1
|
Liu L, Wang Z, Fang Y, Yang R, Pu Y, Meng X, Liu W. Small GTPase Rab7 is involved in stress adaptation to carbon starvation to ensure the induced cellulase biosynthesis in Trichoderma reesei. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS AND BIOPRODUCTS 2024; 17:55. [PMID: 38643207 PMCID: PMC11032611 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-024-02504-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/22/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The saprophytic filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei represents one of the most prolific cellulase producers. The bulk production of lignocellulolytic enzymes by T. reesei not only relies on the efficient transcription of cellulase genes but also their efficient secretion after being translated. However, little attention has been paid to the functional roles of the involved secretory pathway in the high-level production of cellulases in T. reesei. Rab GTPases are key regulators in coordinating various vesicle trafficking associated with the eukaryotic secretory pathway. Specifically, Rab7 is a representative GTPase regulating the transition of the early endosome to the late endosome followed by its fusion to the vacuole as well as homotypic vacuole fusion. Although crosstalk between the endosomal/vacuolar pathway and the secretion pathway has been reported, the functional role of Rab7 in cellulase production in T. reesei remains unknown. RESULTS A TrRab7 was identified and characterized in T. reesei. TrRab7 was shown to play important roles in T. reesei vegetative growth and vacuole morphology. Whereas knock-down of Trrab7 significantly compromised the induced production of T. reesei cellulases, overexpression of the key transcriptional activator, Xyr1, restored the production of cellulases in the Trrab7 knock-down strain (Ptcu-rab7KD) on glucose, indicating that the observed defective cellulase biosynthesis results from the compromised cellulase gene transcription. Down-regulation of Trrab7 was also found to make T. reesei more sensitive to various stresses including carbon starvation. Interestingly, overexpression of Snf1, a serine/threonine protein kinase known as an energetic sensor, partially restored the cellulase production of Ptcu-rab7KD on Avicel, implicating that TrRab7 is involved in an energetic adaptation to carbon starvation which contributes to the successful cellulase gene expression when T. reesei is transferred from glucose to cellulose. CONCLUSIONS TrRab7 was shown to play important roles in T. reesei development and a stress response to carbon starvation resulting from nutrient shift. This adaptation may allow T. reesei to successfully initiate the inducing process leading to efficient cellulase production. The present study provides useful insights into the functional involvement of the endosomal/vacuolar pathway in T. reesei development and hydrolytic enzyme production.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbiology Technology Institute, Shandong University, No. 72 Binhai Road, Qingdao, 266237, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhixing Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbiology Technology Institute, Shandong University, No. 72 Binhai Road, Qingdao, 266237, People's Republic of China
| | - Yu Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbiology Technology Institute, Shandong University, No. 72 Binhai Road, Qingdao, 266237, People's Republic of China
| | - Renfei Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbiology Technology Institute, Shandong University, No. 72 Binhai Road, Qingdao, 266237, People's Republic of China
| | - Yi Pu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbiology Technology Institute, Shandong University, No. 72 Binhai Road, Qingdao, 266237, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiangfeng Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbiology Technology Institute, Shandong University, No. 72 Binhai Road, Qingdao, 266237, People's Republic of China.
| | - Weifeng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbiology Technology Institute, Shandong University, No. 72 Binhai Road, Qingdao, 266237, People's Republic of China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Randhawa A, A Ogunyewo O, Jawed K, Yazdani SS. Calcium signaling positively regulates cellulase translation and secretion in a Clr-2-overexpressing, catabolically derepressed strain of Penicillium funiculosum. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS AND BIOPRODUCTS 2024; 17:21. [PMID: 38336687 PMCID: PMC10858516 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-023-02448-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Low-cost cellulase production is vital to sustainable second-generation biorefineries. The catabolically derepressed strain of Penicillium funiculosum NCIM1228 (PfMig188 or ∆Mig1) secretes a superior set of cellulolytic enzymes, that are most suitable for 2G biorefineries. At a 3% (w/w) load, the ∆Mig1 secretome can release > 80% of fermentable sugars from lignocellulose at a 15% (w/v) biomass load, irrespective of the type of biomass and pretreatment. The robustness of the secretome can be further increased by improving the cellulase production capacity of the fungal strain. RESULTS We began by identifying the transcription factor responsible for cellulase production in NCIM1228. An advanced RNA-seq screen identified three genes, clr-2, ctf1a and ctf1b; the genes were cloned under their native promoters and transformed into NCIM1228. Of the three, clr-2 overexpression led to twofold higher cellulase production than the parent strain and was thus identified as the transcriptional activator of cellulase in NCIM1228. Next, we overexpressed clr-2 in ∆Mig1 and expected an exponential increase in cellulolytic attributes accredited to the reinforced activation mechanisms, conjoint with diminished negative regulation. Although clr-2 overexpression increased the transcript levels of cellulase genes in ∆Mig1, there was no increase in cellulase yield. Even a further increase in the transcript levels of clr-2 via a stronger promoter was ineffective. However, when the CaCO3 concentration was increased to 5 g/l in the growth medium, we achieved a 1.5-fold higher activity of 6.4 FPU/ml in the ∆Mig1 strain with clr-2 overexpression. Enthused by the calcium effect, a transcriptomic screen for genes encoding Ca2+-activated kinase identified ssp1, whose overexpression could further increase cellulase yield to ~ 7.5 FPU/ml. Investigation of the mechanism revealed that calcium signaling exclusively enhances the translation and secretion of cellulase in Penicillium funiculosum. CONCLUSIONS Our study identifies for the first time that cellulose activates two discrete signaling events to govern cellulase transcription and posttranscriptional processes (translation, processing and secretion) in P. funiculosum NCIM1228. Whereas Clr-2, the transcriptional activator of cellulase, governs transcription, calcium signaling specifically activates cellulase translation and secretion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anmoldeep Randhawa
- Microbial Engineering Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, 110067, India.
- DBT-ICGEB Centre for Advanced Bioenergy Research, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, 110067, India.
- AMITY University, Mohali, Punjab, 140306, India.
| | - Olusola A Ogunyewo
- Microbial Engineering Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Kamran Jawed
- Microbial Engineering Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Syed Shams Yazdani
- Microbial Engineering Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, 110067, India.
- DBT-ICGEB Centre for Advanced Bioenergy Research, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, 110067, India.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Xue F, Zhao Z, Gu S, Chen M, Xu J, Luo X, Li J, Tian C. The transcriptional factor Clr-5 is involved in cellulose degradation through regulation of amino acid metabolism in Neurospora crassa. BMC Biotechnol 2023; 23:50. [PMID: 38031036 PMCID: PMC10687990 DOI: 10.1186/s12896-023-00823-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Filamentous fungi are efficient degraders of plant biomass and the primary producers of commercial cellulolytic enzymes. While the transcriptional regulation mechanisms of cellulases have been continuously explored in lignocellulolytic fungi, the induction of cellulase production remains a complex multifactorial system, with several aspects still largely elusive. RESULTS In this study, we identified a Zn2Cys6 transcription factor, designated as Clr-5, which regulates the expression of cellulase genes by influencing amino acid metabolism in Neurospora crassa during growth on cellulose. The deletion of clr-5 caused a significant decrease in secreted protein and cellulolytic enzyme activity of N. crassa, which was partially alleviated by supplementing with yeast extract. Transcriptomic profiling revealed downregulation of not only the genes encoding main cellulases but also those related to nitrogen metabolism after disruption of Clr-5 under Avicel condition. Clr-5 played a crucial role in the utilization of multiple amino acids, especially leucine and histidine. When using leucine or histidine as the sole nitrogen source, the Δclr-5 mutant showed significant growth defects on both glucose and Avicel media. Comparative transcriptomic analysis revealed that the transcript levels of most genes encoding carbohydrate-active enzymes and those involved in the catabolism and uptake of histidine, branched-chain amino acids, and aromatic amino acids, were remarkably reduced in strain Δclr-5, compared with the wild-type N. crassa when grown in Avicel medium with leucine or histidine as the sole nitrogen source. These findings underscore the important role of amino acid metabolism in the regulation of cellulase production in N. crassa. Furthermore, the function of Clr-5 in regulating cellulose degradation is conserved among ascomycete fungi. CONCLUSIONS These findings regarding the novel transcription factor Clr-5 enhance our comprehension of the regulatory connections between amino acid metabolism and cellulase production, offering fresh prospects for the development of fungal cell factories dedicated to cellulolytic enzyme production in bio-refineries.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fanglei Xue
- College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, 300457, China
- Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-Carbon Manufacturing, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, 300308, China
| | - Zhen Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-Carbon Manufacturing, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, 300308, China
| | - Shuying Gu
- Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-Carbon Manufacturing, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, 300308, China
| | - Meixin Chen
- College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, 300457, China
- Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-Carbon Manufacturing, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, 300308, China
| | - Jing Xu
- Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-Carbon Manufacturing, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, 300308, China
| | - Xuegang Luo
- College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, 300457, China
| | - Jingen Li
- Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-Carbon Manufacturing, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China.
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, 300308, China.
| | - Chaoguang Tian
- Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-Carbon Manufacturing, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China.
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, 300308, China.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Kerkaert JD, Huberman LB. Regulation of nutrient utilization in filamentous fungi. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2023; 107:5873-5898. [PMID: 37540250 PMCID: PMC10983054 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-023-12680-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
Organisms must accurately sense and respond to nutrients to survive. In filamentous fungi, accurate nutrient sensing is important in the establishment of fungal colonies and in continued, rapid growth for the exploitation of environmental resources. To ensure efficient nutrient utilization, fungi have evolved a combination of activating and repressing genetic networks to tightly regulate metabolic pathways and distinguish between preferred nutrients, which require minimal energy and resources to utilize, and nonpreferred nutrients, which have more energy-intensive catabolic requirements. Genes necessary for the utilization of nonpreferred carbon sources are activated by transcription factors that respond to the presence of the specific nutrient and repressed by transcription factors that respond to the presence of preferred carbohydrates. Utilization of nonpreferred nitrogen sources generally requires two transcription factors. Pathway-specific transcription factors respond to the presence of a specific nonpreferred nitrogen source, while another transcription factor activates genes in the absence of preferred nitrogen sources. In this review, we discuss the roles of transcription factors and upstream regulatory genes that respond to preferred and nonpreferred carbon and nitrogen sources and their roles in regulating carbon and nitrogen catabolism. KEY POINTS: • Interplay of activating and repressing transcriptional networks regulates catabolism. • Nutrient-specific activating transcriptional pathways provide metabolic specificity. • Repressing regulatory systems differentiate nutrients in mixed nutrient environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joshua D Kerkaert
- Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Lori B Huberman
- Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Li N, Li J, Chen Y, Shen Y, Wei D, Wang W. Mechanism of Zn 2+ regulation of cellulase production in Trichoderma reesei Rut-C30. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS AND BIOPRODUCTS 2023; 16:73. [PMID: 37118821 PMCID: PMC10148476 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-023-02323-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 04/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Trichoderma reesei Rut-C30 is a hypercellulolytic mutant strain that degrades abundant sources of lignocellulosic plant biomass, yielding renewable biofuels. Although Zn2+ is an activator of enzymes in almost all organisms, its effects on cellulase activity in T. reesei have yet to be reported. RESULTS Although high concentrations of Zn2+ severely suppressed the extension of T. reesei mycelia, the application of 1-4 mM Zn2+ enhanced cellulase and xylanase production in the high-yielding cellulase-producing Rut-C30 strain of T. reesei. Expression of the major cellulase, xylanase, and two essential transcription activator genes (xyr1 and ace3) increased in response to Zn2+ stimulation. Transcriptome analysis revealed that the mRNA levels of plc-e encoding phospholipase C, which is involved in the calcium signaling pathway, were enhanced by Zn2+ application. The disruption of plc-e abolished the cellulase-positive influence of Zn2+ in the early phase of induction, indicating that plc-e is involved in Zn2+-induced cellulase production. Furthermore, treatment with LaCl3 (a plasma membrane Ca2+ channel blocker) and deletion of crz1 (calcineurin-responsive zinc finger transcription factor 1) indicated that calcium signaling is partially involved in this process. Moreover, we identified the zinc-responsive transcription factor zafA, the transcriptional levels of which declined in response to Zn2+ stress. Deletion of zafA indicates that this factor plays a prominent role in mediating the Zn2+-induced excessive production of cellulase. CONCLUSIONS For the first time, we have demonstrated that Zn2+ is toxic to T. reesei, although promotes a marked increase in cellulase production. This positive influence of Zn2+ is facilitated by the plc-e gene and zafA transcription factor. These findings provide insights into the role of Zn2+ in T. reesei and the mechanisms underlying signal transduction in cellulase synthesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ni Li
- The State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, P. O. Box 311, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Jing Li
- The State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, P. O. Box 311, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Yumeng Chen
- The State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, P. O. Box 311, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Yaling Shen
- The State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, P. O. Box 311, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Dongzhi Wei
- The State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, P. O. Box 311, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Wei Wang
- The State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, P. O. Box 311, Shanghai, 200237, China.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Liu T, Qin J, Cao Y, Subbarao KV, Chen J, Mandal MK, Xu X, Shang W, Hu X. Transcription Factor VdCf2 Regulates Growth, Pathogenicity, and the Expression of a Putative Secondary Metabolism Gene Cluster in Verticillium dahliae. Appl Environ Microbiol 2022; 88:e0138522. [PMID: 36342142 PMCID: PMC9680623 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01385-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcription factors (TFs) bind to the promoters of target genes to regulate gene expression in response to different stimuli. The functions and regulatory mechanisms of transcription factors (TFs) in Verticillium dahliae are, however, still largely unclear. This study showed that a C2H2-type zinc finger TF, VdCf2 (V. dahliae chorion transcription factor 2), plays key roles in V. dahliae growth, melanin production, and virulence. Transcriptome sequencing analysis showed that VdCf2 was involved in the regulation of expression of genes encoding secreted proteins, pathogen-host interaction (PHI) homologs, TFs, and G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Furthermore, VdCf2 positively regulated the expression of VdPevD1 (VDAG_02735), a previously reported virulence factor. VdCf2 thus regulates the expression of several pathogenicity-related genes that also contribute to virulence in V. dahliae. VdCf2 also inhibited the transcription of the Vd276-280 gene cluster and interacted with two members encoding proteins (VDAG_07276 and VDAG_07278) in the gene cluster. IMPORTANCE Verticillium dahliae is an important soilborne phytopathogen which can ruinously attack numerous host plants and cause significant economic losses. Transcription factors (TFs) were reported to be involved in various biological processes, such as hyphal growth and virulence of pathogenic fungi. However, the functions and regulatory mechanisms of TFs in V. dahliae remain largely unclear. In this study, we identified a new transcription factor, VdCf2 (V. dahliae chorion transcription factor 2), based on previous transcriptome data, which participates in growth, melanin production, and virulence of V. dahliae. We provide evidence that VdCf2 regulates the expression of the pathogenicity-related gene VdPevD1 (VDAG_02735) and Vd276-280 gene cluster. VdCf2 also interacts with VDAG_07276 and VDAG_07278 in this gene cluster based on a yeast two-hybrid and bimolecular fluorescence complementation assay. These results revealed the regulatory mechanisms of a pivotal pathogenicity-related transcription factor, VdCf2 in V. dahliae.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tao Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Jun Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Yonghong Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Krishna V. Subbarao
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, Davis, United States Agricultural Research Station, Salinas, California, USA
| | - Jieyin Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Mihir K. Mandal
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, Davis, United States Agricultural Research Station, Salinas, California, USA
| | - Xiangming Xu
- NIAB East Malling Research (EMR), West Malling, Kent, United Kingdom
| | - Wenjing Shang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Xiaoping Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
John J A, Samuel MS, Govarthanan M, Selvarajan E. A comprehensive review on strategic study of cellulase producing marine actinobacteria for biofuel applications. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 214:114018. [PMID: 35961544 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.114018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Every year, 180 billion tonnes of cellulose are produced by plants as waste biomass after the cultivation of the desired product. One of the smart and effective ways to utilize this biomass rather than burn it is to utilize the biomass to adequately meet the energy needs with the help of microbial cellulase that can catalytically convert the cellulose into simple sugar units. Marine actinobacteria is one of the plentiful gram-positive bacteria known for its industrial application as it can produce multienzyme cellulase with high thermal tolerance, pH stability and high resistant towards metal ions and salt concentration, along with other antimicrobial properties. Highly stable cellulase obtained from marine actinobacteria will convert the cellulose biomass into glucose, which is the precursor for biofuel production. This review will provide a comprehensive outlook of various strategic applications of cellulase from marine actinobacteria which can facilitate the breakdown of lignocellulosic biomass to bioenergy with respect to its characteristics based on the location/environment that the organism was collected and its screening strategies followed by adopted methodologies to mine the novel cellulase genome and enhance the production, thereby increasing the activity of cellulase continued by effective immobilization on novel substrates for the multiple usage of cellulase along with the industrial applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ashwini John J
- Department of Genetic Engineering, School of Bioengineering, College of Engineering and Technology, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Chengalpattu, 603 203, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Melvin S Samuel
- Department of Material Science and Engineering, University of Winsconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Muthusamy Govarthanan
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea; Departrment of Biomaterials, Saveetha Dental College and Hospital, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai, 600 077, India
| | - Ethiraj Selvarajan
- Department of Genetic Engineering, School of Bioengineering, College of Engineering and Technology, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Chengalpattu, 603 203, Tamil Nadu, India.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Schalamun M, Schmoll M. Trichoderma - genomes and genomics as treasure troves for research towards biology, biotechnology and agriculture. FRONTIERS IN FUNGAL BIOLOGY 2022; 3:1002161. [PMID: 37746224 PMCID: PMC10512326 DOI: 10.3389/ffunb.2022.1002161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
The genus Trichoderma is among the best studied groups of filamentous fungi, largely because of its high relevance in applications from agriculture to enzyme biosynthesis to biofuel production. However, the physiological competences of these fungi, that led to these beneficial applications are intriguing also from a scientific and ecological point of view. This review therefore summarizes recent developments in studies of fungal genomes, updates on previously started genome annotation efforts and novel discoveries as well as efforts towards bioprospecting for enzymes and bioactive compounds such as cellulases, enzymes degrading xenobiotics and metabolites with potential pharmaceutical value. Thereby insights are provided into genomes, mitochondrial genomes and genomes of mycoviruses of Trichoderma strains relevant for enzyme production, biocontrol and mycoremediation. In several cases, production of bioactive compounds could be associated with responsible genes or clusters and bioremediation capabilities could be supported or predicted using genome information. Insights into evolution of the genus Trichoderma revealed large scale horizontal gene transfer, predominantly of CAZyme genes, but also secondary metabolite clusters. Investigation of sexual development showed that Trichoderma species are competent of repeat induced point mutation (RIP) and in some cases, segmental aneuploidy was observed. Some random mutants finally gave away their crucial mutations like T. reesei QM9978 and QM9136 and the fertility defect of QM6a was traced back to its gene defect. The Trichoderma core genome was narrowed down to 7000 genes and gene clustering was investigated in the genomes of multiple species. Finally, recent developments in application of CRISPR/Cas9 in Trichoderma, cloning and expression strategies for the workhorse T. reesei as well as the use genome mining tools for bioprospecting Trichoderma are highlighted. The intriguing new findings on evolution, genomics and physiology highlight emerging trends and illustrate worthwhile perspectives in diverse fields of research with Trichoderma.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Schalamun
- Center for Health and Bioresources, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Tulln, Austria
| | - Monika Schmoll
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Division of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Xia Y, Wang J, Guo C, Xu H, Wang W, Yang M, Shen Q, Zhang R, Miao Y. Exploring the multi-level regulation of lignocellulases in the filamentous fungus Trichoderma guizhouense NJAU4742 from an omics perspective. Microb Cell Fact 2022; 21:144. [PMID: 35842666 PMCID: PMC9288086 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-022-01869-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Filamentous fungi are highly efficient at deconstructing plant biomass by secreting a variety of enzymes, but the complex enzymatic regulation underlying this process is not conserved and remains unclear. RESULTS In this study, cellulases and xylanases could specifically respond to Avicel- and xylan-induction, respectively, in lignocellulose-degrading strain Trichoderma guizhouense NJAU4742, however, the differentially regulated cellulases and xylanases were both under the absolute control of the same TgXyr1-mediated pathway. Further analysis showed that Avicel could specifically induce cellulase expression, which supported the existence of an unknown specific regulator of cellulases in strain NJAU4742. The xylanase secretion is very complex, GH10 endoxylanases could only be induced by Avicel, while, other major xylanases were significantly induced by both Avicel and xylan. For GH10 xylanases, an unknown specific regulator was also deduced to exist. Meanwhile, the post-transcriptional inhibition was subsequently suggested to stop the Avicel-induced xylanases secretion, which explained the specifically high xylanase activities when induced by xylan in strain NJAU4742. Additionally, an economical strategy used by strain NJAU4742 was proposed to sense the environmental lignocellulose under the carbon starvation condition, that only slightly activating 4 lignocellulose-degrading genes before largely secreting all 33 TgXyr1-controlled lignocellulases if confirming the existence of lignocellulose components. CONCLUSIONS This study, aiming to explore the unknown mechanisms of plant biomass-degrading enzymes regulation through the combined omics analysis, will open directions for in-depth understanding the complex carbon utilization in filamentous fungi.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yanwei Xia
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, 210095, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
| | - Jingfan Wang
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, 210095, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
| | - Chuanxu Guo
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, 210095, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
| | - Huanhuan Xu
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, 210095, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei Wang
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, 210095, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
| | - Mingzhu Yang
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, 210095, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
| | - Qirong Shen
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, 210095, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
| | - Ruifu Zhang
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, 210095, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources Collection and Preservation, Ministry of Agriculture, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 100081, Beijing, China
| | - Youzhi Miao
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, 210095, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Transcription Factor Mavib-1 Negatively Regulates Conidiation by Affecting Utilization of Carbon and Nitrogen Source in Metarhizium acridum. J Fungi (Basel) 2022; 8:jof8060594. [PMID: 35736077 PMCID: PMC9224900 DOI: 10.3390/jof8060594] [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: 04/30/2022] [Revised: 05/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Conidium is the main infection unit and reproductive unit of pathogenic fungi. Exploring the mechanism of conidiation and its regulation contributes to understanding the pathogenicity of pathogenic fungi. Vib-1, a transcription factor, was reported to participate in the conidiation process. However, the regulation mechanism of Vib-1 in conidiation is still unclear. In this study, we analyzed the function of Vib-1 and its regulation mechanism in conidiation through knocking out and overexpression of Vib-1 in entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium acridum. Results showed that the colonial growth of Mavib-1 disruption mutant (ΔMavib-1) was significantly decreased, and conidiation was earlier compared to wild type (WT), while overexpression of Mavib-1 led to a delayed conidiation especially when carbon or nitrogen sources were insufficient. Overexpression of Mavib-1 resulted in a conidiation pattern shift from microcycle conidiation to normal conidiation on nutrient-limited medium. These results indicated that Mavib-1 acted as a positive regulator in vegetative growth and a negative regulator in conidiation by affecting utilization of carbon and nitrogen sources in M. acridum. Transcription profile analysis demonstrated that many genes related to carbon and nitrogen source metabolisms were differentially expressed in ΔMavib-1 and OE strains compared to WT. Moreover, Mavib-1 affects the conidial germination, tolerance to UV-B and heat stresses, cell wall integrity, conidial surface morphology and conidial hydrophobicity in M. acridum. These findings unravel the regulatory mechanism of Mavib-1 in fungal growth and conidiation, and enrich the knowledge to conidiation pattern shift of filamentous fungi.
Collapse
|
11
|
Analysis of carbohydrate-active enzymes and sugar transporters in Penicillium echinulatum: A genome-wide comparative study of the fungal lignocellulolytic system. Gene 2022; 822:146345. [PMID: 35189252 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2022.146345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Revised: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Penicillium echinulatum 2HH is an ascomycete well known for its production of cellulolytic enzymes. Understanding lignocellulolytic and sugar uptake systems is essential to obtain efficient fungi strains for the production of bioethanol. In this study we performed a genome-wide functional annotation of carbohydrate-active enzymes and sugar transporters involved in the lignocellulolytic system of P. echinulatum 2HH and S1M29 strains (wildtype and mutant, respectively) and eleven related fungi. Additionally, signal peptide and orthology prediction were carried out. We encountered a diverse assortment of cellulolytic enzymes in P. echinulatum, especially in terms of β-glucosidases and endoglucanases. Other enzymes required for the breakdown of cellulosic biomass were also found, including cellobiohydrolases, lytic cellulose monooxygenases and cellobiose dehydrogenases. The S1M29 mutant, which is known to produce an increased cellulase activity, and the 2HH wild type strain of P. echinulatum did not show significant differences between their enzymatic repertoire. Nevertheless, we unveiled an amino acid substitution for a predicted intracellular β-glucosidase of the mutant, which might contribute to hyperexpression of cellulases through a cellodextrin induction pathway. Most of the P. echinulatum enzymes presented orthologs in P. oxalicum 114-2, supporting the presence of highly similar cellulolytic mechanisms and a close phylogenetic relationship between these fungi. A phylogenetic analysis of intracellular β-glucosidases and sugar transporters allowed us to identify several proteins potentially involved in the accumulation of intracellular cellodextrins. These may prove valuable targets in the genetic engineering of P. echinulatum focused on industrial cellulases production. Our study marks an important step in characterizing and understanding the molecular mechanisms employed by P. echinulatum in the enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass.
Collapse
|
12
|
Beier S, Stiegler M, Hitzenhammer E, Monika S. Screening for genes involved in cellulase regulation by expression under the control of a novel constitutive promoter in Trichoderma reesei. CURRENT RESEARCH IN BIOTECHNOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.crbiot.2022.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
|
13
|
Mattam AJ, Chaudhari YB, Velankar HR. Factors regulating cellulolytic gene expression in filamentous fungi: an overview. Microb Cell Fact 2022; 21:44. [PMID: 35317826 PMCID: PMC8939176 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-022-01764-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 02/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The growing demand for biofuels such as bioethanol has led to the need for identifying alternative feedstock instead of conventional substrates like molasses, etc. Lignocellulosic biomass is a relatively inexpensive feedstock that is available in abundance, however, its conversion to bioethanol involves a multistep process with different unit operations such as size reduction, pretreatment, saccharification, fermentation, distillation, etc. The saccharification or enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose to glucose involves a complex family of enzymes called cellulases that are usually fungal in origin. Cellulose hydrolysis requires the synergistic action of several classes of enzymes, and achieving the optimum secretion of these simultaneously remains a challenge. The expression of fungal cellulases is controlled by an intricate network of transcription factors and sugar transporters. Several genetic engineering efforts have been undertaken to modulate the expression of cellulolytic genes, as well as their regulators. This review, therefore, focuses on the molecular mechanism of action of these transcription factors and their effect on the expression of cellulases and hemicellulases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anu Jose Mattam
- Hindustan Petroleum Green R and D Centre (HPGRDC), KIADB Industrial Area, Tarabanahalli, Devanagundi, Hoskote, Bangalore, 560067, India
| | - Yogesh Babasaheb Chaudhari
- Hindustan Petroleum Green R and D Centre (HPGRDC), KIADB Industrial Area, Tarabanahalli, Devanagundi, Hoskote, Bangalore, 560067, India
| | - Harshad Ravindra Velankar
- Hindustan Petroleum Green R and D Centre (HPGRDC), KIADB Industrial Area, Tarabanahalli, Devanagundi, Hoskote, Bangalore, 560067, India.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Sun Y, Qian Y, Zhang J, Yao C, Wang Y, Liu H, Zhong Y. Development of a novel expression platform for heterologous protein production via deleting the p53-like regulator Vib1 in Trichoderma reesei. Enzyme Microb Technol 2022; 155:109993. [DOI: 10.1016/j.enzmictec.2022.109993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2021] [Revised: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
|
15
|
Pang AP, Zhang F, Hu X, Luo Y, Wang H, Durrani S, Wu FG, Li BZ, Zhou Z, Lu Z, Lin F. Glutamine involvement in nitrogen regulation of cellulase production in fungi. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 2021; 14:199. [PMID: 34645509 PMCID: PMC8513308 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-021-02046-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cellulase synthesized by fungi can environment-friendly and sustainably degrades cellulose to fermentable sugars for producing cellulosic biofuels, biobased medicine and fine chemicals. Great efforts have been made to study the regulation mechanism of cellulase biosynthesis in fungi with the focus on the carbon sources, while little attention has been paid to the impact and regulation mechanism of nitrogen sources on cellulase production. RESULTS Glutamine displayed the strongest inhibition effect on cellulase biosynthesis in Trichoderma reesei, followed by yeast extract, urea, tryptone, ammonium sulfate and L-glutamate. Cellulase production, cell growth and sporulation in T. reesei RUT-C30 grown on cellulose were all inhibited with the addition of glutamine (a preferred nitrogen source) with no change for mycelium morphology. This inhibition effect was attributed to both L-glutamine itself and the nitrogen excess induced by its presence. In agreement with the reduced cellulase production, the mRNA levels of 44 genes related to the cellulase production were decreased severely in the presence of glutamine. The transcriptional levels of genes involved in other nitrogen transport, ribosomal biogenesis and glutamine biosynthesis were decreased notably by glutamine, while the expression of genes relevant to glutamate biosynthesis, amino acid catabolism, and glutamine catabolism were increased noticeably. Moreover, the transcriptional level of cellulose signaling related proteins ooc1 and ooc2, and the cellular receptor of rapamycin trFKBP12 was increased remarkably, whose deletion exacerbated the cellulase depression influence of glutamine. CONCLUSION Glutamine may well be the metabolite effector in nitrogen repression of cellulase synthesis, like the role of glucose plays in carbon catabolite repression. Glutamine under excess nitrogen condition repressed cellulase biosynthesis significantly as well as cell growth and sporulation in T. reesei RUT-C30. More importantly, the presence of glutamine notably impacted the transport and metabolism of nitrogen. Genes ooc1, ooc2, and trFKBP12 are associated with the cellulase repression impact of glutamine. These findings advance our understanding of nitrogen regulation of cellulase production in filamentous fungi, which would aid in the rational design of strains and fermentation strategies for cellulase production in industry.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ai-Ping Pang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Funing Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xin Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yongsheng Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Haiyan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Samran Durrani
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Fu-Gen Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Bing-Zhi Li
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Zhihua Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Zuhong Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Fengming Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Chen Y, Wang W, Liu P, Lin A, Fan X, Wu C, Li N, Wei L, Wei D. The novel repressor Rce2 competes with Ace3 to regulate cellulase gene expression in the filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei. Mol Microbiol 2021; 116:1298-1314. [PMID: 34608686 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Revised: 08/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei is widely used for industrial cellulase production. In T. reesei, cellulase gene expression is tightly controlled by a regulatory network involving multiple transcription factors. Here, we isolated a novel protein, Rce2, using a pull-down assay and mass spectrometry analysis, from a partial carbon catabolite de-repression mutant, T. reesei Rut-C30, cultured under glucose-repressing conditions. Deletion and overexpression of Rce2 in T. reesei wild-type QM6a and mutant Rut-C30 revealed that Rce2 acts as a repressor of cellulase gene expression. DNase I footprinting assays, electrophoretic mobility shift assays, and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays revealed that Rce2 was located in the nucleus and bound to the consensus sequences 5'-(T/A)NNNNCCG-3' and 5'-CGGNNNN(T/A)-3' in the promoters of cellulase-related genes to repress their transcription. Additionally, Rce2 antagonized Ace3 binding to the cbh1 promoter to repress its transcription. However, Rce2 was not involved in Cre1-mediated carbon catabolite repression. These results demonstrate the mechanism through which Rce2 represses the expression of cellulase genes and provide novel insights into the regulatory system of cellulases and methods that can be used for the regulation of gene expression in T. reesei.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yumeng Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Pei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Aibo Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Xingjia Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Chuan Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Ni Li
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Liujing Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Dongzhi Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Role of AcndtA in cleistothecium formation, osmotic stress response, pigmentation and carbon metabolism of Aspergillus cristatus. Fungal Biol 2021; 125:749-763. [PMID: 34537171 DOI: 10.1016/j.funbio.2021.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Revised: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
As the dominant fungus during the fermentation of Fuzhuan brick tea, Aspergillus cristatus is easily induced to undergo a sexual cycle under low-salt stress. However, the underlying regulatory mechanism of sexual reproduction is unclear. Here, we report a P53-like transcription factor AcndtA, which encodes an NDT80 DNA binding protein and regulates fungal reproduction, pigmentation and the stress response. Both insertion and deletion mutants of AcndtA exhibited a complete blockade of cleistothecium formation, and overexpressing AcndtA strains (OE: AcndtA) exhibited significantly reduced cleistothecium production, indicating that AcndtA plays a vital role in sexual development. Osmotic stress tests showed that overexpression of AcndtA had a negative impact on growth and conidia production. Additionally, AcndtA insertion, deletion and overexpression mutants exhibited reduced pigment formation. All the above developmental defects were reversed by the re-introduction of the AcndtA gene in ΔAcndtA. Moreover, the growth of AcndtA mutants in carbon-limited medium was better than that of the WT and OE: AcndtA strains, indicating that AcndtA is involved in carbon metabolism. Transcriptional profiling data showed that AcndtA regulated the expression of several genes related to development, osmotic stress and carbon metabolism.
Collapse
|
18
|
Gabriel R, Mueller R, Floerl L, Hopson C, Harth S, Schuerg T, Fleissner A, Singer SW. CAZymes from the thermophilic fungus Thermoascus aurantiacus are induced by C5 and C6 sugars. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 2021; 14:169. [PMID: 34384463 PMCID: PMC8359064 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-021-02018-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Filamentous fungi are excellent lignocellulose degraders, which they achieve through producing carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZymes). CAZyme production is highly orchestrated and gene expression analysis has greatly expanded understanding of this important biotechnological process. The thermophilic fungus Thermoascus aurantiacus secretes highly active thermostable enzymes that enable saccharifications at higher temperatures; however, the genome-wide measurements of gene expression in response to CAZyme induction are not understood. RESULTS A fed-batch system with plant biomass-derived sugars D-xylose, L-arabinose and cellobiose established that these sugars induce CAZyme expression in T. aurantiacus. The C5 sugars induced both cellulases and hemicellulases, while cellobiose specifically induced cellulases. A minimal medium formulation was developed to enable gene expression studies of T. aurantiacus with these inducers. It was found that d-xylose and L-arabinose strongly induced a wide variety of CAZymes, auxiliary activity (AA) enzymes and carbohydrate esterases (CEs), while cellobiose facilitated lower expression of mostly cellulase genes. Furthermore, putative orthologues of different unfolded protein response genes were up-regulated during the C5 sugar feeding together with genes in the C5 sugar assimilation pathways. CONCLUSION This work has identified two additional CAZyme inducers for T. aurantiacus, L-arabinose and cellobiose, along with D-xylose. A combination of biochemical assays and RNA-seq measurements established that C5 sugars induce a suite of cellulases and hemicellulases, providing paths to produce broad spectrum thermotolerant enzymatic mixtures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Raphael Gabriel
- Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 9720, USA
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, 94608, USA
- Institut Für Genetik, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Spielmannstr. 7, 38106, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Rebecca Mueller
- Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 9720, USA
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, 94608, USA
- Institut Für Genetik, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Spielmannstr. 7, 38106, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Lena Floerl
- Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 9720, USA
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, 94608, USA
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Muthgasse 18, 1190, Vienna, Austria
- Laboratory of Food Systems Biotechnology, Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Cynthia Hopson
- Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 9720, USA
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, 94608, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials, Faculty of Chemistry, Complutense University of Madrid, Av. Complutense s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Simon Harth
- Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 9720, USA
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, 94608, USA
- Frankfurt Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Timo Schuerg
- Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 9720, USA
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, 94608, USA
| | - Andre Fleissner
- Institut Für Genetik, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Spielmannstr. 7, 38106, Braunschweig, Germany
- Braunschweig Integrated Centre of Systems Biology (BRICS), Rebenring 56, 38106, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Steven W Singer
- Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 9720, USA.
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, 94608, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Mondal S, Halder SK, Mondal KC. Tailoring in fungi for next generation cellulase production with special reference to CRISPR/CAS system. SYSTEMS MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOMANUFACTURING 2021; 2:113-129. [PMID: 38624901 PMCID: PMC8319711 DOI: 10.1007/s43393-021-00045-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Revised: 07/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Cellulose is the utmost plenteous source of biopolymer in our earth, and fungi are the most efficient and ubiquitous organism in degrading the cellulosic biomass by synthesizing cellulases. Tailoring through genetic manipulation has played a substantial role in constructing novel fungal strains towards improved cellulase production of desired traits. However, the traditional methods of genetic manipulation of fungi are time-consuming and tedious. With the availability of the full-genome sequences of several industrially relevant filamentous fungi, CRISPR-CAS (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein) technology has come into the focus for the proficient development of manipulated strains of filamentous fungi. This review summarizes the mode of action of cellulases, transcription level regulation for cellulase expression, various traditional strategies of genetic manipulation with CRISPR-CAS technology to develop modified fungal strains for a preferred level of cellulase production, and the futuristic trend in this arena of research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Subhadeep Mondal
- Center for Life Sciences, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore, 721102 West Bengal India
| | - Suman Kumar Halder
- Department of Microbiology, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore, 721102 West Bengal India
| | - Keshab Chandra Mondal
- Department of Microbiology, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore, 721102 West Bengal India
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Chen X, Song B, Liu M, Qin L, Dong Z. Understanding the Role of Trichoderma reesei Vib1 in Gene Expression during Cellulose Degradation. J Fungi (Basel) 2021; 7:jof7080613. [PMID: 34436152 PMCID: PMC8397228 DOI: 10.3390/jof7080613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Revised: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Vib1, a member of the Ndt80/PhoG-like transcription factor family, has been shown to be essential for cellulase production of Trichoderma reesei. Here, we combined transcriptomic and genetic analyses to gain mechanistic insights into the roles of Vib1 during cellulose degradation. Our transcriptome analysis showed that the vib1 deletion caused 586 genes with decreased expression and 431 genes with increased expression on cellulose. The downregulated genes were enriched for Gene Ontology terms associated with carbohydrate metabolism, transmembrane transport, oxidoreductase activity, and transcription factor activity. Of the 258 genes induced by cellulose, 229 showed no or decreased expression in Δvib1 on cellulose, including almost all (hemi)cellulase genes, crucial sugar transporter genes (IDs:69957, 3405), and the genes encoding main transcriptional activators Xyr1 and Ace3. Additionally, Vib1 also regulated the expression of genes involved in secondary metabolism. Further comparison of the transcriptomes of Δvib1 and Δxyr1 in cellulose revealed that the genes regulated by Vib1 had much overlap with Xyr1 targets especially for the gene set induced by cellulose, presumably whose expression requires the cooperativity between Vib1 and Xyr1. Genetic evidence indicated that Vib1 regulates cellulase gene expression partially via Xyr1. Our results will provide new clues for strain improvement.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiuzhen Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; (X.C.); (B.S.); (M.L.)
| | - Bingran Song
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; (X.C.); (B.S.); (M.L.)
| | - Minglu Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; (X.C.); (B.S.); (M.L.)
| | - Lina Qin
- National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Industrial Microbiology and Fermentation Technology, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350117, China;
| | - Zhiyang Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; (X.C.); (B.S.); (M.L.)
- Correspondence:
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Li Y, Yu J, Zhang P, Long T, Mo Y, Li J, Li Q. Comparative transcriptome analysis of Trichoderma reesei reveals different gene regulatory networks induced by synthetic mixtures of glucose and β-disaccharide. BIORESOUR BIOPROCESS 2021; 8:57. [PMID: 38650287 PMCID: PMC10991369 DOI: 10.1186/s40643-021-00411-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The mixture of glucose and β-disaccharide (MGD) synthesized by transglycosylation of glucose as a low-cost soluble carbon source can efficiently induce cellulase production in Trichoderma reesei, which holds potential for the biorefining of lignocellulosic biomass. However, it is not yet fully understood how MGD induces T. reesei cellulase. In this study, transcriptomic analyses were conducted to investigate the molecular basis of MGD for lignocellulose-degrading enzyme production of T. reesei Rut C30 compared with that on lactose. Particular attention was paid to CAZymes, transcription factors, transporters and other protein processing pathways related to lignocellulose degradation. As a result, MGD can elicit transcription of GH5-, GH6- and GH7-encoding cellulases that is up to 1.4-fold higher than that induced by lactose, but GH11- and GH74-encoding xylanases are downregulated by 1.7- and 4.4-fold, respectively. Gene expression profiles suggest that the transcription activators xyr1 and vib1 are significantly upregulated and that the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway is strengthened compared to the case of lactose induction. In addition, hac1-encoding UPR-specific transcription factors are significantly upregulated by MGD, which may be enhanced due to proper folding and processing of nascent proteins. These findings provide a theoretical basis for further understanding the characterization of efficient cellulase production using MGD as an inducer in T. reesei and offer potential strategies for strain improvement.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yonghao Li
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microorganism and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University of Science and Technology, Chongqing, 401331, China.
| | - Jingze Yu
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microorganism and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University of Science and Technology, Chongqing, 401331, China
| | - Peng Zhang
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microorganism and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University of Science and Technology, Chongqing, 401331, China
| | - Tingting Long
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microorganism and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University of Science and Technology, Chongqing, 401331, China
| | - Yi Mo
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microorganism and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University of Science and Technology, Chongqing, 401331, China
| | - Jianghong Li
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microorganism and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University of Science and Technology, Chongqing, 401331, China
| | - Qian Li
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microorganism and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University of Science and Technology, Chongqing, 401331, China
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
The F-box protein gene exo- 1 is a target for reverse engineering enzyme hypersecretion in filamentous fungi. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2025689118. [PMID: 34168079 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2025689118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZymes) are vital for the lignocellulose-based biorefinery. The development of hypersecreting fungal protein production hosts is therefore a major aim for both academia and industry. However, despite advances in our understanding of their regulation, the number of promising candidate genes for targeted strain engineering remains limited. Here, we resequenced the genome of the classical hypersecreting Neurospora crassa mutant exo-1 and identified the causative point of mutation to reside in the F-box protein-encoding gene, NCU09899. The corresponding deletion strain displayed amylase and invertase activities exceeding those of the carbon catabolite derepressed strain Δcre-1, while glucose repression was still mostly functional in Δexo-1 Surprisingly, RNA sequencing revealed that while plant cell wall degradation genes are broadly misexpressed in Δexo-1, only a small fraction of CAZyme genes and sugar transporters are up-regulated, indicating that EXO-1 affects specific regulatory factors. Aiming to elucidate the underlying mechanism of enzyme hypersecretion, we found the high secretion of amylases and invertase in Δexo-1 to be completely dependent on the transcriptional regulator COL-26. Furthermore, misregulation of COL-26, CRE-1, and cellular carbon and nitrogen metabolism was confirmed by proteomics. Finally, we successfully transferred the hypersecretion trait of the exo-1 disruption by reverse engineering into the industrially deployed fungus Myceliophthora thermophila using CRISPR-Cas9. Our identification of an important F-box protein demonstrates the strength of classical mutants combined with next-generation sequencing to uncover unanticipated candidates for engineering. These data contribute to a more complete understanding of CAZyme regulation and will facilitate targeted engineering of hypersecretion in further organisms of interest.
Collapse
|
23
|
Muñoz-Guzmán F, Caballero V, Larrondo LF. A global search for novel transcription factors impacting the Neurospora crassa circadian clock. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2021; 11:jkab100. [PMID: 33792687 PMCID: PMC8495738 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkab100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Eukaryotic circadian oscillators share a common circuit architecture, a negative feedback loop in which a positive element activates the transcription of a negative one that then represses the action of the former, inhibiting its own expression. While studies in mammals and insects have revealed additional transcriptional inputs modulating the expression of core clock components, this has been less characterized in the model Neurospora crassa, where the participation of other transcriptional components impacting circadian clock dynamics remains rather unexplored. Thus, we sought to identify additional transcriptional regulators modulating the N. crassa clock, following a reverse genetic screen based on luminescent circadian reporters and a collection of transcription factors (TFs) knockouts, successfully covering close to 60% of them. Besides the canonical core clock components WC-1 and -2, none of the tested transcriptional regulators proved to be essential for rhythmicity. Nevertheless, we identified a set of 23 TFs that when absent lead to discrete, but significant, changes in circadian period. While the current level of analysis does not provide mechanistic information about how these new players modulate circadian parameters, the results of this screen reveal that an important number of light and clock-regulated TFs, involved in a plethora of processes, are capable of modulating the clockworks. This partial reverse genetic clock screen also exemplifies how the N. crassa knockout collection continues to serve as an expedite platform to address broad biological questions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Felipe Muñoz-Guzmán
- ANID—Millennium Science Initiative Program—Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBio), Santiago 8331150, Chile
- Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
| | - Valeria Caballero
- Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
| | - Luis F Larrondo
- ANID—Millennium Science Initiative Program—Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBio), Santiago 8331150, Chile
- Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Sukumaran RK, Christopher M, Kooloth-Valappil P, Sreeja-Raju A, Mathew RM, Sankar M, Puthiyamadam A, Adarsh VP, Aswathi A, Rebinro V, Abraham A, Pandey A. Addressing challenges in production of cellulases for biomass hydrolysis: Targeted interventions into the genetics of cellulase producing fungi. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2021; 329:124746. [PMID: 33610429 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.124746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2020] [Revised: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Lignocellulosic materials are the favoured feedstock for biorefineries due to their abundant availability and non-completion with food. Biobased technologies for refining these materials are limited mainly by the cost of biomass hydrolyzing enzymes, typically sourced from filamentous fungi. Therefore, considerable efforts have been directed at improving the quantity and quality of secreted lignocellulose degrading enzymes from fungi in order to attain overall economic viability. Process improvements and media engineering probably have reached their thresholds and further production enhancements require modifying the fungal metabolism to improve production and secretion of these enzymes. This review focusses on the types and mechanisms of action of known fungal biomass degrading enzymes, our current understanding of the genetic control exerted on their expression, and possible routes for intervention, especially on modulating catabolite repression, transcriptional regulators, signal transduction, secretion pathways etc., in order to improve enzyme productivity, activity and stability.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rajeev K Sukumaran
- Centre for Biofuels, Microbial Processes and Technology Division, CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram 695019, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh 201002, India.
| | - Meera Christopher
- Centre for Biofuels, Microbial Processes and Technology Division, CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram 695019, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh 201002, India
| | - Prajeesh Kooloth-Valappil
- Centre for Biofuels, Microbial Processes and Technology Division, CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram 695019, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh 201002, India
| | - AthiraRaj Sreeja-Raju
- Centre for Biofuels, Microbial Processes and Technology Division, CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram 695019, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh 201002, India
| | - Reshma M Mathew
- Centre for Biofuels, Microbial Processes and Technology Division, CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram 695019, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh 201002, India
| | - Meena Sankar
- Centre for Biofuels, Microbial Processes and Technology Division, CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram 695019, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh 201002, India
| | - Anoop Puthiyamadam
- Centre for Biofuels, Microbial Processes and Technology Division, CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram 695019, India
| | - Velayudhanpillai-Prasannakumari Adarsh
- Centre for Biofuels, Microbial Processes and Technology Division, CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram 695019, India
| | - Aswathi Aswathi
- Centre for Biofuels, Microbial Processes and Technology Division, CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram 695019, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh 201002, India
| | - Valan Rebinro
- Centre for Biofuels, Microbial Processes and Technology Division, CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram 695019, India
| | - Amith Abraham
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ashok Pandey
- Centre for Innovation and Translational Research, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow, India
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Lin J, Yan H, Zhao L, Li Y, Nahidian B, Zhu M, Hu Q, Han D. Interaction between the cell walls of microalgal host and fungal carbohydrate-activate enzymes is essential for the pathogenic parasitism process. Environ Microbiol 2021; 23:5114-5130. [PMID: 33723900 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2020] [Revised: 02/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Fungi can parasitize microalgae, exerting profound impacts on both the aquatic ecosystems and microalgal mass cultures. In this study, the unicellular green alga Haematococcus pluvialis and the blastocladialean fungus Paraphysoderma sedebokerense were used as a model system to address the mechanisms underlying the fungal parasitism on the algal host. High-throughput metabolic assay indicated that P. sedebokerense can utilize several carbon sources with a preference for mannose, glucose and their oligosaccharides, which was compatible with the profile of the host algal cell walls enriched with glucan and mannan. The results of dual transcriptomics analysis suggested that P. sedebokerense can upregulate a large number of putative carbohydrate-activate enzymes (CAZymes) encoding genes, including those coding for the endo-1,4-β-glucanase and endo-1,4-β-mannanase during the infection process. The cell walls of H. pluvialis can be decomposed by both P. sedebokerense and commercial CAZymes (e.g. cellulase and endo-1,4-β-mannanase) to produce mannooligomers, while several putative parasitism-related genes of P. sedebokerense can be in turn upregulated by mannooligomers. In addition, the parasitism can be blocked by interfering the selected CAZymes including glucanase, mannanase and lysozyme with the specific inhibitors, which provided a framework for screening suitable compounds for pathogen mitigation in algal mass culture.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Juan Lin
- Center for Microalgal Biotechnology and Biofuels, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China.,State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China.,Poyang Lake Eco-economy Research Center, Jiujiang University, Jiujiang, 332005, China
| | - Hailong Yan
- Center for Microalgal Biotechnology and Biofuels, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Liang Zhao
- Center for Microalgal Biotechnology and Biofuels, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Yanhua Li
- Center for Microalgal Biotechnology and Biofuels, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Bahareh Nahidian
- Center for Microalgal Biotechnology and Biofuels, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Mianmian Zhu
- Center for Microalgal Biotechnology and Biofuels, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Qiang Hu
- Center for Microalgal Biotechnology and Biofuels, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China.,State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China.,Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 51806, China.,Key Laboratory for Algal Biology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Danxiang Han
- Center for Microalgal Biotechnology and Biofuels, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China.,Key Laboratory for Algal Biology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Li J, Liu Q, Li J, Lin L, Li X, Zhang Y, Tian C. RCO-3 and COL-26 form an external-to-internal module that regulates the dual-affinity glucose transport system in Neurospora crassa. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 2021; 14:33. [PMID: 33509260 PMCID: PMC7841889 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-021-01877-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2020] [Accepted: 01/07/2021] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Low- and high-affinity glucose transport system is a conserved strategy of microorganism to cope with environmental glucose fluctuation for their growth and competitiveness. In Neurospora crassa, the dual-affinity glucose transport system consists of a low-affinity glucose transporter GLT-1 and two high-affinity glucose transporters HGT-1/HGT-2, which play diverse roles in glucose transport, carbon metabolism, and cellulase expression regulation. However, the regulation of this dual-transporter system in response to environmental glucose fluctuation is not yet clear. RESULTS In this study, we report that a regulation module consisting of a downstream transcription factor COL-26 and an upstream non-transporting glucose sensor RCO-3 regulates the dual-affinity glucose transport system in N. crassa. COL-26 directly binds to the promoter regions of glt-1, hgt-1, and hgt-2, whereas RCO-3 is an upstream factor of the module whose deletion mutant resembles the Δcol-26 mutant phenotypically. Transcriptional profiling analysis revealed that Δcol-26 and Δrco-3 mutants had similar transcriptional profiles, and both mutants had impaired response to a glucose gradient. We also showed that the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) complex is involved in regulation of the glucose transporters. AMPK is required for repression of glt-1 expression in starvation conditions by inhibiting the activity of RCO-3. CONCLUSIONS RCO-3 and COL-26 form an external-to-internal module that regulates the glucose dual-affinity transport system. Transcription factor COL-26 was identified as the key regulator. AMPK was also involved in the regulation of the dual-transporter system. Our findings provide novel insight into the molecular basis of glucose uptake and signaling in filamentous fungi, which may aid in the rational design of fungal strains for industrial purposes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jinyang Li
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308 China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049 China
| | - Qian Liu
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308 China
| | - Jingen Li
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308 China
| | - Liangcai Lin
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308 China
| | - Xiaolin Li
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308 China
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology and MOA Key Laboratory of Soil Microbiology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193 China
| | - Yongli Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308 China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049 China
| | - Chaoguang Tian
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308 China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049 China
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, 300308 China
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
de Assis LJ, Silva LP, Bayram O, Dowling P, Kniemeyer O, Krüger T, Brakhage AA, Chen Y, Dong L, Tan K, Wong KH, Ries LNA, Goldman GH. Carbon Catabolite Repression in Filamentous Fungi Is Regulated by Phosphorylation of the Transcription Factor CreA. mBio 2021; 12:e03146-20. [PMID: 33402538 PMCID: PMC8545104 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.03146-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Filamentous fungi of the genus Aspergillus are of particular interest for biotechnological applications due to their natural capacity to secrete carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZy) that target plant biomass. The presence of easily metabolizable sugars such as glucose, whose concentrations increase during plant biomass hydrolysis, results in the repression of CAZy-encoding genes in a process known as carbon catabolite repression (CCR), which is undesired for the purpose of large-scale enzyme production. To date, the C2H2 transcription factor CreA has been described as the major CC repressor in Aspergillus spp., although little is known about the role of posttranslational modifications in this process. In this work, phosphorylation sites were identified by mass spectrometry on Aspergillus nidulans CreA, and subsequently, the previously identified but uncharacterized site S262, the characterized site S319, and the newly identified sites S268 and T308 were chosen to be mutated to nonphosphorylatable residues before their effect on CCR was investigated. Sites S262, S268, and T308 are important for CreA protein accumulation and cellular localization, DNA binding, and repression of enzyme activities. In agreement with a previous study, site S319 was not important for several here-tested phenotypes but is key for CreA degradation and induction of enzyme activities. All sites were shown to be important for glycogen and trehalose metabolism. This study highlights the importance of CreA phosphorylation sites for the regulation of CCR. These sites are interesting targets for biotechnological strain engineering without the need to delete essential genes, which could result in undesired side effects.IMPORTANCE In filamentous fungi, the transcription factor CreA controls carbohydrate metabolism through the regulation of genes encoding enzymes required for the use of alternative carbon sources. In this work, phosphorylation sites were identified on Aspergillus nidulans CreA, and subsequently, the two newly identified sites S268 and T308, the previously identified but uncharacterized site S262, and the previously characterized site S319 were chosen to be mutated to nonphosphorylatable residues before their effect on CCR was characterized. Sites S262, S268, and T308 are important for CreA protein accumulation and cellular localization, DNA binding, and repression of enzyme activities. In agreement with a previous study, site S319 is not important for several here-tested phenotypes but is key for CreA degradation and induction of enzyme activities. This work characterized novel CreA phosphorylation sites under carbon catabolite-repressing conditions and showed that they are crucial for CreA protein turnover, control of carbohydrate utilization, and biotechnologically relevant enzyme production.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Lilian Pereira Silva
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, Brazil
- Institute for Advanced Study, Technical University of Munich, Garching, Germany
| | - Ozgur Bayram
- Biology Department, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Kildare, Ireland
| | - Paul Dowling
- Biology Department, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Kildare, Ireland
| | - Olaf Kniemeyer
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
| | - Thomas Krüger
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
| | - Axel A Brakhage
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
| | - Yingying Chen
- Faculty of Health Science, University of Macau, Macau, China
| | - Liguo Dong
- Faculty of Health Science, University of Macau, Macau, China
| | - Kaeling Tan
- Faculty of Health Science, University of Macau, Macau, China
| | - Koon Ho Wong
- Faculty of Health Science, University of Macau, Macau, China
| | - Laure N A Ries
- University of Exeter, MRC Centre for Medical Mycology, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Gustavo H Goldman
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, Brazil
- Institute for Advanced Study, Technical University of Munich, Garching, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Gelain L, Kingma E, Geraldo da Cruz Pradella J, Carvalho da Costa A, van der Wielen L, van Gulik WM. Continuous production of enzymes under carbon-limited conditions by Trichoderma harzianum P49P11. Fungal Biol 2020; 125:177-183. [PMID: 33622533 DOI: 10.1016/j.funbio.2020.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Revised: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Carbon-limited chemostat cultures were performed using different carbon sources (glucose, 10 and 20 g/L; sucrose, 10 g/L; fructose/glucose, 5.26/5.26 g/L; carboxymethyl cellulose, 10 g/L; and carboxymethyl cellulose/glucose, 5/5 g/L) to verify the capability of the wild type strain Trichoderma harzianum to produce extracellular enzymes. All chemostat cultures were carried out at a fixed dilution rate of 0.05 h-1. Experiments using glucose, fructose/glucose and sucrose were performed in duplicate. Glucose condition was found to induce the production of enzymes that can catalyse the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl-β-d-glucopyranoside (PNPGase). A concentration of 20 g/L of glucose in the feed provided the highest productivity (1048 ± 16 U/mol h). Extracellular polysaccharides were considered the source of inducers. Based on the obtained results, a new PNPGase production process was developed using mainly glucose. This process raises interesting possibilities of synthesizing the inducer substrate and the induced enzymes in a single step using an easily assimilated carbon source under carbon-limited conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Gelain
- Delft University of Technology, Department of Biotechnology, Van der Maasweg 9, 2629HZ, Delft, the Netherlands; University of Campinas, School of Chemical Engineering, Av. Albert Einstein, 500, Campinas, Brazil.
| | - Esther Kingma
- Delft University of Technology, Department of Biotechnology, Van der Maasweg 9, 2629HZ, Delft, the Netherlands
| | - José Geraldo da Cruz Pradella
- Federal University of São Paulo, Institute of Science and Technology, Av. Cesare Mansueto Giulio Lattes, 1201, S. J. Campos, Brazil
| | - Aline Carvalho da Costa
- University of Campinas, School of Chemical Engineering, Av. Albert Einstein, 500, Campinas, Brazil
| | - Luuk van der Wielen
- Delft University of Technology, Department of Biotechnology, Van der Maasweg 9, 2629HZ, Delft, the Netherlands; University of Limerick, Bernal Institute, V94 T9PX, Limerick, Ireland
| | - Walter M van Gulik
- Delft University of Technology, Department of Biotechnology, Van der Maasweg 9, 2629HZ, Delft, the Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Han JW, Kim DY, Lee YJ, Choi YR, Kim B, Choi GJ, Han SW, Kim H. Transcription Factor PdeR Is Involved in Fungal Development, Metabolic Change, and Pathogenesis of Gray Mold Botrytis cinerea. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2020; 68:9171-9179. [PMID: 32786857 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.0c02420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The necrotrophic fungus Botrytis cinerea releases extracellular enzymes that facilitate its penetration into a host. This study functionally characterized the gene pdeR of B. cinerea, which is predicted to encode a Zn(II)2Cys6 zinc finger transcription factor. To investigate the role of pdeR, deleted and complemented strains of pdeR in B. cinerea were generated, which were designated as ΔpdeR and PdeRc, respectively. The ΔpdeR strain exhibited impaired germination and growth compared to the wild-type and PdeRc strains, particularly when provided with maltose as the sole carbon source. When all of the strains were grown on a minimal medium containing polysaccharide as the sole carbon source, the ΔpdeR exclusively showed defects in polysaccharide hydrolysis with reduced gene expression encoding for amylase and cellulase. As far as the involvement of pdeR in carbon metabolism is concerned, metabolic changes were investigated in the ΔpdeR mutant. Comparisons of relative, normalized concentrations of each metabolite showed that the amounts of six metabolites including glucose and trehalose were significantly changed in the ΔpdeR strain. Based on pleiotropic changes derived from the deletion of pdeR, we hypothesized that pdeR has an important role in pathogenesis. When the ΔpdeR strain was inoculated onto pepper plant, the ΔpdeR strain did not cause expansion of the disease lesions from the infection sites, which grew on the surface without any penetration. Taken together, these results show that the deletion of pdeR affected the extracellular enzymatic activity, leading to changes in fungal development, metabolism, and virulence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jae Woo Han
- Center for Eco-Friendly New Materials, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon 34114, Korea
| | - Da Yeon Kim
- Center for Eco-Friendly New Materials, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon 34114, Korea
| | - Yu Jeong Lee
- Center for Eco-Friendly New Materials, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon 34114, Korea
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34113, Korea
| | - Yee Ram Choi
- Center for Eco-Friendly New Materials, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon 34114, Korea
| | - Bomin Kim
- Center for Eco-Friendly New Materials, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon 34114, Korea
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34113, Korea
| | - Gyung Ja Choi
- Center for Eco-Friendly New Materials, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon 34114, Korea
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34113, Korea
| | - Sang-Wook Han
- Department of Plant Science and Technology, Chung-Ang University, Anseong 17546, Korea
| | - Hun Kim
- Center for Eco-Friendly New Materials, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon 34114, Korea
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34113, Korea
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Quantitative Proteome Profiling Reveals Cellobiose-Dependent Protein Processing and Export Pathways for the Lignocellulolytic Response in Neurospora crassa. Appl Environ Microbiol 2020; 86:AEM.00653-20. [PMID: 32471912 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00653-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Filamentous fungi are intensively used for producing industrial enzymes, including lignocellulases. Employing insoluble cellulose to induce the production of lignocellulases causes some drawbacks, e.g., a complex fermentation operation, which can be overcome by using soluble inducers such as cellobiose. Here, a triple β-glucosidase mutant of Neurospora crassa, which prevents rapid turnover of cellobiose and thus allows the disaccharide to induce lignocellulases, was applied to profile the proteome responses to cellobiose and cellulose (Avicel). Our results revealed a shared proteomic response to cellobiose and Avicel, whose elements included lignocellulases and cellulolytic product transporters. While the cellulolytic proteins showed a correlated increase in protein and mRNA levels, only a moderate correlation was observed on a proteomic scale between protein and mRNA levels (R 2 = 0.31). Ribosome biogenesis and rRNA processing were significantly overrepresented in the protein set with increased protein but unchanged mRNA abundances in response to Avicel. Ribosome biogenesis, as well as protein processing and protein export, was also enriched in the protein set that showed increased abundance in response to cellobiose. NCU05895, a homolog of yeast CWH43, is potentially involved in transferring a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor to nascent proteins. This protein showed increased abundance but no significant change in mRNA levels. Disruption of CWH43 resulted in a significant decrease in cellulase activities and secreted protein levels in cultures grown on Avicel, suggesting a positive regulatory role for CWH43 in cellulase production. The findings should have an impact on a systems engineering approach for strain improvement for the production of lignocellulases.IMPORTANCE Lignocellulases are important industrial enzymes for sustainable production of biofuels and bio-products. Insoluble cellulose has been commonly used to induce the production of lignocellulases in filamentous fungi, which causes a difficult fermentation operation and enzyme loss due to adsorption to cellulose. The disadvantages can be overcome by using soluble inducers, such as the disaccharide cellobiose. Quantitative proteome profiling of the model filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa revealed cellobiose-dependent pathways for cellulase production, including protein processing and export. A protein (CWH43) potentially involved in protein processing was found to be a positive regulator of lignocellulase production. The cellobiose-dependent mechanisms provide new opportunities to improve the production of lignocellulases in filamentous fungi.
Collapse
|
31
|
Díaz RD, Larrondo LF. A circadian clock in Neurospora crassa functions during plant cell wall deconstruction. Fungal Biol 2020; 124:501-508. [PMID: 32389313 DOI: 10.1016/j.funbio.2020.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Revised: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 03/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Circadian clocks are autonomous timers that are believed to confer organisms a selective advantage by enabling processes to occur at appropriate times of the day. In the model fungus Neurospora crassa, 20-40 % of its genes are reported to be under circadian regulation, as assayed in simple sugar media. Although it has been well-described that Neurospora efficiently deconstructs plant cell wall components, little is known regarding the status of the clock when Neurospora grows on cellulosic material, or whether such a clock has an impact on any of the genes involved in this process. Through luciferase-based reporters and fluorescent detection assays, we show that a clock is functioning when Neurospora grows on cellulose-containing wheat straw as the only carbon and nitrogen source. Additionally, we found that the major cellobiohydrolase encoding gene involved in plant cell wall deconstruction, cbh-1, is rhythmically regulated by the Neurospora clock, in a manner that depends on cellulose concentration and on the transcription factor CRE-1, known as a key player in carbon-catabolite repression in this fungus. Our findings are a step towards a more comprehensive understanding on how clock regulation modulates cellulose degradation, and thus Neurospora's physiology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo D Díaz
- Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology, Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Casilla 114-D, Santiago, Chile
| | - Luis F Larrondo
- Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology, Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Casilla 114-D, Santiago, Chile.
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Wu VW, Thieme N, Huberman LB, Dietschmann A, Kowbel DJ, Lee J, Calhoun S, Singan VR, Lipzen A, Xiong Y, Monti R, Blow MJ, O'Malley RC, Grigoriev IV, Benz JP, Glass NL. The regulatory and transcriptional landscape associated with carbon utilization in a filamentous fungus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:6003-6013. [PMID: 32111691 PMCID: PMC7084071 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1915611117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Filamentous fungi, such as Neurospora crassa, are very efficient in deconstructing plant biomass by the secretion of an arsenal of plant cell wall-degrading enzymes, by remodeling metabolism to accommodate production of secreted enzymes, and by enabling transport and intracellular utilization of plant biomass components. Although a number of enzymes and transcriptional regulators involved in plant biomass utilization have been identified, how filamentous fungi sense and integrate nutritional information encoded in the plant cell wall into a regulatory hierarchy for optimal utilization of complex carbon sources is not understood. Here, we performed transcriptional profiling of N. crassa on 40 different carbon sources, including plant biomass, to provide data on how fungi sense simple to complex carbohydrates. From these data, we identified regulatory factors in N. crassa and characterized one (PDR-2) associated with pectin utilization and one with pectin/hemicellulose utilization (ARA-1). Using in vitro DNA affinity purification sequencing (DAP-seq), we identified direct targets of transcription factors involved in regulating genes encoding plant cell wall-degrading enzymes. In particular, our data clarified the role of the transcription factor VIB-1 in the regulation of genes encoding plant cell wall-degrading enzymes and nutrient scavenging and revealed a major role of the carbon catabolite repressor CRE-1 in regulating the expression of major facilitator transporter genes. These data contribute to a more complete understanding of cross talk between transcription factors and their target genes, which are involved in regulating nutrient sensing and plant biomass utilization on a global level.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vincent W Wu
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
- Energy Biosciences Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94704
| | - Nils Thieme
- Holzforschung München, Technical University of Munich School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Lori B Huberman
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
- Energy Biosciences Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94704
| | - Axel Dietschmann
- Holzforschung München, Technical University of Munich School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - David J Kowbel
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Juna Lee
- US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Sara Calhoun
- US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Vasanth R Singan
- US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Anna Lipzen
- US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Yi Xiong
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
- Energy Biosciences Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94704
| | - Remo Monti
- US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Matthew J Blow
- US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Ronan C O'Malley
- US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Igor V Grigoriev
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
- US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - J Philipp Benz
- Holzforschung München, Technical University of Munich School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - N Louise Glass
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720;
- Energy Biosciences Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94704
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Meng QS, Zhang F, Liu CG, Zhao XQ, Bai FW. Identification of a novel repressor encoded by the putative gene ctf1 for cellulase biosynthesis in Trichoderma reesei through artificial zinc finger engineering. Biotechnol Bioeng 2020; 117:1747-1760. [PMID: 32124970 DOI: 10.1002/bit.27321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2019] [Revised: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 03/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Strains from Trichoderma reesei have been used for cellulase production with a long history. It has been well known that cellulase biosynthesis by the fungal species is controlled through regulators, and elucidation of their regulation network is of great importance for engineering T. reesei with robust cellulase production. However, progress in this regard is still very limited. In this study, T. reesei RUT-C30 was transformed with an artificial zinc finger protein (AZFP) library, and the mutant T. reesei M2 with improved cellulase production was screened. Compared to its parent strain, the filter paper activity and endo-β-glucanase activity in cellulases produced by T. reesei M2 increased 67.2% and 35.3%, respectively. Analysis by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction indicated significant downregulation of the putative gene ctf1 in T. reesei M2, and its deletion mutants were thus developed for further studies. An increase of 36.9% in cellulase production was observed in the deletion mutants, but when ctf1 was constitutively overexpressed in T. reesei RUT-C30 under the control of the strong pdc1 promoter, cellulase production was substantially compromised. Comparative transcriptomic analysis revealed that the deletion of ctf1 upregulated transcription of gene encoding the regulator VIB1, but downregulated transcription of gene encoding another regulator RCE1, which consequently upregulated genes encoding the transcription factors XYR1 and ACE3 for the activation of genes encoding cellulolytic enzymes. As a result, ctf1 was characterized as a gene encoding a repressor for cellulase production in T. reesei RUT-C30, which is significant for further elucidating molecular mechanism underlying cellulase biosynthesis by the fungal species for rational design to develop robust strains for cellulase production. And in the meantime, AZFP transformation was validated to be an effective strategy for identifying functions of putative genes in the genome of T. reesei.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qing-Shan Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Science, and School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Fei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Science, and School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chen-Guang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Science, and School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xin-Qing Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Science, and School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Feng-Wu Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Science, and School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Effect of VIB Gene on Cellulase Production of Trichoderma orientalis EU7-22. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 2020; 191:1444-1455. [DOI: 10.1007/s12010-020-03260-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
|
35
|
Zhang T, Liao LS, Li CX, Liao GY, Lin X, Luo XM, Zhao S, Feng JX. Identification of a Novel Transcription Factor TP05746 Involved in Regulating the Production of Plant-Biomass-Degrading Enzymes in Talaromyces pinophilus. Front Microbiol 2020; 10:2875. [PMID: 31921053 PMCID: PMC6923684 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.02875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Limited information on transcription factor (TF)-mediated regulation exists for most filamentous fungi, specifically for regulation of the production of plant-biomass-degrading enzymes (PBDEs). The filamentous fungus, Talaromyces pinophilus, can secrete integrative cellulolytic and amylolytic enzymes, suggesting a promising application in biotechnology. In the present study, the regulatory roles of a Zn2Cys6 protein, TP05746, were investigated in T. pinophilus through the use of biochemical, microbiological and omics techniques. Deletion of the gene TP05746 in T. pinophilus led to a 149.6% increase in soluble-starch-degrading enzyme (SSDE) production at day one of soluble starch induction but an approximately 30% decrease at days 2 to 4 compared with the parental strain ΔTpKu70. In contrast, the T. pinophilus mutant ΔTP05746 exhibited a 136.8-240.0% increase in raw-starch-degrading enzyme (RSDE) production, as well as a 90.3 to 519.1% increase in cellulase and xylanase production following induction by culturing on wheat bran plus Avicel, relative to that exhibited by ΔTpKu70. Additionally, the mutant ΔTP05746 exhibited accelerated mycelial growth at the early stage of cultivation and decreased conidiation. Transcriptomic profiling and real-time quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (RT-qPCR) analyses revealed that TP05746 dynamically regulated the expression of genes encoding major PBDEs and their regulatory genes, as well as fungal development-regulated genes. Furthermore, in vitro binding experiments confirmed that TP05746 bound to the promoter regions of the genes described above. These results will contribute to our understanding of the regulatory mechanism of PBDE genes and provide a promising target for genetic engineering for improved PBDE production in filamentous fungi.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ting Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Lu-Sheng Liao
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Cheng-Xi Li
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Gui-Yan Liao
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Xiong Lin
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Xue-Mei Luo
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Shuai Zhao
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Jia-Xun Feng
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Lin L, Wang S, Li X, He Q, Benz JP, Tian C. STK-12 acts as a transcriptional brake to control the expression of cellulase-encoding genes in Neurospora crassa. PLoS Genet 2019; 15:e1008510. [PMID: 31765390 PMCID: PMC6901240 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Revised: 12/09/2019] [Accepted: 11/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Cellulolytic fungi have evolved a complex regulatory network to maintain the precise balance of nutrients required for growth and hydrolytic enzyme production. When fungi are exposed to cellulose, the transcript levels of cellulase genes rapidly increase and then decline. However, the mechanisms underlying this bell-shaped expression pattern are unclear. We systematically screened a protein kinase deletion set in the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa to search for mutants exhibiting aberrant expression patterns of cellulase genes. We observed that the loss of stk-12 (NCU07378) caused a dramatic increase in cellulase production and an extended period of high transcript abundance of major cellulase genes. These results suggested that stk-12 plays a critical role as a brake to turn down the transcription of cellulase genes to repress the overexpression of hydrolytic enzymes and prevent energy wastage. Transcriptional profiling analyses revealed that cellulase gene expression levels were maintained at high levels for 56 h in the Δstk-12 mutant, compared to only 8 h in the wild-type (WT) strain. After growth on cellulose for 3 days, the transcript levels of cellulase genes in the Δstk-12 mutant were 3.3-fold over WT, and clr-2 (encoding a transcriptional activator) was up-regulated in Δstk-12 while res-1 and rca-1 (encoding two cellulase repressors) were down-regulated. Consequently, total cellulase production in the Δstk-12 mutant was 7-fold higher than in the WT. These results strongly suggest that stk-12 deletion results in dysregulation of the cellulase expression machinery. Further analyses showed that STK-12 directly targets IGO-1 to regulate cellulase production. The TORC1 pathway promoted cellulase production, at least partly, by inhibiting STK-12 function, and STK-12 and CRE-1 functioned in parallel pathways to repress cellulase gene expression. Our results clarify how cellulase genes are repressed at the transcriptional level during cellulose induction, and highlight a new strategy to improve industrial fungal strains.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Liangcai Lin
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China
| | - Shanshan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China
| | - Xiaolin Li
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology and MOA Key Laboratory of Soil Microbiology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Qun He
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology and MOA Key Laboratory of Soil Microbiology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - J. Philipp Benz
- Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz, Freising, Germany
- Technical University of Munich, Institute for Advanced Study, Lichtenbergstr, Garching, Germany
| | - Chaoguang Tian
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Horta MAC, Thieme N, Gao Y, Burnum-Johnson KE, Nicora CD, Gritsenko MA, Lipton MS, Mohanraj K, de Assis LJ, Lin L, Tian C, Braus GH, Borkovich KA, Schmoll M, Larrondo LF, Samal A, Goldman GH, Benz JP. Broad Substrate-Specific Phosphorylation Events Are Associated With the Initial Stage of Plant Cell Wall Recognition in Neurospora crassa. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:2317. [PMID: 31736884 PMCID: PMC6838226 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.02317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 09/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Fungal plant cell wall degradation processes are governed by complex regulatory mechanisms, allowing the organisms to adapt their metabolic program with high specificity to the available substrates. While the uptake of representative plant cell wall mono- and disaccharides is known to induce specific transcriptional and translational responses, the processes related to early signal reception and transduction remain largely unknown. A fast and reversible way of signal transmission are post-translational protein modifications, such as phosphorylations, which could initiate rapid adaptations of the fungal metabolism to a new condition. To elucidate how changes in the initial substrate recognition phase of Neurospora crassa affect the global phosphorylation pattern, phospho-proteomics was performed after a short (2 min) induction period with several plant cell wall-related mono- and disaccharides. The MS/MS-based peptide analysis revealed large-scale substrate-specific protein phosphorylation and de-phosphorylations. Using the proteins identified by MS/MS, a protein-protein-interaction (PPI) network was constructed. The variance in phosphorylation of a large number of kinases, phosphatases and transcription factors indicate the participation of many known signaling pathways, including circadian responses, two-component regulatory systems, MAP kinases as well as the cAMP-dependent and heterotrimeric G-protein pathways. Adenylate cyclase, a key component of the cAMP pathway, was identified as a potential hub for carbon source-specific differential protein interactions. In addition, four phosphorylated F-Box proteins were identified, two of which, Fbx-19 and Fbx-22, were found to be involved in carbon catabolite repression responses. Overall, these results provide unprecedented and detailed insights into a so far less well known stage of the fungal response to environmental cues and allow to better elucidate the molecular mechanisms of sensory perception and signal transduction during plant cell wall degradation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Augusta C. Horta
- Holzforschung München, TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Nils Thieme
- Holzforschung München, TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Yuqian Gao
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United States
| | | | - Carrie D. Nicora
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United States
| | - Marina A. Gritsenko
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United States
| | - Mary S. Lipton
- Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United States
| | - Karthikeyan Mohanraj
- The Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMSc), Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), Chennai, India
| | - Leandro José de Assis
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Liangcai Lin
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China
| | - Chaoguang Tian
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China
| | - Gerhard H. Braus
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Genetics, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Katherine A. Borkovich
- Department of Microbiology & Plant Pathology, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
| | - Monika Schmoll
- AIT - Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Center for Health & Bioresources, Tulln, Austria
| | - Luis F. Larrondo
- Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBio), Departamento Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Areejit Samal
- The Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMSc), Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), Chennai, India
| | - Gustavo H. Goldman
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
- Institute for Advanced Study, Technical University of Munich, Garching, Germany
| | - J. Philipp Benz
- Holzforschung München, TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
- Institute for Advanced Study, Technical University of Munich, Garching, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Gao L, Xu Y, Song X, Li S, Xia C, Xu J, Qin Y, Liu G, Qu Y. Deletion of the middle region of the transcription factor ClrB in Penicillium oxalicum enables cellulase production in the presence of glucose. J Biol Chem 2019; 294:18685-18697. [PMID: 31659120 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra119.010863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2019] [Revised: 10/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Enzymes that degrade lignocellulose to simple sugars are of great interest in research and for biotechnology because of their role in converting plant biomass to fuels and chemicals. The synthesis of cellulolytic enzymes in filamentous fungi is tightly regulated at the transcriptional level, with the transcriptional activator ClrB/CLR-2 playing a critical role in many species. In Penicillium oxalicum, clrB overexpression could not relieve the dependence of cellulase expression on cellulose as an inducer, suggesting that clrB is controlled post-transcriptionally. In this study, using a reporter gene system in yeast, we identified the C-terminal region of ClrB/CLR-2 as a transcriptional activation domain. Expression of clrBID , encoding a ClrB derivative in which the DNA-binding and transcriptional activation domains are fused together to remove the middle region, led to cellulase production in the absence of cellulose in P. oxalicum Strikingly, the clrBID -expressing strain produced cellulase on carbon sources that normally repress cellulase expression, including glucose and glycerol. Results from deletion of the carbon catabolite repressor gene creA in the clrBID -expressing strain suggested that the effect of clrBID is independent of CreA's repressive function. A similar modification of clrB in Aspergillus niger resulted in the production of a mannanase in glucose medium. Taken together, these results indicate that ClrB suppression under noninducing conditions involves its middle region, suggesting a potential strategy to engineer fungal strains for improved cellulase production on commonly used carbon sources.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Liwei Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Yanning Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Xin Song
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Shiying Li
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Chengqiang Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Jiadi Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China; National Glycoengineering Research Center, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Yuqi Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China; National Glycoengineering Research Center, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Guodong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China; National Glycoengineering Research Center, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China.
| | - Yinbo Qu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China; National Glycoengineering Research Center, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Novy V, Nielsen F, Seiboth B, Nidetzky B. The influence of feedstock characteristics on enzyme production in Trichoderma reesei: a review on productivity, gene regulation and secretion profiles. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 2019; 12:238. [PMID: 31624500 PMCID: PMC6781402 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-019-1571-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2019] [Accepted: 09/20/2019] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Biorefineries, designed for the production of lignocellulose-based chemicals and fuels, are receiving increasing attention from the public, governments, and industries. A major obstacle for biorefineries to advance to commercial scale is the high cost of the enzymes required to derive the fermentable sugars from the feedstock used. As summarized in this review, techno-economic studies suggest co-localization and integration of enzyme manufacturing with the cellulosic biorefinery as the most promising alternative to alleviate this problem. Thus, cultivation of Trichoderma reesei, the principal producer of lignocellulolytic enzymes, on the lignocellulosic biomass processed on-site can reduce the cost of enzyme manufacturing. Further, due to a complex gene regulation machinery, the fungus can adjust the gene expression of the lignocellulolytic enzymes towards the characteristics of the feedstock, increasing the hydrolytic efficiency of the produced enzyme cocktail. Despite extensive research over decades, the underlying regulatory mechanisms are not fully elucidated. One aspect that has received relatively little attention in literature is the influence the characteristics of a lignocellulosic substrate, i.e., its chemical and physical composition, has on the produced enzyme mixture. Considering that the fungus is dependent on efficient enzymatic degradation of the lignocellulose for continuous supply of carbon and energy, a relationship between feedstock characteristics and secretome composition can be expected. The aim of this review was to systematically collect, appraise, and aggregate data and integrate results from studies analyzing enzyme production by T. reesei on insoluble cellulosic model substrates and lignocellulosic biomass. The results show that there is a direct effect of the substrate's complexity (rated by structure, composition of the lignin-carbohydrate complex, and recalcitrance in enzymatic saccharification) on enzyme titers and the composition of specific activities in the secretome. It further shows that process-related factors, such as substrate loading and cultivation set-up, are direct targets for increasing enzyme yields. The literature on transcriptome and secretome composition further supports the proposed influence of substrate-related factors on the expression of lignocellulolytic enzymes. This review provides insights into the interrelation between the characteristics of the substrate and the enzyme production by T. reesei, which may help to advance integrated enzyme manufacturing of substrate-specific enzymes cocktails at scale.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vera Novy
- Institute of Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering, NAWI Graz, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria
- Present Address: Department of Wood Science, Faculty of Forestry, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Fredrik Nielsen
- Institute of Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering, NAWI Graz, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria
- Present Address: Department of Wood Science, Faculty of Forestry, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Bernhard Seiboth
- Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Vienna University of Technology, Vienna, Austria
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology (acib) GmbH, Graz, Austria
| | - Bernd Nidetzky
- Institute of Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering, NAWI Graz, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology (acib) GmbH, Graz, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Hinterdobler W, Schuster A, Tisch D, Özkan E, Bazafkan H, Schinnerl J, Brecker L, Böhmdorfer S, Schmoll M. The role of PKAc1 in gene regulation and trichodimerol production in Trichoderma reesei. Fungal Biol Biotechnol 2019; 6:12. [PMID: 31528353 PMCID: PMC6734591 DOI: 10.1186/s40694-019-0075-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Accepted: 08/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Trichoderma reesei represents a model system for investigation of plant cell wall degradation and its connection to light response. The cyclic adenosine monophosphate pathway (cAMP pathway) plays an important role in both physiological outputs, being crucial for regulation of photoreceptor function as well as for cellulase regulation on different carbon sources. Phosphorylation of photoreceptors and of the carbon catabolite repressor CRE1 was shown in ascomycetes, indicating a relevance of protein kinase A in regulation of the target genes of these transcription factors as well as an impact on regulation of induction specific genes. Moreover, the cAMP pathway impacts growth and development. Results Here, we investigated gene regulation by the catalytic subunit of protein kinase A (PKAc1) upon growth on cellulose. We found distinct gene sets for regulation upon growth in light and darkness with an overlap of only 13 genes. PKAc1 regulates metabolic genes as well as transport and defense functions. The overlap of gene regulation by PKAc1 with the genes representing the cAMP dependent regulatory output of the photoreceptor ENV1 indicates an involvement of PKA in this pathway, which counteracts its effects by contrasting regulation. Moreover, we found considerable overlap with the gene sets regulated under cellulase inducing conditions and by the carbon catabolite repressor CRE1. Our analysis also showed that PKAc1 regulates the genes of the SOR cluster associated with the biosynthesis of sorbicillinoids. The homologue of gin4, encoding a CAMK type kinase, which is regulated by PKAc1, CRE1 and YPR2 showed a moderate impact on trichodimerol production. We isolated trichodimerol as representative sorbicillin compound and established a method for its quantification in large sample sets using high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC), which can be broadly applied for secondary metabolite screening of mutants or different growth conditions. Due to the high expression levels of the SOR cluster under conditions of sexual development we crosschecked the relevance of PKAc1 under these conditions. We could show that PKAc1 impacts biosynthesis of trichodimerol in axenic growth and upon mating. Conclusions We conclude that PKAc1 is involved in light dependent regulation of plant cell wall degradation, including carbon catabolite repression as well as secondary metabolism and development in T. reesei.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wolfgang Hinterdobler
- 1Center for Health and Bioresources, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Konrad Lorenz Strasse 24, 3430 Tulln, Austria
| | - André Schuster
- 2Institute of Chemical Engineering, Vienna University of Technology, Getreidemarkt 9, 1060 Vienna, Austria
| | - Doris Tisch
- 2Institute of Chemical Engineering, Vienna University of Technology, Getreidemarkt 9, 1060 Vienna, Austria
| | - Ezgi Özkan
- 1Center for Health and Bioresources, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Konrad Lorenz Strasse 24, 3430 Tulln, Austria.,3Department of Chemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Konrad-Lorenz-Straße 24, 3430 Tulln, Austria
| | - Hoda Bazafkan
- 1Center for Health and Bioresources, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Konrad Lorenz Strasse 24, 3430 Tulln, Austria
| | - Johann Schinnerl
- 4Chemodiversity Research Group, Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Lothar Brecker
- 5Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Vienna, Währinger Strasse 38, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Stefan Böhmdorfer
- 3Department of Chemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Konrad-Lorenz-Straße 24, 3430 Tulln, Austria
| | - Monika Schmoll
- 1Center for Health and Bioresources, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Konrad Lorenz Strasse 24, 3430 Tulln, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Protein phosphatases regulate growth, development, cellulases and secondary metabolism in Trichoderma reesei. Sci Rep 2019; 9:10995. [PMID: 31358805 PMCID: PMC6662751 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-47421-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2019] [Accepted: 07/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Trichoderma reesei represents one of the most prolific producers of plant cell wall degrading enzymes. Recent research showed broad regulation by phosphorylation in T. reesei, including important transcription factors involved in cellulase regulation. To evaluate factors crucial for changes in these phosphorylation events, we studied non-essential protein phosphatases (PPs) of T. reesei. Viable deletion strains were tested for growth on different carbon sources, osmotic and oxidative stress response, asexual and sexual development, cellulase and protease production as well as secondary metabolism. Six PPs were found to be positive or negative regulators for cellulase production. A correlation of the effects of PPs on protease activities and cellulase activities was not detected. Hierarchical clustering of regulation patterns and phenotypes of deletion indicated functional specialization within PP classes and common as well as variable effects. Our results confirmed the central role of catalytic and regulatory subunits of PP2A which regulates several aspects of cell growth and metabolism. Moreover we show that the additional homologue of PPH5 in Trichoderma spp., PPH5-2 assumes distinct functions in metabolism, development and stress response, different from PPH5. The influence of PPs on both cellulase gene expression and secondary metabolite production support an interrelationship in the underlying regulation mechanisms.
Collapse
|
42
|
Hitzenhammer E, Büschl C, Sulyok M, Schuhmacher R, Kluger B, Wischnitzki E, Schmoll M. YPR2 is a regulator of light modulated carbon and secondary metabolism in Trichoderma reesei. BMC Genomics 2019; 20:211. [PMID: 30866811 PMCID: PMC6417087 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-5574-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2018] [Accepted: 02/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Filamentous fungi have evolved to succeed in nature by efficient growth and degradation of substrates, but also due to the production of secondary metabolites including mycotoxins. For Trichoderma reesei, as a biotechnological workhorse for homologous and heterologous protein production, secondary metabolite secretion is of particular importance for industrial application. Recent studies revealed an interconnected regulation of enzyme gene expression and carbon metabolism with secondary metabolism. RESULTS Here, we investigated gene regulation by YPR2, one out of two transcription factors located within the SOR cluster of T. reesei, which is involved in biosynthesis of sorbicillinoids. Transcriptome analysis showed that YPR2 exerts its major function in constant darkness upon growth on cellulose. Targets (direct and indirect) of YPR2 overlap with induction specific genes as well as with targets of the carbon catabolite repressor CRE1 and a considerable proportion is regulated by photoreceptors as well. Functional category analysis revealed both effects on carbon metabolism and secondary metabolism. Further, we found indications for an involvement of YPR2 in regulation of siderophores. In agreement with transcriptome data, mass spectrometric analyses revealed a broad alteration in metabolite patterns in ∆ypr2. Additionally, YPR2 positively influenced alamethicin levels along with transcript levels of the alamethicin synthase tex1 and is essential for production of orsellinic acid in darkness. CONCLUSIONS YPR2 is an important regulator balancing secondary metabolism with carbon metabolism in darkness and depending on the carbon source. The function of YPR2 reaches beyond the SOR cluster in which ypr2 is located and happens downstream of carbon catabolite repression mediated by CRE1.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eva Hitzenhammer
- AIT - Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Center for Health and Bioresources, Konrad-Lorenz-Strasse 24, 3430 Tulln, Austria
| | - Christoph Büschl
- Department of Agrobiotechnology (IFA-Tulln), Center for Analytical Chemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, (BOKU), Konrad-Lorenz-Straße 20, 3430 Tulln, Austria
| | - Michael Sulyok
- Department of Agrobiotechnology (IFA-Tulln), Center for Analytical Chemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, (BOKU), Konrad-Lorenz-Straße 20, 3430 Tulln, Austria
| | - Rainer Schuhmacher
- Department of Agrobiotechnology (IFA-Tulln), Center for Analytical Chemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, (BOKU), Konrad-Lorenz-Straße 20, 3430 Tulln, Austria
| | - Bernhard Kluger
- Department of Agrobiotechnology (IFA-Tulln), Center for Analytical Chemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, (BOKU), Konrad-Lorenz-Straße 20, 3430 Tulln, Austria
| | - Elisabeth Wischnitzki
- AIT - Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Center for Health and Bioresources, Konrad-Lorenz-Strasse 24, 3430 Tulln, Austria
| | - Monika Schmoll
- AIT - Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Center for Health and Bioresources, Konrad-Lorenz-Strasse 24, 3430 Tulln, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Yang J, Deng L, Zhao C, Fang H. Heterologous expression of Neurospora crassa cbh1 gene in Pichia pastoris resulted in production of a neutral cellobiohydrolase I. Biotechnol Prog 2019; 35:e2795. [PMID: 30816014 DOI: 10.1002/btpr.2795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2018] [Revised: 01/14/2019] [Accepted: 02/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The high production cost of cellulase is one of the limitations that hinder the commercialization of lignocellulose-based biorefineries. As one of the important cellulases, Neurospora crassa cellulase is not so intensively investigated as T. reesei cellulase. In this study, the cbh1gene (NCU07340) cloned from N. crassa was expressed in Pichia pastoris under the control of alcohol oxidase 1 (AOX1) promotor. Six transformants with the highest resistance to G418 were selected by two rounds of transformant screening, among which the most robust producer of the recombinant cellobiohydrolase I (CBHI) has an Avicelase activity of 0.22 U/mL. After fermentation optimization, it was improved to 0.30 U/mL. Interestingly, the optimal temperature and pH of the recombinant CBHI were 60°C and 7.2, respectively, and it was quite stable within the wide ranges of temperature and pH. This work is a good example for the future improvement and optimization of N. crassa cellulase.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jie Yang
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China.,Biomass Energy Center for Arid and Semi-arid Lands, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Lu Deng
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China.,Biomass Energy Center for Arid and Semi-arid Lands, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Chen Zhao
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China.,Biomass Energy Center for Arid and Semi-arid Lands, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Hao Fang
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China.,Biomass Energy Center for Arid and Semi-arid Lands, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Zhao S, Liu Q, Wang JX, Liao XZ, Guo H, Li CX, Zhang FF, Liao LS, Luo XM, Feng JX. Differential transcriptomic profiling of filamentous fungus during solid-state and submerged fermentation and identification of an essential regulatory gene PoxMBF1 that directly regulated cellulase and xylanase gene expression. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 2019; 12:103. [PMID: 31164922 PMCID: PMC6489320 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-019-1445-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2019] [Accepted: 04/18/2019] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Solid-state fermentation (SSF) mimics the natural decay environment of soil fungi and can be employed to investigate the production of plant biomass-degrading enzymes. However, knowledge on the transcriptional regulation of fungal genes during SSF remains limited. Herein, transcriptional profiling was performed on the filamentous fungus Penicillium oxalicum strain HP7-1 cultivated in medium containing wheat bran plus rice straw (WR) under SSF (WR_SSF) and submerged fermentation (WR_SmF; control) conditions. Novel key transcription factors (TFs) regulating fungal cellulase and xylanase gene expression during SSF were identified via comparative transcriptomic and genetic analyses. RESULTS Expression of major cellulase genes was higher under WR_SSF condition than that under WR_SmF, but the expression of genes involved in the citric acid cycle was repressed under WR_SSF condition. Fifty-six candidate regulatory genes for cellulase production were screened out from transcriptomic profiling of P. oxalicum HP7-1 for knockout experiments in the parental strain ∆PoxKu70, resulting in 43 deletion mutants including 18 constructed in the previous studies. Enzyme activity assays revealed 14 novel regulatory genes involved in cellulase production in P. oxalicum during SSF. Remarkably, deletion of the essential regulatory gene PoxMBF1, encoding Multiprotein Bridging Factor 1, resulted in doubled cellulase and xylanase production at 2 days after induction during both SSF and SmF. PoxMBF1 dynamically and differentially regulated transcription of a subset of cellulase and xylanase genes during SSF and SmF, and conferred stress resistance. Importantly, PoxMBF1 bound specifically to the putative promoters of major cellulase and xylanase genes in vitro. CONCLUSIONS We revealed differential transcriptional regulation of P. oxalicum during SSF and SmF, and identified PoxMBF1, a novel TF that directly regulates cellulase and xylanase gene expression during SSF and SmF. These findings expand our understanding of regulatory mechanisms of cellulase and xylanase gene expression during fungal fermentation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shuai Zhao
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, 100 Daxue Road, Nanning, 530004 Guangxi People’s Republic of China
| | - Qi Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, 100 Daxue Road, Nanning, 530004 Guangxi People’s Republic of China
| | - Jiu-Xiang Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, 100 Daxue Road, Nanning, 530004 Guangxi People’s Republic of China
| | - Xu-Zhong Liao
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, 100 Daxue Road, Nanning, 530004 Guangxi People’s Republic of China
| | - Hao Guo
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, 100 Daxue Road, Nanning, 530004 Guangxi People’s Republic of China
| | - Cheng-Xi Li
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, 100 Daxue Road, Nanning, 530004 Guangxi People’s Republic of China
| | - Feng-Fei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, 100 Daxue Road, Nanning, 530004 Guangxi People’s Republic of China
| | - Lu-Sheng Liao
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, 100 Daxue Road, Nanning, 530004 Guangxi People’s Republic of China
| | - Xue-Mei Luo
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, 100 Daxue Road, Nanning, 530004 Guangxi People’s Republic of China
| | - Jia-Xun Feng
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, 100 Daxue Road, Nanning, 530004 Guangxi People’s Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Liao LS, Li CX, Zhang FF, Yan YS, Luo XM, Zhao S, Feng JX. How an essential Zn2Cys6 transcription factor PoxCxrA regulates cellulase gene expression in ascomycete fungi? BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 2019; 12:105. [PMID: 31073329 PMCID: PMC6498484 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-019-1444-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2019] [Accepted: 04/16/2019] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Soil ascomycete fungi produce plant-biomass-degrading enzymes to facilitate nutrient and energy uptake in response to exogenous stress. This is controlled by a complex signal network, but the regulatory mechanisms are poorly understood. An essential Zn2Cys6 transcription factor (TF) PoxCxrA was identified to be required for cellulase and xylanase production in Penicillium oxalicum. The genome-wide regulon and DNA binding sequences of PoxCxrA were further identified through RNA-Sequencing, DNase I footprinting experiments and in vitro electrophoretic mobility shift assays. Moreover, a minimal DNA-binding domain in PoxCxrA was recognised. RESULTS A PoxCxrA regulon of 1970 members was identified in P. oxalicum, and it was displayed that PoxCxrA regulated the expression of genes encoding major plant cell wall-degrading enzymes, as well as important cellodextrin and/or glucose transporters. Interestingly, PoxCxrA positively regulated the expression of a known important TF PoxClrB. DNase I footprinting experiments and in vitro electrophoretic mobility shift assays further revealed that PoxCxrA directly bound the promoter regions of PoxClrB and a cellobiohydrolase gene cbh1 (POX05587/Cel7A-2) at different nucleic acid sequences. Remarkably, PoxCxrA autoregulated its own PoxCxrA gene expression. Additionally, a minimal 42-amino-acid PoxCxrA DNA-binding domain was identified. CONCLUSION PoxCxrA could directly regulate the expression of cellulase genes and the regulatory gene PoxClrB via binding their promoters at different nucleic acid sequences. This work expands the diversity of DNA-binding motifs known to be recognised by Zn2Cys6 TFs, and demonstrates novel regulatory mechanisms of fungal cellulase gene expression.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lu-Sheng Liao
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, 100 Daxue Road, Nanning, 530004 Guangxi People’s Republic of China
| | - Cheng-Xi Li
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, 100 Daxue Road, Nanning, 530004 Guangxi People’s Republic of China
| | - Feng-Fei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, 100 Daxue Road, Nanning, 530004 Guangxi People’s Republic of China
| | - Yu-Si Yan
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, 100 Daxue Road, Nanning, 530004 Guangxi People’s Republic of China
| | - Xue-Mei Luo
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, 100 Daxue Road, Nanning, 530004 Guangxi People’s Republic of China
| | - Shuai Zhao
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, 100 Daxue Road, Nanning, 530004 Guangxi People’s Republic of China
| | - Jia-Xun Feng
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, 100 Daxue Road, Nanning, 530004 Guangxi People’s Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Zhang F, Bunterngsook B, Li JX, Zhao XQ, Champreda V, Liu CG, Bai FW. Regulation and production of lignocellulolytic enzymes from Trichoderma reesei for biofuels production. ADVANCES IN BIOENERGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.aibe.2019.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
|
47
|
Katz ME. Nutrient sensing-the key to fungal p53-like transcription factors? Fungal Genet Biol 2018; 124:8-16. [PMID: 30579885 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2018.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2018] [Revised: 12/12/2018] [Accepted: 12/18/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
The mammalian tumour suppressor protein, p53, plays an important role in cell cycle control, DNA repair and apoptotic cell death. Transcription factors belonging to the "p53-like" superfamily are found exclusively in the Amorphea branch of eukaryotes, which includes animals, fungi and slime molds. Many members of the p53-like superfamily (proteins containing p53, Rel/Dorsal, T-box, STAT, Runt, Ndt80, and the CSL DNA-binding domains) are involved in development. Two families of p53-like proteins (Ndt80 and CSL) are widespread in fungi as well as animals. The Basidiomycetes and the Ascomycetes have undergone reciprocal loss of the Ndt80 and CSL classes of transcription factors, with the CSL class preserved in only one branch of Ascomycetes and the Ndt80 class found in only one branch of Basidiomycetes. Recent studies have greatly expanded the known functions of fungal Ndt80-like proteins and shown that they play important roles in sexual reproduction, cell death, N-acetylglucosamine sensing and catabolism, secondary metabolism, and production of extracellular hydrolases such as proteases, chitinases and cellulases. In the opportunistic pathogen, Candida albicans, Ndt80-like proteins are essential for hyphal growth and virulence and also play a role in antifungal resistance. These recent studies have confirmed that nutrient sensing is a common feature of fungal Ndt80-like proteins and is also found in fungal CSL-like transcription factors, which in animals is the mediator of Notch signalling. Thus, nutrient sensing may represent the ancestral role of the p53-like superfamily.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Margaret E Katz
- Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Xu G, Li J, Liu Q, Sun W, Jiang M, Tian C. Transcriptional analysis of Myceliophthora thermophila on soluble starch and role of regulator AmyR on polysaccharide degradation. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2018; 265:558-562. [PMID: 29843921 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2018.05.086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2018] [Revised: 05/21/2018] [Accepted: 05/22/2018] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Thermophilic fungus Myceliophthora thermophila has great capacity for biomass degradation and is an attractive option for use as cell factory to produce chemicals directly from renewable polysaccharides, such as starch, rather than monomer glucose. To date, there has been no transcriptomic analysis of this thermophilic fungus on starch. This study determined the transcriptomic profile of M. thermophila responding to soluble starch and a 342-gene set was identified as a "starch regulon", including the major amylolytic enzyme (Mycth_72393). Its overexpression led to increased amylase activities on starch by 35%. Furthermore, overexpressing the key amylolytic enzyme regulator AmyR in M. thermophila significantly increased amylase activity by 30%. Deletion of amyR by the CRISPR/Cas9 system led to the relief of carbon catabolite repression and 3-fold increased lignocellulase activities on cellulose. This study will accelerate rational fungal strain engineering for biochemical production from biomass substrates such as raw corn starch and even crop straw.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Guanbao Xu
- College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University. Nanjing 211800, China
| | - Jingen Li
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Tianjin 300308, China
| | - Qian Liu
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Tianjin 300308, China
| | - Wenliang Sun
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Tianjin 300308, China
| | - Min Jiang
- College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University. Nanjing 211800, China
| | - Chaoguang Tian
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Tianjin 300308, China.
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Fang X, Qu Y. Metabolic Engineering of Fungal Strains for Efficient Production of Cellulolytic Enzymes. FUNGAL CELLULOLYTIC ENZYMES 2018:27-41. [PMCID: PMC7120360 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-13-0749-2_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Filamentous fungi are widely used for production of cellulase and other cellulolytic enzymes. Metabolic engineering of filamentous fungal strains has been applied to improve enzyme production, and rapid progress has been made in the recent years. In this chapter, genetic tools and methods to develop superior enzyme producers are summarized, which includes establishment of genetic modification systems, selection and redesign of promoters, and metabolic engineering using either native transcription factors or artificial ones. In addition, enhancement of cellulase production through morphology engineering was also discussed. Emerging tools including CRISPR-Cas9-based genome editing and synthetic biology are highlighted, which are speeding up mechanisms elucidation and strain development, and will further facilitate economic cellulolytic enzyme production.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xu Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong China
| | - Yinbo Qu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong China
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Cys 2His 2 Zinc Finger Transcription Factor BcabaR1 Positively Regulates Abscisic Acid Production in Botrytis cinerea. Appl Environ Microbiol 2018; 84:AEM.00920-18. [PMID: 29959241 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00920-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2018] [Accepted: 06/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Abscisic acid (ABA) is one of the five classical phytohormones involved in increasing the tolerance of plants for various kinds of stresses caused by abiotic or biotic factors, and it also plays important roles in regulating the activation of innate immune cells and glucose homeostasis in mammals. For these reasons, as a "stress hormone," ABA has recently received attention as a candidate drug for agriculture and biomedical applications, prompting significant development of ABA synthesis. Some plant-pathogenic fungi can synthesize natural ABA. The fungus Botrytis cinerea has been used for biotechnological production of ABA. Identification of the transcription factors (TFs) involved in regulation of ABA biosynthesis in B. cinerea would provide new clues to understand how ABA is synthesized and regulated. In this study, we defined a novel Cys2His2 TF, BcabaR1, that regulates the transcriptional levels of ABA synthase genes (bcaba1, bcaba2, bcaba3, and bcaba4) in an ABA-overproducing mutant, B. cinerea TBC-A. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays revealed that recombinant BcabaR1 can bind specifically to both a 14-nucleotide sequence motif and a 39-nucleotide sequence motif in the promoter region of bcaba1 to -4 genes in vitro A decreased transcriptional level of the bcabaR1 gene in B. cinerea led to significantly decreased ABA production and downregulated transcription of bcaba1 to -4 When bcabaR1 was overexpressed in B. cinerea, ABA production was significantly increased, with upregulated transcription of bcaba1 to -4 Thus, in this study, we found that BcabaR1 acts as a positive regulator of ABA biosynthesis in B. cinereaIMPORTANCE Abscisic acid (ABA) could make a potentially important contribution to theoretical research and applications in agriculture and medicine. Botrytis cinerea is a plant-pathogenic fungus that was found to produce ABA. There has been a view that ABA is related to the interaction between pathogenic fungi and plants. Identification of regulatory genes involved in ABA biosynthesis may facilitate an understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms of ABA biosynthesis and the pathogenesis of B. cinerea Here, we present a positive regulator, BcabaR1, of ABA biosynthesis in B. cinerea that can affect the transcriptional level of the ABA biosynthesis gene cluster, bcaba1 to -4, by directly binding to the conserved sequence elements in the promoter of the bcaba1 to -4 genes. This TF was found to be specifically involved in regulation of ABA biosynthesis. This work provides new clues for finding other ABA biosynthesis genes and improving ABA yield in B. cinerea.
Collapse
|