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Wang J, Cao Y, Shi D, Zhang Z, Li X, Chen C. Crucial Involvement of Heme Biosynthesis in Vegetative Growth, Development, Stress Response, and Fungicide Sensitivity of Fusarium graminearum. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:5268. [PMID: 38791308 PMCID: PMC11120706 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25105268] [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: 03/19/2024] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Heme biosynthesis is a highly conserved pathway from bacteria to higher animals. Heme, which serves as a prosthetic group for various enzymes involved in multiple biochemical processes, is essential in almost all species, making heme homeostasis vital for life. However, studies on the biological functions of heme in filamentous fungi are scarce. In this study, we investigated the role of heme in Fusarium graminearum. A mutant lacking the rate-limiting enzymes in heme synthesis, coproporphyrinogen III oxidase (Cpo) or ferrochelatase (Fc), was constructed using a homologous recombination strategy. The results showed that the absence of these enzymes was lethal to F. graminearum, but the growth defect could be rescued by the addition of hemin, so we carried out further studies with the help of hemin. The results demonstrated that heme was required for the activity of FgCyp51, and its absence increased the sensitivity to tebuconazole and led to the upregulation of FgCYP51 in F. graminearum. Additionally, heme plays an indispensable role in the life cycle of F. graminearum, which is essential for vegetative growth, conidiation, external stress response (especially oxidative stress), lipid accumulation, fatty acid β-oxidation, autophagy, and virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Changjun Chen
- College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China; (J.W.); (Y.C.); (D.S.); (Z.Z.); (X.L.)
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Pérez-Lara G, Olivares-Yañez C, van Bakel H, Larrondo LF, Canessa P. Genome-Wide Characterization of Light-Regulated Gene Expression in Botrytis cinerea Reveals Underlying Complex Photobiology. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:8705. [PMID: 37240051 PMCID: PMC10218500 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24108705] [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: 04/10/2023] [Revised: 05/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Botrytis cinerea is a necrotrophic fungus characterized mainly by its wide host range of infected plants. The deletion of the white-collar-1 gene (bcwcl1), which encodes for a blue-light receptor/transcription factor, causes a decrease in virulence, particularly when assays are conducted in the presence of light or photocycles. However, despite ample characterization, the extent of the light-modulated transcriptional responses regulated by BcWCL1 remains unknown. In this study, pathogen and pathogen:host RNA-seq analyses, conducted during non-infective in vitro plate growth and when infecting Arabidopsis thaliana leaves, respectively, informed on the global gene expression patterns after a 60 min light pulse on the wild-type B05.10 or ∆bcwcl1 B. cinerea strains. The results revealed a complex fungal photobiology, where the mutant did not react to the light pulse during its interaction with the plant. Indeed, when infecting Arabidopsis, no photoreceptor-encoding genes were upregulated upon the light pulse in the ∆bcwcl1 mutant. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in B. cinerea under non-infecting conditions were predominantly related to decreased energy production in response to the light pulse. In contrast, DEGs during infection significantly differ in the B05.10 strain and the ∆bcwcl1 mutant. Upon illumination at 24 h post-infection in planta, a decrease in the B. cinerea virulence-associated transcripts was observed. Accordingly, after a light pulse, biological functions associated with plant defense appear enriched among light-repressed genes in fungus-infected plants. Taken together, our results show the main transcriptomic differences between wild-type B. cinerea B05.10 and ∆bcwcl1 after a 60 min light pulse when growing saprophytically on a Petri dish and necrotrophically over A. thaliana.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel Pérez-Lara
- Centro de Biotecnologia Vegetal, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370186, Chile
- ANID–Millennium Science Initiative–Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBIO), Santiago 7500565, Chile
| | - Consuelo Olivares-Yañez
- Centro de Biotecnologia Vegetal, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370186, Chile
- ANID–Millennium Science Initiative–Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBIO), Santiago 7500565, Chile
| | - Harm van Bakel
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Icahn Genomics Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Luis F. Larrondo
- ANID–Millennium Science Initiative–Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBIO), Santiago 7500565, Chile
- Departamento de Genetica Molecular y Microbiologia, Facultad de Ciencias Biologicas, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
| | - Paulo Canessa
- Centro de Biotecnologia Vegetal, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370186, Chile
- ANID–Millennium Science Initiative–Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBIO), Santiago 7500565, Chile
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Camponeschi I, Montanari A, Mazzoni C, Bianchi MM. Light Stress in Yeasts: Signaling and Responses in Creatures of the Night. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24086929. [PMID: 37108091 PMCID: PMC10139380 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24086929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Living organisms on the surface biosphere are periodically yet consistently exposed to light. The adaptive or protective evolution caused by this source of energy has led to the biological systems present in a large variety of organisms, including fungi. Among fungi, yeasts have developed essential protective responses against the deleterious effects of light. Stress generated by light exposure is propagated through the synthesis of hydrogen peroxide and mediated by regulatory factors that are also involved in the response to other stressors. These have included Msn2/4, Crz1, Yap1, and Mga2, thus suggesting that light stress is a common factor in the yeast environmental response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Camponeschi
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "C. Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Arianna Montanari
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "C. Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Cristina Mazzoni
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "C. Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Michele Maria Bianchi
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "C. Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
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Cai W, Chen Y, Zhang L, Fang X, Wang W. A three-gene cluster in Trichoderma reesei reveals a potential role of dmm2 in DNA repair and cellulase production. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS AND BIOPRODUCTS 2022; 15:34. [PMID: 35351200 PMCID: PMC8966179 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-022-02132-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Background The ascomycete Trichoderma reesei is one of the most efficient industrial producers of cellulase. Gene targeting by homologous recombination is a key technique for improving strains and constructing mutants. In T. reesei, tku70 (homologous to human KU70) was deleted to block non-homologous end-joining, which led to 95% of transformants exhibiting homologous recombination. Results Two genes located in close proximity to tku70 were identified: the ferrochelatase gene hem8 (tre78582, homologous to Aspergillus niger hemH and Cryptococcus neoformans HEM15) and a putative DNA methylation modulator-2 gene dmm2 (tre108087, homologous to Neurospora crassa dmm-2). Genome-wide surveys of 324 sequenced fungal genomes revealed that the homologues of the three genes of interest are encoded in tandem in most Sordariomycetes. The expression of this three-gene cluster is regulated by blue light. The roles of these three genes were analyzed via deletion and complementation tests. The gene hem8 was originally described as a novel and highly distinct auxotrophic marker in T. reesei and we found that the product protein, HEM8, catalyzes the final step in heme biosynthesis from highly photoreactive porphyrins. The lethal phenotype of the hem8 deletion could be overcome by hematin supplementation. We also studied the functions of tku70 and dmm2 in DNA repair using mutagen sensitivity experiments. We found that the Δtku70 strain showed increased sensitivity to bleomycin, which induces DNA double-strand breaks, and that the Δdmm2 strain was sensitive to bleomycin, camptothecin (an inhibitor of type I topoisomerases), and hydroxyurea (a deoxynucleotide synthesis inhibitor). The double-mutant Δtku70&dmm2 showed higher sensitivity to hydroxyurea, camptothecin, and bleomycin than either of the single mutants. Knockout of dmm2 significantly increased cellulase production. Conclusions Our data show, for the first time, that ferrochelatase encoded by hem8 catalyzes the final step in heme biosynthesis from highly photoreactive porphyrins and that dmm2 encodes a putative DNA methylation modulator-2 protein related to DNA repair and cellulase expression in T. reesei. Our data provide important insights into the roles of this three-gene cluster in T. reesei and other Sordariomycetes and show that the DNA methylation modulator DMM2 affects cellulase gene expression in T. reesei. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13068-022-02132-y.
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Brych A, Haas FB, Parzefall K, Panzer S, Schermuly J, Altmüller J, Engelsdorf T, Terpitz U, Rensing SA, Kiontke S, Batschauer A. Coregulation of gene expression by White collar 1 and phytochrome in Ustilago maydis. Fungal Genet Biol 2021; 152:103570. [PMID: 34004340 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2021.103570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Revised: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Ustilago maydis encodes ten predicted light-sensing proteins. The biological functions of only a few of them are elucidated. Among the characterized ones are two DNA-photolyases and two rhodopsins that act as DNA-repair enzymes or green light-driven proton pumps, respectively. Here we report on the role of two other photoreceptors in U. maydis, namely White collar 1 (Wco1) and Phytochrome 1 (Phy1). We show that they bind flavins or biliverdin as chromophores, respectively. Both photoreceptors undergo a photocycle in vitro. Wco1 is the dominant blue light receptor in the saprophytic phase, controlling all of the 324 differentially expressed genes in blue light. U. maydis also responds to red and far-red light. However, the number of red or far-red light-controlled genes is less compared to blue light-regulated ones. Moreover, most of the red and far-red light-controlled genes not only depend on Phy1 but also on Wco1, indicating partial coregulation of gene expression by both photoreceptors. GFP-fused Wco1 is preferentially located in the nucleus, Phy1 in the cytosol, thus providing no hint that these photoreceptors directly interact or operate within the same complex. This is the first report on a functional characterization and coaction of White collar 1 and phytochrome orthologs in basidiomycetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annika Brych
- University of Marburg, Department of Biology, Plant Physiology and Photobiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Fabian B Haas
- University of Marburg, Department of Biology, Plant Cell Biology, Marburg, Germany; BIOSS Centre for Biological Signalling Studies, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany; LOEWE Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Philipps University of Marburg, Germany
| | - Katharina Parzefall
- University of Marburg, Department of Biology, Plant Physiology and Photobiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Sabine Panzer
- Theodor-Boveri-Institute, Department of Biotechnology and Biophysics, Biocenter, Julius-Maximilian-University, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Jeanette Schermuly
- University of Marburg, Department of Biology, Plant Physiology and Photobiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Janine Altmüller
- Cologne Center for Genomics, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Timo Engelsdorf
- University of Marburg, Department of Biology, Plant Physiology and Photobiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Ulrich Terpitz
- Theodor-Boveri-Institute, Department of Biotechnology and Biophysics, Biocenter, Julius-Maximilian-University, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Stefan A Rensing
- University of Marburg, Department of Biology, Plant Cell Biology, Marburg, Germany; BIOSS Centre for Biological Signalling Studies, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany; LOEWE Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Philipps University of Marburg, Germany
| | - Stephan Kiontke
- University of Marburg, Department of Biology, Plant Physiology and Photobiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Alfred Batschauer
- University of Marburg, Department of Biology, Plant Physiology and Photobiology, Marburg, Germany.
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Pardo-Medina J, Gutiérrez G, Limón MC, Avalos J. Impact of the White Collar Photoreceptor WcoA on the Fusarium fujikuroi Transcriptome. Front Microbiol 2021; 11:619474. [PMID: 33574802 PMCID: PMC7871910 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.619474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The proteins of the White Collar 1 family (WC) constitute a major class of flavin photoreceptors, widely distributed in fungi, that work in cooperation with a WC 2 protein forming a regulatory complex. The WC complex was investigated in great detail in Neurospora crassa, a model fungus in photobiology studies, where it controls all its major photoresponses. The fungus Fusarium fujikuroi, a model system in the production of secondary metabolites, contains a single WC-1 gene called wcoA. The best-known light response in this fungus is the photoinduction of the synthesis of carotenoids, terpenoid pigments with antioxidant properties. Loss of WcoA in F. fujikuroi results in a drastic reduction in the mRNA levels of the carotenoid genes, and a diversity of morphological and metabolic changes, including alterations in the synthesis of several secondary metabolites, suggesting a complex regulatory role. To investigate the function of WcoA, the transcriptome of F. fujikuroi was analyzed in the dark and after 15-, 60- or 240-min illumination in a wild strain and in a formerly investigated wcoA insertional mutant. Using a threshold of four-fold change in transcript levels, 298 genes were activated and 160 were repressed in the wild strain under at least one of the light exposures. Different response patterns were observed among them, with genes exhibiting either fast, intermediate, and slow photoinduction, or intermediate or slow repression. All the fast and intermediate photoresponses, and most of the slow ones, were lost in the wcoA mutant. However, the wcoA mutation altered the expression of a much larger number of genes irrespective of illumination, reaching at least 16% of the annotated genes in this fungus. Such genes include many related to secondary metabolism, as well as others related to photobiology and other cellular functions, including the production of hydrophobins. As judged by the massive transcriptomic changes exhibited by the wcoA mutant in the dark, the results point to WcoA as a master regulatory protein in F. fujikuroi, in addition to a central function as the photoreceptor responsible for most of the transcriptional responses to light in this fungus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Pardo-Medina
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
| | - Gabriel Gutiérrez
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
| | - M Carmen Limón
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
| | - Javier Avalos
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
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7
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Spencer GWK, Chua SMH, Erpf PE, Wizrah MSI, Dyba TG, Condon ND, Fraser JA. Broadening the spectrum of fluorescent protein tools for use in the encapsulated human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans. Fungal Genet Biol 2020; 138:103365. [PMID: 32145317 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2020.103365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2019] [Revised: 02/25/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Green fluorescent protein (GFP) and its counterparts are modern molecular biology research tools indispensable in many experimental systems. Within fungi, researchers studying Saccharomyces cerevisiae and other model ascomycetes have access to a wide variety of fluorescent proteins. Unfortunately, many of these tools have not crossed the phylum divide into the Basidiomycota, where only GFP S65T, Venus, Ds-Red, and mCherry are currently available. To address this, we searched the literature for potential candidates to be expressed in the human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans and identified a suite of eight more modern fluorescent proteins that span the visible spectrum. A single copy of each fluorophore was heterologously expressed in Safe Haven 1 and their fluorescence intensities compared in this encapsulated yeast. mTurquoise2, mTFP1, Clover, mNeonGreen, mRuby3, and Citrine were highly visible under the microscope, whereas Superfolder GFP and mMaroon1 were not. Expressed fluorophores did not impact growth or virulence as demonstrated by an in vitro spotting assay and murine inhalation model, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Garrick W K Spencer
- Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; School of Chemistry & Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Sheena M H Chua
- Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; School of Chemistry & Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Paige E Erpf
- Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; School of Chemistry & Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Maha S I Wizrah
- Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; School of Chemistry & Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Taylor G Dyba
- Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; School of Chemistry & Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Nicholas D Condon
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072 Australia
| | - James A Fraser
- Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; School of Chemistry & Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
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Tagua VG, Navarro E, Gutiérrez G, Garre V, Corrochano LM. Light regulates a Phycomyces blakesleeanus gene family similar to the carotenogenic repressor gene of Mucor circinelloides. Fungal Biol 2019; 124:338-351. [PMID: 32389296 DOI: 10.1016/j.funbio.2019.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2019] [Revised: 10/14/2019] [Accepted: 10/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The transcription of about 5-10 % of the genes in Phycomyces blakesleeanus is regulated by light. Among the most up-regulated, we have identified four genes, crgA-D, with similarity to crgA of Mucor circinelloides, a gene encoding a repressor of light-inducible carotenogenesis. The four proteins have the same structure with two RING RING Finger domains and a LON domain, suggesting that they could act as ubiquitin ligases, as their M. circinelloides homolog. The expression of these genes is induced by light with different thresholds as in other Mucoromycotina fungi like Blakeslea trispora and M. circinelloides. Only the P. blakesleeanus crgD gene could restore the wild type phenotype in a M. circinelloides null crgA mutant suggesting that P. blakesleeanus crgD is the functional homolog of crgA in M. circinelloides. Despite their sequence similarity it is possible that the P. blakesleeanus Crg proteins do not participate in the regulation of beta-carotene biosynthesis since none of the carotene-overproducing mutants of P. blakesleeanus had mutations in any of the crg genes. Our results provide further support of the differences in the regulation of the biosynthesis of beta-carotene in these two Mucoromycotina fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Víctor G Tagua
- Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain; Present address: Unidad de Investigación, Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain.
| | - Eusebio Navarro
- Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, Spain
| | - Gabriel Gutiérrez
- Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain
| | - Victoriano Garre
- Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, Spain
| | - Luis M Corrochano
- Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain.
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Krobanan K, Liang SW, Chiu HC, Shen WC. The Blue-Light Photoreceptor Sfwc-1 Gene Regulates the Phototropic Response and Fruiting-Body Development in the Homothallic Ascomycete Sordaria fimicola. Appl Environ Microbiol 2019; 85:e02206-18. [PMID: 30979837 PMCID: PMC6544823 DOI: 10.1128/aem.02206-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2018] [Accepted: 04/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Sordaria fimicola, a coprophilous ascomycete, is a homothallic fungus that can undergo sexual differentiation with cellular and morphological changes followed by multicellular tissue development to complete its sexual cycle. In this study, we identified and characterized the blue-light photoreceptor gene in S. fimicola The S. fimicola white collar-1 photoreceptor (SfWC-1) contains light-oxygen-voltage-sensing (LOV), Per-Arnt-Sim (PAS), and other conserved domains and is homologous to the WC-1 blue-light photoreceptor of Neurospora crassa The LOV domain of Sfwc-1 was deleted by homologous recombination using Agrobacterium-mediated protoplast transformation. The Sfwc-1(Δlov) mutant showed normal vegetative growth but produced less carotenoid pigment under illumination. The mutant showed delayed and less-pronounced fruiting-body formation, was defective in phototropism of the perithecial beaks, and lacked the fruiting-body zonation pattern compared with the wild type under the illumination condition. Gene expression analyses supported the light-induced functions of the Sfwc-1 gene in the physiology and developmental process of perithecial formation in S. fimicola Moreover, green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged SfWC-1 fluorescence signals were transiently strong upon light induction and prominently located inside the nuclei of living hyphae. Our studies focused on the putative blue-light photoreceptor in a model ascomycete and contribute to a better understanding of the photoregulatory functions and networks mediated by the evolutionarily conserved blue-light photoreceptors across diverse fungal phyla.IMPORTANCESordaria sp. has been a model for study of fruiting-body differentiation in fungi. Several environmental factors, including light, affect cellular and morphological changes during multicellular tissue development. Here, we created a light-oxygen-voltage-sensing (LOV) domain-deleted Sfwc-1 mutant to study blue-light photoresponses in Sordaria fimicola Phototropism and rhythmic zonation of perithecia were defective in the Sfwc-1(Δlov) mutant. Moreover, fruiting-body development in the mutant was reduced and also significantly delayed. Gene expression analysis and subcellular localization study further revealed the light-induced differential gene expression and cellular responses upon light stimulation in S. fimicola.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kulsumpun Krobanan
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Syun-Wun Liang
- Institute of Biomedical Informatics and Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ho-Chen Chiu
- Institute of Biomedical Informatics and Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Chiang Shen
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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10
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Red- and Blue-Light Sensing in the Plant Pathogen Alternaria alternata Depends on Phytochrome and the White-Collar Protein LreA. mBio 2019; 10:mBio.00371-19. [PMID: 30967462 PMCID: PMC6456751 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00371-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Light controls many processes in filamentous fungi. The study of light regulation in a number of model organisms revealed an unexpected complexity. Although the molecular components for light sensing appear to be widely conserved in fungal genomes, the regulatory circuits and the sensitivity of certain species toward specific wavelengths seem different. In N. crassa, most light responses are triggered by blue light, whereas in A. nidulans, red light plays a dominant role. In Alternaria alternata, both blue and red light appear to be important. In A. alternata, photoreceptors control morphogenetic pathways, the homeostasis of reactive oxygen species, and the production of secondary metabolites. On the other hand, high-osmolarity sensing required FphA and LreA, indicating a sophisticated cross talk between light and stress signaling. The filamentous fungus Alternaria alternata is a common postharvest contaminant of food and feed, and some strains are plant pathogens. Many processes in A. alternata are triggered by light. Interestingly, blue light inhibits sporulation, and red light reverses the effect, suggesting interactions between light-sensing systems. The genome encodes a phytochrome (FphA), a white collar 1 (WC-1) orthologue (LreA), an opsin (NopA), and a cryptochrome (CryA) as putative photoreceptors. Here, we investigated the role of FphA and LreA and the interplay with the high-osmolarity glycerol (HOG) mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway. We created loss-of function mutations for fphA, lreA, and hogA using CRISPR-Cas9 technology. Sporulation was reduced in all three mutant strains already in the dark, suggesting functions of the photoreceptors FphA and LreA independent of light perception. Germination of conidia was delayed in red, blue, green, and far-red light. We found that light induction of ccgA (clock-controlled gene in Neurospora crassa and light-induced gene in Aspergillus nidulans) and the catalase gene catA depended on FphA, LreA, and HogA. Light induction of ferA (a putative ferrochelatase gene) and bliC (bli-3, light regulated, unknown function) required LreA and HogA but not FphA. Blue- and green-light stimulation of alternariol formation depended on LreA. A lack of FphA or LreA led to enhanced resistance toward oxidative stress due to the upregulation of catalases and superoxide dismutases. Light activation of FphA resulted in increased phosphorylation and nuclear accumulation of HogA. Our results show that germination, sporulation, and secondary metabolism are light regulated in A. alternata with distinct and overlapping roles of blue- and red-light photosensors.
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11
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The contribution of the White Collar complex to Cryptococcus neoformans virulence is independent of its light-sensing capabilities. Fungal Genet Biol 2018; 121:56-64. [PMID: 30266690 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2018.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Revised: 09/22/2018] [Accepted: 09/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The White Collar complex is responsible for sensing light and transmitting that signal in many fungal species. In Cryptococcus neoformans and C. deneoformans the complex is involved in protection against damage from ultraviolet (UV) light, repression of mating in response to light, and is also required for virulence. The mechanism by which the Bwc1 photoreceptor contributes to virulence is unknown. In this study, a bwc1 deletion mutant of C. neoformans was transformed with three versions of the BWC1 gene, the wild type, BWC1C605A or BWC1C605S, in which the latter two have the conserved cysteine residue replaced with either alanine or serine within the light-oxygen-voltage (LOV) domain that interacts with the flavin chromophore. The bwc1+ BWC1 strain complemented the UV sensitivity and the repression of mating in the light. The bwc1+ BWC1C605A and bwc1+ BWC1C605S strains were not fully complemented for either of the phenotypes, indicating that these BWC1 alleles impair the light responses for strains with them. Transcript analysis showed that neither of the mutated strains (bwc1+ BWC1C605A and bwc1+ BWC1C605S) showed the light-inducible expression pattern of the HEM15 and UVE1 genes as occurs in the wild type strain. These results indicate that the conserved flavin-binding site in the LOV domain of Bwc1 is required for sensing and responding to light in C. neoformans. In contrast to defects in light responses, the wild type, bwc1+ BWC1, bwc1+ BWC1C605A and bwc1+ BWC1C605S strains were equally virulent, whereas the bwc1 knock out mutant was less virulent. Furthermore, pre-exposure of the strains to light prior to inoculation had no influence on the outcome of infection. These findings define a division in function of the White Collar complex in fungi, in that in C. neoformans the role of Bwc1 in virulence is independent of light sensing.
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Nagy LG, Kovács GM, Krizsán K. Complex multicellularity in fungi: evolutionary convergence, single origin, or both? Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2018; 93:1778-1794. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2017] [Revised: 03/23/2018] [Accepted: 03/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- László G. Nagy
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit; Institute of Biochemistry, BRC-HAS, 62 Temesvári krt; 6726 Szeged Hungary
| | - Gábor M. Kovács
- Department of Plant Anatomy; Institute of Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C; H-1117 Budapest Hungary
- Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research; Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA-ATK); PO Box 102, H-1525 Budapest Hungary
| | - Krisztina Krizsán
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit; Institute of Biochemistry, BRC-HAS, 62 Temesvári krt; 6726 Szeged Hungary
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Fuller KK, Dunlap JC, Loros JJ. Light-regulated promoters for tunable, temporal, and affordable control of fungal gene expression. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2018; 102:3849-3863. [PMID: 29569180 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-018-8887-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2017] [Revised: 02/19/2018] [Accepted: 02/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Regulatable promoters are important genetic tools, particularly for assigning function to essential and redundant genes. They can also be used to control the expression of enzymes that influence metabolic flux or protein secretion, thereby optimizing product yield in bioindustry. This review will focus on regulatable systems for use in filamentous fungi, an important group of organisms whose members include key research models, devastating pathogens of plants and animals, and exploitable cell factories. Though we will begin by cataloging those promoters that are controlled by nutritional or chemical means, our primary focus will rest on those who can be controlled by a literal flip-of-the-switch: promoters of light-regulated genes. The vvd promoter of Neurospora will first serve as a paradigm for how light-driven systems can provide tight, robust, tunable, and temporal control of either autologous or heterologous fungal proteins. We will then discuss a theoretical approach to, and practical considerations for, the development of such promoters in other species. To this end, we have compiled genes from six previously published light-regulated transcriptomic studies to guide the search for suitable photoregulatable promoters in your fungus of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin K Fuller
- Department of Molecular and Systems Biology, Geisel School of Medicine, Hanover, NH, USA.
| | - Jay C Dunlap
- Department of Molecular and Systems Biology, Geisel School of Medicine, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Jennifer J Loros
- Department of Molecular and Systems Biology, Geisel School of Medicine, Hanover, NH, USA. .,Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Geisel School of Medicine, Hanover, NH, USA.
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Liversage J, Coetzee MP, Bluhm BH, Berger DK, Crampton BG. LOVe across kingdoms: Blue light perception vital for growth and development in plant–fungal interactions. FUNGAL BIOL REV 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fbr.2017.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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The molecular mechanisms of Monascus purpureus M9 responses to blue light based on the transcriptome analysis. Sci Rep 2017; 7:5537. [PMID: 28717254 PMCID: PMC5514072 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-05990-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2016] [Accepted: 06/16/2017] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Light is an important environmental factor that regulates various physiological processes of fungi. To thoroughly study the responses of Monascus to blue light, transcriptome sequencing was performed on mRNAs isolated from samples of Monascus purpureus M9 cultured under three conditions: darkness (D); exposure to blue light for 15 min/d (B15); and exposure to blue light for 60 min/d over 8 days (B60). The number of differentially expressed genes between the three pairs of samples-B15 vs D, B60 vs B15, and B60 vs D-was 1167, 1172, and 220, respectively. KEGG analysis showed the genes involved in primary metabolism including carbon and nitrogen metabolism were downregulated by B15 light treatment, whereas B15 upregulated expression of genes involved with aromatic amino acid metabolism, which associated with development, and branched chain amino acid metabolism, and fatty acid degradation, which can produce the biosynthetic precursors of pigments. When exposed to B60 conditions, genes with roles in carbohydrate metabolism and protein synthesis were upregulated as part of a stress response to blue light. Based on this study, we propose a predicted light-stimulated signal transduction pathway in Monascus. Our work is the first comprehensive investigation concerning the mechanism of Monascus responses to blue light.
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Benocci T, Aguilar-Pontes MV, Zhou M, Seiboth B, de Vries RP. Regulators of plant biomass degradation in ascomycetous fungi. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 2017; 10:152. [PMID: 28616076 PMCID: PMC5468973 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-017-0841-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2017] [Accepted: 06/06/2017] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Fungi play a major role in the global carbon cycle because of their ability to utilize plant biomass (polysaccharides, proteins, and lignin) as carbon source. Due to the complexity and heterogenic composition of plant biomass, fungi need to produce a broad range of degrading enzymes, matching the composition of (part of) the prevalent substrate. This process is dependent on a network of regulators that not only control the extracellular enzymes that degrade the biomass, but also the metabolic pathways needed to metabolize the resulting monomers. This review will summarize the current knowledge on regulation of plant biomass utilization in fungi and compare the differences between fungal species, focusing in particular on the presence or absence of the regulators involved in this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiziano Benocci
- Fungal Physiology, Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute & Fungal Molecular Physiology, Utrecht University, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Maria Victoria Aguilar-Pontes
- Fungal Physiology, Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute & Fungal Molecular Physiology, Utrecht University, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Miaomiao Zhou
- Fungal Physiology, Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute & Fungal Molecular Physiology, Utrecht University, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Bernhard Seiboth
- Research Area Biochemical Technology, Institute of Chemical and Biological Engineering, TU Wien, 1060 Vienna, Austria
| | - Ronald P. de Vries
- Fungal Physiology, Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute & Fungal Molecular Physiology, Utrecht University, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Fuller K, Dunlap J, Loros J. Fungal Light Sensing at the Bench and Beyond. ADVANCES IN GENETICS 2016; 96:1-51. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.adgen.2016.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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19
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Brych A, Mascarenhas J, Jaeger E, Charkiewicz E, Pokorny R, Bölker M, Doehlemann G, Batschauer A. White collar 1-induced photolyase expression contributes to UV-tolerance of Ustilago maydis. Microbiologyopen 2015; 5:224-43. [PMID: 26687452 PMCID: PMC4831468 DOI: 10.1002/mbo3.322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2015] [Revised: 10/29/2015] [Accepted: 11/04/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Ustilago maydis is a phytopathogenic fungus causing corn smut disease. It also is known for its extreme tolerance to UV‐ and ionizing radiation. It has not been elucidated whether light‐sensing proteins, and in particular photolyases play a role in its UV‐tolerance. Based on homology analysis, U. maydis has 10 genes encoding putative light‐responsive proteins. Four amongst these belong to the cryptochrome/photolyase family (CPF) and one represents a white collar 1 ortholog (wco1). Deletion mutants in the predicted cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer CPD‐ and (6–4)‐photolyase were impaired in photoreactivation. In line with this, in vitro studies with recombinant CPF proteins demonstrated binding of the catalytic FAD cofactor, its photoreduction to fully reduced FADH− and repair activity for cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) or (6–4)‐photoproducts, respectively. We also investigated the role of Wco1. Strikingly, transcriptional profiling showed 61 genes differentially expressed upon blue light exposure of wild‐type, but only eight genes in the Δwco1 mutant. These results demonstrate that Wco1 is a functional blue light photoreceptor in U. maydis regulating expression of several genes including both photolyases. Finally, we show that the Δwco1 mutant is less tolerant against UV‐B due to its incapability to induce photolyase expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annika Brych
- Faculty of Biology, Department of Plant Physiology and Photobiology, Philipps-University, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 8, Marburg, 35032, Germany
| | - Judita Mascarenhas
- Faculty of Biology, Department of Plant Physiology and Photobiology, Philipps-University, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 8, Marburg, 35032, Germany
| | - Elaine Jaeger
- Faculty of Biology, Department of Genetics, Philipps-University, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 8, Marburg, 35032, Germany
| | - Elzbieta Charkiewicz
- Faculty of Biology, Department of Plant Physiology and Photobiology, Philipps-University, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 8, Marburg, 35032, Germany
| | - Richard Pokorny
- Faculty of Biology, Department of Plant Physiology and Photobiology, Philipps-University, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 8, Marburg, 35032, Germany
| | - Michael Bölker
- Faculty of Biology, Department of Genetics, Philipps-University, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 8, Marburg, 35032, Germany
| | - Gunther Doehlemann
- Department of Organismic Interactions, Max-Planck-Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 10, Marburg, 35043, Germany
| | - Alfred Batschauer
- Faculty of Biology, Department of Plant Physiology and Photobiology, Philipps-University, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 8, Marburg, 35032, Germany
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Abstract
Enzymes play key roles in fungal pathogenesis. Manipulation of enzyme expression or activity can significantly alter the infection process, and enzyme expression profiles can be a hallmark of disease. Hence, enzymes are worthy targets for better understanding pathogenesis and identifying new options for combatting fungal infections. Advances in genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, and mass spectrometry have enabled the identification and characterization of new fungal enzymes. This review focuses on recent developments in the virulence-associated enzymes from Cryptococcus neoformans. The enzymatic suite of C. neoformans has evolved for environmental survival, but several of these enzymes play a dual role in colonizing the mammalian host. We also discuss new therapeutic and diagnostic strategies that could be based on the underlying enzymology.
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21
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Wildenberg GA, Murray AW. Evolving a 24-hr oscillator in budding yeast. eLife 2014; 3. [PMID: 25383925 PMCID: PMC4270073 DOI: 10.7554/elife.04875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2014] [Accepted: 11/07/2014] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
We asked how a new, complex trait evolves by selecting for diurnal oscillations in the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We expressed yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) from a yeast promoter and selected for a regular alternation between low and high fluorescence over a 24-hr period. This selection produced changes in cell adhesion rather than YFP expression: clonal populations oscillated between single cells and multicellular clumps. The oscillations are not a response to environmental cues and continue for at least three cycles in a constant environment. We identified eight putative causative mutations in one clone and recreated the evolved phenotype in the ancestral strain. The mutated genes lack obvious relationships to each other, but multiple lineages change from the haploid to the diploid pattern of gene expression. We show that a novel, complex phenotype can evolve by small sets of mutations in genes whose molecular functions appear to be unrelated to each other.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregg A Wildenberg
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences Center for Systems Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States
| | - Andrew W Murray
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences Center for Systems Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States
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Voelz K, Johnston SA, Smith LM, Hall RA, Idnurm A, May RC. 'Division of labour' in response to host oxidative burst drives a fatal Cryptococcus gattii outbreak. Nat Commun 2014; 5:5194. [PMID: 25323068 PMCID: PMC4208095 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms6194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2014] [Accepted: 09/09/2014] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Cryptococcus gattii is an emerging intracellular pathogen and the cause of the largest primary outbreak of a life-threatening fungal disease in a healthy population. Outbreak strains share a unique mitochondrial gene expression profile and an increased ability to tubularize their mitochondria within host macrophages. However, the underlying mechanism that causes this lineage of C. gattii to be virulent in immunocompetent individuals remains unexplained. Here we show that a subpopulation of intracellular C. gattii adopts a tubular mitochondrial morphology in response to host reactive oxygen species. These fungal cells then facilitate the rapid growth of neighbouring C. gattii cells with non-tubular mitochondria, allowing for effective establishment of the pathogen within a macrophage intracellular niche. Thus, host reactive oxygen species, an essential component of the innate immune response, act as major signalling molecules to trigger a ‘division of labour’ in the intracellular fungal population, leading to increased pathogenesis within this outbreak lineage. Outbreak strains of the pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus gattii display an increased ability to form tubular mitochondria. Here, Voelz et al. show that mitochondrial tubularization is induced by host reactive oxygen species within macrophages and facilitates rapid growth of neighbouring fungal cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerstin Voelz
- 1] Institute of Microbiology and Infection, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, West Midlands, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK [2] National Institute of Health Research Surgical Reconstruction and Microbiology Research Centre, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TH, UK
| | - Simon A Johnston
- 1] Department of Infection and Immunity, University of Sheffield, Medical School, Beech Hill Road, Sheffield S10 2RX, UK [2] Bateson Centre, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sheffield, Firth Court, Western Bank S10 2TN, UK
| | - Leanne M Smith
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, West Midlands, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Rebecca A Hall
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, West Midlands, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Alexander Idnurm
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Kansas City, Missouri 64110, USA
| | - Robin C May
- 1] Institute of Microbiology and Infection, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, West Midlands, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK [2] National Institute of Health Research Surgical Reconstruction and Microbiology Research Centre, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TH, UK
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Fuller KK, Loros JJ, Dunlap JC. Fungal photobiology: visible light as a signal for stress, space and time. Curr Genet 2014; 61:275-88. [PMID: 25323429 DOI: 10.1007/s00294-014-0451-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2014] [Revised: 08/25/2014] [Accepted: 08/29/2014] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Visible light is an important source of energy and information for much of life on this planet. Though fungi are neither photosynthetic nor capable of observing adjacent objects, it is estimated that the majority of fungal species display some form of light response, ranging from developmental decision-making to metabolic reprogramming to pathogenesis. As such, advances in our understanding of fungal photobiology will likely reach the broad fields impacted by these organisms, including agriculture, industry and medicine. In this review, we will first describe the mechanisms by which fungi sense light and then discuss the selective advantages likely imparted by their ability to do so.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin K Fuller
- Department of Genetics, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA,
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Kwon-Chung KJ, Fraser JA, Doering TL, Wang Z, Janbon G, Idnurm A, Bahn YS. Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii, the etiologic agents of cryptococcosis. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 2014; 4:a019760. [PMID: 24985132 PMCID: PMC4066639 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a019760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 294] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii are the two etiologic agents of cryptococcosis. They belong to the phylum Basidiomycota and can be readily distinguished from other pathogenic yeasts such as Candida by the presence of a polysaccharide capsule, formation of melanin, and urease activity, which all function as virulence determinants. Infection proceeds via inhalation and subsequent dissemination to the central nervous system to cause meningoencephalitis. The most common risk for cryptococcosis caused by C. neoformans is AIDS, whereas infections caused by C. gattii are more often reported in immunocompetent patients with undefined risk than in the immunocompromised. There have been many chapters, reviews, and books written on C. neoformans. The topics we focus on in this article include species description, pathogenesis, life cycle, capsule, and stress response, which serve to highlight the specializations in virulence that have occurred in this unique encapsulated melanin-forming yeast that causes global deaths estimated at more than 600,000 annually.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyung J Kwon-Chung
- Laboratory of Clinical Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
| | - James A Fraser
- Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Tamara L Doering
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
| | - Zhou Wang
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
| | - Guilhem Janbon
- Unité Biologie et Pathogénicité Fongiques, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Alexander Idnurm
- Division of Cell Biology and Biophysics, School of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Kansas City, Missouri 64110
| | - Yong-Sun Bahn
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul 120-749, Republic of Korea
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Canessa P, Schumacher J, Hevia MA, Tudzynski P, Larrondo LF. Assessing the effects of light on differentiation and virulence of the plant pathogen Botrytis cinerea: characterization of the White Collar Complex. PLoS One 2013; 8:e84223. [PMID: 24391918 PMCID: PMC3877267 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0084223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2013] [Accepted: 11/20/2013] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Organisms are exposed to a tough environment, where acute daily challenges, like light, can strongly affect several aspects of an individual's physiology, including pathogenesis. While several fungal models have been widely employed to understand the physiological and molecular events associated with light perception, various other agricultural-relevant fungi still remain, in terms of their responsiveness to light, in the dark. The fungus Botrytis cinerea is an aggressive pathogen able to cause disease on a wide range of plant species. Natural B. cinerea isolates exhibit a high degree of diversity in their predominant mode of reproduction. Thus, the majority of naturally occurring strains are known to reproduce asexually via conidia and sclerotia, and sexually via apothecia. Studies from the 1970's reported on specific developmental responses to treatments with near-UV, blue, red and far-red light. To unravel the signaling machinery triggering development--and possibly also connected with virulence--we initiated the functional characterization of the transcription factor/photoreceptor BcWCL1 and its partner BcWCL2, that form the White Collar Complex (WCC) in B. cinerea. Using mutants either abolished in or exhibiting enhanced WCC signaling (overexpression of both bcwcl1 and bcwcl2), we demonstrate that the WCC is an integral part of the mentioned machinery by mediating transcriptional responses to white light and the inhibition of conidiation in response to this stimulus. Furthermore, the WCC is required for coping with excessive light, oxidative stress and also to achieve full virulence. Although several transcriptional responses are abolished in the absence of bcwcl1, the expression of some genes is still light induced and a distinct conidiation pattern in response to daily light oscillations is enhanced, revealing a complex underlying photobiology. Though overlaps with well-studied fungal systems exist, the light-associated machinery of B. cinerea appears more complex than those of Neurospora crassa and Aspergillus nidulans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulo Canessa
- Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Julia Schumacher
- Institut für Biologie und Biotechnologie der Pflanzen, Westf. Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Montserrat A. Hevia
- Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Paul Tudzynski
- Institut für Biologie und Biotechnologie der Pflanzen, Westf. Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Luis F. Larrondo
- Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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The role of coproporphyrinogen III oxidase and ferrochelatase genes in heme biosynthesis and regulation in Aspergillus niger. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2013; 97:9773-85. [PMID: 24113826 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-013-5274-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2013] [Revised: 09/02/2013] [Accepted: 09/03/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Heme is a suggested limiting factor in peroxidase production by Aspergillus spp., which are well-known suitable hosts for heterologous protein production. In this study, the role of genes coding for coproporphyrinogen III oxidase (hemF) and ferrochelatase (hemH) was analyzed by means of deletion and overexpression to obtain more insight in fungal heme biosynthesis and regulation. These enzymes represent steps in the heme biosynthetic pathway downstream of the siroheme branch and are suggested to play a role in regulation of the pathway. Based on genome mining, both enzymes deviate in cellular localization and protein domain structure from their Saccharomyces cerevisiae counterparts. The lethal phenotype of deletion of hemF or hemH could be remediated by heme supplementation confirming that Aspergillus niger is capable of hemin uptake. Nevertheless, both gene deletion mutants showed an extremely impaired growth even with hemin supplementation which could be slightly improved by media modifications and the use of hemoglobin as heme source. The hyphae of the mutant strains displayed pinkish coloration and red autofluorescence under UV indicative of cellular porphyrin accumulation. HPLC analysis confirmed accumulation of specific porphyrins, thereby confirming the function of the two proteins in heme biosynthesis. Overexpression of hemH, but not hemF or the aminolevulinic acid synthase encoding hemA, modestly increased the cellular heme content, which was apparently insufficient to increase activity of endogenous peroxidase and cytochrome P450 enzyme activities. Overexpression of all three genes increased the cellular accumulation of porphyrin intermediates suggesting regulatory mechanisms operating in the final steps of the fungal heme biosynthesis pathway.
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27
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The Uve1 endonuclease is regulated by the white collar complex to protect cryptococcus neoformans from UV damage. PLoS Genet 2013; 9:e1003769. [PMID: 24039606 PMCID: PMC3764193 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1003769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2012] [Accepted: 07/22/2013] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans uses the Bwc1-Bwc2 photoreceptor complex to regulate mating in response to light, virulence and ultraviolet radiation tolerance. How the complex controls these functions is unclear. Here, we identify and characterize a gene in Cryptococcus, UVE1, whose mutation leads to a UV hypersensitive phenotype. The homologous gene in fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe encodes an apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease acting in the UVDE-dependent excision repair (UVER) pathway. C. neoformans UVE1 complements a S. pombe uvde knockout strain. UVE1 is photoregulated in a Bwc1-dependent manner in Cryptococcus, and in Neurospora crassa and Phycomyces blakesleeanus that are species that represent two other major lineages in the fungi. Overexpression of UVE1 in bwc1 mutants rescues their UV sensitivity phenotype and gel mobility shift experiments show binding of Bwc2 to the UVE1 promoter, indicating that UVE1 is a direct downstream target for the Bwc1-Bwc2 complex. Uve1-GFP fusions localize to the mitochondria. Repair of UV-induced damage to the mitochondria is delayed in the uve1 mutant strain. Thus, in C. neoformans UVE1 is a key gene regulated in response to light that is responsible for tolerance to UV stress for protection of the mitochondrial genome. The majority of fungi sense light using the White Collar complex (WCC), a two-protein combination of a photoreceptor and a transcription factor. The WCC regulates circadian rhythms, sexual development, sporulation, metabolism, and virulence. As such, the exposure to light controls properties of fungi that are beneficial and detrimental to people, depending on the species and its interaction with humans. Despite the importance of light on fungal biology, the underlying evolutionary benefit of light-sensing in fungi has remained a mystery. Here we identify a DNA damage repair endonuclease, Uve1, required for UV stress tolerance in the human pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans. UVE1 is a direct target of the WCC in C. neoformans, and UVE1 homologs are also regulated by WCC in two other major lineages of fungi, the Ascomycota and Mucoromycotina. The divergence of the three groups indicates that for about a billion years the same transcription factor complex has regulated a common gene to protect fungal genomes from deleterious effects of light. Curiously, in C. neoformans Uve1 localizes to mitochondria and contributes to mitochondrial DNA repair, implicating its importance in genome repair of this organelle. Thus, light-sensing in fungi exists to protect them against harmful light, and likely all other responses to light relate to or are a secondary consequence of this selective pressure.
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Carreras-Villaseñor N, Esquivel-Naranjo EU, Villalobos-Escobedo JM, Abreu-Goodger C, Herrera-Estrella A. The RNAi machinery regulates growth and development in the filamentous fungusTrichoderma atroviride. Mol Microbiol 2013; 89:96-112. [DOI: 10.1111/mmi.12261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/10/2013] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nohemi Carreras-Villaseñor
- Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad; Cinvestav Sede Irapuato; Km 9.6 Libramiento Norte Carretera Irapuato-León; 36821; Irapuato; Gto.; Mexico
| | - Edgardo U. Esquivel-Naranjo
- Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad; Cinvestav Sede Irapuato; Km 9.6 Libramiento Norte Carretera Irapuato-León; 36821; Irapuato; Gto.; Mexico
| | - J. Manuel Villalobos-Escobedo
- Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad; Cinvestav Sede Irapuato; Km 9.6 Libramiento Norte Carretera Irapuato-León; 36821; Irapuato; Gto.; Mexico
| | - Cei Abreu-Goodger
- Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad; Cinvestav Sede Irapuato; Km 9.6 Libramiento Norte Carretera Irapuato-León; 36821; Irapuato; Gto.; Mexico
| | - Alfredo Herrera-Estrella
- Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad; Cinvestav Sede Irapuato; Km 9.6 Libramiento Norte Carretera Irapuato-León; 36821; Irapuato; Gto.; Mexico
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Congenic strains for genetic analysis of virulence traits in Cryptococcus gattii. Infect Immun 2013; 81:2616-25. [PMID: 23670558 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00018-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Cryptococcus gattii is responsible for a large outbreak of potentially fatal disease that started in the late 1990s on Vancouver Island, Canada. How this fungus and the outbreak isolates in particular cause disease in immunocompetent people is unknown, with differing hypotheses. To explore genetic contributions, a pair of congenic a and α mating type strains was generated by a series of 11 backcrosses to introgress the MAT locus from a nonoutbreak strain into the background of strain R265, isolated from a Vancouver Island patient. The congenic pair was used to investigate three traits: mitochondrial inheritance, the effect of the MAT alleles on virulence, and the impact of a predicted virulence factor on pathogenicity. The two congenic strains show the same virulence in different models of cryptococcosis and equivalent levels of competition in coinfection assays. These results rule out a role of the MAT locus and mitochondrial genotype as major virulence factors in the outbreak strains. Disruption of Bwc2, a light-dependent transcription factor, resulted in reduced virulence, consistent with a similar function in the related species Cryptococcus neoformans. The C. gattii congenic strains represent a new resource for exploring the evolution of virulence in the C. neoformans-C. gattii clade.
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Canessa P, Schumacher J, Hevia MA, Tudzynski P, Larrondo LF. Assessing the effects of light on differentiation and virulence of the plant pathogen Botrytis cinerea: characterization of the White Collar Complex. PLoS One 2013. [PMID: 24391918 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.084223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Organisms are exposed to a tough environment, where acute daily challenges, like light, can strongly affect several aspects of an individual's physiology, including pathogenesis. While several fungal models have been widely employed to understand the physiological and molecular events associated with light perception, various other agricultural-relevant fungi still remain, in terms of their responsiveness to light, in the dark. The fungus Botrytis cinerea is an aggressive pathogen able to cause disease on a wide range of plant species. Natural B. cinerea isolates exhibit a high degree of diversity in their predominant mode of reproduction. Thus, the majority of naturally occurring strains are known to reproduce asexually via conidia and sclerotia, and sexually via apothecia. Studies from the 1970's reported on specific developmental responses to treatments with near-UV, blue, red and far-red light. To unravel the signaling machinery triggering development--and possibly also connected with virulence--we initiated the functional characterization of the transcription factor/photoreceptor BcWCL1 and its partner BcWCL2, that form the White Collar Complex (WCC) in B. cinerea. Using mutants either abolished in or exhibiting enhanced WCC signaling (overexpression of both bcwcl1 and bcwcl2), we demonstrate that the WCC is an integral part of the mentioned machinery by mediating transcriptional responses to white light and the inhibition of conidiation in response to this stimulus. Furthermore, the WCC is required for coping with excessive light, oxidative stress and also to achieve full virulence. Although several transcriptional responses are abolished in the absence of bcwcl1, the expression of some genes is still light induced and a distinct conidiation pattern in response to daily light oscillations is enhanced, revealing a complex underlying photobiology. Though overlaps with well-studied fungal systems exist, the light-associated machinery of B. cinerea appears more complex than those of Neurospora crassa and Aspergillus nidulans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulo Canessa
- Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Julia Schumacher
- Institut für Biologie und Biotechnologie der Pflanzen, Westf. Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Montserrat A Hevia
- Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Paul Tudzynski
- Institut für Biologie und Biotechnologie der Pflanzen, Westf. Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Luis F Larrondo
- Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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Environmental responses and the control of iron homeostasis in fungal systems. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2012; 97:939-55. [DOI: 10.1007/s00253-012-4615-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2012] [Revised: 11/18/2012] [Accepted: 11/20/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Ohm RA, Aerts D, Wösten HAB, Lugones LG. The blue light receptor complex WC-1/2 of Schizophyllum commune is involved in mushroom formation and protection against phototoxicity. Environ Microbiol 2012; 15:943-55. [PMID: 22998561 DOI: 10.1111/j.1462-2920.2012.02878.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2012] [Revised: 05/31/2012] [Accepted: 08/23/2012] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Blue light is necessary for initiation of mushroom formation in Schizophyllum commune. The genome of this basidiomycete contains homologues of the blue light receptor genes wc-1 and wc-2 of Neurospora crassa. Here, it is shown that inactivation of either or both of these genes in S. commune results in a blind phenotype. Mushroom formation was abolished in dikaryons and they formed symmetrical instead of asymmetrical colonies. Development was restored in a temperature dependent way in a Δwc-2Δwc-2 strain by introducing a construct encompassing the wc-2 gene under control of the promoter of the heat shock gene hsp3. A genome-wide expression analysis showed that the transcription factor genes c2h2 and hom1 as well as many hydrophobin genes are downregulated in light-grown colonies of the Δwc-2Δwc-2 mutant when compared with the wild-type dikaryon. Inactivation of wc-1 and/or wc-2 also resulted in sensitivity of the mycelium to intense light. Monokaryotic mutant strains only survived exposure to 6500 lux of light by growing into the agar. Expression analysis indicates that the photosensitivity of the Δwc-1 and Δwc-2 strains is due to lower levels of photolyase and ferrochelatase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin A Ohm
- Department of Microbiology and Kluyver Centre for Genomics of Industrial Fermentations, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Strain-related differences in antibody-mediated changes in gene expression are associated with differences in capsule and location of binding. Fungal Genet Biol 2012; 49:227-34. [PMID: 22327012 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2012.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2011] [Revised: 01/23/2012] [Accepted: 01/24/2012] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
We recently established that antibody (Ab)-binding can induce gene expression changes in a serotype A strain (H99) of the pathogenic yeast, Cryptococcus neoformans. That study showed that monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) differing in epitope specificity and protective efficacy elicited differences in gene expression. Because many mAbs bind to serotypes A and D strains differently, we now investigate the binding of one mAb to two strains representing these serotypes. Cells of the serotype A strain H99 and the serotype D strain 24067 were incubated with near saturating concentrations of the IgG1 capsule-binding mAb 18B7 or MOPC, an irrelevant mAb matched control. Comparative immunofluorescence analysis of mAb 18B7 binding revealed that it bound closer to the cell wall in H99 than 24067, where it was associated with decreased or increased cell diameter, respectively. A comparison of encapsulated cell compressibility showed that strain 24067 was more compressible than that of strain H99. RNA was extracted and used for gene expression analysis using the C. neoformans JEC21 genomic microarray. After 1h incubation with mAb 18B7, there were just 2 gene expression changes observed with strain 24067 or strain JEC21, unlike the 43 seen with strain H99. After 4h incubation with mAb 18B7, there were 14 and 140 gene expression changes observed with strain 24067 and JEC21, respectively. Thus, C. neoformans strains differ both in the response and the time of response to mAb binding and these differences may reflect differences in the location of Ab binding, Ab-mediated changes in cell diameter and compressibility of the capsular polysaccharide.
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Tisch D, Kubicek CP, Schmoll M. The phosducin-like protein PhLP1 impacts regulation of glycoside hydrolases and light response in Trichoderma reesei. BMC Genomics 2011; 12:613. [PMID: 22182583 PMCID: PMC3267782 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-12-613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2011] [Accepted: 12/19/2011] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In the biotechnological workhorse Trichoderma reesei (Hypocrea jecorina) transcription of cellulase genes as well as efficiency of the secreted cellulase mixture are modulated by light. Components of the heterotrimeric G-protein pathway interact with light-dependent signals, rendering this pathway a key regulator of cellulase gene expression. RESULTS As regulators of heterotrimeric G-protein signaling, class I phosducin-like proteins, are assumed to act as co-chaperones for G-protein beta-gamma folding and exert their function in response to light in higher eukaryotes. Our results revealed light responsive transcription of the T. reesei class I phosducin-like protein gene phlp1 and indicate a light dependent function of PhLP1 also in fungi. We showed the functions of PhLP1, GNB1 and GNG1 in the same pathway, with one major output being the regulation of transcription of glycoside hydrolase genes including cellulase genes in T. reesei. We found no direct correlation between the growth rate and global regulation of glycoside hydrolases, which suggests that regulation of growth does not occur only at the level of substrate degradation efficiency.Additionally, PhLP1, GNB1 and GNG1 are all important for proper regulation of light responsiveness during long term exposure. In their absence, the amount of light regulated genes increased from 2.7% in wild type to 14% in Δphlp1. Besides from the regulation of degradative enzymes, PhLP1 was also found to impact on the transcription of genes involved in sexual development, which was in accordance with decreased efficiency of fruiting body formation in Δphlp1. The lack of GNB1 drastically diminished ascospore discharge in T. reesei. CONCLUSIONS The heterotrimeric G-protein pathway is crucial for the interconnection of nutrient signaling and light response of T. reesei, with the class I phosducin-like protein PhLP1, GNB1 and GNG1 acting as important nodes, which influence light responsiveness, glycoside hydrolase gene transcription and sexual development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doris Tisch
- Research Area of Gene Technology and Applied Biochemistry, Institute for Chemical Engineering, Vienna University of Technology, Gumpendorferstraße 1a, A-1060 Wien, Austria
| | - Christian P Kubicek
- Research Area of Gene Technology and Applied Biochemistry, Institute for Chemical Engineering, Vienna University of Technology, Gumpendorferstraße 1a, A-1060 Wien, Austria
| | - Monika Schmoll
- Research Area of Gene Technology and Applied Biochemistry, Institute for Chemical Engineering, Vienna University of Technology, Gumpendorferstraße 1a, A-1060 Wien, Austria
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Calcineurin colocalizes with P-bodies and stress granules during thermal stress in Cryptococcus neoformans. EUKARYOTIC CELL 2011; 10:1396-402. [PMID: 21724937 DOI: 10.1128/ec.05087-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Calcineurin is a calcium-calmodulin-activated serine/threonine-specific phosphatase that operates during cellular responses to stress and plays a prominent role in transcriptional control, whereas regulatory events beyond transcription are less well characterized. This study reveals a novel transcription-independent role of calcineurin during the temperature stress response in the human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans. The diffusely cytoplasmic calcineurin catalytic subunit Cna1 relocates to endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated puncta and the mother-bud neck when cells are subjected to 37°C. More than 50% of Cna1 puncta contain the P-body constituent decapping enzyme Dcp1 and the stress granule constituent poly(A)-binding protein Pub1. These results support a model in which calcineurin orchestrates thermal stress responses by associating with sites of mRNA processing.
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Abstract
Light regulates several aspects of the biology of many organisms, including the balance between asexual and sexual development in some fungi. To understand how light regulates fungal development at the molecular level we have used Aspergillus nidulans as a model. We have performed a genome-wide expression analysis that has allowed us to identify >400 genes upregulated and >100 genes downregulated by light in developmentally competent mycelium. Among the upregulated genes were genes required for the regulation of asexual development, one of the major biological responses to light in A. nidulans, which is a pathway controlled by the master regulatory gene brlA. The expression of brlA, like conidiation, is induced by light. A detailed analysis of brlA light regulation revealed increased expression after short exposures with a maximum after 60 min of light followed by photoadaptation with longer light exposures. In addition to brlA, genes flbA-C and fluG are also light regulated, and flbA-C are required for the correct light-dependent regulation of the upstream regulator fluG. We have found that light induction of brlA required the photoreceptor complex composed of a phytochrome FphA, and the white-collar homologs LreA and LreB, and the fluffy genes flbA-C. We propose that the activation of regulatory genes by light is the key event in the activation of asexual development by light in A. nidulans.
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Idnurm A, Verma S, Corrochano LM. A glimpse into the basis of vision in the kingdom Mycota. Fungal Genet Biol 2010; 47:881-92. [PMID: 20451644 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2010.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2010] [Revised: 04/20/2010] [Accepted: 04/27/2010] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Virtually all organisms exposed to light are capable of sensing this environmental signal. In recent years the photoreceptors that mediate the ability of fungi to "see" have been identified in diverse species, and increasingly characterized. The small sizes of fungal genomes and ease in genetic and molecular biology manipulations make this kingdom ideal amongst the eukaryotes for understanding photosensing. The most widespread and conserved photosensory protein in the fungi is White collar 1 (WC-1), a flavin-binding photoreceptor that functions with WC-2 as a transcription factor complex. Other photosensory proteins in fungi include opsins, phytochromes and cryptochromes whose roles in fungal photobiology are not fully resolved and their distribution in the fungi requires further taxon sampling. Additional unknown photoreceptors await discovery. This review discusses the effects of light on fungi and the evolutionary processes that may have shaped the ability of species to sense and respond to this signal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Idnurm
- Division of Cell Biology and Biophysics, School of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA.
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