and particular PGs (syndecans, decorin, and biglycan) involved in cancer, inflammation, and fibrosis, the possible use of GAGs and PGs as disease biomarkers, and the design of inhibitors targeting GAG biosynthetic enzymes and GAG-protein interactions to develop novel therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvie Ricard-Blum
- Univ Lyon 1, ICBMS, UMR 5246 University Lyon 1 - CNRS, Villeurbanne cedex, France
| | | | - Liliana Schaefer
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Martin Götte
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Münster University Hospital, Germany
| | - Rosetta Merline
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | | | - Paraskevi Heldin
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, Sweden
| | - Ana Magalhães
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Portugal
- ICBAS - Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Portugal
| | - Celso A Reis
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Portugal
- ICBAS - Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Portugal
| | - Spyros S Skandalis
- Biochemistry, Biochemical Analysis & Matrix Pathobiology Res. Group, Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Patras, Greece
| | - Nikos K Karamanos
- Biochemistry, Biochemical Analysis & Matrix Pathobiology Res. Group, Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Patras, Greece
| | - Serge Perez
- Centre de Recherche sur les Macromolécules Végétales, University of Grenoble-Alpes, CNRS, France
| | - Dragana Nikitovic
- Laboratory of Histology-Embryology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
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Lu D, Wang L, Ning Z, Li Z, Li M, Jia Y, Zhang Q. Identification and characterization of a novel heparinase PCHepII from marine bacterium Puteibacter caeruleilacunae. Sci Rep 2023; 13:20112. [PMID: 37978313 PMCID: PMC10656541 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-47493-y] [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: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Heparin (HP) and heparan sulfate (HS) are multifunctional polysaccharides widely used in clinical therapy. Heparinases (Hepases) are enzymes that specifically catalyse HP and HS degradation, and they are valuable tools for studying the structure and function of these polysaccharides and for preparing low molecular weight heparins. In this study, by searching the NCBI database, a novel enzyme named PCHepII was discovered in the genome of the marine bacterium Puteibacter caeruleilacuae. Heterologously expressed PCHepII in Escherichia coli (BL21) has high expression levels and good solubility, active in sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) at 20°C. PCHepII exhibits an enzyme activity of 254 mU/mg towards HP and shows weak degradation capacity for HS. More importantly, PCHepII prefers to catalyse the high-sulfated regions of HP and HS rather than the low-sulfated regions. Although PCHepII functions primarily as an endolytic Hepase, it mainly generates disaccharide products during the degradation of HP substrates over time. Investigations reveal that PCHepII exhibits a preference for catalysing the degradation of small substrates, especially HP tetrasaccharides. The catalytic sites of PCHepII include the residues His199, Tyr254, and His403, which play crucial roles in the catalytic process. The study and characterization of PCHepII can potentially benefit research and applications involving HP/HS, making it a promising enzyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danrong Lu
- School of Life Science and Technology, Weifang Medical University, 7166 Baotong West Street, Weifang, 261053, China
| | - Luping Wang
- School of Life Science and Technology, Weifang Medical University, 7166 Baotong West Street, Weifang, 261053, China
| | - Zeting Ning
- School of Life Science and Technology, Weifang Medical University, 7166 Baotong West Street, Weifang, 261053, China
| | - Zuhui Li
- School of Life Science and Technology, Weifang Medical University, 7166 Baotong West Street, Weifang, 261053, China
| | - Meihua Li
- School of Life Science and Technology, Weifang Medical University, 7166 Baotong West Street, Weifang, 261053, China
| | - Yan Jia
- School of Life Science and Technology, Weifang Medical University, 7166 Baotong West Street, Weifang, 261053, China
| | - Qingdong Zhang
- School of Life Science and Technology, Weifang Medical University, 7166 Baotong West Street, Weifang, 261053, China.
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Holmes SG, Desai UR. Assessing Genetic Algorithm-Based Docking Protocols for Prediction of Heparin Oligosaccharide Binding Geometries onto Proteins. Biomolecules 2023; 13:1633. [PMID: 38002315 PMCID: PMC10669598 DOI: 10.3390/biom13111633] [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: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Although molecular docking has evolved dramatically over the years, its application to glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) has remained challenging because of their intrinsic flexibility, highly anionic character and rather ill-defined site of binding on proteins. GAGs have been treated as either fully "rigid" or fully "flexible" in molecular docking. We reasoned that an intermediate semi-rigid docking (SRD) protocol may be better for the recapitulation of native heparin/heparan sulfate (Hp/HS) topologies. Herein, we study 18 Hp/HS-protein co-complexes containing chains from disaccharide to decasaccharide using genetic algorithm-based docking with rigid, semi-rigid, and flexible docking protocols. Our work reveals that rigid and semi-rigid protocols recapitulate native poses for longer chains (5→10 mers) significantly better than the flexible protocol, while 2→4-mer poses are better predicted using the semi-rigid approach. More importantly, the semi-rigid docking protocol is likely to perform better when no crystal structure information is available. We also present a new parameter for parsing selective versus non-selective GAG-protein systems, which relies on two computational parameters including consistency of binding (i.e., RMSD) and docking score (i.e., GOLD Score). The new semi-rigid protocol in combination with the new computational parameter is expected to be particularly useful in high-throughput screening of GAG sequences for identifying promising druggable targets as well as drug-like Hp/HS sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel G. Holmes
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA;
- Institute for Structural Biology, Drug Discovery and Development, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E. Leigh Street, Suite 212, Richmond, VA 23219, USA
| | - Umesh R. Desai
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA;
- Institute for Structural Biology, Drug Discovery and Development, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E. Leigh Street, Suite 212, Richmond, VA 23219, USA
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Hogwood J, Mulloy B, Lever R, Gray E, Page CP. Pharmacology of Heparin and Related Drugs: An Update. Pharmacol Rev 2023; 75:328-379. [PMID: 36792365 DOI: 10.1124/pharmrev.122.000684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Heparin has been used extensively as an antithrombotic and anticoagulant for close to 100 years. This anticoagulant activity is attributed mainly to the pentasaccharide sequence, which potentiates the inhibitory action of antithrombin, a major inhibitor of the coagulation cascade. More recently it has been elucidated that heparin exhibits anti-inflammatory effect via interference of the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps and this may also contribute to heparin's antithrombotic activity. This illustrates that heparin interacts with a broad range of biomolecules, exerting both anticoagulant and nonanticoagulant actions. Since our previous review, there has been an increased interest in these nonanticoagulant effects of heparin, with the beneficial role in patients infected with SARS2-coronavirus a highly topical example. This article provides an update on our previous review with more recent developments and observations made for these novel uses of heparin and an overview of the development status of heparin-based drugs. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: This state-of-the-art review covers recent developments in the use of heparin and heparin-like materials as anticoagulant, now including immunothrombosis observations, and as nonanticoagulant including a role in the treatment of SARS-coronavirus and inflammatory conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Hogwood
- Sackler Institute of Pulmonary Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, King's College London, London, United Kingdom (B.M., E.G., C.P.P.); National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, South Mimms, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom (J.H., E.G.) and School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, United Kingdom (R.L.)
| | - Barbara Mulloy
- Sackler Institute of Pulmonary Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, King's College London, London, United Kingdom (B.M., E.G., C.P.P.); National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, South Mimms, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom (J.H., E.G.) and School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, United Kingdom (R.L.)
| | - Rebeca Lever
- Sackler Institute of Pulmonary Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, King's College London, London, United Kingdom (B.M., E.G., C.P.P.); National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, South Mimms, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom (J.H., E.G.) and School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, United Kingdom (R.L.)
| | - Elaine Gray
- Sackler Institute of Pulmonary Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, King's College London, London, United Kingdom (B.M., E.G., C.P.P.); National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, South Mimms, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom (J.H., E.G.) and School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, United Kingdom (R.L.)
| | - Clive P Page
- Sackler Institute of Pulmonary Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, King's College London, London, United Kingdom (B.M., E.G., C.P.P.); National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, South Mimms, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom (J.H., E.G.) and School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, United Kingdom (R.L.)
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Zhang Q, Lu D, Li F. Enzymatic Sequencing of Heparin Oligosaccharides Using Exolyase. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2619:249-256. [PMID: 36662475 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2946-8_18] [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] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Heparin/heparan sulfate (HP/HS) is a class of acidic polysaccharides with many potential medical applications, especially HP, and its derivatives, low molecular weight heparins (LMWHs), have been widely used as anticoagulants to treat thrombosis for decades. However, the complex structure endows HP/HS a variety of biological functions and hinders the structural and functional studies of HP/HS. Heparinases derived from bacteria are useful tools for the structural studies of HP/HS as well as the preparation of LMWHs. The enzymatic method for the structural analysis of HP/HS chains is easy to operate, requires less samples, and is low cost. Here, we describe an enzymatic approach to investigate the primary sequences of the HP/HS oligosaccharides using a recently discovered exotype heparinase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingdong Zhang
- School of Life Science and Technology, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China
| | - Danrong Lu
- School of Life Science and Technology, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China
| | - Fuchuan Li
- National Glycoengineering Research Center and Shandong Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Glycobiology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China.
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A mutated glycosaminoglycan-binding domain functions as a novel probe to selectively target heparin-like epitopes on tumor cells. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:102609. [PMID: 36265583 PMCID: PMC9672413 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102609] [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: 07/26/2022] [Revised: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The high heterogeneity and mutation rate of cancer cells often lead to the failure of targeted therapy, and therefore, new targets for multitarget therapy of tumors are urgently needed. Aberrantly expressed glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) have been shown to be involved in tumorigenesis and are promising new targets. Recently, the GAG-binding domain rVAR2 of the Plasmodium falciparum VAR2CSA protein was identified as a probe targeting cancer-associated chondroitin sulfate A-like epitopes. In this study, we found that rVAR2 could also bind to heparin (Hep) and chondroitin sulfate E. Therefore, we used rVAR2 as a model to establish a method based on random mutagenesis of the GAG-binding protein and phage display to identify and optimize probes targeting tumor GAGs. We identified a new probe, VAR2HP, which selectively recognized Hep by interacting with unique epitopes consisting of a decasaccharide structure that contains at least three HexA2S(1-4)GlcNS6S disaccharides. Moreover, we found that these Hep-like epitopes were overexpressed in various cancer cells. Most importantly, our in vivo experiments showed that VAR2HP had good biocompatibility and preferentially localizes to tumors, which indicates that VAR2HP has great application potential in tumor diagnosis and targeted therapy. In conclusion, this study provides a strategy for the discovery of novel tumor-associated GAG epitopes and their specific probes.
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Zhao K, Liu L, Huang S. Genome-Wide Identification and Functional Analysis of the bZIP Transcription Factor Family in Rice Bakanae Disease Pathogen, Fusarium fujikuroi. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23126658. [PMID: 35743103 PMCID: PMC9223689 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23126658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Revised: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Fungal basic leucine zipper (bZIP) proteins play a vital role in biological processes such as growth, biotic/abiotic stress responses, nutrient utilization, and invasion. In this study, genome-wide identification of bZIP genes in the fungus Fusarium fujikuroi, the pathogen of bakanae disease, was carried out. Forty-four genes encoding bZIP transcription factors (TFs) from the genome of F. fujikuroi (FfbZIP) were identified and functionally characterized. Structures, domains, and phylogenetic relationships of the sequences were analyzed by bioinformatic approaches. Based on the phylogenetic relationships with the FfbZIP proteins of eight other fungi, the bZIP genes can be divided into six groups (A–F). The additional conserved motifs have been identified and their possible functions were predicted. To analyze functions of the bZIP genes, 11 FfbZIPs were selected according to different motifs they contained and were knocked out by genetic recombination. Results of the characteristic studies revealed that these FfbZIPs were involved in oxygen stress, osmotic stress, cell wall selection pressure, cellulose utilization, cell wall penetration, and pathogenicity. In conclusion, this study enhanced understandings of the evolution and regulatory mechanism of the FfbZIPs in fungal growth, abiotic/biotic stress resistance, and pathogenicity, which could be the reference for other fungal bZIP studies.
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