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Wu S, Dong Y, Deng Y, Cui L, Zhuang X. Protistan consumers and phototrophs are more sensitive than bacteria and fungi to pyrene exposure in soil. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 822:153539. [PMID: 35104532 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Revised: 01/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The levels of organic pollutants, in particular polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), are increasing worldwide, yet we lack clarity on how these pollutants affect microbial communities of different trophic levels, including protists, fungi, and bacteria. Herein, we conducted soil microcosm incubation experiments to investigate the effects of pyrene, a typical PAH, on microbial communities along concentration gradients from 0 to 500 mg kg-1 soil. Protistan communities were more sensitive to pollutants than fungal and bacterial communities, and protistan consumers and phototrophs were the dominant trophic functional groups. In addition, by assessing changes in the diversity and structure of the soil microbiome and ecological networks, we found that the microbial communities, including the protistan community and the two trophic communities composed of protists and their prey, were destabilized with increasing stress and pyrene concentrations. We identified links and complicated relationships between phototrophs, bacteria, and consumers in food webs, which explain the importance of protists in stabilizing the microbial community. Collectively, our work provides novel evidence that protists are considerably sensitive to pollution stress, and caution should be exercised in future evaluations of the protistan and multitrophic communities in polluted soil ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanghua Wu
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yuzhu Dong
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Ye Deng
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Lijuan Cui
- Institute of Wetland Research, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecological Function and Restoration, Beijing 100091, China
| | - Xuliang Zhuang
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
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Vancaester E, Depuydt T, Osuna-Cruz CM, Vandepoele K. Comprehensive and Functional Analysis of Horizontal Gene Transfer Events in Diatoms. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 37:3243-3257. [PMID: 32918458 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msaa182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Diatoms are a diverse group of mainly photosynthetic algae, responsible for 20% of worldwide oxygen production, which can rapidly respond to favorable conditions and often outcompete other phytoplankton. We investigated the contribution of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) to its ecological success. A large-scale phylogeny-based prokaryotic HGT detection procedure across nine sequenced diatoms showed that 3-5% of their proteome has a horizontal origin and a large influx occurred at the ancestor of diatoms. More than 90% of HGT genes are expressed, and species-specific HGT genes in Phaeodactylum tricornutum undergo strong purifying selection. Genes derived from HGT are implicated in several processes including environmental sensing and expand the metabolic toolbox. Cobalamin (vitamin B12) is an essential cofactor for roughly half of the diatoms and is only produced by bacteria. Five consecutive genes involved in the final synthesis of the cobalamin biosynthetic pathway, which could function as scavenging and repair genes, were detected as HGT. The full suite of these genes was detected in the cold-adapted diatom Fragilariopsis cylindrus. This might give diatoms originating from the Southern Ocean, a region typically depleted in cobalamin, a competitive advantage. Overall, we show that HGT is a prevalent mechanism that is actively used in diatoms to expand its adaptive capabilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmelien Vancaester
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent, Belgium.,Bioinformatics Institute Ghent, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Thomas Depuydt
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent, Belgium.,Bioinformatics Institute Ghent, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Cristina Maria Osuna-Cruz
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent, Belgium.,Bioinformatics Institute Ghent, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Klaas Vandepoele
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent, Belgium.,Bioinformatics Institute Ghent, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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Screening a Natural Product-Inspired Library for Anti- Phytophthora Activities. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26071819. [PMID: 33804938 PMCID: PMC8037946 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26071819] [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: 02/15/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Phytophthora is a genus of microorganisms that cause devastating dieback and root-rot diseases in thousands of plant hosts worldwide. The economic impact of Phytophthora diseases on crops and native ecosystems is estimated to be billions of dollars per annum. These invasive pathogens are extremely difficult to control using existing chemical means, and the effectiveness of the few treatments available is being jeopardized by increasing rates of resistance. There is an urgent need to identify new chemical treatments that are effective against Phytophthora diseases. Natural products have long been regarded as "Nature's medicine chest", providing invaluable leads for developing front-line drugs and agrochemical agents. Here, we have screened a natural product-inspired library of 328 chemicals against two key Phytophthora species: Phytophthora cinnamomi and Phytophthora agathidicida. The library was initially screened for inhibition of zoospore germination. From these screens, we identified twenty-one hits that inhibited germination of one or both species. These hits were further tested in mycelial growth inhibition studies to determine their half-maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50s). Four compounds had IC50 values of approximately 10 µM or less, and our best hit had IC50s of approximately 3 µM against both Phytophthora species tested. Overall, these hits may serve as promising leads for the development of new anti-Phytophthora agrochemicals.
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Tang Y, Meister TR, Walczak M, Pulkoski-Gross MJ, Hari SB, Sauer RT, Amberg-Johnson K, Yeh E. A mutagenesis screen for essential plastid biogenesis genes in human malaria parasites. PLoS Biol 2019; 17:e3000136. [PMID: 30726238 PMCID: PMC6380595 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Revised: 02/19/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Endosymbiosis has driven major molecular and cellular innovations. Plasmodium spp. parasites that cause malaria contain an essential, non-photosynthetic plastid-the apicoplast-which originated from a secondary (eukaryote-eukaryote) endosymbiosis. To discover organellar pathways with evolutionary and biomedical significance, we performed a mutagenesis screen for essential genes required for apicoplast biogenesis in Plasmodium falciparum. Apicoplast(-) mutants were isolated using a chemical rescue that permits conditional disruption of the apicoplast and a new fluorescent reporter for organelle loss. Five candidate genes were validated (out of 12 identified), including a triosephosphate isomerase (TIM)-barrel protein that likely derived from a core metabolic enzyme but evolved a new activity. Our results demonstrate, to our knowledge, the first forward genetic screen to assign essential cellular functions to unannotated P. falciparum genes. A putative TIM-barrel enzyme and other newly identified apicoplast biogenesis proteins open opportunities to discover new mechanisms of organelle biogenesis, molecular evolution underlying eukaryotic diversity, and drug targets against multiple parasitic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Tang
- Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Thomas R. Meister
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Marta Walczak
- Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Michael J. Pulkoski-Gross
- Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Sanjay B. Hari
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Robert T. Sauer
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Katherine Amberg-Johnson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Ellen Yeh
- Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, United States of America
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, United States of America
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, United States of America
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, California, United States of America
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Hagel JM, Facchini PJ. Tying the knot: occurrence and possible significance of gene fusions in plant metabolism and beyond. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2017; 68:4029-4043. [PMID: 28521055 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erx152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Gene fusions have recently attracted attention especially in the field of plant specialized metabolism. The occurrence of a gene fusion, in which originally separate gene products are combined into a single polypeptide, often corresponds to the functional association of individual components within a single metabolic pathway. Examples include gene fusions implicated in benzylisoquinoline alkaloid (BIA), terpenoid, and amino acid biosynthetic pathways, in which distinct domains within a fusion catalyze consecutive, yet independent reactions. Both genomic and transcriptional mechanisms result in the fusion of gene products, which can include partial or complete domain repeats and extensive domain shuffling as evident in the BIA biosynthetic enzyme norcoclaurine synthase. Artificial gene fusions are commonly deployed in attempts to engineer new or improved pathways in plants or microorganisms, based on the premise that fusions are advantageous. However, a survey of functionally characterized fusions in microbial systems shows that the functional impact of fused gene products is not straightforward. For example, whereas enzyme fusions might facilitate the metabolic channeling of unstable intermediates, this channeling can also occur between tightly associated independent enzymes. The frequent occurrence of both fused and unfused enzymes in plant and microbial metabolism adds additional complexity, in terms of both pathway functionality and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jillian M Hagel
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr N.W., Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Peter J Facchini
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr N.W., Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
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Kamikawa R, Moog D, Zauner S, Tanifuji G, Ishida KI, Miyashita H, Mayama S, Hashimoto T, Maier UG, Archibald JM, Inagaki Y. A Non-photosynthetic Diatom Reveals Early Steps of Reductive Evolution in Plastids. Mol Biol Evol 2017; 34:2355-2366. [DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msx172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
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Bagnato C, Prados MB, Franchini GR, Scaglia N, Miranda SE, Beligni MV. Analysis of triglyceride synthesis unveils a green algal soluble diacylglycerol acyltransferase and provides clues to potential enzymatic components of the chloroplast pathway. BMC Genomics 2017; 18:223. [PMID: 28274201 PMCID: PMC5343412 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-017-3602-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2016] [Accepted: 02/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Microalgal triglyceride (TAG) synthesis has attracted considerable attention. Particular emphasis has been put towards characterizing the algal homologs of the canonical rate-limiting enzymes, diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) and phospholipid:diacylglycerol acyltransferase (PDAT). Less work has been done to analyze homologs from a phylogenetic perspective. In this work, we used HMMER iterative profiling and phylogenetic and functional analyses to determine the number and sequence characteristics of algal DGAT and PDAT, as well as related sequences that constitute their corresponding superfamilies. We included most algae with available genomes, as well as representative eukaryotic and prokaryotic species. Results Amongst our main findings, we identified a novel clade of DGAT1-like proteins exclusive to red algae and glaucophyta and a previously uncharacterized subclade of DGAT2 proteins with an unusual number of transmembrane segments. Our analysis also revealed the existence of a novel DGAT exclusive to green algae with moderate similarity to plant soluble DGAT3. The DGAT3 clade shares a most recent ancestor with a group of uncharacterized proteins from cyanobacteria. Subcellular targeting prediction suggests that most green algal DGAT3 proteins are imported to the chloroplast, evidencing that the green algal chloroplast might have a soluble pathway for the de novo synthesis of TAGs. Heterologous expression of C. reinhardtii DGAT3 produces an increase in the accumulation of TAG, as evidenced by thin layer chromatography. Conclusions Our analysis contributes to advance in the knowledge of complex superfamilies involved in lipid metabolism and provides clues to possible enzymatic players of chloroplast TAG synthesis. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-017-3602-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Bagnato
- Instituto de Energía y Desarrollo Sustentable, Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica, Centro Atómico Bariloche, Av. Bustillo 9500, 8400S. C. de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
| | - María B Prados
- Instituto de Energía y Desarrollo Sustentable, Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica, Centro Atómico Bariloche, Av. Bustillo 9500, 8400S. C. de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
| | - Gisela R Franchini
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata (INIBIOLP-CONICET-UNLP), Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Calle 60 y 120 s/n, 1900, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Natalia Scaglia
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata (INIBIOLP-CONICET-UNLP), Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Calle 60 y 120 s/n, 1900, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Silvia E Miranda
- Universidad de Buenos Aires. CONICET Instituto de Investigaciones Cardiológicas (ININCA), - Laboratorio de Glico-Inmuno-Biología, Marcelo T. de Alvear 2270, C1122AAJ, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - María V Beligni
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas (IIB-CONICET-UNMdP), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, CC 1245, 7600, Mar del Plata, Argentina.
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Bagnato C, Have AT, Prados MB, Beligni MV. Computational Functional Analysis of Lipid Metabolic Enzymes. Methods Mol Biol 2017; 1609:195-216. [PMID: 28660584 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-6996-8_17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The computational analysis of enzymes that participate in lipid metabolism has both common and unique challenges when compared to the whole protein universe. Some of the hurdles that interfere with the functional annotation of lipid metabolic enzymes that are common to other pathways include the definition of proper starting datasets, the construction of reliable multiple sequence alignments, the definition of appropriate evolutionary models, and the reconstruction of phylogenetic trees with high statistical support, particularly for large datasets. Most enzymes that take part in lipid metabolism belong to complex superfamilies with many members that are not involved in lipid metabolism. In addition, some enzymes that do not have sequence similarity catalyze similar or even identical reactions. Some of the challenges that, albeit not unique, are more specific to lipid metabolism refer to the high compartmentalization of the routes, the catalysis in hydrophobic environments and, related to this, the function near or in biological membranes.In this work, we provide guidelines intended to assist in the proper functional annotation of lipid metabolic enzymes, based on previous experiences related to the phospholipase D superfamily and the annotation of the triglyceride synthesis pathway in algae. We describe a pipeline that starts with the definition of an initial set of sequences to be used in similarity-based searches and ends in the reconstruction of phylogenies. We also mention the main issues that have to be taken into consideration when using tools to analyze subcellular localization, hydrophobicity patterns, or presence of transmembrane domains in lipid metabolic enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Bagnato
- Instituto de Energía y Desarrollo Sustentable-Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica, Centro Atómico Bariloche, S. C. de Bariloche, 8400, Río Negro, Argentina
| | - Arjen Ten Have
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas (IIB-CONICET-UNMdP), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Mar del Plata, 7600, Argentina
| | - María B Prados
- Instituto de Energía y Desarrollo Sustentable-Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica, Centro Atómico Bariloche, S. C. de Bariloche, 8400, Río Negro, Argentina
| | - María V Beligni
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas (IIB-CONICET-UNMdP), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Mar del Plata, 7600, Argentina.
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Beligni MV, Bagnato C, Prados MB, Bondino H, Laxalt AM, Munnik T, Ten Have A. The diversity of algal phospholipase D homologs revealed by biocomputational analysis. JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY 2015; 51:943-962. [PMID: 26986890 DOI: 10.1111/jpy.12334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2014] [Accepted: 07/09/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Phospholipase D (PLD) participates in the formation of phosphatidic acid, a precursor in glycerolipid biosynthesis and a second messenger. PLDs are part of a superfamily of proteins that hydrolyze phosphodiesters and share a catalytic motif, HxKxxxxD, and hence a mechanism of action. Although HKD-PLDs have been thoroughly characterized in plants, animals and bacteria, very little is known about these enzymes in algae. To fill this gap in knowledge, we performed a biocomputational analysis by means of HMMER iterative profiling, using most eukaryotic algae genomes available. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that algae exhibit very few eukaryotic-type PLDs but possess, instead, many bacteria-like PLDs. Among algae eukaryotic-type PLDs, we identified C2-PLDs and PXPH-like PLDs. In addition, the dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense features several proteins phylogenetically related to oomycete PLDs. Our phylogenetic analysis also showed that algae bacteria-like PLDs (proteins with putative PLD activity) fall into five clades, three of which are novel lineages in eukaryotes, composed almost entirely of algae. Specifically, Clade II is almost exclusive to diatoms, whereas Clade I and IV are mainly represented by proteins from prasinophytes. The other two clades are composed of mitochondrial PLDs (Clade V or Mito-PLDs), previously found in mammals, and a subfamily of potentially secreted proteins (Clade III or SP-PLDs), which includes a homolog formerly characterized in rice. In addition, our phylogenetic analysis shows that algae have non-PLD members within the bacteria-like HKD superfamily with putative cardiolipin synthase and phosphatidylserine/phosphatidylglycerophosphate synthase activities. Altogether, our results show that eukaryotic algae possess a moderate number of PLDs that belong to very diverse phylogenetic groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Verónica Beligni
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas (IIB-CONICET-UNMdP), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, CC 1245, Mar del Plata, 7600, Argentina
| | - Carolina Bagnato
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Universidad Nacional de Río Negro, Mitre 630. S. C. de Bariloche 8400, Río Negro, Argentina
| | - María Belén Prados
- Instituto de Energía y Desarrollo Sustentable - Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica, Centro Atómico Bariloche, Av. Bustillo 9500, S. C. de Bariloche 8400, Río Negro, Argentina
| | - Hernán Bondino
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas (IIB-CONICET-UNMdP), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, CC 1245, Mar del Plata, 7600, Argentina
| | - Ana María Laxalt
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas (IIB-CONICET-UNMdP), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, CC 1245, Mar del Plata, 7600, Argentina
| | - Teun Munnik
- Department of Plant Physiology, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, Amsterdam, NL-1098 XH, the Netherlands
| | - Arjen Ten Have
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas (IIB-CONICET-UNMdP), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, CC 1245, Mar del Plata, 7600, Argentina
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Henriquez FL, Campbell SJ, Sundararaj BK, Cano A, Muench SP, Roberts CW. The Acanthamoeba shikimate pathway has a unique molecular arrangement and is essential for aromatic amino acid biosynthesis. Protist 2014; 166:93-105. [PMID: 25576842 DOI: 10.1016/j.protis.2014.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2014] [Revised: 12/01/2014] [Accepted: 12/05/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The shikimate pathway is the only known biosynthetic route for de novo synthesis of aromatic compounds. It is described as an ancient eukaryotic innovation that has been retained in a subset of eukaryotes, replaced in plants through the acquisition of the chloroplast, but lost in many including humans. Herein, we demonstrate that Acanthamoeba castellanii possesses the shikimate pathway by biochemical and a combination of bioinformatics and molecular biological methods. The growth of A. castellanii (Neff strain and a recently isolated clinical specimen, both T4 genotypes) is inhibited by glyphosate [N-(phosphonomethyl) glycine], an inhibitor of EPSP synthase and the addition of phenylalanine and tryptophan, which are dependent on the shikimate pathway, rescued A. castellanii from glyphosate indicating that glyphosate was specific in action. A. castellanii has a novel complement of shikimate pathway enzymes including unique gene fusions, two Type I and one Type II DAHP synthases (for which their likely sensitivities to feedback inhibition by phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan has been modelled) and a canonical chorismate synthase. The shikimate pathway in A. castellanii therefore has a novel molecular arrangement, is required for amino acid biosynthesis and represents an attractive target for antimicrobials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiona L Henriquez
- Institute of Biomedical Science and Environmental Health Research, School of Science, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley, PA1 2BE, UK
| | - Sara J Campbell
- Institute of Biomedical Science and Environmental Health Research, School of Science, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley, PA1 2BE, UK; Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, 161 Cathedral Street, Glasgow, G4 0NR, UK
| | - Bharath K Sundararaj
- Institute of Biomedical Science and Environmental Health Research, School of Science, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley, PA1 2BE, UK; Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, 161 Cathedral Street, Glasgow, G4 0NR, UK
| | - Antonella Cano
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, 161 Cathedral Street, Glasgow, G4 0NR, UK
| | - Stephen P Muench
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT
| | - Craig W Roberts
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, 161 Cathedral Street, Glasgow, G4 0NR, UK.
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Imanian B, Keeling PJ. Horizontal gene transfer and redundancy of tryptophan biosynthetic enzymes in dinotoms. Genome Biol Evol 2014; 6:333-43. [PMID: 24448981 PMCID: PMC3942023 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evu014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A tertiary endosymbiosis between a dinoflagellate host and diatom endosymbiont gave rise to "dinotoms," cells with a unique nuclear and mitochondrial redundancy derived from two evolutionarily distinct eukaryotic lineages. To examine how this unique redundancy might have affected the evolution of metabolic systems, we investigated the transcription of genes involved in biosynthesis of the amino acid tryptophan in three species, Durinskia baltica, Kryptoperidinium foliaceum, and Glenodinium foliaceum. From transcriptome sequence data, we recovered two distinct sets of protein-coding transcripts covering the entire tryptophan biosynthetic pathway. Phylogenetic analyses suggest a diatom origin for one set of the proteins, which we infer to be expressed in the endosymbiont, and that the other arose from multiple horizontal gene transfer events to the dinoflagellate ancestor of the host lineage. This is the first indication that these cells retain redundant sets of transcripts and likely metabolic pathways for the biosynthesis of small molecules and extend their redundancy to their two distinct nuclear genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Behzad Imanian
- Department of Botany, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Patrick J. Keeling
- Department of Botany, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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Ma HM, Zhou Q, Tang YM, Zhang Z, Chen YS, He HY, Pan HX, Tang MC, Gao JF, Zhao SY, Igarashi Y, Tang GL. Unconventional origin and hybrid system for construction of pyrrolopyrrole moiety in kosinostatin biosynthesis. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 20:796-805. [PMID: 23790490 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2013.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2013] [Revised: 04/22/2013] [Accepted: 04/24/2013] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Kosinostatin (KST), an antitumor antibiotic, features a pyrrolopyrrole moiety spirally jointed to a five-membered ring of an anthraquinone framework glycosylated with a γ-branched octose. By a combination of in silico analysis, genetic characterization, biochemical assay, and precursor feeding experiments, a biosynthetic pathway for KST was proposed, which revealed (1) the pyrrolopyrrole moiety originates from nicotinic acid and ribose, (2) the bicyclic amidine is constructed by a process similar to the tryptophan biosynthetic pathway, and (3) a discrete adenylation enzyme and a peptidyl carrier protein (PCP) are responsible for producing a PCP-tethered building block parallel to type II polyketide synthase (PKS) rather than for the PKS priming step by providing the starter unit. These findings provide an opportunity to further explore the inexplicable enzymatic logic that governs the formation of pyrrolopyrrole moiety and the spirocyclic skeleton.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Min Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Bio-organic and Natural Products Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai 200032, China
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Reyes-Prieto A, Moustafa A. Plastid-localized amino acid biosynthetic pathways of Plantae are predominantly composed of non-cyanobacterial enzymes. Sci Rep 2012; 2:955. [PMID: 23233874 PMCID: PMC3518814 DOI: 10.1038/srep00955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2012] [Accepted: 11/27/2012] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies of photosynthetic eukaryotes have revealed that the evolution of plastids from cyanobacteria involved the recruitment of non-cyanobacterial proteins. Our phylogenetic survey of >100 Arabidopsis nuclear-encoded plastid enzymes involved in amino acid biosynthesis identified only 21 unambiguous cyanobacterial-derived proteins. Some of the several non-cyanobacterial plastid enzymes have a shared phylogenetic origin in the three Plantae lineages. We hypothesize that during the evolution of plastids some enzymes encoded in the host nuclear genome were mistargeted into the plastid. Then, the activity of those foreign enzymes was sustained by both the plastid metabolites and interactions with the native cyanobacterial enzymes. Some of the novel enzymatic activities were favored by selective compartmentation of additional complementary enzymes. The mosaic phylogenetic composition of the plastid amino acid biosynthetic pathways and the reduced number of plastid-encoded proteins of non-cyanobacterial origin suggest that enzyme recruitment underlies the recompartmentation of metabolic routes during the evolution of plastids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Reyes-Prieto
- Canadian Institute for Advanced Research and Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, Canada.
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Ghoshroy S, Robertson DL. MOLECULAR EVOLUTION OF GLUTAMINE SYNTHETASE II AND III IN THE CHROMALVEOLATES(1). JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY 2012; 48:768-783. [PMID: 27011094 DOI: 10.1111/j.1529-8817.2012.01169.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Glutamine synthetase (GS) is encoded by three distinct gene families (GSI, GSII, and GSIII) that are broadly distributed among the three domains of life. Previous studies established that GSII and GSIII isoenzymes were expressed in diatoms; however, less is known about the distribution and evolution of the gene families in other chromalveolate lineages. Thus, GSII cDNA sequences were isolated from three cryptophytes (Guillardia theta D. R. A. Hill et Wetherbee, Cryptomonas phaseolus Skuja, and Pyrenomonas helgolandii Santore), and GSIII was sequenced from G. theta. Red algal GSII sequences were obtained from Bangia atropurpurea (Mertens ex Roth) C. Agardh; Compsopogon caeruleus (Balbis ex C. Agardh) Mont.; Flintiella sanguinaria F. D. Ott and Porphyridium aerugineum Geitler; Rhodella violacea (Kornmann) Wehrmeyer and Dixoniella grisea (Geitler) J. L. Scott, S. T. Broadwater, B. D. Saunders, J. P. Thomas et P. W. Gabrielson; and Stylonema alsidii (Zanardini) K. M. Drew. In Bayesian inference and maximum-likelihood (ML) phylogenetic analyses, chromalveolate GSII sequences formed a weakly supported clade that nested among sequences from glaucophytes, red algae, green algae, and plants. Red algal GSII sequences formed two distinct clades. The largest clade contained representatives from the Cyanidiophytina and Rhodophytina and grouped with plants and green algae. The smaller clade (C. caeruleus, Porphyra yezoensis, and S. alsidii) nested within the chromalveolates, although its placement was unresolved. Chromalveolate GSIII sequences formed a well-supported clade in Bayesian and ML phylogenies, and mitochondrial transit peptides were identified in many of the sequences. There was strong support for a stramenopile-haptophyte-cryptophyte GSIII clade in which the cryptophyte sequence diverged from the deepest node. Overall, the evolutionary history of the GS gene families within the algae is complex with evidence for the presence of orthologous and paralogous sequences, ancient and recent gene duplications, gene losses and replacements, and the potential for both endosymbiotic and lateral gene transfers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sohini Ghoshroy
- Biology Department, Clark University, 950, Main Street, Worcester, MA 01610, USA
| | - Deborah L Robertson
- Biology Department, Clark University, 950, Main Street, Worcester, MA 01610, USA
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Kořený L, Sobotka R, Janouškovec J, Keeling PJ, Oborník M. Tetrapyrrole synthesis of photosynthetic chromerids is likely homologous to the unusual pathway of apicomplexan parasites. THE PLANT CELL 2011; 23:3454-3462. [PMID: 21963666 PMCID: PMC3203424 DOI: 10.1105/tpc.111.089102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2011] [Revised: 09/07/2011] [Accepted: 09/19/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Most photosynthetic eukaryotes synthesize both heme and chlorophyll via a common tetrapyrrole biosynthetic pathway starting from glutamate. This pathway was derived mainly from cyanobacterial predecessor of the plastid and differs from the heme synthesis of the plastid-lacking eukaryotes. Here, we show that the coral-associated alveolate Chromera velia, the closest known photosynthetic relative to Apicomplexa, possesses a tetrapyrrole pathway that is homologous to the unusual pathway of apicomplexan parasites. We also demonstrate that, unlike other eukaryotic phototrophs, Chromera synthesizes chlorophyll from glycine and succinyl-CoA rather than glutamate. Our data shed light on the evolution of the heme biosynthesis in parasitic Apicomplexa and photosynthesis-related biochemical processes in their ancestors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luděk Kořený
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, and Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Roman Sobotka
- Institute of Microbiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, 37981 Třeboň, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Janouškovec
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Patrick J. Keeling
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Miroslav Oborník
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, and Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Institute of Microbiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, 37981 Třeboň, Czech Republic
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Frommolt R, Werner S, Paulsen H, Goss R, Wilhelm C, Zauner S, Maier UG, Grossman AR, Bhattacharya D, Lohr M. Ancient recruitment by chromists of green algal genes encoding enzymes for carotenoid biosynthesis. Mol Biol Evol 2008; 25:2653-67. [PMID: 18799712 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msn206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Chromist algae (stramenopiles, cryptophytes, and haptophytes) are major contributors to marine primary productivity. These eukaryotes acquired their plastid via secondary endosymbiosis, whereby an early-diverging red alga was engulfed by a protist and the plastid was retained and its associated nuclear-encoded genes were transferred to the host genome. Current data suggest, however, that chromists are paraphyletic; therefore, it remains unclear whether their plastids trace back to a single secondary endosymbiosis or, alternatively, this organelle has resulted from multiple independent events in the different chromist lineages. Both scenarios, however, predict that plastid-targeted, nucleus-encoded chromist proteins should be most closely related to their red algal homologs. Here we analyzed the biosynthetic pathway of carotenoids that are essential components of all photosynthetic eukaryotes and find a mosaic evolutionary origin of these enzymes in chromists. Surprisingly, about one-third (5/16) of the proteins are most closely related to green algal homologs with three branching within or sister to the early-diverging Prasinophyceae. This phylogenetic association is corroborated by shared diagnostic indels and the syntenic arrangement of a specific gene pair involved in the photoprotective xanthophyll cycle. The combined data suggest that the prasinophyte genes may have been acquired before the ancient split of stramenopiles, haptophytes, cryptophytes, and putatively also dinoflagellates. The latter point is supported by the observed monophyly of alveolates and stramenopiles in most molecular trees. One possible explanation for our results is that the green genes are remnants of a cryptic endosymbiosis that occurred early in chromalveolate evolution; that is, prior to the postulated split of stramenopiles, alveolates, haptophytes, and cryptophytes. The subsequent red algal capture would have led to the loss or replacement of most green genes via intracellular gene transfer from the new endosymbiont. We argue that the prasinophyte genes were retained because they enhance photosynthetic performance in chromalveolates, thus extending the niches available to these organisms. The alternate explanation of green gene origin via serial endosymbiotic or horizontal gene transfers is also plausible, but the latter would require the independent origins of the same five genes in some or all the different chromalveolate lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Frommolt
- Institut für Biologie I, Pflanzenphysiologie, Universität Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
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