1
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Wernet V, Kriegler M, Kumpost V, Mikut R, Hilbert L, Fischer R. Synchronization of oscillatory growth prepares fungal hyphae for fusion. eLife 2023; 12:e83310. [PMID: 37602797 PMCID: PMC10522335 DOI: 10.7554/elife.83310] [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: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Communication is crucial for organismic interactions, from bacteria, to fungi, to humans. Humans may use the visual sense to monitor the environment before starting acoustic interactions. In comparison, fungi, lacking a visual system, rely on a cell-to-cell dialogue based on secreted signaling molecules to coordinate cell fusion and establish hyphal networks. Within this dialogue, hyphae alternate between sending and receiving signals. This pattern can be visualized via the putative signaling protein Soft (SofT), and the mitogen-activated protein kinase MAK-2 (MakB) which are recruited in an alternating oscillatory manner to the respective cytoplasmic membrane or nuclei of interacting hyphae. Here, we show that signal oscillations already occur in single hyphae of Arthrobotrys flagrans in the absence of potential fusion partners (cell monologue). They were in the same phase as growth oscillations. In contrast to the anti-phasic oscillations observed during the cell dialogue, SofT and MakB displayed synchronized oscillations in phase during the monologue. Once two fusion partners came into each other's vicinity, their oscillation frequencies slowed down (entrainment phase) and transit into anti-phasic synchronization of the two cells' oscillations with frequencies of 104±28 s and 117±19 s, respectively. Single-cell oscillations, transient entrainment, and anti-phasic oscillations were reproduced by a mathematical model where nearby hyphae can absorb and secrete a limited molecular signaling component into a shared extracellular space. We show that intracellular Ca2+ concentrations oscillate in two approaching hyphae, and depletion of Ca2+ from the medium affected vesicle-driven extension of the hyphal tip, abolished the cell monologue and the anti-phasic synchronization of two hyphae. Our results suggest that single hyphae engage in a 'monologue' that may be used for exploration of the environment and can dynamically shift their extracellular signaling systems into a 'dialogue' to initiate hyphal fusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentin Wernet
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology - South Campus Institute for Applied Biosciences Dept. of MicrobiologyKarlsruheGermany
| | - Marius Kriegler
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology - South Campus Institute for Applied Biosciences Dept. of MicrobiologyKarlsruheGermany
| | - Vojtech Kumpost
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology – North Campus Institute for Automation and Applied InformaticsEggenstein-LeopoldshafenGermany
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology – North Campus Institute of Biological and Chemical Systems – Biological Information ProcessingEggenstein-LeopoldshafenGermany
| | - Ralf Mikut
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology – North Campus Institute for Automation and Applied InformaticsEggenstein-LeopoldshafenGermany
| | - Lennart Hilbert
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology – North Campus Institute of Biological and Chemical Systems – Biological Information ProcessingEggenstein-LeopoldshafenGermany
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology – South Campus Zoological Institute Dept. of Systems Biology / BioinformaticsEggenstein-LeopoldshafenGermany
| | - Reinhard Fischer
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology - South Campus Institute for Applied Biosciences Dept. of MicrobiologyKarlsruheGermany
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Mela AP, Glass NL. Permissiveness and competition within and between Neurospora crassa syncytia. Genetics 2023; 224:iyad112. [PMID: 37313736 PMCID: PMC10411585 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad112] [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: 03/14/2023] [Revised: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023] Open
Abstract
A multinucleate syncytium is a common growth form in filamentous fungi. Comprehensive functions of the syncytial state remain unknown, but it likely allows for a wide range of adaptations to enable filamentous fungi to coordinate growth, reproduction, responses to the environment, and to distribute nuclear and cytoplasmic elements across a colony. Indeed, the underlying mechanistic details of how syncytia regulate cellular and molecular processes spatiotemporally across a colony are largely unexplored. Here, we implemented a strategy to analyze the relative fitness of different nuclear populations in syncytia of Neurospora crassa, including nuclei with loss-of-function mutations in essential genes, based on production of multinucleate asexual spores using flow cytometry of pairings between strains with differentially fluorescently tagged nuclear histones. The distribution of homokaryotic and heterokaryotic asexual spores in pairings was assessed between different auxotrophic and morphological mutants, as well as with strains that were defective in somatic cell fusion or were heterokaryon incompatible. Mutant nuclei were compartmentalized into both homokaryotic and heterokaryotic asexual spores, a type of bet hedging for maintenance and evolution of mutational events, despite disadvantages to the syncytium. However, in pairings between strains that were blocked in somatic cell fusion or were heterokaryon incompatible, we observed a "winner-takes-all" phenotype, where asexual spores originating from paired strains were predominantly one genotype. These data indicate that syncytial fungal cells are permissive and tolerate a wide array of nuclear functionality, but that cells/colonies that are unable to cooperate via syncytia formation actively compete for resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander P Mela
- The Plant and Microbial Biology Department, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - N Louise Glass
- The Plant and Microbial Biology Department, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- The Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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3
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Nagy L, Vonk P, Künzler M, Földi C, Virágh M, Ohm R, Hennicke F, Bálint B, Csernetics Á, Hegedüs B, Hou Z, Liu X, Nan S, Pareek M, Sahu N, Szathmári B, Varga T, Wu H, Yang X, Merényi Z. Lessons on fruiting body morphogenesis from genomes and transcriptomes of Agaricomycetes. Stud Mycol 2023; 104:1-85. [PMID: 37351542 PMCID: PMC10282164 DOI: 10.3114/sim.2022.104.01] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Fruiting bodies (sporocarps, sporophores or basidiomata) of mushroom-forming fungi (Agaricomycetes) are among the most complex structures produced by fungi. Unlike vegetative hyphae, fruiting bodies grow determinately and follow a genetically encoded developmental program that orchestrates their growth, tissue differentiation and sexual sporulation. In spite of more than a century of research, our understanding of the molecular details of fruiting body morphogenesis is still limited and a general synthesis on the genetics of this complex process is lacking. In this paper, we aim at a comprehensive identification of conserved genes related to fruiting body morphogenesis and distil novel functional hypotheses for functionally poorly characterised ones. As a result of this analysis, we report 921 conserved developmentally expressed gene families, only a few dozens of which have previously been reported to be involved in fruiting body development. Based on literature data, conserved expression patterns and functional annotations, we provide hypotheses on the potential role of these gene families in fruiting body development, yielding the most complete description of molecular processes in fruiting body morphogenesis to date. We discuss genes related to the initiation of fruiting, differentiation, growth, cell surface and cell wall, defence, transcriptional regulation as well as signal transduction. Based on these data we derive a general model of fruiting body development, which includes an early, proliferative phase that is mostly concerned with laying out the mushroom body plan (via cell division and differentiation), and a second phase of growth via cell expansion as well as meiotic events and sporulation. Altogether, our discussions cover 1 480 genes of Coprinopsis cinerea, and their orthologs in Agaricus bisporus, Cyclocybe aegerita, Armillaria ostoyae, Auriculariopsis ampla, Laccaria bicolor, Lentinula edodes, Lentinus tigrinus, Mycena kentingensis, Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Pleurotus ostreatus, and Schizophyllum commune, providing functional hypotheses for ~10 % of genes in the genomes of these species. Although experimental evidence for the role of these genes will need to be established in the future, our data provide a roadmap for guiding functional analyses of fruiting related genes in the Agaricomycetes. We anticipate that the gene compendium presented here, combined with developments in functional genomics approaches will contribute to uncovering the genetic bases of one of the most spectacular multicellular developmental processes in fungi. Citation: Nagy LG, Vonk PJ, Künzler M, Földi C, Virágh M, Ohm RA, Hennicke F, Bálint B, Csernetics Á, Hegedüs B, Hou Z, Liu XB, Nan S, M. Pareek M, Sahu N, Szathmári B, Varga T, Wu W, Yang X, Merényi Z (2023). Lessons on fruiting body morphogenesis from genomes and transcriptomes of Agaricomycetes. Studies in Mycology 104: 1-85. doi: 10.3114/sim.2022.104.01.
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Affiliation(s)
- L.G. Nagy
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit, Biological Research Center, Szeged, 6726, Hungary;
| | - P.J. Vonk
- Microbiology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands;
| | - M. Künzler
- Institute of Microbiology, Department of Biology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland;
| | - C. Földi
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit, Biological Research Center, Szeged, 6726, Hungary;
| | - M. Virágh
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit, Biological Research Center, Szeged, 6726, Hungary;
| | - R.A. Ohm
- Microbiology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands;
| | - F. Hennicke
- Project Group Genetics and Genomics of Fungi, Chair Evolution of Plants and Fungi, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44780, Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany;
| | - B. Bálint
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit, Biological Research Center, Szeged, 6726, Hungary;
| | - Á. Csernetics
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit, Biological Research Center, Szeged, 6726, Hungary;
| | - B. Hegedüs
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit, Biological Research Center, Szeged, 6726, Hungary;
| | - Z. Hou
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit, Biological Research Center, Szeged, 6726, Hungary;
| | - X.B. Liu
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit, Biological Research Center, Szeged, 6726, Hungary;
| | - S. Nan
- Institute of Applied Mycology, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Hubei Province, PR China
| | - M. Pareek
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit, Biological Research Center, Szeged, 6726, Hungary;
| | - N. Sahu
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit, Biological Research Center, Szeged, 6726, Hungary;
| | - B. Szathmári
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit, Biological Research Center, Szeged, 6726, Hungary;
| | - T. Varga
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit, Biological Research Center, Szeged, 6726, Hungary;
| | - H. Wu
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit, Biological Research Center, Szeged, 6726, Hungary;
| | - X. Yang
- Institute of Applied Mycology, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Hubei Province, PR China
| | - Z. Merényi
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit, Biological Research Center, Szeged, 6726, Hungary;
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Schalamun M, Beier S, Hinterdobler W, Wanko N, Schinnerl J, Brecker L, Engl DE, Schmoll M. MAPkinases regulate secondary metabolism, sexual development and light dependent cellulase regulation in Trichoderma reesei. Sci Rep 2023; 13:1912. [PMID: 36732590 PMCID: PMC9894936 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-28938-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei is a prolific producer of plant cell wall degrading enzymes, which are regulated in response to diverse environmental signals for optimal adaptation, but also produces a wide array of secondary metabolites. Available carbon source and light are the strongest cues currently known to impact secreted enzyme levels and an interplay with regulation of secondary metabolism became increasingly obvious in recent years. While cellulase regulation is already known to be modulated by different mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways, the relevance of the light signal, which is transmitted by this pathway in other fungi as well, is still unknown in T. reesei as are interconnections to secondary metabolism and chemical communication under mating conditions. Here we show that MAPkinases differentially influence cellulase regulation in light and darkness and that the Hog1 homologue TMK3, but not TMK1 or TMK2 are required for the chemotropic response to glucose in T. reesei. Additionally, MAPkinases regulate production of specific secondary metabolites including trichodimerol and bisorbibutenolid, a bioactive compound with cytostatic effect on cancer cells and deterrent effect on larvae, under conditions facilitating mating, which reflects a defect in chemical communication. Strains lacking either of the MAPkinases become female sterile, indicating the conservation of the role of MAPkinases in sexual fertility also in T. reesei. In summary, our findings substantiate the previously detected interconnection of cellulase regulation with regulation of secondary metabolism as well as the involvement of MAPkinases in light dependent gene regulation of cellulase and secondary metabolite genes in fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Schalamun
- Center for Health and Bioresources, Bioresources Unit, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Konrad Lorenz Strasse 24, 3430, Tulln, Austria
| | - Sabrina Beier
- Center for Health and Bioresources, Bioresources Unit, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Konrad Lorenz Strasse 24, 3430, Tulln, Austria
| | - Wolfgang Hinterdobler
- Center for Health and Bioresources, Bioresources Unit, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Konrad Lorenz Strasse 24, 3430, Tulln, Austria
- MyPilz GmbH, Wienerbergstrasse 55/13-15, 1120, Vienna, Austria
| | - Nicole Wanko
- Center for Health and Bioresources, Bioresources Unit, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Konrad Lorenz Strasse 24, 3430, Tulln, Austria
| | - Johann Schinnerl
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lothar Brecker
- Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Vienna, Währinger Strasse 38, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Dorothea Elisa Engl
- Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Vienna, Währinger Strasse 38, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Monika Schmoll
- Center for Health and Bioresources, Bioresources Unit, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Konrad Lorenz Strasse 24, 3430, Tulln, Austria.
- Division of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria.
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5
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Sordaria macrospora Sterile Mutant pro34 Is Impaired in Respiratory Complex I Assembly. J Fungi (Basel) 2022; 8:jof8101015. [PMID: 36294581 PMCID: PMC9605262 DOI: 10.3390/jof8101015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The formation of fruiting bodies is a highly regulated process that requires the coordinated formation of different cell types. By analyzing developmental mutants, many developmental factors have already been identified. Yet, a complete understanding of fruiting body formation is still lacking. In this study, we analyzed developmental mutant pro34 of the filamentous ascomycete Sordaria macrospora. Genome sequencing revealed a deletion in the pro34 gene encoding a putative mitochondrial complex I assembly factor homologous to Neurospora crassa CIA84. We show that PRO34 is required for fast vegetative growth, fruiting body and ascospore formation. The pro34 transcript undergoes adenosine to inosine editing, a process correlated with sexual development in fruiting body-forming ascomycetes. Fluorescence microscopy and western blot analysis showed that PRO34 is a mitochondrial protein, and blue-native PAGE revealed that the pro34 mutant lacks mitochondrial complex I. Inhibitor experiments revealed that pro34 respires via complexes III and IV, but also shows induction of alternative oxidase, a shunt pathway to bypass complexes III and IV. We discuss the hypothesis that alternative oxidase is induced to prevent retrograde electron transport to complex I intermediates, thereby protecting from oxidative stress.
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Hyphal Fusions Enable Efficient Nutrient Distribution in Colletotrichum graminicola Conidiation and Symptom Development on Maize. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10061146. [PMID: 35744664 PMCID: PMC9231406 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10061146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Hyphal and germling fusion is a common phenomenon in ascomycetous fungi. Due to the formed hyphal network, this process enables a coordinated development as well as an interaction with plant hosts and efficient nutrient distribution. Recently, our laboratory work demonstrated a positive correlation between germling fusion and the formation of penetrating hyphopodia on maize leaves outgoing from Colletotrichum graminicola oval conidia. To investigate the probable interconnectivity of these processes, we generated a deletion mutant in Cgso, in which homologs are essential for cellular fusion in other fungal species. However, hyphopodia development was not affected, indicating that both processes are not directly connected. Instead, we were able to link the cellular fusion defect in ∆Cgso to a decreased formation of asexual fruiting bodies of C. graminicola on the leaves. The monitoring of a fluorescent-labelled autophagy marker, eGFP-CgAtg8, revealed a high autophagy activity in the hyphae surrounding the acervuli. These results support the hypothesis that the efficient nutrient transport of degraded cellular material by hyphal fusions enables proper acervuli maturation and, therefore, symptom development on the leaves.
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A dialogue-like cell communication mechanism is conserved in filamentous ascomycete fungi and mediates interspecies interactions. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2112518119. [PMID: 35286209 PMCID: PMC8944665 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2112518119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
This study reveals that a dialogue-like communication mechanism, which mediates cell–cell fusion in filamentous fungi, is a conserved complex trait. It allows the communication and behavioral coordination of cells of distantly related species and mediates their mutual attraction and subsequent physical contact, although interspecies fusion does not occur. Through the activation of this signaling machinery, one species can reprogram the developmental program of the other fungus. These data promote our understanding of microbial communication, illustrate the mechanism of repurposing of existing building blocks in cellular evolution, revive the hypothesis of vegetative fusion as an avenue of horizontal gene transfer in fungi, and establish the idea of developmental reprogramming as a tool for controlling fungi. In many filamentous fungi, germinating spores cooperate by fusing into supracellular structures, which develop into the mycelial colony. In the model fungus Neurospora crassa, this social behavior is mediated by an intriguing mode of communication, in which two fusing cells take turns in signal sending and receiving. Here we show that this dialogue-like cell communication mechanism is highly conserved in distantly related fungal species and mediates interspecies interactions. In mixed populations, cells of N. crassa and the phytopathogenic gray mold Botrytis cinerea coordinate their behavior over a spatial distance and establish physical contact. Subsequent cell–cell fusion is, however, restricted to germlings of the same species, indicating that species specificity of germling fusion has evolved not on the level of the signal/receptor but at subsequent levels of the fusion process. In B. cinerea, fusion and infectious growth are mutually exclusive cellular programs. Remarkably, the presence of N. crassa can reprogram this behavior and induce fusion of the gray mold on plant surfaces, potentially weakening its pathogenic potential. In a third fungal species, the nematode-trapping fungus Arthrobotrys flagrans, the conserved signaling mechanism mediates vegetative fusion within mycelial colonies but has also been repurposed for the formation of nematode-catching traps. In summary, this study identified the cell dialogue mechanism as a conserved complex trait and revealed that even distantly related fungi possess a common molecular language, which promotes cellular contact formation across species borders.
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Wilson AM, Wilken PM, Wingfield MJ, Wingfield BD. Genetic Networks That Govern Sexual Reproduction in the Pezizomycotina. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2021; 85:e0002021. [PMID: 34585983 PMCID: PMC8485983 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00020-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Sexual development in filamentous fungi is a complex process that relies on the precise control of and interaction between a variety of genetic networks and pathways. The mating-type (MAT) genes are the master regulators of this process and typically act as transcription factors, which control the expression of genes involved at all stages of the sexual cycle. In many fungi, the sexual cycle typically begins when the mating pheromones of one mating type are recognized by a compatible partner, followed by physical interaction and fertilization. Subsequently, highly specialized sexual structures are formed, within which the sexual spores develop after rounds of meiosis and mitosis. These spores are then released and germinate, forming new individuals that initiate new cycles of growth. This review provides an overview of the known genetic networks and pathways that are involved in each major stage of the sexual cycle in filamentous ascomycete fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andi M. Wilson
- Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics, and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
| | - P. Markus Wilken
- Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics, and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
| | - Michael J. Wingfield
- Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics, and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
| | - Brenda D. Wingfield
- Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics, and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
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Herold I, Zolti A, Garduño-Rosales M, Wang Z, López-Giráldez F, Mouriño-Pérez RR, Townsend JP, Ulitsky I, Yarden O. The GUL-1 Protein Binds Multiple RNAs Involved in Cell Wall Remodeling and Affects the MAK-1 Pathway in Neurospora crassa. FRONTIERS IN FUNGAL BIOLOGY 2021; 2:672696. [PMID: 37744127 PMCID: PMC10512220 DOI: 10.3389/ffunb.2021.672696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
The Neurospora crassa GUL-1 is part of the COT-1 pathway, which plays key roles in regulating polar hyphal growth and cell wall remodeling. We show that GUL-1 is a bona fide RNA-binding protein (RBP) that can associate with 828 "core" mRNA species. When cell wall integrity (CWI) is challenged, expression of over 25% of genomic RNA species are modulated (2,628 mRNAs, including the GUL-1 mRNA). GUL-1 binds mRNAs of genes related to translation, cell wall remodeling, circadian clock, endoplasmic reticulum (ER), as well as CWI and MAPK pathway components. GUL-1 interacts with over 100 different proteins, including stress-granule and P-body proteins, ER components and components of the MAPK, COT-1, and STRIPAK complexes. Several additional RBPs were also shown to physically interact with GUL-1. Under stress conditions, GUL-1 can localize to the ER and affect the CWI pathway-evident via altered phosphorylation levels of MAK-1, interaction with mak-1 transcript, and involvement in the expression level of the transcription factor adv-1. We conclude that GUL-1 functions in multiple cellular processes, including the regulation of cell wall remodeling, via a mechanism associated with the MAK-1 pathway and stress-response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inbal Herold
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Avihai Zolti
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Marisela Garduño-Rosales
- Departamento de Microbiología, CICESE (Centro de Investigación Científica y Educación Superior de Ensenada), Ensenada, Mexico
| | - Zheng Wang
- Department of Biostatistics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Francesc López-Giráldez
- Yale Center for Genome Analysis, Department of Genetics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Rosa R. Mouriño-Pérez
- Departamento de Microbiología, CICESE (Centro de Investigación Científica y Educación Superior de Ensenada), Ensenada, Mexico
| | - Jeffrey P. Townsend
- Department of Biostatistics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Igor Ulitsky
- Department of Biological Regulation, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Oded Yarden
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
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10
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Mehta N, Baghela A. Quorum sensing-mediated inter-specific conidial anastomosis tube fusion between Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and C. siamense. IMA Fungus 2021; 12:7. [PMID: 33789776 PMCID: PMC8015167 DOI: 10.1186/s43008-021-00058-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 02/21/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Many plant pathogenic filamentous fungi undergo fusion of conidia through conidial anastomosis tubes (CATs), which is believed to facilitate horizontal gene transfer between species. We discovered a remarkable inter-specific CAT fusion between two important plant fungal pathogens Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and C. siamense. In an invitro assay, under no selection pressure, the inter-specific CAT fusion was preferred with higher frequency (25% ± 5%) than intra-specific CAT fusion (11% ± 3.6%). Different stages of CAT fusion viz. CAT induction, homing, and fusion were observed during this inter-specific CAT fusion. The CAT fusion was found to be higher in absence of nutrients and under physiological stresses. This CAT fusion involved a quorum sensing phenomenon, wherein the CAT induction was dependent on conidial density and the putative quorum sensing molecule was extractable in chloroform. Movement of nuclei, mitochondria, and lipid droplets were observed during the CAT fusion. Post CAT fusion, the resulting conidia gave rise to putative heterokaryotic progenies with variable colony characteristics as compared to their parental strains. Few heterokaryons showed variable AFLP banding pattern compared to their parental strains, thereby suggesting a possible genetic exchange between the two species through CAT fusion. The heterokaryotic progenies exhibited varied fitness under different stress conditions. Our study illustrated a possible role of inter-specific CAT fusion in generation of genetic and phenotypic diversity in these fungal pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikita Mehta
- National Fungal Culture Collection of India (NFCCI), Biodiversity and Palaeobiology Group, MACS-Agharkar Research Institute, G.G. Agarkar Road, Pune, 411004, India.,Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, 411007, India
| | - Abhishek Baghela
- National Fungal Culture Collection of India (NFCCI), Biodiversity and Palaeobiology Group, MACS-Agharkar Research Institute, G.G. Agarkar Road, Pune, 411004, India. .,Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, 411007, India.
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11
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Navarro-Espíndola R, Suaste-Olmos F, Peraza-Reyes L. Dynamic Regulation of Peroxisomes and Mitochondria during Fungal Development. J Fungi (Basel) 2020; 6:E302. [PMID: 33233491 PMCID: PMC7711908 DOI: 10.3390/jof6040302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Revised: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Peroxisomes and mitochondria are organelles that perform major functions in the cell and whose activity is very closely associated. In fungi, the function of these organelles is critical for many developmental processes. Recent studies have disclosed that, additionally, fungal development comprises a dynamic regulation of the activity of these organelles, which involves a developmental regulation of organelle assembly, as well as a dynamic modulation of the abundance, distribution, and morphology of these organelles. Furthermore, for many of these processes, the dynamics of peroxisomes and mitochondria are governed by common factors. Notably, intense research has revealed that the process that drives the division of mitochondria and peroxisomes contributes to several developmental processes-including the formation of asexual spores, the differentiation of infective structures by pathogenic fungi, and sexual development-and that these processes rely on selective removal of these organelles via autophagy. Furthermore, evidence has been obtained suggesting a coordinated regulation of organelle assembly and dynamics during development and supporting the existence of regulatory systems controlling fungal development in response to mitochondrial activity. Gathered information underscores an important role for mitochondrial and peroxisome dynamics in fungal development and suggests that this process involves the concerted activity of these organelles.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Leonardo Peraza-Reyes
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Estructural, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico; (R.N.-E.); (F.S.-O.)
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12
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Francisco CS, Zwyssig MM, Palma-Guerrero J. The role of vegetative cell fusions in the development and asexual reproduction of the wheat fungal pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici. BMC Biol 2020; 18:99. [PMID: 32782023 PMCID: PMC7477884 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-020-00838-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The ability of fungal cells to undergo cell-to-cell communication and anastomosis, the process of vegetative hyphal fusion, allows them to maximize their overall fitness. Previous studies in a number of fungal species have identified the requirement of several signaling pathways for anastomosis, including the so far best characterized soft (So) gene, and the MAPK pathway components MAK-1 and MAK-2 of Neurospora crassa. Despite the observations of hyphal fusions’ involvement in pathogenicity and host adhesion, the connection between cell fusion and fungal lifestyles is still unclear. Here, we address the role of anastomosis in fungal development and asexual reproduction in Zymoseptoria tritici, the most important fungal pathogen of wheat in Europe. Results We show that Z. tritici undergoes self-fusion between distinct cellular structures, and its mechanism is dependent on the initial cell density. Contrary to other fungi, cell fusion in Z. tritici only resulted in cytoplasmic mixing but not in multinucleated cell formation. The deletion of the So orthologous ZtSof1 disrupted cell-to-cell communication affecting both hyphal and germling fusion. We show that Z. tritici mutants for MAPK-encoding ZtSlt2 (orthologous to MAK-1) and ZtFus3 (orthologous to MAK-2) genes also failed to undergo anastomosis, demonstrating the functional conservation of this signaling mechanism across species. Additionally, the ΔZtSof1 mutant was severely impaired in melanization, suggesting that the So gene function is related to melanization. Finally, we demonstrated that anastomosis is dispensable for pathogenicity, but essential for the pycnidium development, and its absence abolishes the asexual reproduction of Z. tritici. Conclusions We demonstrate the role for ZtSof1, ZtSlt2, and ZtFus3 in cell fusions of Z. tritici. Cell fusions are essential for different aspects of the Z. tritici biology, and the ZtSof1 gene is a potential target to control septoria tritici blotch (STB) disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maria Manuela Zwyssig
- Plant Pathology Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, 8092, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Javier Palma-Guerrero
- Plant Pathology Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, 8092, Zürich, Switzerland. .,New Address: Department of Biointeractions and Crop Protection, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, UK.
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13
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Schmidt S, Märker R, Ramšak B, Beier-Rosberger AM, Teichert I, Kück U. Crosstalk Between Pheromone Signaling and NADPH Oxidase Complexes Coordinates Fungal Developmental Processes. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:1722. [PMID: 32849367 PMCID: PMC7401384 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual and asexual development in filamentous ascomycetes is controlled by components of conserved signaling pathways. Here, we investigated the development of mutant strains lacking genes for kinases MAK2, MEK2, and MIK2, as well as the scaffold protein HAM5 of the pheromone response (PR) pathway. All had a defect in fruiting body development and hyphal fusion. Another phenotype was a defect in melanin-dependent ascospore germination. However, this deficiency was observed only in kinase deletion mutants, but not in strains lacking HAM5. Notably, the same developmental phenotypes were previously described for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase 1 (NOX1) mutants, but the germination defect was only seen in NOX2 mutants. These data suggest a molecular link between the pheromone signaling pathway and both NOX complexes. Using data from yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) analysis, we found that the scaffolding protein HAM5 interacts with NOR1, the regulator of NOX1 and NOX2 complexes. This interaction was further confirmed using differently fluorescent-labeled proteins to demonstrate that NOR1 and HAM5 co-localize at cytoplasmic spots and tips of mature hyphae. This observation was supported by phenotypic characterization of single and double mutants. The oxidative stress response and the initiation of fruiting bodies were similar in Δham5Δnor1 and Δham5, but distinctly reduced in Δnor1, indicating that the double deletion leads to a partial suppression of the Δnor1 phenotype. We conclude that the PR and NOX1 complexes are connected by direct interaction between HAM5 and NOR1. In contrast, PR kinases are linked to the NOX2 complex without participation of HAM5.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Ulrich Kück
- Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany
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14
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Gonçalves AP, Heller J, Rico-Ramírez AM, Daskalov A, Rosenfield G, Glass NL. Conflict, Competition, and Cooperation Regulate Social Interactions in Filamentous Fungi. Annu Rev Microbiol 2020; 74:693-712. [PMID: 32689913 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-micro-012420-080905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Social cooperation impacts the development and survival of species. In higher taxa, kin recognition occurs via visual, chemical, or tactile cues that dictate cooperative versus competitive interactions. In microbes, the outcome of cooperative versus competitive interactions is conferred by identity at allorecognition loci, so-called kind recognition. In syncytial filamentous fungi, the acquisition of multicellularity is associated with somatic cell fusion within and between colonies. However, such intraspecific cooperation entails risks, as fusion can transmit deleterious genotypes or infectious components that reduce fitness, or give rise to cheaters that can exploit communal goods without contributing to their production. Allorecognition mechanisms in syncytial fungi regulate somatic cell fusion by operating precontact during chemotropic interactions, during cell adherence, and postfusion by triggering programmed cell death reactions. Alleles at fungal allorecognition loci are highly polymorphic, fall into distinct haplogroups, and show evolutionary signatures of balancing selection, similar to allorecognition loci across the tree of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Pedro Gonçalves
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.,Current Affiliation: Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Nangang District, Taipei 115, Taiwan
| | - Jens Heller
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.,Current Affiliation: Perfect Day, Inc., Emeryville, California 94608, USA
| | - Adriana M Rico-Ramírez
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - Asen Daskalov
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.,Current Affiliation: Institut Européen de Chimie et Biologie, 33600 Pessac, France
| | - Gabriel Rosenfield
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.,Current Affiliation: Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - N Louise Glass
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.,Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
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15
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Teichert I, Pöggeler S, Nowrousian M. Sordaria macrospora: 25 years as a model organism for studying the molecular mechanisms of fruiting body development. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2020; 104:3691-3704. [PMID: 32162092 PMCID: PMC7162830 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-020-10504-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2020] [Revised: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Abstract Fruiting bodies are among the most complex multicellular structures formed by fungi, and the molecular mechanisms that regulate their development are far from understood. However, studies with a number of fungal model organisms have started to shed light on this developmental process. One of these model organisms is Sordaria macrospora, a filamentous ascomycete from the order Sordariales. This fungus has been a genetic model organism since the 1950s, but its career as a model organism for molecular genetics really took off in the 1990s, when the establishment of a transformation protocol, a mutant collection, and an indexed cosmid library provided the methods and resources to start revealing the molecular mechanisms of fruiting body development. In the 2000s, “omics” methods were added to the S. macrospora tool box, and by 2020, 58 developmental genes have been identified in this fungus. This review gives a brief overview of major method developments for S. macrospora, and then focuses on recent results characterizing different processes involved in regulating development including several regulatory protein complexes, autophagy, transcriptional and chromatin regulation, and RNA editing. Key points •Sordaria macrospora is a model system for analyzing fungal fruiting body development. •More than 100 developmental mutants are available for S. macrospora. •More than 50 developmental genes have been characterized in S. macrospora.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ines Teichert
- General and Molecular Botany, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44780, Bochum, Germany
| | - Stefanie Pöggeler
- Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Genetics of Eukaryotic Microorganisms, Georg-August University, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Minou Nowrousian
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Botany, Ruhr-University Bochum, ND 7/176 Universitätsstr. 150, 44780, Bochum, Germany.
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16
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Märker R, Blank-Landeshammer B, Beier-Rosberger A, Sickmann A, Kück U. Phosphoproteomic analysis of STRIPAK mutants identifies a conserved serine phosphorylation site in PAK kinase CLA4 to be important in fungal sexual development and polarized growth. Mol Microbiol 2020; 113:1053-1069. [PMID: 32022307 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2019] [Revised: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/20/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The highly conserved striatin-interacting phosphatases and kinases (STRIPAK) complex regulates phosphorylation/dephosphorylation of developmental proteins in eukaryotic microorganisms, animals and humans. To first identify potential targets of STRIPAK, we performed extensive isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification-based proteomic and phosphoproteomic analyses in the filamentous fungus Sordaria macrospora. In total, we identified 4,193 proteins and 2,489 phosphoproteins, which are represented by 10,635 phosphopeptides. By comparing phosphorylation data from wild type and mutants, we identified 228 phosphoproteins to be regulated in all three STRIPAK mutants, thus representing potential targets of STRIPAK. To provide an exemplarily functional analysis of a STRIPAK-dependent phosphorylated protein, we selected CLA4, a member of the conserved p21-activated kinase family. Functional characterization of the ∆cla4 deletion strain showed that CLA4 controls sexual development and polarized growth. To determine the functional relevance of CLA4 phosphorylation and the impact of specific phosphorylation sites on development, we next generated phosphomimetic and -deficient variants of CLA4. This analysis identified (de)phosphorylation of a highly conserved serine (S685) residue in the catalytic domain of CLA4 as being important for fungal cellular development. Collectively, these analyses significantly contribute to the understanding of the mechanistic function of STRIPAK as a phosphatase and kinase signaling complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramona Märker
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik, Ruhr-Universität, Bochum, Germany
| | | | - Anna Beier-Rosberger
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik, Ruhr-Universität, Bochum, Germany
| | - Albert Sickmann
- Leibniz-Institut für Analytische Wissenschaften-ISAS-e.V., Dortmund, Germany
| | - Ulrich Kück
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik, Ruhr-Universität, Bochum, Germany
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17
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Rastogi SK, van Wijlick L, Ror S, Lee KK, Román E, Agarwal P, Manzoor N, Gow NAR, Pla J, Ernst JF, Panwar SL. Ifu5, a WW domain-containing protein interacts with Efg1 to achieve coordination of normoxic and hypoxic functions to influence pathogenicity traits in Candida albicans. Cell Microbiol 2020; 22:e13140. [PMID: 31736226 PMCID: PMC7614792 DOI: 10.1111/cmi.13140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Revised: 10/03/2019] [Accepted: 10/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Hypoxic adaptation pathways, essential for Candida albicans pathogenesis, are tied to its transition from a commensal to a pathogen. Herein, we identify a WW domain-containing protein, Ifu5, as a determinant of hypoxic adaptation that also impacts normoxic responses in this fungus. Ifu5 activity supports glycosylation homeostasis via the Cek1 mitogen-activated protein kinase-dependent up-regulation of PMT1, under normoxia. Transcriptome analysis of ifu5Δ/Δ under normoxia shows a significant up-regulation of the hypoxic regulator EFG1 and EFG1-dependent genes. We demonstrate physical interaction between Ifu5 by virtue of its WW domain and Efg1 that represses EFG1 expression under normoxia. This interaction is lost under hypoxic growth conditions, relieving EFG1 repression. Hypoxic adaptation processes such as filamentation and biofilm formation are affected in ifu5Δ/Δ cells revealing the role of Ifu5 in hypoxic signalling and modulating pathogenicity traits of C. albicans under varied oxygen conditions. Additionally, the WW domain of Ifu5 facilitates its role in hypoxic adaptation, revealing the importance of this domain in providing a platform to integrate various cellular processes. These data forge a relationship between Efg1 and Ifu5 that fosters the role of Ifu5 in hypoxic adaptation thus illuminating novel strategies to undermine the growth of C. albicans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumit K Rastogi
- Yeast Molecular Genetics Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
- Medical Mycology Laboratory, Department of Biosciences, Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi, India
| | - Lasse van Wijlick
- Department Biologie, Molekulare Mykologie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Shivani Ror
- Yeast Molecular Genetics Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Keunsook K Lee
- The Aberdeen Fungal Group, MRC Centre for Medical Mycology, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Elvira Román
- Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología-IRYCIS, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Pranjali Agarwal
- Yeast Molecular Genetics Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Nikhat Manzoor
- Medical Mycology Laboratory, Department of Biosciences, Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi, India
| | - Neil A R Gow
- The Aberdeen Fungal Group, MRC Centre for Medical Mycology, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Jesús Pla
- Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología-IRYCIS, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Joachim F Ernst
- Department Biologie, Molekulare Mykologie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Sneh L Panwar
- Yeast Molecular Genetics Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
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18
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Lu N, Malemud CJ. Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase: A Regulator of Cell Growth, Inflammation, Chondrocyte and Bone Cell Receptor-Mediated Gene Expression. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20153792. [PMID: 31382554 PMCID: PMC6696446 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20153792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Revised: 07/15/2019] [Accepted: 07/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) is a member of the mitogen-activated protein kinase family of signaling molecules. ERK is predominantly found in two forms, ERK1 (p44) and ERK2 (p42), respectively. There are also several atypical forms of ERK, including ERK3, ERK4, ERK5 and ERK7. The ERK1/2 signaling pathway has been implicated in many and diverse cellular events, including proliferation, growth, differentiation, cell migration, cell survival, metabolism and transcription. ERK1/2 is activated (i.e., phosphorylated) in the cytosol and subsequently translocated to the nucleus, where it activates transcription factors including, but not limited to, ETS, c-Jun, and Fos. It is not surprising that the ERK1/2 signaling cascade has been implicated in many pathological conditions, namely, cancer, arthritis, chronic inflammation, and osteoporosis. This narrative review examines many of the cellular events in which the ERK1/2 signaling cascade plays a critical role. It is anticipated that agents designed to inhibit ERK1/2 activation or p-ERK1/2 activity will be developed for the treatment of those diseases characterized by dysregulated gene expression through ERK1/2 activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan Lu
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatic Diseases, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Charles J Malemud
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatic Diseases, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
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19
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Fischer MS, Glass NL. Communicate and Fuse: How Filamentous Fungi Establish and Maintain an Interconnected Mycelial Network. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:619. [PMID: 31001214 PMCID: PMC6455062 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 03/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell-to-cell communication and cell fusion are fundamental biological processes across the tree of life. Survival is often dependent upon being able to identify nearby individuals and respond appropriately. Communication between genetically different individuals allows for the identification of potential mating partners, symbionts, prey, or predators. In contrast, communication between genetically similar (or identical) individuals is important for mediating the development of multicellular organisms or for coordinating density-dependent behaviors (i.e., quorum sensing). This review describes the molecular and genetic mechanisms that mediate cell-to-cell communication and cell fusion between cells of Ascomycete filamentous fungi, with a focus on Neurospora crassa. Filamentous fungi exist as a multicellular, multinuclear network of hyphae, and communication-mediated cell fusion is an important aspect of colony development at each stage of the life cycle. Asexual spore germination occurs in a density-dependent manner. Germinated spores (germlings) avoid cells that are genetically different at specific loci, while chemotropically engaging with cells that share identity at these recognition loci. Germlings with genetic identity at recognition loci undergo cell fusion when in close proximity, a fitness attribute that contributes to more rapid colony establishment. Communication and cell fusion also occur between hyphae in a colony, which are important for reinforcing colony architecture and supporting the development of complex structures such as aerial hyphae and sexual reproductive structures. Over 70 genes have been identified in filamentous fungi (primarily N. crassa) that are involved in kind recognition, chemotropic interactions, and cell fusion. While the hypothetical signal(s) and receptor(s) remain to be described, a dynamic molecular signaling network that regulates cell-cell interactions has been revealed, including two conserved MAP-Kinase cascades, a conserved STRIPAK complex, transcription factors, a NOX complex involved in the generation of reactive oxygen species, cell-integrity sensors, actin, components of the secretory pathway, and several other proteins. Together these pathways facilitate the integration of extracellular signals, direct polarized growth, and initiate a transcriptional program that reinforces signaling and prepares cells for downstream processes, such as membrane merger, cell fusion and adaptation to heterokaryon formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika S. Fischer
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley CA, United States
| | - N. Louise Glass
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley CA, United States
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, United States
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20
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Integration of Self and Non-self Recognition Modulates Asexual Cell-to-Cell Communication in Neurospora crassa. Genetics 2019; 211:1255-1267. [PMID: 30718271 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.118.301780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2018] [Accepted: 01/27/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Cells rarely exist alone, which drives the evolution of diverse mechanisms for identifying and responding appropriately to the presence of other nearby cells. Filamentous fungi depend on somatic cell-to-cell communication and fusion for the development and maintenance of a multicellular, interconnected colony that is characteristic of this group of organisms. The filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa is a model for investigating the mechanisms of somatic cell-to-cell communication and fusion. N. crassa cells chemotropically grow toward genetically similar cells, which ultimately make physical contact and undergo cell fusion. Here, we describe the development of a Pprm1-luciferase reporter system that differentiates whether genes function upstream or downstream of a conserved MAP kinase (MAPK) signaling complex, by using a set of mutants required for communication and cell fusion. The vast majority of these mutants are deficient for self-fusion and for fusion when paired with wild-type cells. However, the Δham-11 mutant is unique in that it fails to undergo self-fusion, but chemotropic interactions and cell fusion are restored in Δham-11 + wild-type interactions. In genetically dissimilar cells, chemotropic interactions are regulated by genetic differences at doc-1 and doc-2, which regulate prefusion non-self recognition; cells with dissimilar doc-1 and doc-2 alleles show greatly reduced cell-fusion frequencies. Here, we show that HAM-11 functions in parallel with the DOC-1 and DOC-2 proteins to regulate the activity of the MAPK signaling complex. Together, our data support a model of integrated self and non-self recognition processes that modulate somatic cell-to-cell communication in N. crassa.
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21
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Schumacher DI, Lütkenhaus R, Altegoer F, Teichert I, Kück U, Nowrousian M. The transcription factor PRO44 and the histone chaperone ASF1 regulate distinct aspects of multicellular development in the filamentous fungus Sordaria macrospora. BMC Genet 2018; 19:112. [PMID: 30545291 PMCID: PMC6293562 DOI: 10.1186/s12863-018-0702-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2018] [Accepted: 11/28/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Fungal fruiting bodies are complex three-dimensional structures that are formed to protect and disperse the sexual spores. Their morphogenesis requires the concerted action of numerous genes; however, at the molecular level, the spatio-temporal sequence of events leading to the mature fruiting body is largely unknown. In previous studies, the transcription factor gene pro44 and the histone chaperone gene asf1 were shown to be essential for fruiting body formation in the ascomycete Sordaria macrospora. Both PRO44 and ASF1 are predicted to act on the regulation of gene expression in the nucleus, and mutants in both genes are blocked at the same stage of development. Thus, we hypothesized that PRO44 and ASF1 might be involved in similar aspects of transcriptional regulation. In this study, we characterized their roles in fruiting body development in more detail. Results The PRO44 protein forms homodimers, localizes to the nucleus, and is strongly expressed in the outer layers of the developing young fruiting body. Analysis of single and double mutants of asf1 and three other chromatin modifier genes, cac2, crc1, and rtt106, showed that only asf1 is essential for fruiting body formation whereas cac2 and rtt106 might have redundant functions in this process. RNA-seq analysis revealed distinct roles for asf1 and pro44 in sexual development, with asf1 acting as a suppressor of weakly expressed genes during morphogenesis. This is most likely not due to global mislocalization of nucleosomes as micrococcal nuclease-sequencing did not reveal differences in nucleosome spacing and positioning around transcriptional start sites between Δasf1 and the wild type. However, bisulfite sequencing revealed a decrease in DNA methylation in Δasf1, which might be a reason for the observed changes in gene expression. Transcriptome analysis of gene expression in young fruiting bodies showed that pro44 is required for correct expression of genes involved in extracellular metabolism. Deletion of the putative transcription factor gene asm2, which is downregulated in young fruiting bodies of Δpro44, results in defects during ascospore maturation. Conclusions In summary, the results indicate distinct roles for the transcription factor PRO44 and the histone chaperone ASF1 in the regulation of sexual development in fungi. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12863-018-0702-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ramona Lütkenhaus
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780, Bochum, Germany
| | - Florian Altegoer
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780, Bochum, Germany.,LOEWE-Zentrum für Synthetische Mikrobiologie & Department of Chemistry, Philipps University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Ines Teichert
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780, Bochum, Germany
| | - Ulrich Kück
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780, Bochum, Germany
| | - Minou Nowrousian
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780, Bochum, Germany.
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22
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Yin Y, Wu S, Chui C, Ma T, Jiang H, Hahn M, Ma Z. The MAPK kinase BcMkk1 suppresses oxalic acid biosynthesis via impeding phosphorylation of BcRim15 by BcSch9 in Botrytis cinerea. PLoS Pathog 2018; 14:e1007285. [PMID: 30212570 PMCID: PMC6136818 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Accepted: 08/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cassette of the cell wall integrity (CWI) pathway is primarily responsible for orchestrating changes of cell wall. However, functions of this cassette in other cellular processes are not well understood. Here, we found that the Botrytis cinerea mutant of MAPK kinase (BcMkk1) displays more serious defects in mycelial growth, conidiation, responses to cell wall and oxidative stresses, but possesses less reduced virulence than the mutants of its upstream (BcBck1) and downstream (BcBmp3) kinases. Interestingly, BcMkk1, but not BcBck1 and BcBmp3, negatively regulates production of oxalic acid (OA) and activity of extracellular hydrolases (EHs) that are proposed to be virulence factors of B. cinerea. Moreover, we obtained evidence that BcMkk1 negatively controls OA production via impeding phosphorylation of the Per-Arnt-Sim (PAS) kinase BcRim15 by the Ser/Thr kinase BcSch9. In addition, the fungal Pro40 homolog BcPro40 was found to interact simultaneously with three MAPKs, implying that BcPro40 is a scaffold protein of the CWI pathway in B. cinerea. Taken together, results of this study reveal that BcMkk1 negatively modulates virulence via suppressing OA biosynthesis in B. cinerea, which provides novel insight into conserved and species-specific functions of the MAPK kinase in fungi. Botrytis cinerea causes pre- and postharvest diseases in more than 200 economically important crops. In this study, the roles of cell wall integrity (CWI)-related MAPK kinase BcMkk1in regulating B. cinerea virulence were investigated using genetic and biochemical approaches. We found that the MAPK kinase BcMkk1 positively regulates virulence via the CWI pathway. Unexpectedly, BcMkk1 also negatively regulates fungal virulence via restraining oxalic acid production, by impeding phosphorylation of the PAS kinase BcRim15 mediated by the kinase BcSch9. To our knowledge, this is the first report that a MAPK kinase can negatively modulate fungal virulence on host plants. Our results provide novel insight into biological functions of a MAPK kinase in fungal pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanni Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Sisi Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Chaonan Chui
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Tianling Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Huixian Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Matthias Hahn
- Department of Biology, Kaiserslautern University, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Zhonghua Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- * E-mail:
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Nguyen TS, Lalucque H, Silar P. Identification and characterization of PDC1, a novel protein involved in the epigenetic cell degeneration Crippled Growth in Podospora anserina. Mol Microbiol 2018; 110:499-512. [PMID: 30069939 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2018] [Revised: 06/28/2018] [Accepted: 07/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The model fungus Podospora anserina exhibits Crippled Growth (CG), a cell degeneration process linked to the spreading of a prion-like hereditary element. Previous work has shown that the PaMpk1 MAP kinase and the PaNox1 NADPH oxidase are key player in setting up CG. Here, we identified PDC1, a new gene that negatively regulates the PaMpk1 pathway, by identifying the gene mutated in the PDC2205 mutant. This mutant exhibits strong CG in conditions where the wild-type does not. PDC1 encodes a small protein conserved in other Pezizomycotina. The protein contains four evolutionary-conserved cysteines, a tryptophan and a histidine; all six amino-acid are essential for function. PDC1 is located in the cytosol and is present in lower amounts in stationary hyphae in accordance with its role as a repressor. Epistasis analyses place PDC1 between PaMpk1 and PaNox1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tinh-Suong Nguyen
- Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire des Energies de Demain (LIED), Univ Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, 75205, France
| | - Hervé Lalucque
- Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire des Energies de Demain (LIED), Univ Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, 75205, France
| | - Philippe Silar
- Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire des Energies de Demain (LIED), Univ Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, 75205, France
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24
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Scott B, Green K, Berry D. The fine balance between mutualism and antagonism in the Epichloë festucae-grass symbiotic interaction. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2018; 44:32-38. [PMID: 29454183 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2018.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2017] [Revised: 01/25/2018] [Accepted: 01/29/2018] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Epichloë endophytes form mutualistic symbiotic associations with aerial tissues of temperate grasses. Intercalary growth of hyphae within the leaves enables fungal growth to be synchronized with host leaf growth, leading to formation of a highly structured and tightly regulated symbiotic network. Mutations in fungal genes that disrupt cell-cell fusion and other key signalling pathways lead to an antagonistic interaction characterized by unregulated growth of endophytic hyphae and detrimental effects on host growth. Transcriptome analysis of these mutant associations provides key insights into the regulation of the symbiosis. In nature a similar switch in growth occurs when hyphae transition into the sexual cycle forming stromata that abort host inflorescences. Endophyte infection of the grass host leads to a major reprogramming of host metabolism and alters host development. Changes in endophyte cell wall structure and the repertoire of effectors secreted into the host apoplast accompany establishment of a mutualistic interaction within the leaves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barry Scott
- Institute of Molecular BioSciences and Bioprotection Research Centre, Massey University, Private Bag 11 222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
| | - Kimberly Green
- Institute of Molecular BioSciences and Bioprotection Research Centre, Massey University, Private Bag 11 222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand
| | - Daniel Berry
- Institute of Molecular BioSciences and Bioprotection Research Centre, Massey University, Private Bag 11 222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand
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25
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PaPro1 and IDC4, Two Genes Controlling Stationary Phase, Sexual Development and Cell Degeneration in Podospora anserina. J Fungi (Basel) 2018; 4:jof4030085. [PMID: 29997371 PMCID: PMC6162560 DOI: 10.3390/jof4030085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2018] [Revised: 06/28/2018] [Accepted: 07/10/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Filamentous fungi frequently undergo bistable phenotypic switches. Crippled Growth of Podospora anserina is one such bistable switch, which seems to rely upon the mis-activation of a self-regulated PaMpk1 MAP kinase regulatory pathway. Here, we identify two new partners of this pathway: PaPro1, a transcription factor orthologous to Sordaria macrospora pro1 and Neurospora crassa ADV-1, and IDC4, a protein with an AIM24 domain. Both PaPro1 and IDC4 regulate stationary phase features, as described for the other actors of the PaMpk1 signaling pathway. However, PaPro1 is also involved in the control of fertilization by activating the transcription of the HMG8 and the mating type transcription factors, as well as the sexual pheromones and receptor genes. The roles of two components of the STRIPAK complex were also investigated by inactivating their encoding genes: PaPro22 and PaPro45. The mutants of these genes were found to have the same phenotypes as PaPro1 and IDC4 mutants as well as additional phenotypes including slow growth, abnormally shaped hyphae, pigment accumulation and blockage of the zygotic tissue development, indicating that the STRIPAK complex regulates, in addition to the PaMpk1 one, other pathways in P. anserina. Overall, the mutants of these four genes confirm the model by which Crippled Growth is due to the abnormal activation of the PaMpk1 MAP kinase cascade.
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26
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Komis G, Šamajová O, Ovečka M, Šamaj J. Cell and Developmental Biology of Plant Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases. ANNUAL REVIEW OF PLANT BIOLOGY 2018; 69:237-265. [PMID: 29489398 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-arplant-042817-040314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Plant mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) constitute a network of signaling cascades responsible for transducing extracellular stimuli and decoding them to dedicated cellular and developmental responses that shape the plant body. Over the last decade, we have accumulated information about how MAPK modules control the development of reproductive tissues and gametes and the embryogenic and postembryonic development of vegetative organs such as roots, root nodules, shoots, and leaves. Of key importance to understanding how MAPKs participate in developmental and environmental signaling is the characterization of their subcellular localization, their interactions with upstream signal perception mechanisms, and the means by which they target their substrates. In this review, we summarize the roles of MAPK signaling in the regulation of key plant developmental processes, and we survey what is known about the mechanisms guiding the subcellular compartmentalization of MAPK modules.
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Affiliation(s)
- George Komis
- Centre of the Region Haná for Biotechnological and Agricultural Research, Faculty of Science, Palacký University Olomouc, 783 71 Olomouc, Czech Republic;
| | - Olga Šamajová
- Centre of the Region Haná for Biotechnological and Agricultural Research, Faculty of Science, Palacký University Olomouc, 783 71 Olomouc, Czech Republic;
| | - Miroslav Ovečka
- Centre of the Region Haná for Biotechnological and Agricultural Research, Faculty of Science, Palacký University Olomouc, 783 71 Olomouc, Czech Republic;
| | - Jozef Šamaj
- Centre of the Region Haná for Biotechnological and Agricultural Research, Faculty of Science, Palacký University Olomouc, 783 71 Olomouc, Czech Republic;
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27
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Regulation of Cell-to-Cell Communication and Cell Wall Integrity by a Network of MAP Kinase Pathways and Transcription Factors in Neurospora crassa. Genetics 2018; 209:489-506. [PMID: 29678830 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.118.300904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2018] [Accepted: 04/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Maintenance of cell integrity and cell-to-cell communication are fundamental biological processes. Filamentous fungi, such as Neurospora crassa, depend on communication to locate compatible cells, coordinate cell fusion, and establish a robust hyphal network. Two MAP kinase (MAPK) pathways are essential for communication and cell fusion in N. crassa: the cell wall integrity/MAK-1 pathway and the MAK-2 (signal response) pathway. Previous studies have demonstrated several points of cross-talk between the MAK-1 and MAK-2 pathways, which is likely necessary for coordinating chemotropic growth toward an extracellular signal, and then mediating cell fusion. Canonical MAPK pathways begin with signal reception and end with a transcriptional response. Two transcription factors, ADV-1 and PP-1, are essential for communication and cell fusion. PP-1 is the conserved target of MAK-2, but it is unclear what targets ADV-1. We did RNA sequencing on Δadv-1, Δpp-1, and wild-type cells and found that ADV-1 and PP-1 have a shared regulon including many genes required for communication, cell fusion, growth, development, and stress response. We identified ADV-1 and PP-1 binding sites across the genome by adapting the in vitro method of DNA-affinity purification sequencing for N. crassa To elucidate the regulatory network, we misexpressed each transcription factor in each upstream MAPK deletion mutant. Misexpression of adv-1 was sufficient to fully suppress the phenotype of the Δpp-1 mutant and partially suppress the phenotype of the Δmak-1 mutant. Collectively, our data demonstrate that the MAK-1/ADV-1 and MAK-2/PP-1 pathways form a tight regulatory network that maintains cell integrity and mediates communication and cell fusion.
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28
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Heinisch JJ, Rodicio R. Protein kinase C in fungi—more than just cell wall integrity. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2017; 42:4562651. [DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fux051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2017] [Accepted: 10/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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29
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The integration of Gβ and MAPK signaling cascade in zygote development. Sci Rep 2017; 7:8732. [PMID: 28821747 PMCID: PMC5562876 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-08230-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2017] [Accepted: 07/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Cells respond to many signals with a limited number of signaling components. Heterotrimeric G proteins and MAPK cascades are universally used by eukaryotic cells to transduce signals in various developmental processes or stress responses by activating different effectors. MAPK cascade is integrated with G proteins by scaffold protein during plant immunity. However, the molecular relationship between G proteins and MAPK modules in plant development is still unclear. In this study, we demonstrate that Arabidopsis Gβ protein AGB1 interacts with MPK3 and 6, MKK4 and 5, as well as the regulatory domains of YODA (YDA), the upstream MEKK of MKK4/5. Remarkably, YDA interacts with the plasma membrane associated SHORT SUSPENSOR (SSP) through its N- and C-terminal region in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, genetic analysis shows that AGB1 functions together with MPK3/6 signaling cascade during the asymmetric division of the zygote. These data indicate that Gβ may function likely as a scaffold, through direct physical interaction with the components of the MPK signaling module in plant development. Our results provide new insights into the molecular functions of G protein and will advance the understanding of the complex mechanism of kinase signaling cascades.
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30
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Martínez-Soto D, Ruiz-Herrera J. Functional analysis of the MAPK pathways in fungi. Rev Iberoam Micol 2017; 34:192-202. [PMID: 28732778 DOI: 10.1016/j.riam.2017.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2016] [Revised: 01/27/2017] [Accepted: 02/17/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways constitute one of the most important and evolutionarily conserved mechanisms for the perception of extracellular information in all the eukaryotic organisms. The MAPK pathways are involved in the transfer to the cell of the information perceived from extracellular stimuli, with the final outcome of activation of different transcription factors that regulate gene expression in response to them. In all species of fungi, the MAPK pathways have important roles in their physiology and development; e.g. cell cycle control, mating, morphogenesis, response to different stresses, resistance to UV radiation and to temperature changes, cell wall assembly and integrity, degradation of cellular organelles, virulence, cell-cell signaling, fungus-plant interaction, and response to damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). Considering the importance of the phylogenetically conserved MAPK pathways in fungi, an updated review of the knowledge on them is discussed in this article. This information reveals their importance, their distribution in fungal species evolutionarily distant and with different lifestyles, their organization and function, and the interactions occurring between different MAPK pathways, and with other signaling pathways, for the regulation of the most complex cellular processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Domingo Martínez-Soto
- Departamento de Ingeniería Genética, Unidad Irapuato, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Irapuato, Gto., Mexico
| | - José Ruiz-Herrera
- Departamento de Ingeniería Genética, Unidad Irapuato, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Irapuato, Gto., Mexico.
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31
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Abstract
ABSTRACT
For the majority of fungal species, the somatic body of an individual is a network of interconnected cells sharing a common cytoplasm and organelles. This syncytial organization contributes to an efficient distribution of resources, energy, and biochemical signals. Cell fusion is a fundamental process for fungal development, colony establishment, and habitat exploitation and can occur between hyphal cells of an individual colony or between colonies of genetically distinct individuals. One outcome of cell fusion is the establishment of a stable heterokaryon, culminating in benefits for each individual via shared resources or being of critical importance for the sexual or parasexual cycle of many fungal species. However, a second outcome of cell fusion between genetically distinct strains is formation of unstable heterokaryons and the induction of a programmed cell death reaction in the heterokaryotic cells. This reaction of nonself rejection, which is termed heterokaryon (or vegetative) incompatibility, is widespread in the fungal kingdom and acts as a defense mechanism against genome exploitation and mycoparasitism. Here, we review the currently identified molecular players involved in the process of somatic cell fusion and its regulation in filamentous fungi. Thereafter, we summarize the knowledge of the molecular determinants and mechanism of heterokaryon incompatibility and place this phenomenon in the broader context of biotropic interactions and immunity.
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32
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Serrano A, Hammadeh HH, Herzog S, Illgen J, Schumann MR, Weichert M, Fleiβner A. The dynamics of signal complex formation mediating germling fusion in Neurospora crassa. Fungal Genet Biol 2017; 101:31-33. [PMID: 28216441 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2017.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2016] [Revised: 02/07/2017] [Accepted: 02/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Colony initiation of filamentous fungi commonly involves fusion of germinating vegetative spores. Studies in Neurospora crassa revealed an unusual cell-cell communication mechanism mediating this process, in which the fusion partners coordinately alternate between two physiological stages, probably related to signal sending and receiving. This "cell dialog" involves the alternating, oscillatory recruitment of the SO protein and the MAK-2 MAP kinase module to the apical plasma membrane of growing fusion tips. In this review video article, we show the dynamics of the fluorescent labeled proteins SO and MAK-2 and provide an animated graphical model of the "cell dialog" process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Serrano
- Institut für Genetik, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Spielmannstraβe 7, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Hamzeh H Hammadeh
- Institut für Genetik, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Spielmannstraβe 7, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Stephanie Herzog
- Institut für Genetik, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Spielmannstraβe 7, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Julia Illgen
- Institut für Genetik, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Spielmannstraβe 7, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Marcel R Schumann
- Institut für Genetik, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Spielmannstraβe 7, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Martin Weichert
- Institut für Genetik, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Spielmannstraβe 7, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - André Fleiβner
- Institut für Genetik, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Spielmannstraβe 7, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany.
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33
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Green KA, Becker Y, Tanaka A, Takemoto D, Fitzsimons HL, Seiler S, Lalucque H, Silar P, Scott B. SymB and SymC, two membrane associated proteins, are required forEpichloë festucaehyphal cell-cell fusion and maintenance of a mutualistic interaction withLolium perenne. Mol Microbiol 2016; 103:657-677. [DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly A. Green
- Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University; Palmerston North 4442 New Zealand
- Bioprotection Research Centre, Massey University; Palmerston North 4442 New Zealand
| | - Yvonne Becker
- Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University; Palmerston North 4442 New Zealand
- Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops; Großbeeren 14979 Germany
| | - Aiko Tanaka
- Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences; Nagoya University; Nagoya 464-8601 Japan
| | - Daigo Takemoto
- Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences; Nagoya University; Nagoya 464-8601 Japan
| | - Helen L. Fitzsimons
- Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University; Palmerston North 4442 New Zealand
| | - Stephan Seiler
- Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies, Albert-Ludwigs Universität Freiburg; Freiburg Germany
| | - Hervé Lalucque
- Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Laboratoire des Energies de Demain; Paris 75205 France
| | - Philippe Silar
- Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Laboratoire des Energies de Demain; Paris 75205 France
| | - Barry Scott
- Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University; Palmerston North 4442 New Zealand
- Bioprotection Research Centre, Massey University; Palmerston North 4442 New Zealand
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34
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Teichert I, Lutomski M, Märker R, Nowrousian M, Kück U. New insights from an old mutant: SPADIX4 governs fruiting body development but not hyphal fusion in Sordaria macrospora. Mol Genet Genomics 2016; 292:93-104. [DOI: 10.1007/s00438-016-1258-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2016] [Accepted: 10/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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35
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Accumulation of specific sterol precursors targets a MAP kinase cascade mediating cell-cell recognition and fusion. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:11877-11882. [PMID: 27708165 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1610527113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Sterols are vital components of eukaryotic cell membranes. Defects in sterol biosynthesis, which result in the accumulation of precursor molecules, are commonly associated with cellular disorders and disease. However, the effects of these sterol precursors on the metabolism, signaling, and behavior of cells are only poorly understood. In this study, we show that the accumulation of only ergosterol precursors with a conjugated double bond in their aliphatic side chain specifically disrupts cell-cell communication and fusion in the fungus Neurospora crassa Genetically identical germinating spores of this fungus undergo cell-cell fusion, thereby forming a highly interconnected supracellular network during colony initiation. Before fusion, the cells use an unusual signaling mechanism that involves the coordinated and alternating switching between signal sending and receiving states of the two fusion partners. Accumulation of only ergosterol precursors with a conjugated double bond in their aliphatic side chain disrupts this coordinated cell-cell communication and suppresses cell fusion. These specific sterol precursors target a single ERK-like mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase (MAK-1)-signaling cascade, whereas a second MAP kinase pathway (MAK-2), which is also involved in cell fusion, is unaffected. These observations indicate that a minor specific change in sterol structure can exert a strong detrimental effect on a key signaling pathway of the cell, resulting in the absence of cell fusion.
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36
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Steffens EK, Becker K, Krevet S, Teichert I, Kück U. Transcription factor PRO1 targets genes encoding conserved components of fungal developmental signaling pathways. Mol Microbiol 2016; 102:792-809. [PMID: 27560538 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/24/2016] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The filamentous fungus Sordaria macrospora is a model system to study multicellular development during fruiting body formation. Previously, we demonstrated that this major process in the sexual life cycle is controlled by the Zn(II)2 Cys6 zinc cluster transcription factor PRO1. Here, we further investigated the genome-wide regulatory network controlled by PRO1 by employing chromatin immunoprecipitation combined with next-generation sequencing (ChIP-seq) to identify binding sites for PRO1. We identified several target regions that occur in the promoter regions of genes encoding components of diverse signaling pathways. Furthermore, we identified a conserved DNA-binding motif that is bound specifically by PRO1 in vitro. In addition, PRO1 controls in vivo the expression of a DsRed reporter gene under the control of the esdC target gene promoter. Our ChIP-seq data suggest that PRO1 also controls target genes previously shown to be involved in regulating the pathways controlling cell wall integrity, NADPH oxidase and pheromone signaling. Our data point to PRO1 acting as a master regulator of genes for signaling components that comprise a developmental cascade controlling fruiting body formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Katharina Steffens
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, Bochum, 44780, Germany
| | - Kordula Becker
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, Bochum, 44780, Germany
| | - Sabine Krevet
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, Bochum, 44780, Germany
| | - Ines Teichert
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, Bochum, 44780, Germany
| | - Ulrich Kück
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, Bochum, 44780, Germany
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37
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Reifschneider O, Marx C, Jacobs J, Kollipara L, Sickmann A, Wolters D, Kück U. A Ribonucleoprotein Supercomplex Involved in trans-Splicing of Organelle Group II Introns. J Biol Chem 2016; 291:23330-23342. [PMID: 27645995 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m116.750570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2016] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
In the chloroplast of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, two discontinuous group II introns, psaA-i1 and psaA-i2, splice in trans, and thus their excision process resembles the nuclear spliceosomal splicing pathway. Here, we address the question whether fragmentation of trans-acting RNAs is accompanied by the formation of a chloroplast spliceosome-like machinery. Using a combination of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), size exclusion chromatography, and quantitative RT-PCR, we provide the first characterization of a high molecular weight ribonucleoprotein apparatus participating in psaA mRNA splicing. This supercomplex contains two subcomplexes (I and II) that are responsible for trans-splicing of either psaA-i1 or psaA-i2. We further demonstrate that both subcomplexes are associated with intron RNA, which is a prerequisite for the correct assembly of subcomplex I. This study contributes further to our view of how the eukaryotic nuclear spliceosome evolved after bacterial endosymbiosis through fragmentation of self-splicing group II introns into a dynamic, protein-rich RNP machinery.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christina Marx
- From the Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik
| | - Jessica Jacobs
- From the Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik
| | - Laxmikanth Kollipara
- the Leibniz-Institut für Analytische Wissenschaften-ISAS-e.V., Otto-Hahn-Strasse 6b, 44227 Dortmund, Germany, and
| | - Albert Sickmann
- the Leibniz-Institut für Analytische Wissenschaften-ISAS-e.V., Otto-Hahn-Strasse 6b, 44227 Dortmund, Germany, and.,the School of Natural and Computing Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Meston Building, Meston Walk, Old Aberdeen AB24 3UE, United Kingdom.,the Medizinische Fakultät, Medizinisches Proteom-Center (MPC), and
| | - Dirk Wolters
- the Department of Analytical Chemistry, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, 44801 Bochum, Germany
| | - Ulrich Kück
- From the Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik,
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Fleißner A, Herzog S. Signal exchange and integration during self-fusion in filamentous fungi. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2016; 57:76-83. [DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2016.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2016] [Revised: 03/06/2016] [Accepted: 03/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Beier A, Teichert I, Krisp C, Wolters DA, Kück U. Catalytic Subunit 1 of Protein Phosphatase 2A Is a Subunit of the STRIPAK Complex and Governs Fungal Sexual Development. mBio 2016; 7:e00870-16. [PMID: 27329756 PMCID: PMC4916389 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00870-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2016] [Accepted: 05/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED The generation of complex three-dimensional structures is a key developmental step for most eukaryotic organisms. The details of the molecular machinery controlling this step remain to be determined. An excellent model system to study this general process is the generation of three-dimensional fruiting bodies in filamentous fungi like Sordaria macrospora Fruiting body development is controlled by subunits of the highly conserved striatin-interacting phosphatase and kinase (STRIPAK) complex, which has been described in organisms ranging from yeasts to humans. The highly conserved heterotrimeric protein phosphatase PP2A is a subunit of STRIPAK. Here, catalytic subunit 1 of PP2A was functionally characterized. The Δpp2Ac1 strain is sterile, unable to undergo hyphal fusion, and devoid of ascogonial septation. Further, PP2Ac1, together with STRIPAK subunit PRO22, governs vegetative and stress-related growth. We revealed in vitro catalytic activity of wild-type PP2Ac1, and our in vivo analysis showed that inactive PP2Ac1 blocks the complementation of the sterile deletion strain. Tandem affinity purification, followed by mass spectrometry and yeast two-hybrid analysis, verified that PP2Ac1 is a subunit of STRIPAK. Further, these data indicate links between the STRIPAK complex and other developmental signaling pathways, implying the presence of a large interconnected signaling network that controls eukaryotic developmental processes. The insights gained in our study can be transferred to higher eukaryotes and will be important for understanding eukaryotic cellular development in general. IMPORTANCE The striatin-interacting phosphatase and kinase (STRIPAK) complex is highly conserved from yeasts to humans and is an important regulator of numerous eukaryotic developmental processes, such as cellular signaling and cell development. Although functional insights into the STRIPAK complex are accumulating, the detailed molecular mechanisms of single subunits are only partially understood. The first fungal STRIPAK was described in Sordaria macrospora, which is a well-established model organism used to study the formation of fungal fruiting bodies, three-dimensional organ-like structures. We analyzed STRIPAK subunit PP2Ac1, catalytic subunit 1 of protein phosphatase PP2A, to study the importance of the catalytic activity of this protein during sexual development. The results of our yeast two-hybrid analysis and tandem affinity purification, followed by mass spectrometry, indicate that PP2Ac1 activity connects STRIPAK with other signaling pathways and thus forms a large interconnected signaling network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Beier
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik, Ruhr-Universität, Bochum, Germany
| | - Ines Teichert
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik, Ruhr-Universität, Bochum, Germany
| | - Christoph Krisp
- Lehrstuhl für Analytische Chemie, Ruhr-Universität, Bochum, Germany
| | - Dirk A Wolters
- Lehrstuhl für Analytische Chemie, Ruhr-Universität, Bochum, Germany
| | - Ulrich Kück
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik, Ruhr-Universität, Bochum, Germany
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Turrà D, Nordzieke D, Vitale S, El Ghalid M, Di Pietro A. Hyphal chemotropism in fungal pathogenicity. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2016; 57:69-75. [PMID: 27150623 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2016.04.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2016] [Revised: 04/29/2016] [Accepted: 04/29/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The ability to grow as filamentous hyphae defines the lifestyle of fungi. Hyphae are exposed to a variety of chemical stimuli such as nutrients or signal molecules from mating partners and host organisms. How fungi sense and process this chemical information to steer hyphal growth is poorly understood. Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Neurospora crassa have served as genetic models for the identification of cellular components functioning in chemotropism. A recent study in the pathogen Fusarium oxysporum revealed distinct MAPK pathways governing hyphal growth towards nutrient sources and sex pheromones or plant signals, suggesting an unanticipated complexity of chemosensing during fungus-host interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Turrà
- Departamento de Genética, Campus de Excelencia Internacional Agroalimentario ceiA3, Universidad de Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
| | - Daniela Nordzieke
- Departamento de Genética, Campus de Excelencia Internacional Agroalimentario ceiA3, Universidad de Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
| | - Stefania Vitale
- Departamento de Genética, Campus de Excelencia Internacional Agroalimentario ceiA3, Universidad de Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
| | - Mennat El Ghalid
- Departamento de Genética, Campus de Excelencia Internacional Agroalimentario ceiA3, Universidad de Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
| | - Antonio Di Pietro
- Departamento de Genética, Campus de Excelencia Internacional Agroalimentario ceiA3, Universidad de Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain.
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Tsukasaki W, Saeki K, Katayama T, Maruyama JI, Kitamoto K. Molecular dissection of SO (SOFT) protein in stress-induced aggregation and cell-to-cell interactive functions in filamentous fungal multicellularity. Fungal Biol 2016; 120:775-82. [DOI: 10.1016/j.funbio.2016.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2015] [Revised: 01/25/2016] [Accepted: 02/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Heller J, Zhao J, Rosenfield G, Kowbel DJ, Gladieux P, Glass NL. Characterization of Greenbeard Genes Involved in Long-Distance Kind Discrimination in a Microbial Eukaryote. PLoS Biol 2016; 14:e1002431. [PMID: 27077707 PMCID: PMC4831770 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1002431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2015] [Accepted: 03/11/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Microorganisms are capable of communication and cooperation to perform social activities. Cooperation can be enforced using kind discrimination mechanisms in which individuals preferentially help or punish others, depending on genetic relatedness only at certain loci. In the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa, genetically identical asexual spores (germlings) communicate and fuse in a highly regulated process, which is associated with fitness benefits during colony establishment. Recognition and chemotropic interactions between isogenic germlings requires oscillation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signal transduction protein complex (NRC-1, MEK-2, MAK-2, and the scaffold protein HAM-5) to specialized cell fusion structures termed conidial anastomosis tubes. Using a population of 110 wild N. crassa isolates, we investigated germling fusion between genetically unrelated individuals and discovered that chemotropic interactions are regulated by kind discrimination. Distinct communication groups were identified, in which germlings within one communication group interacted at high frequency, while germlings from different communication groups avoided each other. Bulk segregant analysis followed by whole genome resequencing identified three linked genes (doc-1, doc-2, and doc-3), which were associated with communication group phenotype. Alleles at doc-1, doc-2, and doc-3 fell into five haplotypes that showed transspecies polymorphism. Swapping doc-1 and doc-2 alleles from different communication group strains was necessary and sufficient to confer communication group affiliation. During chemotropic interactions, DOC-1 oscillated with MAK-2 to the tips of conidial anastomosis tubes, while DOC-2 was statically localized to the plasma membrane. Our data indicate that doc-1, doc-2, and doc-3 function as "greenbeard" genes, involved in mediating long-distance kind recognition that involves actively searching for one's own type, resulting in cooperation between non-genealogical relatives. Our findings serve as a basis for investigations into the mechanisms associated with attraction, fusion, and kind recognition in other eukaryotic species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jens Heller
- The Plant and Microbial Biology Department, The University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Jiuhai Zhao
- The Plant and Microbial Biology Department, The University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Gabriel Rosenfield
- The Plant and Microbial Biology Department, The University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - David J. Kowbel
- The Plant and Microbial Biology Department, The University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | | | - N. Louise Glass
- The Plant and Microbial Biology Department, The University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Nox Complex signal and MAPK cascade pathway are cross-linked and essential for pathogenicity and conidiation of mycoparasite Coniothyrium minitans. Sci Rep 2016; 6:24325. [PMID: 27066837 PMCID: PMC4828707 DOI: 10.1038/srep24325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2015] [Accepted: 03/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The NADPH oxidase complex of a sclerotial mycoparasite Coniothyrium minitans, an important biocontrol agent against crop diseases caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, was identified and its functions involved in conidiation and mycoparasitism were studied. Gene knock-out and complementary experiments indicated that CmNox1, but not CmNox2, is necessary for conidiation and parasitism, and its expression could be significantly induced by its host fungus. CmNox1 is regulated by CmRac1-CmNoxR and interacts with CmSlt2, a homolog of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Slt2 encoding cell wall integrity-related MAP kinase. In ΔCmNox1, CmSlt2-GFP fusion protein lost the ability to localize to the cell nucleus accurately. The defect of conidiation in ΔCmRac1 could be partially restored by over-expressing CmSlt2, indicating that CmSlt2 was a downstream regulatory factor of CmNox1 and was involved in conidiation and parasitism. The expressions of mycoparasitism-related genes CmPks1, Cmg1 and CH1 were suppressed in the knock-out mutants of the genes in CmNox1-CmSlt2 signal pathway when cultivated either on PDA. Therefore, our study infers that CmRac1-CmNoxR regulates CmNox1-CmSlt2 pathway in regulating conidiation and pathogenicity of C. minitans.
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45
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Cell fusion in Neurospora crassa. Curr Opin Microbiol 2015; 28:53-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2015.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2015] [Revised: 08/10/2015] [Accepted: 08/11/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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Kück U, Beier AM, Teichert I. The composition and function of the striatin-interacting phosphatases and kinases (STRIPAK) complex in fungi. Fungal Genet Biol 2015; 90:31-38. [PMID: 26439752 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2015.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2015] [Revised: 09/30/2015] [Accepted: 10/02/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The striatin-interacting phosphatases and kinases (STRIPAK) complex is a highly conserved eukaryotic protein complex that was recently described for diverse animal and fungal species. Here, we summarize our current knowledge about the composition and function of the STRIPAK complex from the ascomycete Sordaria macrospora, which we discovered by investigating sexually sterile mutants (pro), having a defect in fruiting body development. Mass spectrometry and yeast two-hybrid analysis defined core subunits of the STRIPAK complex, which have structural homologs in animal and other fungal organisms. These subunits (and their mammalian homologs) are PRO11 (striatin), PRO22 (STRIP1/2), SmMOB3 (Mob3), PRO45 (SLMAP), and PP2AA, the structural, and PP2Ac, the catalytic subunits of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). Beside fruiting body formation, the STRIPAK complex controls vegetative growth and hyphal fusion in S. macrospora. Although the contribution of single subunits to diverse cellular and developmental processes is not yet fully understood, functional analysis has already shown that mammalian homologs are able to substitute the function of distinct fungal STRIPAK subunits. This underscores the view that fungal model organisms serve as useful tools to get a molecular insight into cellular and developmental processes of eukaryotes in general. Future work will unravel the precise localization of single subunits within the cell and decipher their STRIPAK-related and STRIPAK-independent functions. Finally, evidence is accumulating that there is a crosstalk between STRIPAK and various signaling pathways, suggesting that eukaryotic development is dependent on STRIPAK signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrich Kück
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstr. 150, 44780 Bochum, Germany.
| | - Anna M Beier
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstr. 150, 44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - Ines Teichert
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstr. 150, 44780 Bochum, Germany
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Turrà D, Di Pietro A. Chemotropic sensing in fungus-plant interactions. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2015; 26:135-40. [PMID: 26247120 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2015.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2015] [Revised: 07/13/2015] [Accepted: 07/14/2015] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Growth of fungal hyphae is guided by a variety of chemical gradients, including nutrients, mating pheromones or host compounds. Over 100 years after chemotropism was first reported in fungus-plant interactions, our knowledge on the host signals, fungal receptors and cellular pathways is still rudimentary. Genetic analysis in the model organisms Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Neurospora crassa has provided valuable insights into the chemotropic machinery of the fungal hypha. Moreover, recent studies in the root-infecting pathogen Fusarium oxysporum reveal an unanticipated complexity in chemotropic sensing of nutrient sources, peptide pheromones and host plant signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Turrà
- Departamento de Genética, Campus de Excelencia Internacional Agroalimentario ceiA3, Universidad de Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
| | - Antonio Di Pietro
- Departamento de Genética, Campus de Excelencia Internacional Agroalimentario ceiA3, Universidad de Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain.
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48
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HAM-5 functions as a MAP kinase scaffold during cell fusion in Neurospora crassa. PLoS Genet 2014; 10:e1004783. [PMID: 25412208 PMCID: PMC4238974 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1004783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2014] [Accepted: 09/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell fusion in genetically identical Neurospora crassa germlings and in hyphae is a highly regulated process involving the activation of a conserved MAP kinase cascade that includes NRC-1, MEK-2 and MAK-2. During chemotrophic growth in germlings, the MAP kinase cascade members localize to conidial anastomosis tube (CAT) tips every ∼8 minutes, perfectly out of phase with another protein that is recruited to the tip: SOFT, a recently identified scaffold for the MAK-1 MAP kinase pathway in Sordaria macrospora. How the MAK-2 oscillation process is initiated, maintained and what proteins regulate the MAP kinase cascade is currently unclear. A global phosphoproteomics approach using an allele of mak-2 (mak-2Q100G) that can be specifically inhibited by the ATP analog 1NM-PP1 was utilized to identify MAK-2 kinase targets in germlings that were potentially involved in this process. One such putative target was HAM-5, a protein of unknown biochemical function. Previously, Δham-5 mutants were shown to be deficient for hyphal fusion. Here we show that HAM-5-GFP co-localized with NRC-1, MEK-2 and MAK-2 and oscillated with identical dynamics from the cytoplasm to CAT tips during chemotropic interactions. In the Δmak-2 strain, HAM-5-GFP localized to punctate complexes that did not oscillate, but still localized to the germling tip, suggesting that MAK-2 activity influences HAM-5 function/localization. However, MAK-2-GFP showed cytoplasmic and nuclear localization in a Δham-5 strain and did not localize to puncta. Via co-immunoprecipitation experiments, HAM-5 was shown to physically interact with NRC-1, MEK-2 and MAK-2, suggesting that it functions as a scaffold/transport hub for the MAP kinase cascade members for oscillation and chemotropic interactions during germling and hyphal fusion in N. crassa. The identification of HAM-5 as a scaffold-like protein will help to link the activation of MAK-2 cascade to upstream factors and proteins involved in this intriguing process of fungal communication. Cell fusion between genetically identical cells of the fungus Neurospora crassa occurs when germinating asexual cells (conidia) sense each other's proximity and redirect their growth. Chemotropic growth is dependent upon the assembly of a MAPK cascade (NRC-1/MEK-2/MAK-2) at the cell cortex (conidial anastomosis tubes; CATs), followed by disassembly over an ∼8 min cycle. A second protein required for fusion, SO, also assembles and disassembles at CAT tips during chemotropic growth, but with perfectly opposite dynamics to the MAK-2 complex. This process of germling chemotropism, oscillation and cell fusion is regulated by many genes and is poorly understood. Via a phosphoproteomics approach, we identify HAM-5, which functions as a scaffold for the MAK-2 signal transduction complex. HAM-5 is required for assembly/disassembly and oscillation of the MAK-2 complex during chemotropic growth. Our data supports a model whereby regulated modification of HAM-5 controls the disassembly of the MAK-2 MAPK complex and is essential for modulating the tempo of oscillation during chemotropic interactions.
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Teichert I, Nowrousian M, Pöggeler S, Kück U. The filamentous fungus Sordaria macrospora as a genetic model to study fruiting body development. ADVANCES IN GENETICS 2014; 87:199-244. [PMID: 25311923 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-800149-3.00004-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Filamentous fungi are excellent experimental systems due to their short life cycles as well as easy and safe manipulation in the laboratory. They form three-dimensional structures with numerous different cell types and have a long tradition as genetic model organisms used to unravel basic mechanisms underlying eukaryotic cell differentiation. The filamentous ascomycete Sordaria macrospora is a model system for sexual fruiting body (perithecia) formation. S. macrospora is homothallic, i.e., self-fertile, easily genetically tractable, and well suited for large-scale genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics studies. Specific features of its life cycle and the availability of a developmental mutant library make it an excellent system for studying cellular differentiation at the molecular level. In this review, we focus on recent developments in identifying gene and protein regulatory networks governing perithecia formation. A number of tools have been developed to genetically analyze developmental mutants and dissect transcriptional profiles at different developmental stages. Protein interaction studies allowed us to identify a highly conserved eukaryotic multisubunit protein complex, the striatin-interacting phosphatase and kinase complex and its role in sexual development. We have further identified a number of proteins involved in chromatin remodeling and transcriptional regulation of fruiting body development. Furthermore, we review the involvement of metabolic processes from both primary and secondary metabolism, and the role of nutrient recycling by autophagy in perithecia formation. Our research has uncovered numerous players regulating multicellular development in S. macrospora. Future research will focus on mechanistically understanding how these players are orchestrated in this fungal model system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ines Teichert
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Minou Nowrousian
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Stefanie Pöggeler
- Abteilung Genetik eukaryotischer Mikroorganismen, Institut für Mikrobiologie und Genetik, Georg-August Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ulrich Kück
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany
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