Fungal respiration: a fusion of standard and alternative components

Characterization of Colletotrichum graminicola Isolates Resistant to Strobilurin-Related QoI Fungicides

Isolates of Colletotrichum graminicola were collected from annual bluegrass or bent grass turf in Japan and the United States, and their sensitivities to QoI fungicides (QoIs) as well as their cytochrome b sequences were characterized. Five isolates sampled from turf treated repeatedly with azoxystrobin were highly QoI resistant under both in vivo and in vitro test conditions. The nucleotide sequences of a large cytochrome b gene segment involving the binding site of QoIs were fully homologous for all resistant isolates and contained the G143A target site mutation known to confer QoI resistance in other pathogens. QoI-sensitive isolates collected prior to treatments with QoIs were more diverse with regard to their cytochrome b gene sequences and their phenotype responses to QoIs. All wild-type isolates retained a glycine in position 143 of cytochrome b. Three of the four QoI-sensitive isolates were, in addition, distinguished by leucines in positions 95, 130, and 141, which were exchanged to threonine in all resistant but also in one of the sensitive isolates. In addition to a more pronounced divergence of cytochrome b sequences, the sensitive wild-type isolates also were diverse with regard to the induction of alternative respiration in response to QoI action, as indicated by comparisons of QoI sensitivities displayed in the absence or presence of the alternative oxidase inhibitor salicylhydroxamic acid. These different phenotype responses expressed under in vitro test conditions had no or only a slight impact on anthracnose control in protective applications of azoxystrobin. Isolate responses in vitro were very similar for trifloxystrobin, indicating cross-resistance among the class of QoIs. Our results imply that C. graminicola falls into the class of pathogens with a potential for rapid selection of highly QoI-resistant phenotypes. Frequent monitoring of population sensitivities will be required to determine the status of population responses toward practical QoI resistance.

Role of alternative oxidase gene in pathogenesis of Cryptococcus neoformans

We identified a homologue of the alternative oxidase gene in a screen to identify genes that are preferentially transcribed in response to a shift to 37 degrees C in the human-pathogenic yeast Cryptococcus neoformans. Alternative oxidases are nucleus-encoded mitochondrial proteins that have two putative roles: they can function in parallel with the classic cytochrome oxidative pathway to produce ATP, and they may counter oxidative stress within the mitochondria. The C. neoformans alternative oxidase gene (AOX1) was found to exist as a single copy in the genome, and it encodes a putative protein of 401 amino acids. An aox1 mutant strain was created using targeted gene disruption, and the mutant strain was reconstituted to wild type using a full-length AOX1. Compared to both the wild-type and reconstituted strains, the aox1 mutant strain was not temperature sensitive but did have significant impairment of both respiration and growth when treated with inhibitors of the classic cytochrome oxidative pathway. The aox1 mutant strain was also found to be more sensitive to the oxidative stressor tert-butyl hydroperoxide. The aox1 mutant strain was significantly less virulent than both the wild type and the reconstituted strain in the murine inhalational model, and it also had significantly impaired growth within a macrophage-like cell line. These data demonstrate that the alternative oxidase of C. neoformans can make a significant contribution to metabolism, has a role in the yeast's defense against exogenous oxidative stress, and contributes to the virulence composite of this organism, possibly by improving survival within phagocytic cells.

Arabidopsis genes encoding mitochondrial type II NAD(P)H dehydrogenases have different evolutionary origin and show distinct responses to light

In addition to proton-pumping complex I, plant mitochondria contain several type II NAD(P)H dehydrogenases in the electron transport chain. The extra enzymes allow the nonenergy-conserving electron transfer from cytoplasmic and matrix NAD(P)H to ubiquinone. We have investigated the type II NAD(P)H dehydrogenase gene families in Arabidopsis. This model plant contains two and four genes closely related to potato (Solanum tuberosum) genes nda1 and ndb1, respectively. A novel homolog, termed ndc1, with a lower but significant similarity to potato nda1 and ndb1, is also present. All genes are expressed in several organs of the plant. Among the nda genes, expression of nda1, but not nda2, is dependent on light and circadian regulation, suggesting separate roles in photosynthesis-associated and other respiratory NADH oxidation. Genes from all three gene families encode proteins exclusively targeted to mitochondria, as revealed by expression of green fluorescent fusion proteins and by western blotting of fractionated cells. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that ndc1 affiliates with cyanobacterial type II NADH dehydrogenase genes, suggesting that this gene entered the eukaryotic cell via the chloroplast progenitor. The ndc1 should then have been transferred to the nucleus and acquired a signal for mitochondrial targeting of the protein product. Although they are of different origin, the nda, ndb, and ndc genes carry an identical intron position.

Elevated temperature effects on the oxidant/antioxidant balance in submerged batch cultures of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger B1-D

In the present study the relationship between oxidative stress and elevated culture temperature was examined in an industrially relevant fungal culture, Aspergillus niger B1-D. For the first time, both the intracellular levels of the main stressor species (superoxide radical [O(2) (.-)]) and activities of cellular defensive enzymes (superoxide dismutase [SOD], catalase [CAT], and glutathione peroxide [GPx]) were quantified at varying temperature (25, 30, 35, 40 degrees C) to more fully characterize culture response in different growth phases. Elevated culture temperature led to increased O(2) (.-) levels in various culture phases. In the exponential phase this was due to an enhanced generation of O(2) (.-), whereas in stationary phase a decreased dismutation rate may also have contributed. CAT activities generally increased with culture temperature, whereas GPx activity changed little as temperature rose, indicating that GPx played only a minor role in destroying H(2)O(2) in this A. niger. The combination of elevated temperature (35 degrees C) and increased O(2) supply (50% enrichment) led to decreased levels of O(2) (.-) compared to the cultivation at 35 degrees C gassed with air, probably due to enhanced activity of the alternative fungal respiratory pathway. Our findings indicate that while elevated cultivation temperature does clearly induce oxidative stress events, mechanistically, it does so by a rather more complex route than previous studies indicate. Elevated temperature caused a marked disparity in the activities of SOD and CAT, very distinct from the integrated increase in activity of these enzymes in response to oxidative stress.

Endosymbiosis and the design of eukaryotic electron transport

The bioenergetic organelles of eukaryotic cells, mitochondria and chloroplasts, are derived from endosymbiotic bacteria. Their electron transport chains (ETCs) resemble those of free-living bacteria, but were tailored for energy transformation within the host cell. Parallel evolutionary processes in mitochondria and chloroplasts include reductive as well as expansive events: On one hand, bacterial complexes were lost in eukaryotes with a concomitant loss of metabolic flexibility. On the other hand, new subunits have been added to the remaining bacterial complexes, new complexes have been introduced, and elaborate folding patterns of the thylakoid and mitochondrial inner membranes have emerged. Some bacterial pathways were reinvented independently by eukaryotes, such as parallel routes for quinol oxidation or the use of various anaerobic electron acceptors. Multicellular organization and ontogenetic cycles in eukaryotes gave rise to further modifications of the bioenergetic organelles. Besides mitochondria and chloroplasts, eukaryotes have ETCs in other membranes, such as the plasma membrane (PM) redox system, or the cytochrome P450 (CYP) system. These systems have fewer complexes and simpler branching patterns than those in energy-transforming organelles, and they are often adapted to non-bioenergetic functions such as detoxification or cellular defense.

Alternative oxidase expression in Neurospora crassa

When electron flow through the cytochrome-mediated electron transport chain is blocked by inhibitors or mutations, the mitochondria of Neurospora crassa contain a KCN-insensitive alternative oxidase, encoded by the aod-1 gene, that transfers electrons directly from the ubiquinone pool to oxygen. The mechanism by which the enzyme is induced is unknown. Comparison of the sequence upstream of the N. crassa aod-1 gene with the corresponding region of Gelasinospora spp. and Aspergillus nidulans revealed a cyclic AMP responsive element (CRE) about 700-800 bp upstream of the start codon in each species. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays showed that a factor from N. crassa cell extracts binds specifically to the CRE sequence. However, transformation of an aod-1 mutant strain with constructs lacking the CRE gave strains that regulate alternative oxidase in a normal fashion. Nuclear run-on assays indicated that uninduced cells transcribe the aod-1 gene at a low constitutive rate and that the transcription rate is increased in cells induced by antimycin A. Non-induced wild-type cultures occasionally contained significant amounts of aod-1 mRNA, but Western blots revealed no detectable AOD1 protein in mitochondria of these cells. This suggests that post-transcriptional events also play a role in alternative oxidase expression. A BLAST search of the Neurospora genome sequence revealed a second gene with the potential to encode an alternative oxidase, which we have named aod-3. Northern blot analysis using probes specific for the aod-1 and aod-3 genes revealed no evidence of expression of aod-3.

A critical evaluation of the role of alternative oxidase in the performance of strobilurin and related fungicides acting at the Qo site of complex III

Mitochondrial respiration conserves energy by linking NADH oxidation and electron-coupled proton translocation with ATP synthesis, through a core pathway involving three large protein complexes. Strobilurin fungicides block electron flow through one of these complexes (III), and disrupt energy supply. Despite an essential need for ATP throughout fungal disease development, strobilurins are largely preventative; indeed some diseases are not controlled at all, and several pathogens have quickly developed resistance. Target-site variation is not the only cause of these performance difficulties. Alternative oxidase (AOX) is a strobilurin-insensitive terminal oxidase that allows electrons from ubiquinol to bypass Complex III. Its synthesis is constitutive in some fungi but in many others is induced by inhibition of the main pathway. AOX provides a strobilurin-insensitive pathway for oxidation of NADH. Protons are pumped as electrons flow through Complex I, but energy conservation is less efficient than for the full respiratory chain. Salicylhydroxamic acid (SHAM) is a characteristic inhibitor of AOX, and several studies have explored the potentiation of strobilurin activity by SHAM. We present a kinetic-based model which relates changes in the extent of potentiation during different phases of disease development to a changing importance of energy efficiency. The model provides a framework for understanding the varying efficacy of strobilurin fungicides. In many cases, AOX can limit strobilurin effectiveness once an infection is established, but is unable to interfere significantly with strobilurin action during germination. A less stringent demand for energy efficiency during early disease development could lead to insensitivity towards this class of fungicides. This is discussed in relation to Botrytis cinerea, which is often poorly controlled by strobilurins. Mutations with a similar effect may explain evidence implicating AOX in resistance development in normally well-controlled plant pathogens, such as Venturia inaequalis.

Characterization of an alternative oxidase activity of Histoplasma capsulatum

Histoplasma capsulatum possesses a branched mitochondrial electron transport chain, with both cyanide-sensitive and -insensitive oxygen-consuming activities. The latter, carried out by a single subunit enzyme termed 'alternative oxidase', is the focus of this report. AOX1 cDNA clones were isolated and direct evidence that the cDNA ORF encodes functional alternative oxidase is reported. Also reported are the generation of an antiserum to the AOX1 protein product, and specific detection in vivo of the mRNA and protein products of the AOX1 gene. Finally, initial studies of regulation of H. capsulatum AOX1 gene expression demonstrated that RNA abundance was increased after hydrogen peroxide-mediated oxidative stress and after inhibition of mitochondrial electron transport enzymes with antimycin A or sodium cyanide. This pattern of regulation is consistent with the hypothesis that alternative oxidase contributes to survival of H. capsulatum after oxidative or metabolic stress and may be important for virulence of this pathogenic organism. The GenBank Accession Nos for the cDNA sequences reported in this paper are AF133236, AF133237 (AOX1).

Energy conversion coupled to cyanide-resistant respiration in the yeasts Pichia membranifaciens and Debaryomyces hansenii

Cyanide-resistant respiration (CRR) is a widespread metabolic pathway among yeasts, that involves a mitochondrial alternative oxidase sensitive to salicylhydroxamic acid (SHAM). The physiological role of this pathway has been obscure. We used the yeasts Debaryomyces hansenii and Pichia membranifaciens to elucidate the involvement of CRR in energy conversion. In both yeasts the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content was still high in the presence of antimycin A or SHAM, but decreased to low levels when both inhibitors were present simultaneously, indicating that CRR was involved in ATP formation. Also the mitochondrial membrane potential (Delta Psi(m)), monitored by fluorescent dyes, was relatively high in the presence of antimycin A and decreased upon addition of SHAM. In both yeasts the presence of complex I was confirmed by the inhibition of oxygen consumption in isolated mitochondria by rotenone. Comparing in the literature the occurrence of CRR and of complex I among yeasts, we found that CRR and complex I were simultaneously present in 12 out of 13 yeasts, whereas in six out of eight yeasts in which CRR was absent, complex I was also absent. Since three phosphorylating sites are active in the main respiratory chain and only one in CRR, we propose a role for this pathway in the fine adjustment of energy provision to the cell.

A new rate law describing microbial respiration

The rate of microbial respiration can be described by a rate law that gives the respiration rate as the product of a rate constant, biomass concentration, and three terms: one describing the kinetics of the electron-donating reaction, one for the kinetics of the electron-accepting reaction, and a thermodynamic term accounting for the energy available in the microbe's environment. The rate law, derived on the basis of chemiosmotic theory and nonlinear thermodynamics, is unique in that it accounts for both forward and reverse fluxes through the electron transport chain. Our analysis demonstrates how a microbe's respiration rate depends on the thermodynamic driving force, i.e., the net difference between the energy available from the environment and energy conserved as ATP. The rate laws commonly applied in microbiology, such as the Monod equation, are specific simplifications of the general law presented. The new rate law is significant because it affords the possibility of extrapolating in a rigorous manner from laboratory experiment to a broad range of natural conditions, including microbial growth where only limited energy is available. The rate law also provides a new explanation of threshold phenomena, which may reflect a thermodynamic equilibrium where the energy released by electron transfer balances that conserved by ADP phosphorylation.

Purification of active recombinant trypanosome alternative oxidase

Trypanosome alternative oxidase (TAO) is the terminal oxidase of the respiratory chain in long slender bloodstream forms of African trypanosomes. TAO is a cytochrome-independent, cyanide-insensitive quinol oxidase. These characteristics are distinct from those of the bacterial quinol oxidases, proteins that belong to the heme-copper terminal oxidase superfamily. The inability to purify stable TAO has severely hampered biochemical studies of the alternative oxidase family. In the present study, we were able to purify recombinant TAO to homogeneity from Escherichia coli membranes using the detergent digitonin. Kinetic analysis of the purified TAO revealed that the specific inhibitor ascofuranone is a competitive inhibitor of ubiquinol oxidase activity.

SHAM-sensitive alternative respiration in the xylose-metabolizing yeast Pichia stipitis

SHAM-sensitive (STO) alternative respiration is present in the xylose-metabolizing, Crabtree-negative yeast, Pichia stipitis, but its pathway components and physiological roles during xylose metabolism are poorly understood. We cloned PsSTO1, which encodes the SHAM-sensitive terminal oxidase (PsSto1p), by genome walking from wild-type CBS 6054 and subsequently deleted PsSTO1 by targeted gene disruption. The resulting sto1-delta deletion mutant, FPL-Shi31, did not contain other isoforms of Sto protein that were detectable by Western blot analysis using an alternative oxidase monoclonal antibody raised against the Sto protein from Sauromatum guttatum. Levels of cytochromes b, c, c(1) and a.a(3) did not change in the sto1-delta mutant, which indicated that deleting PsSto1p did not alter the cytochrome pool. Interestingly, the sto1-delta deletion mutant stopped growing earlier than the parent and produced 20% more ethanol from xylose. Heterologous expression of PsSTO1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae increased its total oxygen consumption rate and imparted cyanide-resistant oxygen uptake but did not enable growth on ethanol, indicating that PsSto1p is not coupled to ATP synthesis. We present evidence that the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase complex (Complex I) was present in wild-type CBS 6054 but was bypassed in the cells during xylose metabolism. Unexpectedly, deleting PsSto1p led to the use of Complex I in the mutant cells when xylose was the carbon source. We propose that the non-proton-translocating NAD(P)H dehydrogenases are linked to PsSto1p in xylose-metabolizing cells and that this non-ATP-generating route serves a regulatory function in the complex redox network of P. stipitis.

Regulation of the alternative oxidase Aox1 gene in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Role of the nitrogen source on the expression of a reporter gene under the control of the Aox1 promoter

In higher plants, various developmental and environmental conditions enhance expression of the alternative oxidase (AOX), whereas its induction in fungi is mainly dependent on cytochrome pathway restriction and triggering by reactive oxygen species. The AOX of the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is encoded by two different genes, the Aox1 gene being much more transcribed than Aox2. To analyze the transcriptional regulation of Aox1, we have fused its 1.4-kb promoter region to the promoterless arylsulfatase (Ars) reporter gene and measured ARS enzyme activities in transformants carrying the chimeric construct. We show that the Aox1 promoter is generally unresponsive to a number of known AOX inducers, including stress agents, respiratory inhibitors, and metabolites, possibly because the AOX activity is constitutively high in the alga. In contrast, the Aox1 expression is strongly dependent on the nitrogen source, being down-regulated by ammonium and stimulated by nitrate. Inactivation of nitrate reductase leads to a further increase of expression. The stimulation by nitrate also occurs at the AOX protein and respiratory levels. A deletion analysis of the Aox1 promoter region demonstrates that a short upstream segment (-253 to +59 with respect to the transcription start site) is sufficient to ensure gene expression and regulation, but that distal elements are required for full gene expression. The observed pattern of AOX regulation points to the possible interaction between chloroplast and mitochondria in relation to a potential increase of photogenerated ATP when nitrate is used as a nitrogen source.

Impact of alternative respiration and target-site mutations on responses of germinating conidia of Magnaporthe grisea to Qo-inhibiting fungicides

Qo-inhibiting fungicides act as respiration inhibitors by binding to the Qo center of cytochrome b. Sensitivities of fungi to Qo inhibitors can be influenced by the induction of alternative respiration or by mutational changes of the cytochrome b target site. Previous studies on both mechanisms in Magnaporthe grisea (Hebert) Barr were focused on the mycelial stage of the pathogen. The present study describes the expression and impact of both resistance mechanisms during the stage of conidia germination. In the absence of a host, alternative respiration provided a >500-fold rescue from azoxystrobin during the germination of conidia derived from four wild-type isolates of M. grisea. This rescue potential during conidia gemination was substantially more pronounced than for mycelial growth. However, the pronounced effectiveness of alternative respiration during conidia germination was not apparent when barley leaves were protected with azoxystrobin prior to inoculation with conidia. In a comparison of a wild-type strain and an alternative respiration-deficient mutant, azoxystrobin efficacies in suppressing symptom development differed by a factor of two, with full disease control achieved for both genotypes at 1 microg ml(-1) azoxystrobin. In contrast, conidia derived from two QoI-resistant target site mutants were highly resistant to azoxystrobin and trifloxystrobin and fully capable of infecting leaf surfaces protected with 10 microg ml(-1) of azoxystrobin. Both target-site mutants had emerged spontaneously in the presence of high azoxystrobin doses when residual mycelial growth was supported by alternative respiration. The effective silencing of alternative respiration in protective applications of Qo-inhibiting fungicides might constitute a strategy of slowing the emergence of highly resistant target site mutants.

Characterization of spontaneous mutants of Magnaporthe grisea expressing stable resistance to the Qo-inhibiting fungicide azoxystrobin

The class of Qo-inhibiting fungicides (QoIs) act as respiration inhibitors by binding to the Qo center of cytochrome b. The longevity of these fungicides has been challenged by the selection of fungal sub-populations resisting high doses of QoI fungicides, with a G143A amino acid exchange in the cytochrome b target site identified as the most common cause of resistance. In contrast, the mechanism of alternative respiration, as another mechanism of fungal QoI resistance, has thus far not been affiliated with practical resistance. In the present study, azoxystrobin-resistant mutants of Magnaporthe grisea were generated and characterized. Emergence of these spontaneous mutants was facilitated when resting melanized mycelia were allowed to escape full inhibition by azoxystrobin. This escape was related to the intactness of alternative respiration, indicating that residual expression of this rescue mechanism was involved in the spontaneous emergence of target-site mutants. The two mutants characterized resisted high doses of the QoI, azoxystrobin, with resistance factors exceeding 1,000. Two different mutations of the cytochrome b gene were identified as exchanges of guanine, leading to a G143A or a G143S amino acid exchange. Resistance of both target-site mutants remained stable during four consecutive disease cycles in the absence of azoxystrobin. Several parameters tested to measure fitness penalties inherent to the mutational changes revealed that the G143A mutant was not compromised. In contrast, the conidia production of the G143S mutant was significantly lower under both saprophytic and pathogenic conditions of reproduction.

Root factors induce mitochondrial-related gene expression and fungal respiration during the developmental switch from asymbiosis to presymbiosis in the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Gigaspora rosea

During spore germination, arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi show limited hyphal development in the absence of a host plant (asymbiotic). In the presence of root exudates, they switch to a new developmental stage (presymbiotic) characterized by extensive hyphal branching. Presymbiotic branching of the AM fungus Gigaspora rosea was induced in liquid medium by a semipurified exudate fraction from carrot (Daucus carota) root organ cultures. Changes in RNA accumulation patterns were monitored by differential display analysis. Differentially appearing cDNA fragments were cloned and further analyzed. Five cDNA fragments could be identified that show induced RNA accumulation 1 h after the addition of root exudate. Sequence similarities of two fragments to mammalian Nco4 and mitochondrial rRNA genes suggested that root exudates could influence fungal respiratory activity. To support this hypothesis, additional putative mitochondrial related-genes were shown to be induced by root exudates. These genes were identified after subtractive hybridization and putatively encode a pyruvate carboxylase and a mitochondrial ADP/ATP translocase. The gene GrosPyc1 for the pyruvate carboxylase was studied in more detail by cloning a cDNA and by quantifying its RNA accumulation. The hypothesis that respiratory activity of AM fungi is stimulated by root exudates was confirmed by physiological and cytological analyses in G. rosea and Glomus intraradices. Oxygen consumption and reducing activity of both fungi was induced after 3 and 2 h of exposition with the root factor, respectively, and the first respiration activation was detected in G. intraradices after approximately 90 min. In addition, changes in mitochondrial morphology, orientation, and overall biomass were detected in G. rosea after 4 h. In summary, the root-exuded factor rapidly induces the expression of certain fungal genes and, in turn, fungal respiratory activity before intense branching. This defines the developmental switch from asymbiosis to presymbiosis, first by gene activation (0.5-1 h), subsequently on the physiological level (1.5-3 h), and finally as a morphological response (after 5 h).

External alternative NADH dehydrogenase of Saccharomyces cerevisiae: a potential source of superoxide

Three rotenone-insensitive NADH dehydrogenases are present in the mitochondria of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which lack complex I. To elucidate the functions of these enzymes, superoxide production was determined in yeast mitochondria. The low levels of hydrogen peroxide (0.10 to 0.18 nmol/min/mg) produced in mitochondria incubated with succinate, malate, or NADH were stimulated 9-fold by antimycin A. Myxothiazol and stigmatellin blocked completely hydrogen peroxide formation with succinate or malate, indicating that the cytochrome bc(1) complex is the source of superoxide; however, these inhibitors only inhibited 46% hydrogen peroxide formation with NADH as substrate. Diphenyliodonium inhibited hydrogen peroxide formation (with NADH as substrate) by 64%. Superoxide formation, determined by EPR and acetylated cytochrome c reduction in mitochondria was stimulated by antimycin A, and partially inhibited by myxothiazol and stigmatellin. Proteinase K digestion of mitoplasts reduced 95% NADH dehydrogenase activity with a similar inhibition of superoxide production. Mild detergent treatment of the proteinase-treated mitoplasts resulted in an increase in NADH dehydrogenase activity due to the oxidation of exogenous NADH by the internal NADH dehydrogenase; however, little increase in superoxide production was observed. These results suggest that the external NADH dehydrogenase is a potential source of superoxide in S. cerevisiae mitochondria.

Function of the alternative oxidase: is it still a scavenger?

The alternative oxidase is a respiratory chain protein found in all higher plants, fungi, non-fermentative yeasts and trypanosomes. Its primary structure suggests that it is a new member of the di-iron carboxylate protein family. Recent sequence analysis indicates an evolutionary relationship between primitive members of this protein family and the alternative oxidase, suggesting that its early function was to scavenge di-oxygen. However, modelling of plant growth kinetics suggests a different function.

Characterization of the mitochondrial respiratory pathways in Candida albicans

Candida albicans is an opportunistic oral pathogen. The flexibility of this microorganism in response to environmental changes includes the expression of a cyanide-resistant alternative respiratory pathway. In the present study, we characterized both conventional and alternative respiratory pathways and determined their ADP/O ratios, inhibitor sensitivity profiles and the impact of the utilization of either pathway on susceptibility to commonly used antimycotics. Oxygen consumption by isolated mitochondria using NADH or malate/pyruvate as respiratory substrates indicated that C. albicans cells express both cytoplasmic and matrix NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase activities. The ADP/O ratio was higher for malate/pyruvate (2.2+/-0.1), which generate NADH in the matrix, than for externally added NADH (1.4+/-0.2). In addition, malate/pyruvate respiration was rotenone-sensitive, and an enzyme activity assay further confirmed that C. albicans cells express Complex I activity. Cells grown in the presence of antimycin A expressed the cyanide-insensitive respiratory pathway. Determination of the respiratory control ratio (RCR) and ADP/O ratios of mitochondria from these cells indicated that electron transport from ubiquinone to oxygen via the alternative respiratory pathway was not coupled to ATP production; however, an ADP/O ratio of 0.8 was found for substrates that donate electrons at Complex I. Comparison of antifungal susceptibility of C. albicans cells respiring via the conventional or alternative respiratory pathways showed that respiration via the alternative pathway does not reduce the susceptibility of cells to a series of clinically employed antimycotics (using Fungitest), or to the naturally occurring human salivary antifungal peptide, histatin 5.

Yarrowia lipolytica, a yeast genetic system to study mitochondrial complex I

The obligate aerobic yeast Yarrowia lipolytica is introduced as a powerful new model for the structural and functional analysis of mitochondrial complex I. A brief introduction into the biology and the genetics of this nonconventional yeast is given and the relevant genetic tools that have been developed in recent years are summarized. The respiratory chain of Y. lipolytica contains complexes I-IV, one "alternative" NADH-dehydrogenase (NDH2) and a non-heme alternative oxidase (AOX). Because the NADH binding site of NDH2 faces the mitochondrial intermembrane space rather than the matrix, complex I is an essential enzyme in Y. lipolytica. Nevertheless, complex I deletion strains could be generated by attaching the targeting sequence of a matrix protein, thereby redirecting NDH2 to the matrix side. Deletion strains for several complex I subunits have been constructed that can be complemented by shuttle plasmids carrying the deleted gene. Attachment of a hexa-histidine tag to the NUGM (30 kDa) subunit allows fast and efficient purification of complex I from Y. lipolytica by affinity-chromatography. The purified complex has lost most of its NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase activity, but is almost fully reactivated by adding 400-500 molecules of phosphatidylcholine per complex I. The established set of genetic tools has proven useful for the site-directed mutagenesis of individual subunits of Y. lipolytica complex I. Characterization of a number of mutations already allowed for the identification of several functionally important amino acids, demonstrating the usefulness of this approach.

Two mechanisms for oxidation of cytosolic NADPH by Kluyveromyces lactis mitochondria

Null mutations in the structural gene encoding phosphoglucose isomerase completely abolish activity of this glycolytic enzyme in Kluyveromyces lactis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In S. cerevisiae, the pgi1 null mutation abolishes growth on glucose, whereas K.lactis rag2 null mutants still grow on glucose. It has been proposed that, in the latter case, growth on glucose is made possible by an ability of K. lactis mitochondria to oxidize cytosolic NADPH. This would allow for a re-routing of glucose dissimilation via the pentose-phosphate pathway. Consistent with this hypothesis, mitochondria of S. cerevisiae cannot oxidize NADPH. In the present study, the ability of K. lactis mitochondria to oxidize cytosolic NADPH was experimentally investigated. Respiration-competent mitochondria were isolated from aerobic, glucose-limited chemostat cultures of the wild-type K. lactis strain CBS 2359 and from an isogenic rag2Delta strain. Oxygen-uptake experiments confirmed the presence of a mitochondrial NADPH dehydrogenase in K.lactis. This activity was ca. 2.5-fold higher in the rag2Delta mutant than in the wild-type strain. In contrast to mitochondria from wild-type K. lactis, mitochondria from the rag2Delta mutant exhibited high rates of ethanol-dependent oxygen uptake. Subcellular fractionation studies demonstrated that, in the rag2Delta mutant, a mitochondrial alcohol dehydrogenase was present and that activity of a cytosolic NADPH-dependent 'acetaldehyde reductase' was also increased. These observations indicate that two mechanisms may participate in mitochondrial oxidation of cytosolic NADPH by K. lactis mitochondria: (a) direct oxidation of cytosolic NADPH by a mitochondrial NADPH dehydrogenase; and (b) a two-compartment transhydrogenase cycle involving NADP(+)- and NAD(+)-dependent alcohol dehydrogenases.

Involvement of Candida albicans NADH dehydrogenase complex I in filamentation

The gene encoding the 51-kDa subunit of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) dehydrogenase complex I, a principal component of the mitochondrial electron transport chain, was cloned in Candida tropicalis. The homolog in C. albicans, CaNDH51, was identified, and each allele was successively disrupted by PCR-mediated gene disruption. Wild type, heterozygote, reintegrant, and homozygous null mutants grew as blastoconidia in rich medium containing 3% glucose, but the homozygous null mutant failed to grow in ethanol or acetate. When glucose concentration was varied from 1 mM (0.018%) to 200 mM (3.6%) in a basal salts medium, all strains grew equally well at all glucose concentrations; the wild-type strain, the heterozygote, and the reintegrant exhibited abundant germ tubes, pseudohyphae, and hyphae. In contrast, the ndh51/ndh51 strain failed to display any type of filamentous growth, even in glucose concentrations as low as 1 mM. These results suggest a previously unexplored relationship between mitochondrial electron transport and morphogenesis.

Disruption of the alternative oxidase gene in Magnaporthe grisea and its impact on host infection

Plants and numerous fungi including Magnaporthe grisea protect mitochondria from interference by respiration inhibitors by expressing alternative oxidase, the enzymatic core of alternative respiration. The alternative oxidase gene AOXMg of M. grisea was disrupted. Several lines of evidence suggested that the disruption of AOXMg was sufficient to completely curb the expression of alternative respiration. In the infection of barley leaves, several AOXMg-minus and, thus, alternative respiration-deficient mutants of M. grisea retained their pathogenicity without significant impairment of virulence. However, differences between the wild-type strain and an AOXMg-minus mutant were apparent under oxidative stress conditions generated by the treatment of infected barley leaves with the commercial respiration inhibitor azoxystrobin. Symptom development was effectively suppressed on leaves infected with the alternative respiration-deficient mutant, while lesions on leaves infected with the wild-type strain continued to develop at much higher inhibitor doses. However, respective lesions rarely developed to the stage of full maturity. The results did not conform to a previous model implying that expression of alternative respiration is silenced during pathogenesis by the presence of constitutive plant antioxidants. Rather, alternative respiration provided protection from azoxystrobin during both saprophytic and infectious stages of the pathogen. The nature of similar oxidative stress conditions in the ecology of M. grisea remains an open question.

CLK-1/Coq7p is a DMQ mono-oxygenase and a new member of the di-iron carboxylate protein family

Strains of Caenorhabditis elegans mutant for clk-1 exhibit a 20-40% increase in mean lifespan. clk-1 encodes a mitochondrial protein thought to be either an enzyme or regulatory molecule acting within the ubiquinone biosynthesis pathway. Here CLK-1 is shown to be related to the ubiquinol oxidase, alternative oxidase, and belong to the functionally diverse di-iron-carboxylate protein family which includes bacterioferritin and methane mono-oxygenase. Construction and analysis of a homology model indicates CLK-1 is a 2-polyprenyl-3-methyl-6-methoxy-1,4-benzoquinone mono-oxygenase as originally predicted. Analysis of known CLK-1/Coq7p mutations also supports this notion. These findings raise the possibility of developing CLK-1-specific inhibitors to test for lifespan extension in higher organisms.

Respiratory chain network in mitochondria of Candida parapsilosis: ADP/O appraisal of the multiple electron pathways

In this study we demonstrated that mitochondria of Candida parapsilosis contain a constitutive ubiquinol alternative oxidase (AOX) in addition to a classical respiratory chain (CRC) and a parallel respiratory chain (PAR) both terminating by two different cytochrome c oxidases. The C. parapsilosis AOX is characterized by a fungi-type regulation by GMP (as a stimulator) and linoleic acid (as an inhibitor). Inhibitor screening of the respiratory network by the ADP/O ratio and state 3 respiration determinations showed that (i) oxygen can be reduced by the three terminal oxidases through four paths implying one bypass between CRC and PAR and (ii) the sum of CRC, AOX and PAR capacities is higher than the overall respiration (no additivity) and that their engagement could be progressive according to the redox state of ubiquinone, i.e. first cytochrome pathway, then AOX and finally PAR.