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Pichler G, Muggia L, Carniel FC, Grube M, Kranner I. How to build a lichen: from metabolite release to symbiotic interplay. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 238:1362-1378. [PMID: 36710517 PMCID: PMC10952756 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Exposing their vegetative bodies to the light, lichens are outstanding amongst other fungal symbioses. Not requiring a pre-established host, 'lichenized fungi' build an entirely new structure together with microbial photosynthetic partners that neither can form alone. The signals involved in the transition of a fungus and a compatible photosynthetic partner from a free-living to a symbiotic state culminating in thallus formation, termed 'lichenization', and in the maintenance of the symbiosis, are poorly understood. Here, we synthesise the puzzle pieces of the scarce knowledge available into an updated concept of signalling involved in lichenization, comprising five main stages: (1) the 'pre-contact stage', (2) the 'contact stage', (3) 'envelopment' of algal cells by the fungus, (4) their 'incorporation' into a pre-thallus and (5) 'differentiation' into a complex thallus. Considering the involvement of extracellularly released metabolites in each phase, we propose that compounds such as fungal lectins and algal cyclic peptides elicit early contact between the symbionts-to-be, whereas phytohormone signalling, antioxidant protection and carbon exchange through sugars and sugar alcohols are of continued importance throughout all stages. In the fully formed lichen thallus, secondary lichen metabolites and mineral nutrition are suggested to stabilize the functionalities of the thallus, including the associated microbiota.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregor Pichler
- Department of BotanyUniversity of InnsbruckSternwartestraße 156020InnsbruckAustria
| | - Lucia Muggia
- Department of Life SciencesUniversity of TriesteVia L. Giorgieri 1034127TriesteItaly
| | | | - Martin Grube
- Institute of BiologyUniversity of GrazHolteigasse 68010GrazAustria
| | - Ilse Kranner
- Department of BotanyUniversity of InnsbruckSternwartestraße 156020InnsbruckAustria
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Metabolite Profiling in Green Microalgae with Varying Degrees of Desiccation Tolerance. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10050946. [PMID: 35630392 PMCID: PMC9144557 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10050946] [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: 03/23/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Trebouxiophyceae are microalgae occupying even extreme environments such as polar regions or deserts, terrestrial or aquatic, and can occur free-living or as lichen photobionts. Yet, it is poorly understood how environmental factors shape their metabolism. Here, we report on responses to light and temperature, and metabolic adjustments to desiccation in Diplosphaera epiphytica, isolated from a lichen, and Edaphochlorella mirabilis, isolated from Tundra soil, assessed via growth and photosynthetic performance parameters. Metabolite profiling was conducted by GC–MS. A meta-analysis together with data from a terrestrial and an aquatic Chlorella vulgaris strain reflected elements of phylogenetic relationship, lifestyle, and relative desiccation tolerance of the four algal strains. For example, compatible solutes associated with desiccation tolerance were up-accumulated in D. epiphytica, but also sugars and sugar alcohols typically produced by lichen photobionts. The aquatic C. vulgaris, the most desiccation-sensitive strain, showed the greatest variation in metabolite accumulation after desiccation and rehydration, whereas the most desiccation-tolerant strain, D. epiphytica, showed the least, suggesting that it has a more efficient constitutive protection from desiccation and/or that desiccation disturbed the metabolic steady-state less than in the other three strains. The authors hope that this study will stimulate more research into desiccation tolerance mechanisms in these under-investigated microorganisms.
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Pichler G, Candotto Carniel F, Muggia L, Holzinger A, Tretiach M, Kranner I. Enhanced culturing techniques for the mycobiont isolated from the lichen Xanthoria parietina. Mycol Prog 2021; 20:797-808. [PMID: 34720793 PMCID: PMC8550697 DOI: 10.1007/s11557-021-01707-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Revised: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Lichens and their isolated symbionts are potentially valuable resources for biotechnological approaches. Especially mycobiont cultures that produce secondary lichen products are receiving increasing attention, but lichen mycobionts are notoriously slow-growing organisms. Sufficient biomass production often represents a limiting factor for scientific and biotechnological investigations, requiring improvement of existing culturing techniques as well as methods for non-invasive assessment of growth. Here, the effects of pH and the supplement of growth media with either D-glucose or three different sugar alcohols that commonly occur in lichens, D-arabitol, D-mannitol and ribitol, on the growth of the axenically cultured mycobiont isolated from the lichen Xanthoria parietina were tested. Either D-glucose or different sugar alcohols were offered to the fungus at different concentrations, and cumulative growth and growth rates were assessed using two-dimensional image analysis over a period of 8 weeks. The mycobiont grew at a pH range from 4.0 to 7.0, whereas no growth was observed at higher pH values. Varying the carbon source in Lilly-Barnett medium (LBM) by replacing 1% D-glucose used in the originally described LBM by either 1%, 2% or 3% of D-mannitol, or 3% of D-glucose increased fungal biomass production by up to 26%, with an exponential growth phase between 2 and 6 weeks after inoculation. In summary, we present protocols for enhanced culture conditions and non-invasive assessment of growth of axenically cultured lichen mycobionts using image analysis, which may be useful for scientific and biotechnological approaches requiring cultured lichen mycobionts. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11557-021-01707-7.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregor Pichler
- Department of Botany, University of Innsbruck, Sternwartestraße 15, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Fabio Candotto Carniel
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Via Giorgieri 10, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Lucia Muggia
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Via Giorgieri 10, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Andreas Holzinger
- Department of Botany, University of Innsbruck, Sternwartestraße 15, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Mauro Tretiach
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Via Giorgieri 10, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Ilse Kranner
- Department of Botany, University of Innsbruck, Sternwartestraße 15, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
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Spribille T, Tagirdzhanova G, Goyette S, Tuovinen V, Case R, Zandberg WF. 3D biofilms: in search of the polysaccharides holding together lichen symbioses. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2020; 367:5731805. [PMID: 32037451 PMCID: PMC7164778 DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnaa023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2019] [Accepted: 02/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Stable, long-term interactions between fungi and algae or cyanobacteria, collectively known as lichens, have repeatedly evolved complex architectures with little resemblance to their component parts. Lacking any central scaffold, the shapes they assume are casts of secreted polymers that cement cells into place, determine the angle of phototropic exposure and regulate water relations. A growing body of evidence suggests that many lichen extracellular polymer matrices harbor unicellular, non-photosynthesizing organisms (UNPOs) not traditionally recognized as lichen symbionts. Understanding organismal input and uptake in this layer is key to interpreting the role UNPOs play in lichen biology. Here, we review both polysaccharide composition determined from whole, pulverized lichens and UNPOs reported from lichens to date. Most reported polysaccharides are thought to be structural cell wall components. The composition of the extracellular matrix is not definitively known. Several lines of evidence suggest some acidic polysaccharides have evaded detection in routine analysis of neutral sugars and may be involved in the extracellular matrix. UNPOs reported from lichens include diverse bacteria and yeasts for which secreted polysaccharides play important biological roles. We conclude by proposing testable hypotheses on the role that symbiont give-and-take in this layer could play in determining or modifying lichen symbiotic outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toby Spribille
- Department of Biological Sciences, CW405, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
| | - Gulnara Tagirdzhanova
- Department of Biological Sciences, CW405, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
| | - Spencer Goyette
- Department of Biological Sciences, CW405, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
| | - Veera Tuovinen
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, SE-752 36 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Rebecca Case
- Department of Biological Sciences, CW405, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
| | - Wesley F Zandberg
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, 3427 University Way, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7, Canada
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Lawrey JD. X-Ray Emission Microanalysis of Cladonia Cristatella from a Coal Strip-Mining Area in Ohio. Mycologia 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/00275514.1977.12020135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- James D. Lawrey
- Department of Botany, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210
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Expression of lec-1, a mycobiont gene encoding a galectin-like protein in the lichen Peltigera membranacea. Symbiosis 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/s13199-012-0175-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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Ryan GB, Jones WT, Mitchell RE, Mett V. Polyclonal Antibody Production Against Chito-Oligosaccharides. FOOD AGR IMMUNOL 2010. [DOI: 10.1080/09540100120055600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022] Open
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Cabib E. The synthesis and degradation of chitin. ADVANCES IN ENZYMOLOGY AND RELATED AREAS OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2006; 59:59-101. [PMID: 2949540 DOI: 10.1002/9780470123058.ch2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
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Weiss IM, Schönitzer V. The distribution of chitin in larval shells of the bivalve mollusk Mytilus galloprovincialis. J Struct Biol 2005; 153:264-77. [PMID: 16406681 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2005.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2005] [Revised: 11/11/2005] [Accepted: 11/14/2005] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The insoluble matrix of larval shells of the marine bivalve mollusk Mytilus galloprovincialis is investigated by confocal laser scanning microscopy using a GFP fusion protein with a chitin-binding domain for labeling of chitinous structures. We show that chitinous material is present in the larval shell, presumably as a chitin-protein complex. We further show that the structure of the chitinous material changes with the development of the larvae. We conclude from the presence of characteristic chitinous structures in certain shell regions that chitin fulfills an important function in the formation and functionality of larval bivalve shells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingrid M Weiss
- Lehrstuhl Biochemie I, Universität Regensburg, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany.
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Ramonell K, Berrocal-Lobo M, Koh S, Wan J, Edwards H, Stacey G, Somerville S. Loss-of-function mutations in chitin responsive genes show increased susceptibility to the powdery mildew pathogen Erysiphe cichoracearum. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2005; 138:1027-36. [PMID: 15923325 PMCID: PMC1150417 DOI: 10.1104/pp.105.060947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 137] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Chitin is a major component of fungal walls and insect exoskeletons. Plants produce chitinases upon pathogen attack and chito-oligomers induce defense responses in plants, though the exact mechanism behind this response is unknown. Using the ATH1 Affymetrix microarrays consisting of about 23,000 genes, we examined the response of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) seedlings to chito-octamers and hydrolyzed chitin after 30 min of treatment. The expression patterns elicited by the chito-octamer and hydrolyzed chitin were similar. Microarray expression profiles for several genes were verified via northern analysis or quantitative reverse transcription-PCR. We characterized T-DNA insertion mutants for nine chito-oligomer responsive genes. Three of the mutants were more susceptible to the fungal pathogen, powdery mildew, than wild type as measured by conidiophore production. These three mutants included mutants of genes for two disease resistance-like proteins and a putative E3 ligase. The isolation of loss-of-function mutants with enhanced disease susceptibility provides direct evidence that the chito-octamer is an important oligosaccharide elicitor of plant defenses. Also, this study demonstrates the value of microarray data for identifying new components of uncharacterized signaling pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrina Ramonell
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487-0344, USA.
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Honegger R, Bartnicki-Garcia S. Cell wall structure and composition of cultured mycobionts from the lichens Cladonia macrophylla, Cladonia caespiticia, and Physcia stellaris (Lecanorales, Ascomycetes). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1991. [DOI: 10.1016/s0953-7562(09)80085-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Abstract
Lectins are generally associated with plant or animal components, selectively bind carbohydrates, and interact with procaryotic and eucaryotic cells. Lectins have various specificities that are associated with their ability to interact with acetylaminocarbohydrates, aminocarbohydrates, sialic acids, hexoses, pentoses, and as other carbohydrates. Microbial surfaces generally contain many of the sugar residues that react with lectins. Lectins are presently used in the clinical laboratory to type blood cells and are used in a wide spectrum of applications, including, in part, as carriers of chemotherapeutic agents, as mitogens, for fractionation of animal cells, and for investigations of cellular surfaces. Numerous studies have shown that lectins can be used to identify rapidly certain microorganisms isolated from a clinical specimen or directly in a clinical specimen. Lectins have been demonstrated to be important diagnostic reagents in the major realms of clinical microbiology. Thus, they have been applied in bacteriology, mycology, mycobacteriology, and virology for the identification and/or differentiation of various microorganisms. Lectins have been used successfully as epidemiologic as well as taxonomic markers of specific microorganisms. Lectins provide the clinical microbiologist with cost-effective and potential diagnostic reagents. This review describes the applications of lectins in clinical microbiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Slifkin
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15212
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Abstract
The cellulase enzyme system consists of cellobiohydrolase, endoglucanase, and beta-glucosidase and has been extensively studied with respect to its biosynthesis, properties, mode of action, application, and, most recently, secretion mechanisms. A knowledge of the factors governing the biosynthesis and secretion of these enzymes at the molecular level will be useful in maximizing enzyme productivity in extracellular fluid. Among other topics, the regulatory effects of sorbose (a noninducing sugar which is not a product of cellulose hydrolysis) on cellulase synthesis and release are described. Cellulase genes have recently been cloned into a number of microorganisms with a view to understanding the gene structure and expression and to obtaining the enzyme components in pure form. The factors governing biosynthesis and secretion of cellulases in recombinant cells are also discussed. Cellulases are known to be glycoproteins, therefore, the role of O- and N-linked glycosylation on enzyme stability and secretion is also detailed.
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Affiliation(s)
- V S Bisaria
- Biochemical Engineering Research Centre, Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi
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Meyberg M. Selective staining of fungal hyphae in parasitic and symbiotic plant-fungus associations. HISTOCHEMISTRY 1988; 88:197-9. [PMID: 2450084 DOI: 10.1007/bf00493305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
A cytochemical method for light microscopical studies is described which allows the specific detection of fungal hyphae in plant-fungus associations: e.g. lichens, mycorrhiza, or fungal infections of plant tissue. The specimens were fixed and embedded in epoxy resin by a standard protocol for electron microscopy. Semithin sections were successively incubated with fluorescein isothiocyanate labelled wheat germ agglutinin (FITC-WGA) and calcofluor white (CW). FITC-WGA stained exclusively the fungal cell walls while CW stained both the fungal and the plant cell walls. Therefore, FITC-WGA is an excellent marker for the fungal hyphae.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Meyberg
- Institut für Allgemeine Botanik, Hamburg, Federal Republic of Germany
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Galun M, Malki D, Galun E. Visualization of chitin-wall formation in hyphal tips and anastomoses of Diplodia natalensis by fluorescein-conjugated wheat germ agglutinin and [3H] N-acetyl-D-glucosamine. Arch Microbiol 1981. [DOI: 10.1007/bf00411060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Barkai-Golan R, Mirelman D, Sharon N. Studies on growth inhibition by lectins of Penicillia and Aspergilli. Arch Microbiol 1978; 116:119-21. [PMID: 637658 DOI: 10.1007/bf00406026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
It has previously been shown in our laboratory that wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) binds to Trichoderma viride and inhibits growth of this fungus. Here we report on the effect of WGA, soybean agglutinin (SBA) and peanut agglutinin (PNA) on Penicillia and Aspergilli. Binding of the lectins to the fungi was examined with the aid of their fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) conjugated derivatives. FITC-WGA bound to young hyphal walls of all species, in particular to the hyphal tips and septa, in agreement with the chitinous composition of the cell walls of the two genera. Hyphae of all species examined were labelled, though in different patterns, by FITC-SBA and FITC-PNA, suggesting the presence of galactose residues on their surfaces. Young conidiophores, metulae (of the Penicillia), vesicles (of the Aspergilli), sterigmata and young spores, were also labelled. The three lectins inhibited incorporation of [3H]acetate, N-acetyl-D-[3h]glucosamine and D-[14C]galactose into young hyphae of Aspergillus ochraceus, indicating interference with fungal growth. Inhibition of spore germination by the three lectins was also observed. Preincubation of the lectins with their specific saccharide inhibitors prevented binding and the inhibitory effects. We conclude that lectins are useful tools for the study of fungal cell surfaces, and may also serve as an important aid in fungal classification. The present findings also support the suggestion that one role of lectins in plants is protection against fungal pathogens.
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