Comparative evolutionary genomics unveils the molecular mechanism of reassignment of the CTG codon in Candida spp

In silico structural exploration of serine protease from a CTG-clade yeast Meyerozyma guilliermondii strain SO

In eukaryotes, serine proteases are cellular localized hydrolases reported to regulate essential biological reactions. Improved industrial applications of proteins are aided by prediction and analysis of their 3-dimensional structures (3D). A serine protease was identified from CTG-clade yeast Meyerozyma guilliermondii strain SO and its 3D structure as well as its catalytic attributes have not been fully understood yet, thus we seek to report on the catalytic mechanism of M. guilliermondii strain SO MgPRB1 using substrate PMSF via in silico docking as well as its stability by way of disulfide bonds formation. Herein, bioinformatics tools and techniques were used to predict, validate and analyze the possible changes of CUG ambiguity (if any) in strain SO using template PDB ID: 3F7O. Structural assessments confirmed the classic catalytic triad Asp305, His337, and Ser499. Superimposition of MgPRB1 and template 3F7O structures revealed the unlinked cysteine residues between Cys341, Cys440, Cys471 and Cys506 of MgPRB1 compared to template 3F7O with two disulfide bonds formation, which confers structural stability. In conclusion, serine protease structure from strain SO was successfully predicted and studies towards understanding at the molecular level may be undertaken for its potential applications in the degradation of peptide bonds.

Coding Sequence Insertions in Fungal Genomes are Intrinsically Disordered and can Impart Functionally-Important Properties on the Host Protein

Insertion and deletion mutations (indels) are important mechanisms of generating protein diversity. Indels in coding sequences are under considerable selective pressure to maintain reading frames and to preserve protein function, but once generated, indels provide raw material for the acquisition of new protein properties and functions. We reported recently that coding sequence insertions in the Candida albicans NDU1 protein, a mitochondrial protein involved in the assembly of the NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase are imperative for respiration, biofilm formation and pathogenesis. NDU1 inserts are specific to CTG-clade fungi, absent in human ortholog and successfully harnessed as drug targets. Here, we present the first comprehensive report investigating indels and clade-defining insertions (CDIs) in fungal proteomes. We investigated 80 ascomycete proteomes encompassing CTG clade species, the Saccharomycetaceae family, the Aspergillaceae family and the Herpotrichiellaceae (black yeasts) family. We identified over 30,000 insertions, 4,000 CDIs and 2,500 clade-defining deletions (CDDs). Insert sizes range from 1 to over 1,000 residues in length, while maximum deletion length is 19 residues. Inserts are strikingly over-represented in protein kinases, and excluded from structural domains and transmembrane segments. Inserts are predicted to be highly disordered. The amino acid compositions of the inserts are highly depleted in hydrophobic residues and enriched in polar residues. An indel in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Sth1 protein, the catalytic subunit of the RSC (Remodel the Structure of Chromatin) complex is predicted to be disordered until it forms a ß-strand upon interaction. This interaction performs a vital role in RSC-mediated transcriptional regulation, thereby expanding protein function.

An Adjuvant-Based Approach Enables the Use of Dominant HYG and KAN Selectable Markers in Candida albicans

Candida albicans is a pathobiont fungus that can colonize multiple niches in the human body but is also a frequent cause of both mucosal and systemic disease. Despite its clinical importance, a paucity of dominant selectable markers has hindered the development of tools for genetic manipulation of the species. One factor limiting the utilization of dominant selectable markers is that C. albicans is inherently more resistant to antibiotics used for selection in other species. Here, we showed that the inclusion of suitable adjuvants can enable the use of two aminoglycoside antibiotics, hygromycin B and G418, for positive selection in C. albicans. Combining these antibiotics with an adjuvant, such as quinine or molybdate, substantially suppressed the background growth of C. albicans, thereby enabling transformants expressing CaHygB or CaKan markers to be readily identified. We verified that these adjuvants were not mutagenic to C. albicans and that CaHygB and CaKan markers were orthogonal to the existing marker NAT1/SAT1, and so provide complementary tools for the genetic manipulation of C. albicans strains. Our study also established that adjuvant-based approaches can enable the use of selectable markers that would otherwise be limited by high background growth from susceptible cells. IMPORTANCE Only a single dominant selectable marker has been widely adopted for use in the opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida albicans. This is in stark contrast to model fungi where a repertoire of dominant markers is readily available. A limiting factor for C. albicans has been the high levels of background growth obtained with multiple antibiotics, thereby limiting their use for distinguishing cells that carry an antibiotic-resistance gene from those that do not. Here, we demonstrated that the inclusion of adjuvants can reduce background growth and enable the robust use of both CaHygB and CaKan markers for genetic selection in C. albicans.

Interactions of Both Pathogenic and Nonpathogenic CUG Clade Candida Species with Macrophages Share a Conserved Transcriptional Landscape

Candida species are a leading cause of opportunistic, hospital-associated bloodstream infections with high mortality rates, typically in immunocompromised patients. Several species, including Candida albicans, the most prevalent cause of infection, belong to the monophyletic CUG clade of yeasts. Innate immune cells such as macrophages are crucial for controlling infection, and C. albicans responds to phagocytosis by a coordinated induction of pathways involved in catabolism of nonglucose carbon sources, termed alternative carbon metabolism, which together are essential for virulence. However, the interactions of other CUG clade species with macrophages have not been characterized. Here, we analyzed transcriptional responses to macrophage phagocytosis by six Candida species across a range of virulence and clinical importance. We define a core induced response common to pathogenic and nonpathogenic species alike, heavily weighted to alternative carbon metabolism. One prominent pathogen, Candida parapsilosis, showed species-specific expansion of phagocytosis-responsive genes, particularly metabolite transporters. C. albicans and Candida tropicalis, the other prominent pathogens, also had species-specific responses, but these were largely comprised of functionally uncharacterized genes. Transcriptional analysis of macrophages also demonstrated highly correlated proinflammatory transcriptional responses to different Candida species that were largely independent of fungal viability, suggesting that this response is driven by recognition of conserved cell wall components. This study significantly broadens our understanding of host interactions in CUG clade species, demonstrating that although metabolic plasticity is crucial for virulence in Candida, it alone is not sufficient to confer pathogenicity. Instead, we identify sets of mostly uncharacterized genes that may explain the evolution of pathogenicity.

A computational screen for alternative genetic codes in over 250,000 genomes

The genetic code has been proposed to be a ‘frozen accident,’ but the discovery of alternative genetic codes over the past four decades has shown that it can evolve to some degree. Since most examples were found anecdotally, it is difficult to draw general conclusions about the evolutionary trajectories of codon reassignment and why some codons are affected more frequently. To fill in the diversity of genetic codes, we developed Codetta, a computational method to predict the amino acid decoding of each codon from nucleotide sequence data. We surveyed the genetic code usage of over 250,000 bacterial and archaeal genome sequences in GenBank and discovered five new reassignments of arginine codons (AGG, CGA, and CGG), representing the first sense codon changes in bacteria. In a clade of uncultivated Bacilli, the reassignment of AGG to become the dominant methionine codon likely evolved by a change in the amino acid charging of an arginine tRNA. The reassignments of CGA and/or CGG were found in genomes with low GC content, an evolutionary force that likely helped drive these codons to low frequency and enable their reassignment.

All life forms rely on a ‘code’ to translate their genetic information into proteins. This code relies on limited permutations of three nucleotides – the building blocks that form DNA and other types of genetic information. Each ‘triplet’ of nucleotides – or codon – encodes a specific amino acid, the basic component of proteins. Reading the sequence of codons in the right order will let the cell know which amino acid to assemble next on a growing protein. For instance, the codon CGG – formed of the nucleotides guanine (G) and cytosine (C) – codes for the amino acid arginine. From bacteria to humans, most life forms rely on the same genetic code. Yet certain organisms have evolved to use slightly different codes, where one or several codons have an altered meaning.

To better understand how alternative genetic codes have evolved, Shulgina and Eddy set out to find more organisms featuring these altered codons, creating a new software called Codetta that can analyze the genome of a microorganism and predict the genetic code it uses. Codetta was then used to sift through the genetic information of 250,000 microorganisms. This was made possible by the sequencing, in recent years, of the genomes of hundreds of thousands of bacteria and other microorganisms – including many never studied before.

These analyses revealed five groups of bacteria with alternative genetic codes, all of which had changes in the codons that code for arginine. Amongst these, four had genomes with a low proportion of guanine and cytosine nucleotides. This may have made some guanine and cytosine-rich arginine codons very rare in these organisms and, therefore, easier to be reassigned to encode another amino acid.

The work by Shulgina and Eddy demonstrates that Codetta is a new, useful tool that scientists can use to understand how genetic codes evolve. In addition, it can also help to ensure the accuracy of widely used protein databases, which assume which genetic code organisms use to predict protein sequences from their genomes.

Fluorescent toys 'n' tools lighting the way in fungal research

Although largely overlooked compared to bacterial infections, fungal infections pose a significant threat to the health of humans and other organisms. Many pathogenic fungi, especially Candida species, are extremely versatile and flexible in adapting to various host niches and stressful situations. This leads to high pathogenicity and increasing resistance to existing drugs. Due to the high level of conservation between fungi and mammalian cells, it is hard to find fungus-specific drug targets for novel therapy development. In this respect, it is vital to understand how these fungi function on a molecular, cellular as well as organismal level. Fluorescence imaging allows for detailed analysis of molecular mechanisms, cellular structures and interactions on different levels. In this manuscript, we provide researchers with an elaborate and contemporary overview of fluorescence techniques that can be used to study fungal pathogens. We focus on the available fluorescent labelling techniques and guide our readers through the different relevant applications of fluorescent imaging, from subcellular events to multispecies interactions and diagnostics. As well as cautioning researchers for potential challenges and obstacles, we offer hands-on tips and tricks for efficient experimentation and share our expert-view on future developments and possible improvements.

The role of non-standard translation in Candida albicans pathogenesis

Candida albicans typically resides in the human gastrointestinal tract and mucosal membranes as a commensal organism. To adapt and cope with the host immune system, it has evolved a variety of mechanisms of adaptation such as stress-induced mutagenesis and epigenetic regulation. Niche-specific patterns of gene expression also allow the fungus to fine-tune its response to specific microenvironments in the host and switch from harmless commensal to invasive pathogen. Proteome plasticity produced by CUG ambiguity, on the other hand is emerging as a new layer of complexity in C. albicans adaptation, pathogenesis, and drug resistance. Such proteome plasticity is the result of a genetic code alteration where the leucine CUG codon is translated mainly as serine (97%), but maintains some level of leucine (3%) assignment. In this review, we dissect the link between C. albicans non-standard CUG translation, proteome plasticity, host adaptation and pathogenesis. We discuss published work showing how this pathogen uses the fidelity of protein synthesis to spawn novel virulence traits.

Transfer RNAs: diversity in form and function

As the adaptor that decodes mRNA sequence into protein, the basic aspects of tRNA structure and function are central to all studies of biology. Yet the complexities of their properties and cellular roles go beyond the view of tRNAs as static participants in protein synthesis. Detailed analyses through more than 60 years of study have revealed tRNAs to be a fascinatingly diverse group of molecules in form and function, impacting cell biology, physiology, disease and synthetic biology. This review analyzes tRNA structure, biosynthesis and function, and includes topics that demonstrate their diversity and growing importance.

Structure Prediction of a Thermostable SR74 α-Amylase from Geobacillus stearothermophilus Expressed in CTG-Clade Yeast Meyerozyma guilliermondii Strain SO

α-amylase which catalyzes the hydrolysis of α-1,4-glycosidic bonds in starch have frequently been cloned into various microbial workhorses to yield a higher recombinant titer. A thermostable SR74 α-amylase from Geobacillus stearothermophilus was found to have a huge potential in detergent industries due to its thermostability properties. The gene was cloned into a CTG-clade yeast Meyerozyma guilliermondii strain SO. However, the CUG ambiguity present in the strain SO has possibly altered the amino acid residues in SR74 amylase wild type (WT) encoded by CUG the codon from the leucine to serine. From the multiple sequence alignment, six mutations were found in recombinant SR74 α-amylase (rc). Their effects on SR74 α-amylase structure and function remain unknown. Herein, we predicted the structures of the SR74 amylases (WT and rc) using the template 6ag0.1.A (PDB ID: 6ag0). We sought to decipher the possible effects of CUG ambiguity in strain SO via in silico analysis. They are structurally identical, and the metal triad (CaI–CaIII) might contribute to the thermostability while CaIV was attributed to substrate specificity. Since the pairwise root mean square deviation (RMSD) between the WT and rc SR74 α-amylase was lower than the template, we suggest that the biochemical properties of rc SR74 α-amylase were better deduced from its WT, especially its thermostability.

Modulating Mistranslation Potential of tRNASer in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) read the genetic code, translating nucleic acid sequence into protein. For tRNASer the anticodon does not specify its aminoacylation. For this reason, mutations in the tRNASer anticodon can result in amino acid substitutions, a process called mistranslation. Previously, we found that tRNASer with a proline anticodon was lethal to cells. However, by incorporating secondary mutations into the tRNA, mistranslation was dampened to a nonlethal level. The goal of this work was to identify second-site substitutions in tRNASer that modulate mistranslation to different levels. Targeted changes to putative identity elements led to total loss of tRNA function or significantly impaired cell growth. However, through genetic selection, we identified 22 substitutions that allow nontoxic mistranslation. These secondary mutations are primarily in single-stranded regions or substitute G:U base pairs for Watson-Crick pairs. Many of the variants are more toxic at low temperature and upon impairing the rapid tRNA decay pathway. We suggest that the majority of the secondary mutations affect the stability of the tRNA in cells. The temperature sensitivity of the tRNAs allows conditional mistranslation. Proteomic analysis demonstrated that tRNASer variants mistranslate to different extents with diminished growth correlating with increased mistranslation. When combined with a secondary mutation, other anticodon substitutions allow serine mistranslation at additional nonserine codons. These mistranslating tRNAs have applications in synthetic biology, by creating "statistical proteins," which may display a wider range of activities or substrate specificities than the homogenous form.

New Mitochondrial Targets in Fungal Pathogens

In eukaryotic cells, mitochondria are responsible for the synthesis of ATP using power generated by the electron transport chain (ETC). While much of what is known about mitochondria has been gained from a study of a small number of model species, including the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the general mechanisms of mitochondrial respiration have been recognized as being highly conserved across eukaryotes. Now, Sun et al. (N. Sun, R. S. Parrish, R. A. Calderone, and W. A.

In eukaryotic cells, mitochondria are responsible for the synthesis of ATP using power generated by the electron transport chain (ETC). While much of what is known about mitochondria has been gained from a study of a small number of model species, including the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the general mechanisms of mitochondrial respiration have been recognized as being highly conserved across eukaryotes. Now, Sun et al. (N. Sun, R. S. Parrish, R. A. Calderone, and W. A. Fonzi, mBio 10:e00300-19, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.00300-19) take the next steps in understanding mitochondrial function by identifying proteins that are unique to a smaller phylogenetic group of microbes. Using the combination of in silico, biochemical, and microbiological assays, Sun and colleagues identified seven genes that are unique to the CTG fungal clade, which contains multiple important human pathogens, including Candida albicans, and showed that they are required for full ETC function during respiratory metabolism. Because respiratory metabolism is critical for fungal pathogenesis, these clade-specific mitochondrial factors may represent novel therapeutic targets.

Conservation of location of several specific inhibitory codon pairs in the Saccharomyces sensu stricto yeasts reveals translational selection

Synonymous codons provide redundancy in the genetic code that influences translation rates in many organisms, in which overall codon use is driven by selection for optimal codons. It is unresolved if or to what extent translational selection drives use of suboptimal codons or codon pairs. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, 17 specific inhibitory codon pairs, each comprised of adjacent suboptimal codons, inhibit translation efficiency in a manner distinct from their constituent codons, and many are translated slowly in native genes. We show here that selection operates within Saccharomyces sensu stricto yeasts to conserve nine of these codon pairs at defined positions in genes. Conservation of these inhibitory codon pairs is significantly greater than expected, relative to conservation of their constituent codons, with seven pairs more highly conserved than any other synonymous pair. Conservation is strongly correlated with slow translation of the pairs. Conservation of suboptimal codon pairs extends to two related Candida species, fungi that diverged from Saccharomyces ∼270 million years ago, with an enrichment for codons decoded by I•A and U•G wobble in both Candida and Saccharomyces. Thus, conservation of inhibitory codon pairs strongly implies selection for slow translation at particular gene locations, executed by suboptimal codon pairs.

Pseudouridine synthase 7 impacts Candida albicans rRNA processing and morphological plasticity

RNA can be modified in over 100 distinct ways, and these modifications are critical for function. Pseudouridine synthases catalyse pseudouridylation, one of the most prevalent RNA modifications. Pseudouridine synthase 7 modifies a variety of substrates in Saccharomyces cerevisiae including tRNA, rRNA, snRNA, and mRNA, but the substrates for other budding yeast Pus7 homologues are not known. We used CRISPR‐mediated genome editing to disrupt Candida albicansPUS7 and find absence leads to defects in rRNA processing and a decrease in cell surface hydrophobicity. Furthermore, C. albicans Pus7 absence causes temperature sensitivity, defects in filamentation, altered sensitivity to antifungal drugs, and decreased virulence in a wax moth model. In addition, we find C. albicans Pus7 modifies tRNA residues, but does not modify a number of other S. cerevisiae Pus7 substrates. Our data suggests C. albicans Pus7 is important for fungal vigour and may play distinct biological roles than those ascribed to S. cerevisiae Pus7.

Variation and selection on codon usage bias across an entire subphylum

Variation in synonymous codon usage is abundant across multiple levels of organization: between codons of an amino acid, between genes in a genome, and between genomes of different species. It is now well understood that variation in synonymous codon usage is influenced by mutational bias coupled with both natural selection for translational efficiency and genetic drift, but how these processes shape patterns of codon usage bias across entire lineages remains unexplored. To address this question, we used a rich genomic data set of 327 species that covers nearly one third of the known biodiversity of the budding yeast subphylum Saccharomycotina. We found that, while genome-wide relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) for all codons was highly correlated with the GC content of the third codon position (GC3), the usage of codons for the amino acids proline, arginine, and glycine was inconsistent with the neutral expectation where mutational bias coupled with genetic drift drive codon usage. Examination between genes' effective numbers of codons and their GC3 contents in individual genomes revealed that nearly a quarter of genes (381,174/1,683,203; 23%), as well as most genomes (308/327; 94%), significantly deviate from the neutral expectation. Finally, by evaluating the imprint of translational selection on codon usage, measured as the degree to which genes' adaptiveness to the tRNA pool were correlated with selective pressure, we show that translational selection is widespread in budding yeast genomes (264/327; 81%). These results suggest that the contribution of translational selection and drift to patterns of synonymous codon usage across budding yeasts varies across codons, genes, and genomes; whereas drift is the primary driver of global codon usage across the subphylum, the codon bias of large numbers of genes in the majority of genomes is influenced by translational selection.

Conditional accumulation of toxic tRNAs to cause amino acid misincorporation

To develop a system for conditional amino acid misincorporation, we engineered tRNAs in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to be substrates of the rapid tRNA decay (RTD) pathway, such that they accumulate when RTD is turned off. We used this system to test the effects on growth of a library of tRNASer variants with all possible anticodons, and show that many are lethal when RTD is inhibited and the tRNA accumulates. Using mass spectrometry, we measured serine misincorporation in yeast containing each of six tRNA variants, and for five of them identified hundreds of peptides with serine substitutions at the targeted amino acid sites. Unexpectedly, we found that there is not a simple correlation between toxicity and the level of serine misincorporation; in particular, high levels of serine misincorporation can occur at cysteine residues without obvious growth defects. We also showed that toxic tRNAs can be used as a tool to identify sequence variants that reduce tRNA function. Finally, we generalized this method to another tRNA species, and generated conditionally toxic tRNATyr variants in a similar manner. This method should facilitate the study of tRNA biology and provide a tool to probe the effects of amino acid misincorporation on cellular physiology.

A Host-Pathogen Interaction Screen Identifies ada2 as a Mediator of Candida glabrata Defenses Against Reactive Oxygen Species

Candida glabrata (C. glabrata) forms part of the normal human gut microbiota but can cause life-threatening invasive infections in immune-compromised individuals. C. glabrata displays high resistance to common azole antifungals, which necessitates new treatments. In this investigation, we identified five C. glabrata deletion mutants (∆ada2, ∆bas1, ∆hir3, ∆ino2 and ∆met31) from a library of 196 transcription factor mutants that were unable to grow and activate an immune response in Drosophila larvae. This highlighted the importance of these transcription factors in C. glabrata infectivity. Further ex vivo investigation into these mutants revealed the requirement of C. glabrata ADA2 for oxidative stress tolerance. We confirmed this observation in vivo whereby growth of the C. glabrata Δada2 strain was permitted only in flies with suppressed production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Conversely, overexpression of ADA2 promoted C. glabrata replication in infected wild type larvae resulting in larval killing. We propose that ADA2 orchestrates the response of C. glabrata against ROS-mediated immune defenses during infection. With the need to find alternative antifungal treatment for C. glabrata infections, genes required for survival in the host environment, such as ADA2, provide promising potential targets.

Synthetic genome recoding: new genetic codes for new features

Full genome recoding, or rewriting codon meaning, through chemical synthesis of entire bacterial chromosomes has become feasible in the past several years. Recoding an organism can impart new properties including non-natural amino acid incorporation, virus resistance, and biocontainment. The estimated cost of construction that includes DNA synthesis, assembly by recombination, and troubleshooting, is now comparable to costs of early stage development of drugs or other high-tech products. Here, we discuss several recently published assembly methods and provide some thoughts on the future, including how synthetic efforts might benefit from the analysis of natural recoding processes and organisms that use alternative genetic codes.

[Yeasts from the CTG clade (Candida clade): Biology, impact in human health, and biotechnological applications]

Among the subdivision of Saccharomycotina (ascomycetes budding yeasts), the CTG clade (formerly the Candida clade) includes species that display a particular genetic code. In these yeasts, the CTG codon is predominantly translated as a serine instead of a leucine residue. It is now well-known that some CTG clade species have a major impact on human and its activities. Some of them are recognized as opportunistic agents of fungal infections termed candidiasis. In addition, another series of species belonging to the CTG clade draws the attention of some research groups because they exhibit a strong potential in various areas of biotechnology such as biological control, bioremediation, but also in the production of valuable biocompounds (biofuel, vitamins, sweeteners, industrial enzymes). Here we provide an overview of recent advances concerning the biology, clinical relevance, and currently tested biotechnological applications of species of the CTG clade. Future directions for scientific research on these particular yeasts are also discussed.

Zinc Limitation Induces a Hyper-Adherent Goliath Phenotype in Candida albicans

Pathogenic microorganisms often face acute micronutrient limitation during infection due to the action of host-mediated nutritional immunity. The human fungal pathogen Candida albicans is polymorphic and its morphological plasticity is one of its most widely recognized pathogenicity attributes. Here we investigated the effect of zinc, iron, manganese, and copper limitation on C. albicans morphology. Restriction of zinc specifically resulted in the formation of enlarged, spherical yeasts, a phenotype which we term Goliath cells. This cellular response to zinc restriction was conserved in C. albicans, C. dubliniensis and C. tropicalis, but not in C. parapsilosis, C. lusitaniae or Debaryomyces hansenii, suggesting that it may have emerged in the last common ancestor of these related pathogenic species. Cell wall analysis revealed proportionally more chitin exposure on the Goliath cell surface. Importantly, these cells were hyper-adherent, suggesting a possible role in pathogenicity. Interestingly, the zincophore-encoding gene PRA1 was expressed by Goliath cells in zinc limited media and lack of Pra1 inhibited both cellular enlargement and adhesion. Goliath cells represent a further layer of Candida phenotypic plasticity.

Investigating Clinical Issues by Genotyping of Medically Important Fungi: Why and How?

Genotyping studies of medically important fungi have addressed elucidation of outbreaks, nosocomial transmissions, infection routes, and genotype-phenotype correlations, of which secondary resistance has been most intensively investigated. Two methods have emerged because of their high discriminatory power and reproducibility: multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and microsatellite length polymorphism (MLP) using short tandem repeat (STR) markers. MLST relies on single-nucleotide polymorphisms within the coding regions of housekeeping genes. STR polymorphisms are based on the number of repeats of short DNA fragments, mostly outside coding regions, and thus are expected to be more polymorphic and more rapidly evolving than MLST markers. There is no consensus on a universal typing system. Either one or both of these approaches are now available for Candida spp., Aspergillus spp., Fusarium spp., Scedosporium spp., Cryptococcus neoformans, Pneumocystis jirovecii, and endemic mycoses. The choice of the method and the number of loci to be tested depend on the clinical question being addressed. Next-generation sequencing is becoming the most appropriate method for fungi with no MLP or MLST typing available. Whatever the molecular tool used, collection of clinical data (e.g., time of hospitalization and sharing of similar rooms) is mandatory for investigating outbreaks and nosocomial transmission.

Evolving Mistranslating tRNAs Through a Phenotypically Ambivalent Intermediate in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The genetic code converts information from nucleic acid into protein. The genetic code was thought to be immutable, yet many examples in nature indicate that variations to the code provide a selective advantage. We used a sensitive selection system involving suppression of a deleterious allele (tti2-L187P) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to detect mistranslation and identify mechanisms that allow genetic code evolution. Though tRNA^Ser containing a proline anticodon (UGG) is toxic, using our selection system we identified four tRNA^Ser_UGG variants, each with a single mutation, that mistranslate at a tolerable level. Mistranslating tRNA^Leu_UGG variants were also obtained, demonstrating the generality of the approach. We characterized two of the tRNA^Ser_UGG variants. One contained a G26A mutation, which reduced cell growth to 70% of the wild-type rate, induced a heat shock response, and was lost in the absence of selection. The reduced toxicity of tRNA^Ser_UGG-G26A is likely through increased turnover of the tRNA, as lack of methylation at G26 leads to degradation via the rapid tRNA decay pathway. The second tRNA^Ser_UGG variant, with a G9A mutation, had minimal effect on cell growth, was relatively stable in cells, and gave rise to less of a heat shock response. In vitro, the G9A mutation decreases aminoacylation and affects folding of the tRNA. Notably, the G26A and G9A mutations were phenotypically neutral in the context of an otherwise wild-type tRNA^Ser These experiments reveal a model for genetic code evolution in which tRNA anticodon mutations and mistranslation evolve through phenotypically ambivalent intermediates that reduce tRNA function.

Genome Diversity and Evolution in the Budding Yeasts (Saccharomycotina)

Considerable progress in our understanding of yeast genomes and their evolution has been made over the last decade with the sequencing, analysis, and comparisons of numerous species, strains, or isolates of diverse origins. The role played by yeasts in natural environments as well as in artificial manufactures, combined with the importance of some species as model experimental systems sustained this effort. At the same time, their enormous evolutionary diversity (there are yeast species in every subphylum of Dikarya) sparked curiosity but necessitated further efforts to obtain appropriate reference genomes. Today, yeast genomes have been very informative about basic mechanisms of evolution, speciation, hybridization, domestication, as well as about the molecular machineries underlying them. They are also irreplaceable to investigate in detail the complex relationship between genotypes and phenotypes with both theoretical and practical implications. This review examines these questions at two distinct levels offered by the broad evolutionary range of yeasts: inside the best-studied Saccharomyces species complex, and across the entire and diversified subphylum of Saccharomycotina. While obviously revealing evolutionary histories at different scales, data converge to a remarkably coherent picture in which one can estimate the relative importance of intrinsic genome dynamics, including gene birth and loss, vs. horizontal genetic accidents in the making of populations. The facility with which novel yeast genomes can now be studied, combined with the already numerous available reference genomes, offer privileged perspectives to further examine these fundamental biological questions using yeasts both as eukaryotic models and as fungi of practical importance.

Nuclear codon reassignments in the genomics era and mechanisms behind their evolution

The canonical genetic code ubiquitously translates nucleotide into peptide sequence with several alterations known in viruses, bacteria, mitochondria, plastids, and single-celled eukaryotes. A new hypothesis to explain genetic code changes, termed tRNA loss driven codon reassignment, has been proposed recently when the polyphyly of the yeast codon reassignment events has been uncovered. According to this hypothesis, the driving force for genetic code changes are tRNA or translation termination factor loss-of-function mutations or loss-of-gene events. The free codon can subsequently be captured by all tRNAs that have an appropriately mutated anticodon and are efficiently charged. Thus, codon capture most likely happens by near-cognate tRNAs and tRNAs whose anticodons are not part of the recognition sites of the respective aminoacyl-tRNA-synthetases. This hypothesis comprehensively explains the CTG codon translation as alanine in Pachysolen yeast together with the long known translation of the same codon as serine in Candida albicans and related species, and can also be applied to most other known reassignments.

Mistranslation: from adaptations to applications

BACKGROUND

The conservation of the genetic code indicates that there was a single origin, but like all genetic material, the cell's interpretation of the code is subject to evolutionary pressure. Single nucleotide variations in tRNA sequences can modulate codon assignments by altering codon-anticodon pairing or tRNA charging. Either can increase translation errors and even change the code. The frozen accident hypothesis argued that changes to the code would destabilize the proteome and reduce fitness. In studies of model organisms, mistranslation often acts as an adaptive response. These studies reveal evolutionary conserved mechanisms to maintain proteostasis even during high rates of mistranslation.

SCOPE OF REVIEW

This review discusses the evolutionary basis of altered genetic codes, how mistranslation is identified, and how deviations to the genetic code are exploited. We revisit early discoveries of genetic code deviations and provide examples of adaptive mistranslation events in nature. Lastly, we highlight innovations in synthetic biology to expand the genetic code.

MAJOR CONCLUSIONS

The genetic code is still evolving. Mistranslation increases proteomic diversity that enables cells to survive stress conditions or suppress a deleterious allele. Genetic code variants have been identified by genome and metagenome sequence analyses, suppressor genetics, and biochemical characterization.

GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE

Understanding the mechanisms of translation and genetic code deviations enables the design of new codes to produce novel proteins. Engineering the translation machinery and expanding the genetic code to incorporate non-canonical amino acids are valuable tools in synthetic biology that are impacting biomedical research. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled "Biochemistry of Synthetic Biology - Recent Developments" Guest Editor: Dr. Ilka Heinemann and Dr. Patrick O'Donoghue.

Competition assays and physiological experiments of soil and phyllosphere yeasts identify Candida subhashii as a novel antagonist of filamentous fungi

BACKGROUND

While recent advances in next generation sequencing technologies have enabled researchers to readily identify countless microbial species in soil, rhizosphere, and phyllosphere microbiomes, the biological functions of the majority of these species are unknown. Functional studies are therefore urgently needed in order to characterize the plethora of microorganisms that are being identified and to point out species that may be used for biotechnology or plant protection. Here, we used a dual culture assay and growth analyses to characterise yeasts (40 different isolates) and their antagonistic effect on 16 filamentous fungi; comprising plant pathogens, antagonists, and saprophytes.

RESULTS

Overall, this competition screen of 640 pairwise combinations revealed a broad range of outcomes, ranging from small stimulatory effects of some yeasts up to a growth inhibition of more than 80% by individual species. On average, yeasts isolated from soil suppressed filamentous fungi more strongly than phyllosphere yeasts and the antagonistic activity was a species-/isolate-specific property and not dependent on the filamentous fungus a yeast was interacting with. The isolates with the strongest antagonistic activity were Metschnikowia pulcherrima, Hanseniaspora sp., Cyberlindnera sargentensis, Aureobasidium pullulans, Candida subhashii, and Pichia kluyveri. Among these, the soil yeasts (C. sargentensis, A. pullulans, C. subhashii) assimilated and/or oxidized more di-, tri- and tetrasaccharides and organic acids than yeasts from the phyllosphere. Only the two yeasts C. subhashii and M. pulcherrima were able to grow with N-acetyl-glucosamine as carbon source.

CONCLUSIONS

The competition assays and physiological experiments described here identified known antagonists that have been implicated in the biological control of plant pathogenic fungi in the past, but also little characterised species such as C. subhashii. Overall, soil yeasts were more antagonistic and metabolically versatile than yeasts from the phyllosphere. Noteworthy was the strong antagonistic activity of the soil yeast C. subhashii, which had so far only been described from a clinical sample and not been studied with respect to biocontrol. Based on binary competition assays and growth analyses (e.g., on different carbon sources, growth in root exudates), C. subhashii was identified as a competitive and antagonistic soil yeast with potential as a novel biocontrol agent against plant pathogenic fungi.

The halotolerant Debaryomyces hansenii, the Cinderella of non-conventional yeasts

Debaryomyces hansenii is a halotolerant yeast with a high biotechnological potential, particularly in the food industry. However, research in this yeast is limited by its molecular peculiarities. In this review we summarize the state of the art of research in this microorganisms, describing both pros and cons. We discuss (i) its halotolerance, (ii) the molecular factors involved in saline and osmotic stress, (iii) its high gene density and ambiguous CUG decoding, and (iv) its biotechnological and medical interests. We trust that all the bottlenecks in its study will soon be overcome and D. hansenii will become a fundamental organism for food biotechnological processes. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A novel nuclear genetic code alteration in yeasts and the evolution of codon reassignment in eukaryotes

The genetic code is the cellular translation table for the conversion of nucleotide sequences into amino acid sequences. Changes to the meaning of sense codons would introduce errors into almost every translated message and are expected to be highly detrimental. However, reassignment of single or multiple codons in mitochondria and nuclear genomes, although extremely rare, demonstrates that the code can evolve. Several models for the mechanism of alteration of nuclear genetic codes have been proposed (including “codon capture,” “genome streamlining,” and “ambiguous intermediate” theories), but with little resolution. Here, we report a novel sense codon reassignment in Pachysolen tannophilus, a yeast related to the Pichiaceae. By generating proteomics data and using tRNA sequence comparisons, we show that Pachysolen translates CUG codons as alanine and not as the more usual leucine. The Pachysolen tRNA_CAG is an anticodon-mutated tRNA^Ala containing all major alanine tRNA recognition sites. The polyphyly of the CUG-decoding tRNAs in yeasts is best explained by a tRNA loss driven codon reassignment mechanism. Loss of the CUG-tRNA in the ancient yeast is followed by gradual decrease of respective codons and subsequent codon capture by tRNAs whose anticodon is not part of the aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase recognition region. Our hypothesis applies to all nuclear genetic code alterations and provides several testable predictions. We anticipate more codon reassignments to be uncovered in existing and upcoming genome projects.

Non-Standard Genetic Codes Define New Concepts for Protein Engineering

The essential feature of the genetic code is the strict one-to-one correspondence between codons and amino acids. The canonical code consists of three stop codons and 61 sense codons that encode 20% of the amino acid repertoire observed in nature. It was originally designated as immutable and universal due to its conservation in most organisms, but sequencing of genes from the human mitochondrial genomes revealed deviations in codon assignments. Since then, alternative codes have been reported in both nuclear and mitochondrial genomes and genetic code engineering has become an important research field. Here, we review the most recent concepts arising from the study of natural non-standard genetic codes with special emphasis on codon re-assignment strategies that are relevant to engineering genetic code in the laboratory. Recent tools for synthetic biology and current attempts to engineer new codes for incorporation of non-standard amino acids are also reviewed in this article.

The transcriptome of Candida albicans mitochondria and the evolution of organellar transcription units in yeasts

Background

Yeasts show remarkable variation in the organization of their mitochondrial genomes, yet there is little experimental data on organellar gene expression outside few model species. Candida albicans is interesting as a human pathogen, and as a representative of a clade that is distant from the model yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Unlike them, it encodes seven Complex I subunits in its mtDNA. No experimental data regarding organellar expression were available prior to this study.

Methods

We used high-throughput RNA sequencing and traditional RNA biology techniques to study the mitochondrial transcriptome of C. albicans strains BWP17 and SN148.

Results

The 14 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, and 24 tRNA genes are expressed as eight primary polycistronic transcription units. We also found transcriptional activity in the noncoding regions, and antisense transcripts that could be a part of a regulatory mechanism. The promoter sequence is a variant of the nonanucleotide identified in other yeast mtDNAs, but some of the active promoters show significant departures from the consensus. The primary transcripts are processed by a tRNA punctuation mechanism into the monocistronic and bicistronic mature RNAs. The steady state levels of various mature transcripts exhibit large differences that are a result of posttranscriptional regulation. Transcriptome analysis allowed to precisely annotate the positions of introns in the RNL (2), COB (2) and COX1 (4) genes, as well as to refine the annotation of tRNAs and rRNAs. Comparative study of the mitochondrial genome organization in various Candida species indicates that they undergo shuffling in blocks usually containing 2–3 genes, and that their arrangement in primary transcripts is not conserved. tRNA genes with their associated promoters, as well as GC-rich sequence elements play an important role in these evolutionary events.

Conclusions

The main evolutionary force shaping the mitochondrial genomes of yeasts is the frequent recombination, constantly breaking apart and joining genes into novel primary transcription units. The mitochondrial transcription units are constantly rearranged in evolution shaping the features of gene expression, such as the presence of secondary promoter sites that are inactive, or act as “booster” promoters, simplified transcriptional regulation and reliance on posttranscriptional mechanisms.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-2078-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Characterization of Virulence-Related Phenotypes in Candida Species of the CUG Clade

Candida species cause a variety of mucosal and invasive infections and are, collectively, the most important human fungal pathogens in the developed world. The majority of these infections result from a few related species within the "CUG clade," so named because they use a nonstandard translation for that codon. Some members of the CUG clade, such as Candida albicans, present significant clinical problems, whereas others, such as Candida (Meyerozyma) guilliermondii, are uncommon in patients. The differences in incidence rates are imperfectly correlated with virulence in animal models of infection, but comparative analyses that might provide an explanation for why some species are effective pathogens and others are not have been rare or incomplete. To better understand the phenotypic basis for these differences, we characterized eight CUG clade species--C. albicans, C. dubliniensis, C. tropicalis, C. parapsilosis, Clavispora lusitaniae, M. guilliermondii, Debaryomyces hansenii, and Lodderomyces elongisporus--for host-relevant phenotypes, including nutrient utilization, stress tolerance, morphogenesis, interactions with phagocytes, and biofilm formation. Two species deviated from expectations based on animal studies and human incidence. C. dubliniensis was quite robust, grouping in nearly all assays with the most virulent species, C. albicans and C. tropicalis, whereas C. parapsilosis was substantially less fit than might be expected from its clinical importance. These findings confirm the utility of in vitro measures of virulence and provide insight into the evolution of virulence in the CUG clade.

Mitochondrial genome evolution in yeasts: an all-encompassing view

Mitochondria are important organelles that harbor their own genomes encoding a key set of proteins that ensure respiration and provide the eukaryotic cell with energy. Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing technologies present a unique opportunity to explore mitochondrial (mt) genome evolution. The Saccharomycotina yeasts have proven to be the leading organisms for mt comparative and population genomics. In fact, the explosion of complete yeast mt genome sequences has allowed for a broader view of the mt diversity across this incredibly diverse subphylum, both within and between closely related species. Here, we summarize the present state of yeast mitogenomics, including the currently available data and what it reveals concerning the diversity of content, organization, structure and evolution of mt genomes.

Molecular phylogeny of sequenced Saccharomycetes reveals polyphyly of the alternative yeast codon usage

The universal genetic code defines the translation of nucleotide triplets, called codons, into amino acids. In many Saccharomycetes a unique alteration of this code affects the translation of the CUG codon, which is normally translated as leucine. Most of the species encoding CUG alternatively as serine belong to the Candida genus and were grouped into a so-called CTG clade. However, the “Candida genus” is not a monophyletic group and several Candida species are known to use the standard CUG translation. The codon identity could have been changed in a single branch, the ancestor of the Candida, or to several branches independently leading to a polyphyletic alternative yeast codon usage (AYCU). In order to resolve the monophyly or polyphyly of the AYCU, we performed a phylogenomics analysis of 26 motor and cytoskeletal proteins from 60 sequenced yeast species. By investigating the CUG codon positions with respect to sequence conservation at the respective alignment positions, we were able to unambiguously assign the standard code or AYCU. Quantitative analysis of the highly conserved leucine and serine alignment positions showed that 61.1% and 17% of the CUG codons coding for leucine and serine, respectively, are at highly conserved positions, whereas only 0.6% and 2.3% of the CUG codons, respectively, are at positions conserved in the respective other amino acid. Plotting the codon usage onto the phylogenetic tree revealed the polyphyly of the AYCU with Pachysolen tannophilus and the CTG clade branching independently within a time span of 30–100 Ma.

Mammalian expression levels of cellulase and xylanase genes optimised by human codon usage are not necessarily higher than those optimised by the extremely biased approach

Xylanase gene xynB, cellulase genes egxA and bgl4 were subjected to codon optimisation using two opposing strategies. One was designated the 'one amino acid-one codon' approach, which employs only the codon most used by humans for each amino acid. The other one is referred to as the "humanised" codon usage method, which selects synonymous codons for each amino acid according to the human codon usage table to mimic patterns used in humans. Protein expression levels in mammalian cell lines from each sequence were measured using fluorescence-activated cell sorting, western blotting and enzymatic activity assay. The results indicate that compared with the humanised codon usage method, the relatively simple 'one amino acid-one codon' approach could enhance heterologous protein expression in mammalian cells without apparent drawbacks.

Predicting the fungal CUG codon translation with Bagheera

Background

Many eukaryotes have been shown to use alternative schemes to the universal genetic code. While most Saccharomycetes, including Saccharomyces cerevisiae, use the standard genetic code translating the CUG codon as leucine, some yeasts, including many but not all of the “Candida”, translate the same codon as serine. It has been proposed that the change in codon identity was accomplished by an almost complete loss of the original CUG codons, making the CUG positions within the extant species highly discriminative for the one or other translation scheme.

Results

In order to improve the prediction of genes in yeast species by providing the correct CUG decoding scheme we implemented a web server, called Bagheera, that allows determining the most probable CUG codon translation for a given transcriptome or genome assembly based on extensive reference data. As reference data we use 2071 manually assembled and annotated sequences from 38 cytoskeletal and motor proteins belonging to 79 yeast species. The web service includes a pipeline, which starts with predicting and aligning homologous genes to the reference data. CUG codon positions within the predicted genes are analysed with respect to amino acid similarity and CUG codon conservation in related species. In addition, the tRNA_CAG gene is predicted in genomic data and compared to known leu-tRNA_CAG and ser-tRNA_CAG genes. Bagheera can also be used to evaluate any mRNA and protein sequence data with the codon usage of the respective species. The usage of the system has been demonstrated by analysing six genomes not included in the reference data.

Conclusions

Gene prediction and consecutive comparison with reference data from other Saccharomycetes are sufficient to predict the most probable decoding scheme for CUG codons. This approach has been implemented into Bagheera (http://www.motorprotein.de/bagheera).

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2164-15-411) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Mlh2 is an accessory factor for DNA mismatch repair in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the essential mismatch repair (MMR) endonuclease Mlh1-Pms1 forms foci promoted by Msh2-Msh6 or Msh2-Msh3 in response to mispaired bases. Here we analyzed the Mlh1-Mlh2 complex, whose role in MMR has been unclear. Mlh1-Mlh2 formed foci that often colocalized with and had a longer lifetime than Mlh1-Pms1 foci. Mlh1-Mlh2 foci were similar to Mlh1-Pms1 foci: they required mispair recognition by Msh2-Msh6, increased in response to increased mispairs or downstream defects in MMR, and formed after induction of DNA damage by phleomycin but not double-stranded breaks by I-SceI. Mlh1-Mlh2 could be recruited to mispair-containing DNA in vitro by either Msh2-Msh6 or Msh2-Msh3. Deletion of MLH2 caused a synergistic increase in mutation rate in combination with deletion of MSH6 or reduced expression of Pms1. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the S. cerevisiae Mlh2 protein and the mammalian PMS1 protein are homologs. These results support a hypothesis that Mlh1-Mlh2 is a non-essential accessory factor that acts to enhance the activity of Mlh1-Pms1.

Lynch syndrome (hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer or HNPCC) is a common cancer predisposition syndrome. In this syndrome, predisposition to cancer results from increased accumulation of mutations due to defective mismatch repair (MMR) caused by a mutation in one of the human mismatch repair genes MLH1, MSH2, MSH6 or PMS2. In addition to these genes, various DNA replication factors and the excision factor EXO1 function in the repair of damaged DNA by the MMR pathway. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the MLH2 gene encodes a MutL homolog protein whose role in DNA mismatch repair has been unclear. Here, we used phylogenetic analysis to demonstrate that the S. cerevisiae Mlh2 protein and the mammalian Pms1 protein are homologs. A combination of genetics, biochemistry and imaging studies were used to demonstrate that the Mlh1-Mlh2 complex is recruited to mispair-containing DNA by the Msh2-Msh6 and Msh2-Msh3 mispair recognition complexes where it forms foci that colocalize with Mlh1-Pms1 foci (note that scPms1 is the homolog of hPms2) and augments the function of the Mlh1-Pms1 complex. Thus, this work establishes the Mlh1-Mlh2 complex as a non-essential accessory factor that functions in MMR.

Molecular epidemiology, phylogeny and evolution of Candida albicans

A small number of Candida species form part of the normal microbial flora of mucosal surfaces in humans and may give rise to opportunistic infections when host defences are impaired. Candida albicans is by far the most prevalent commensal and pathogenic Candida species. Several different molecular typing approaches including multilocus sequence typing, multilocus microsatellite typing and DNA fingerprinting using C. albicans-specific repetitive sequence-containing DNA probes have yielded a wealth of information regarding the epidemiology and population structure of this species. Such studies revealed that the C. albicans population structure consists of multiple major and minor clades, some of which exhibit geographical or phenotypic enrichment and that C. albicans reproduction is predominantly clonal. Despite this, losses of heterozygosity by recombination, the existence of a parasexual cycle, toleration of a wide range of aneuploidies and the recent description of viable haploid strains have all demonstrated the extensive plasticity of the C. albicans genome. Recombination and gross chromosomal rearrangements are more common under stressful environmental conditions, and have played a significant role in the evolution of this opportunistic pathogen. Surprisingly, Candida dubliniensis, the closest relative of C. albicans exhibits more karyotype variability than C. albicans, but is significantly less adaptable to unfavourable environments. This disparity most likely reflects the evolutionary processes that occurred during or soon after the divergence of both species from their common ancestor. Whilst C. dubliniensis underwent significant gene loss and pseudogenisation, C. albicans expanded gene families considered to be important in virulence. It is likely that technological developments in whole genome sequencing and data analysis in coming years will facilitate its routine use for population structure, epidemiological investigations, and phylogenetic analyses of Candida species. These are likely to reveal more minor C. albicans clades and to enhance our understanding of the population biology of this versatile organism.

Natural reassignment of CUU and CUA sense codons to alanine in Ashbya mitochondria

The discovery of diverse codon reassignment events has demonstrated that the canonical genetic code is not universal. Studying coding reassignment at the molecular level is critical for understanding genetic code evolution, and provides clues to genetic code manipulation in synthetic biology. Here we report a novel reassignment event in the mitochondria of Ashbya (Eremothecium) gossypii, a filamentous-growing plant pathogen related to yeast (Saccharomycetaceae). Bioinformatics studies of conserved positions in mitochondrial DNA-encoded proteins suggest that CUU and CUA codons correspond to alanine in A. gossypii, instead of leucine in the standard code or threonine in yeast mitochondria. Reassignment of CUA to Ala was confirmed at the protein level by mass spectrometry. We further demonstrate that a predicted tRNA(Ala)UAG is transcribed and accurately processed in vivo, and is responsible for Ala reassignment. Enzymatic studies reveal that tRNA(Ala)UAG is efficiently recognized by A. gossypii mitochondrial alanyl-tRNA synthetase (AgAlaRS). AlaRS typically recognizes the G3:U70 base pair of tRNA(Ala); a G3A change in Ashbya tRNA(Ala)UAG abolishes its recognition by AgAlaRS. Conversely, an A3G mutation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae tRNA(Thr)UAG confers tRNA recognition by AgAlaRS. Our work highlights the dynamic feature of natural genetic codes in mitochondria, and the relative simplicity by which tRNA identity may be switched.

Introduction of silent mutations in a codon-optimized xylanase (xynB) results in enhanced protein expression in HEK293A cells

Xylanase is used extensively to improve feed conversion rates to enhance the performance of poultry and pigs. By expressing xylanase in simple-stomached animals, new breeds of genetically modified animals with enhanced feed conversion rates may be obtained. However, expression of heterologous proteins derived from lower organisms in mammalian cells is usually inefficient. When common codons of a ''one amino acid-one codon"-optimized xylanase from Streptomyces olivaceoviridis were replaced with rare codons, xylanase expression in human embryonic kidney 293A cells increased by 1.4- to 2.3-fold as determined by flow cytometry, western blot and enzymatic activity assay. Quantitative RT-PCR assay indicated that the enhanced expression could not be attributed to altered mRNA levels. This study provides an alternative strategy for improving expression levels of heterologous proteins in mammalian cells, which is potentially helpful for generating genetically modified animals with enhanced feed conversion ability.

Reversion of a fungal genetic code alteration links proteome instability with genomic and phenotypic diversification

Many fungi restructured their proteomes through incorporation of serine (Ser) at thousands of protein sites coded by the leucine (Leu) CUG codon. How these fungi survived this potentially lethal genetic code alteration and its relevance for their biology are not understood. Interestingly, the human pathogen Candida albicans maintains variable Ser and Leu incorporation levels at CUG sites, suggesting that this atypical codon assignment flexibility provided an effective mechanism to alter the genetic code. To test this hypothesis, we have engineered C. albicans strains to misincorporate increasing levels of Leu at protein CUG sites. Tolerance to the misincorporations was very high, and one strain accommodated the complete reversion of CUG identity from Ser back to Leu. Increasing levels of Leu misincorporation decreased growth rate, but production of phenotypic diversity on a phenotypic array probing various metabolic networks, drug resistance, and host immune cell responses was impressive. Genome resequencing revealed an increasing number of genotype changes at polymorphic sites compared with the control strain, and 80% of Leu misincorporation resulted in complete loss of heterozygosity in a large region of chromosome V. The data unveil unanticipated links between gene translational fidelity, proteome instability and variability, genome diversification, and adaptive phenotypic diversity. They also explain the high heterozygosity of the C. albicans genome and open the door to produce microorganisms with genetic code alterations for basic and applied research.

Comparative genome analysis and gene finding in Candida species using CGOB

The Candida Gene Order Browser (CGOB) was developed as a tool to visualize and analyze synteny relationships in multiple Candida species, and to provide an accurate, manually curated set of orthologous Candida genes for evolutionary analyses. Here, we describe major improvements to CGOB. The underlying structure of the database has been changed significantly. Genomic features are now based directly on genome annotations rather than on protein sequences, which allows non-protein features such as centromere locations in Candida albicans and tRNA genes in all species to be included. The data set has been expanded to 13 species, including genomes of pathogens (C. albicans, C. parapsilosis, C. tropicalis, and C. orthopsilosis), and those of xylose-degrading species with important biotechnological applications (C. tenuis, Scheffersomyces stipitis, and Spathaspora passalidarum). Updated annotations of C. parapsilosis, C. dubliniensis, and Debaryomyces hansenii have been incorporated. We discovered more than 1,500 previously unannotated genes among the 13 genomes, ranging in size from 29 to 3,850 amino acids. Poorly conserved and rapidly evolving genes were also identified. Re-analysis of the mating type loci of the xylose degraders suggests that C. tenuis is heterothallic, whereas both Spa. passalidarum and S. stipitis are homothallic. As well as hosting the browser, the CGOB website (http://cgob.ucd.ie) gives direct access to all the underlying genome annotations, sequences, and curated orthology data.

Molecular reconstruction of a fungal genetic code alteration

Fungi of the CTG clade translate the Leu CUG codon as Ser. This genetic code alteration is the only eukaryotic sense-to-sense codon reassignment known to date, is mediated by an ambiguous serine tRNA (tRNACAG(Ser)), exposes unanticipated flexibility of the genetic code and raises major questions about its selection and fixation in this fungal lineage. In particular, the origin of the tRNACAG(Ser) and the evolutionary mechanism of CUG reassignment from Leu to Ser remain poorly understood. In this study, we have traced the origin of the tDNACAG(Ser) gene and studied critical mutations in the tRNACAG(Ser) anticodon-loop that modulated CUG reassignment. Our data show that the tRNACAG(Ser) emerged from insertion of an adenosine in the middle position of the 5'-CGA-3'anticodon of a tRNACGA(Ser) ancestor, producing the 5'-CAG-3' anticodon of the tRNACAG(Ser), without altering its aminoacylation properties. This mutation initiated CUG reassignment while two additional mutations in the anticodon-loop resolved a structural conflict produced by incorporation of the Leu 5'-CAG-3'anticodon in the anticodon-arm of a tRNA(Ser). Expression of the mutant tRNACAG(Ser) in yeast showed that it cannot be expressed at physiological levels and we postulate that such downregulation was essential to maintain Ser misincorporation at sub-lethal levels during the initial stages of CUG reassignment. We demonstrate here that such low level CUG ambiguity is advantageous in specific ecological niches and we propose that misreading tRNAs are targeted for degradation by an unidentified tRNA quality control pathway.

Virus-host co-evolution under a modified nuclear genetic code

Among eukaryotes with modified nuclear genetic codes, viruses are unknown. However, here we provide evidence of an RNA virus that infects a fungal host (Scheffersomyces segobiensis) with a derived nuclear genetic code where CUG codes for serine. The genomic architecture and phylogeny are consistent with infection by a double-stranded RNA virus of the genus Totivirus. We provide evidence of past or present infection with totiviruses in five species of yeasts with modified genetic codes. All but one of the CUG codons in the viral genome have been eliminated, suggesting that avoidance of the modified codon was important to viral adaptation. Our mass spectroscopy analysis indicates that a congener of the host species has co-opted and expresses a capsid gene from totiviruses as a cellular protein. Viral avoidance of the host's modified codon and host co-option of a protein from totiviruses suggest that RNA viruses co-evolved with yeasts that underwent a major evolutionary transition from the standard genetic code.

Simplification of the genetic code: restricted diversity of genetically encoded amino acids

At earlier stages in the evolution of the universal genetic code, fewer than 20 amino acids were considered to be used. Although this notion is supported by a wide range of data, the actual existence and function of the genetic codes with a limited set of canonical amino acids have not been addressed experimentally, in contrast to the successful development of the expanded codes. Here, we constructed artificial genetic codes involving a reduced alphabet. In one of the codes, a tRNA^Ala variant with the Trp anticodon reassigns alanine to an unassigned UGG codon in the Escherichia coli S30 cell-free translation system lacking tryptophan. We confirmed that the efficiency and accuracy of protein synthesis by this Trp-lacking code were comparable to those by the universal genetic code, by an amino acid composition analysis, green fluorescent protein fluorescence measurements and the crystal structure determination. We also showed that another code, in which UGU/UGC codons are assigned to Ser, synthesizes an active enzyme. This method will provide not only new insights into primordial genetic codes, but also an essential protein engineering tool for the assessment of the early stages of protein evolution and for the improvement of pharmaceuticals.

Phylogenetic and preliminary phenotypic analysis of yeast PAQR receptors: potential antifungal targets

Proteins belonging to the Progestin and AdipoQ Receptor (PAQR) superfamily of membrane bound receptors are ubiquitously found in fungi. Nearly, all fungi possess two evolutionarily distinct paralogs of PAQR protein, which we have called the PQRA and PQRB subtypes. In the model fungus Saccharomyces cerevisiae, these subtypes are represented by the Izh2p and Izh3p proteins, respectively. S. cerevisiae also possesses two additional PQRA-type receptors called Izh1p and Izh4p that are restricted to other species within the “Saccharomyces complex”. Izh2p has been the subject of several recent investigations and is of particular interest because it regulates fungal growth in response to proteins produced by plants and, as such, represents a new paradigm for interspecies communication. We demonstrate that IZH2 and IZH3 gene dosage affects resistance to polyene antifungal drugs. Moreover, we provide additional evidence that Izh2p and Izh3p negatively regulate fungal filamentation. These data suggest that agonists of these receptors might make antifungal therapeutics, either by inhibiting fungal development or by sensitizing fungi to the toxic effects of current antifungal therapies. This is particularly relevant for pathogenic fungi such as Candida glabrata that are closely related to S. cerevisiae and contain the same complement of PAQR receptors.

Approaches to Fungal Genome Annotation

Fungal genome annotation is the starting point for analysis of genome content. This generally involves the application of diverse methods to identify features on a genome assembly such as protein-coding and non-coding genes, repeats and transposable elements, and pseudogenes. Here we describe tools and methods leveraged for eukaryotic genome annotation with a focus on the annotation of fungal nuclear and mitochondrial genomes. We highlight the application of the latest technologies and tools to improve the quality of predicted gene sets. The Broad Institute eukaryotic genome annotation pipeline is described as one example of how such methods and tools are integrated into a sequencing center's production genome annotation environment.

Systems biology of infectious diseases: a focus on fungal infections

The study of infectious disease concerns the interaction between the host species and a pathogen organism. The analysis of such complex systems is improving with the evolution of high-throughput technologies and advanced computational resources. This article reviews integrative, systems-oriented approaches to understanding mechanisms underlying infection, immune response and inflammation to find biomarkers of disease and design new drugs. We focus on the systems biology process, especially the data gathering and analysis techniques rather than the experimental technologies or latest computational resources.

Unveiling the structural basis for translational ambiguity tolerance in a human fungal pathogen

In a restricted group of opportunistic fungal pathogens the universal leucine CUG codon is translated both as serine (97%) and leucine (3%), challenging the concept that translational ambiguity has a negative impact in living organisms. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the in vivo tolerance to a nonconserved genetic code alteration, we have undertaken an extensive structural analysis of proteins containing CUG-encoded residues and solved the crystal structures of the two natural isoforms of Candida albicans seryl-tRNA synthetase. We show that codon reassignment resulted in a nonrandom genome-wide CUG redistribution tailored to minimize protein misfolding events induced by the large-scale leucine-to-serine replacement within the CTG clade. Leucine or serine incorporation at the CUG position in C. albicans seryl-tRNA synthetase induces only local structural changes and, although both isoforms display tRNA serylation activity, the leucine-containing isoform is more active. Similarly, codon ambiguity is predicted to shape the function of C. albicans proteins containing CUG-encoded residues in functionally relevant positions, some of which have a key role in signaling cascades associated with morphological changes and pathogenesis. This study provides a first detailed analysis on natural reassignment of codon identity, unveiling a highly dynamic evolutionary pattern of thousands of fungal CUG codons to confer an optimized balance between protein structural robustness and functional plasticity.