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Sanpedro-Luna JA, Vega-Alvarado L, Vázquez-Cruz C, Sánchez-Alonso P. Global Gene Expression of Post-Senescent Telomerase-Negative ter1Δ Strain of Ustilago maydis. J Fungi (Basel) 2023; 9:896. [PMID: 37755003 PMCID: PMC10532341 DOI: 10.3390/jof9090896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
We analyzed the global expression patterns of telomerase-negative mutants from haploid cells of Ustilago maydis to identify the gene network required for cell survival in the absence of telomerase. Mutations in either of the telomerase core subunits (trt1 and ter1) of the dimorphic fungus U. maydis cause deficiencies in teliospore formation. We report the global transcriptome analysis of two ter1Δ survivor strains of U. maydis, revealing the deregulation of telomerase-deleted responses (TDR) genes, such as DNA-damage response, stress response, cell cycle, subtelomeric, and proximal telomere genes. Other differentially expressed genes (DEGs) found in the ter1Δ survivor strains were related to pathogenic lifestyle factors, plant-pathogen crosstalk, iron uptake, meiosis, and melanin synthesis. The two ter1Δ survivors were phenotypically comparable, yet DEGs were identified when comparing these strains. Our findings suggest that teliospore formation in U. maydis is controlled by key pathogenic lifestyle and meiosis genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Antonio Sanpedro-Luna
- Posgrado en Microbiología, Instituto de Ciencias, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla 72570, Mexico;
| | - Leticia Vega-Alvarado
- Instituto de Ciencias Aplicadas y Tecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de Mexico 04510, Mexico;
| | - Candelario Vázquez-Cruz
- Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias Microbiológicas, Instituto de Ciencias, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla 72570, Mexico;
| | - Patricia Sánchez-Alonso
- Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias Microbiológicas, Instituto de Ciencias, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla 72570, Mexico;
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Sanpedro-Luna JA, Jacinto-Vázquez JJ, Anastacio-Marcelino E, Posadas-Gutiérrez CM, Olmos-Pineda I, González-Bernal JA, Carcaño-Montiel M, Vega-Alvarado L, Vázquez-Cruz C, Sánchez-Alonso P. Telomerase RNA plays a major role in the completion of the life cycle in Ustilago maydis and shares conserved domains with other Ustilaginales. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0281251. [PMID: 36952474 PMCID: PMC10035886 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0281251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 03/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The RNA subunit of telomerase is an essential component whose primary sequence and length are poorly conserved among eukaryotic organisms. The phytopathogen Ustilago maydis is a dimorphic fungus of the order Ustilaginales. We analyzed several species of Ustilaginales to computationally identify the TElomere RNA (TER) gene ter1. To confirm the identity of the TER gene, we disrupted the gene and characterized telomerase-negative mutants. Similar to catalytic TERT mutants, ter1Δ mutants exhibit phenotypes of growth delay, telomere shortening and low replicative potential. ter1-disrupted mutants were unable to infect maize seedlings in heterozygous crosses and showed defects such as cell cycle arrest and segregation failure. We concluded that ter1, which encodes the TER subunit of the telomerase of U. maydis, have similar and perhaps more extensive functions than trt1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Antonio Sanpedro-Luna
- Instituto de Ciencias, Posgrado en Microbiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, México
| | - José Juan Jacinto-Vázquez
- Instituto de Ciencias, Posgrado en Microbiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, México
| | - Estela Anastacio-Marcelino
- Instituto de Ciencias, Centro de Investigaciones Microbiológicas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, México
| | | | - Iván Olmos-Pineda
- Facultad de Ciencias de la Computación, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, México
| | - Jesús Antonio González-Bernal
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, The University of Texas Arlington, Arlington, Texas, United States of America
| | - Moisés Carcaño-Montiel
- Instituto de Ciencias, Centro de Investigaciones Microbiológicas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, México
| | - Leticia Vega-Alvarado
- Instituto de Ciencias Aplicadas y Tecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Ciudad de México, México, México
| | - Candelario Vázquez-Cruz
- Instituto de Ciencias, Posgrado en Microbiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, México
- Instituto de Ciencias, Centro de Investigaciones Microbiológicas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, México
| | - Patricia Sánchez-Alonso
- Instituto de Ciencias, Posgrado en Microbiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, México
- Instituto de Ciencias, Centro de Investigaciones Microbiológicas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, México
- * E-mail:
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3
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Miao P, Mao X, Chen S, Abubakar YS, Li Y, Zheng W, Zhou J, Wang Z, Zheng H. The mitotic exit mediated by small GTPase Tem1 is essential for the pathogenicity of Fusarium graminearum. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011255. [PMID: 36928713 PMCID: PMC10047555 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The mitotic exit is a key step in cell cycle, but the mechanism of mitotic exit network in the wheat head blight fungus Fusarium graminearum remains unclear. F. graminearum infects wheat spikelets and colonizes the entire head by growing through the rachis node at the bottom of each spikelet. In this study, we found that a small GTPase FgTem1 plays an important role in F. graminearum pathogenicity and functions in regulating the formation of infection structures and invasive hyphal growth on wheat spikelets and wheat coleoptiles, but plays only little roles in vegetative growth and conidiation of the phytopathogen. FgTem1 localizes to both the inner nuclear periphery and the spindle pole bodies, and negatively regulates mitotic exit in F. graminearum. Furthermore, the regulatory mechanisms of FgTem1 have been further investigated by high-throughput co-immunoprecipitation and genetic strategies. The septins FgCdc10 and FgCdc11 were demonstrated to interact with the dominant negative form of FgTem1, and FgCdc11 was found to regulate the localization of FgTem1. The cell cycle arrest protein FgBub2-FgBfa1 complex was shown to act as the GTPase-activating protein (GAP) for FgTem1. We further demonstrated that a direct interaction exists between FgBub2 and FgBfa1 which crucially promotes conidiation, pathogenicity and DON production, and negatively regulates septum formation and nuclear division in F. graminearum. Deletions of FgBUB2 and FgBFA1 genes caused fewer perithecia and immature asci formations, and dramatically down-regulated trichothecene biosynthesis (TRI) gene expressions. Double deletion of FgBUB2/FgBFA1 genes showed that FgBUB2 and FgBFA1 have little functional redundancy in F. graminearum. In summary, we systemically demonstrated that FgTem1 and its GAP FgBub2-FgBfa1 complex are required for fungal development and pathogenicity in F. graminearum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengfei Miao
- Fujian Key Laboratory on Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Marine Biodiversity, Fuzhou Institute of Oceanography, College of Geography and Oceanography, Minjiang University, Fuzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Xuzhao Mao
- Fujian Key Laboratory on Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Marine Biodiversity, Fuzhou Institute of Oceanography, College of Geography and Oceanography, Minjiang University, Fuzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Shuang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yakubu Saddeeq Abubakar
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
| | - Yulong Li
- Fujian Key Laboratory on Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Marine Biodiversity, Fuzhou Institute of Oceanography, College of Geography and Oceanography, Minjiang University, Fuzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Wenhui Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Jie Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Zonghua Wang
- Fujian Key Laboratory on Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Marine Biodiversity, Fuzhou Institute of Oceanography, College of Geography and Oceanography, Minjiang University, Fuzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Huawei Zheng
- Fujian Key Laboratory on Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Marine Biodiversity, Fuzhou Institute of Oceanography, College of Geography and Oceanography, Minjiang University, Fuzhou, China
- * E-mail:
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Pérez Rodríguez F, Valdés-Santiago L, Noé García-Chávez J, Luis Castro-Guillén J, Ruiz-Herrera J. Analysis of gene expression related to polyamine concentration and dimorphism induced in ornithine decarboxylase (odc) and spermidine synthase (spd) Ustilago maydis mutants. Fungal Genet Biol 2023; 166:103792. [PMID: 36996931 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2023.103792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Revised: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
Polyamines are ubiquitous small organic cations, and their roles as regulators of several cellular processes are widely recognized. They are implicated in the key stages of the fungal life cycle. Ustilago maydis is a phytopathogenic fungus, the causal agent of common smut of maize and a model system to understand dimorphism and virulence. U. maydis grows in yeast form at pH 7 and it can develop its mycelial form in vitro at pH 3. Δodc mutants that are unable to synthesize polyamines, grew as yeast at pH 3 with a low putrescine concentration, and to complete its dimorphic transition high putrescine concentration was required. Δspd mutants required spermidine to grow and cannot form mycelium at pH 3. In this work, the increased expression of the mating genes, mfa1 and mfa2, on Δodc mutants, was related to high putrescine concentration. Global gene expression analysis comparisons of Δodc and Δspd U. maydis mutants indicated that 2,959 genes were differentially expressed in the presence of exogenous putrescine at pH 7 and 475 genes at pH 3. While, in Δspd mutant, the expression of 1,426 genes was affected by exogenous spermine concentration at pH 7 and 11 genes at pH 3. Additionally, we identified 28 transcriptional modules with correlated expression during seven tested conditions: mutant genotype, morphology (yeast, and mycelium), pH, and putrescine or spermidine concentration. Furthermore, significant differences in transcript levels were noted for genes in modules relating to pH and genotype genes involved in ribosome biogenesis, mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, N-glycan synthesis, and Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchor. In summary, our results offer a valuable tool for the identification of potential factors involved in phenomena related to polyamines and dimorphism.
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Wu T, Chen J, Jiao C, Hu H, Wu Q, Xie Y. Identification of Long Non-Coding RNAs and Their Target Genes from Mycelium and Primordium in Model Mushroom Schizophyllum commune. MYCOBIOLOGY 2022; 50:357-365. [PMID: 36404904 PMCID: PMC9645281 DOI: 10.1080/12298093.2022.2116819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Revised: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Schizophyllum commune has emerged as the most promising model mushroom to study developmental stages (mycelium, primordium), which are two primary processes of fruit body development. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) has been proved to participate in fruit development and sex differentiation in fungi. However, potential lncRNAs have not been identified in S. commune from mycelium to primordium developmental stages. In this study, lncRNA-seq was performed in S. commune and 61.56 Gb clean data were generated from mycelium and primordium developmental stages. Furthermore, 191 lncRNAs had been obtained and a total of 49 lncRNAs were classified as differently expressed lncRNAs. Additionally, 26 up-regulated differently expressed lncRNAs and 23 down-regulated between mycelium and primordia libraries were detected. Further, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis showed that differentially expressed lncRNAs target genes from the MAPK pathway, phosphatidylinositol signal, ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, autophagy, and cell cycle. This study provides a new resource for further research on the relationship between lncRNA and two developmental stages (mycelium, primordium) in S. commune.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuheng Wu
- Guangdong Yuewei Edible Fungi Technology Co., Guangzhou, China
- School of Bioscience and Bioengineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jian Chen
- Guangdong Yuewei Edible Fungi Technology Co., Guangzhou, China
- School of Bioscience and Bioengineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chunwei Jiao
- Guangdong Yuewei Edible Fungi Technology Co., Guangzhou, China
| | - Huiping Hu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qingping Wu
- School of Bioscience and Bioengineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yizhen Xie
- Guangdong Yuewei Edible Fungi Technology Co., Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
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de la Torre A, Jurca M, Hoffmann K, Schmitz L, Heimel K, Kämper J, Pérez-Martín J. Robust Cre recombinase activity in the biotrophic smut fungus Ustilago maydis enables efficient conditional null mutants in planta. Genetics 2022; 220:iyab152. [PMID: 34849846 PMCID: PMC8733456 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyab152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Site-specific recombinases have been used in higher eukaryotes, especially in animals, for a broad range of applications, including chromosomal translocations, large deletions, site-specific integration, and tissue-specific as well as conditional knock-outs. The application of site-specific recombination has also been demonstrated in simple eukaryotes like fungi and protozoa. However, its use in fungal research, especially in phytopathogenic fungi, has often been limited to "recycle" the marker genes used in transformation experiments. We show that Cre recombinase can be used for conditional gene deletions in the phytopathogenic fungus Ustilago maydis. Conditional gene knock-outs can be generated via the transcriptional control of the recombinase by U. maydis promoters specifically activated during the biotrophic phase of fungal growth, enabling gene deletions at defined developmental stages inside the plant tissue. Also, we show that a tamoxifen-activated Cre-recombinase allows the tight control necessary for the induced deletion of essential genes by the addition of tamoxifen. These tools will be helpful to address the function of genes under both axenic and in planta conditions for the U. maydis-maize pathosystem and should pave the way for similar approaches in other plant pathosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Matteo Jurca
- Department of Genetics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Applied Biosciences, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Kai Hoffmann
- Department of Genetics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Applied Biosciences, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Lara Schmitz
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Genetics, Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), University of Göttingen, Göttingen 37073, Germany
| | - Kai Heimel
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Genetics, Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), University of Göttingen, Göttingen 37073, Germany
| | - Jörg Kämper
- Department of Genetics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Applied Biosciences, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - José Pérez-Martín
- Instituto de Biología Funcional y Genómica (CSIC), Salamanca 37007, Spain
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de la Torre A, Castanheira S, Pérez-Martín J. Incompatibility between proliferation and plant invasion is mediated by a regulator of appressorium formation in the corn smut fungus Ustilago maydis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:30599-30609. [PMID: 33199618 PMCID: PMC7720189 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2006909117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant pathogenic fungi often developed specialized infection structures to breach the outer surface of a host plant. These structures, called appressoria, lead the invasion of the plant by the fungal hyphae. Studies in different phytopathogenic fungi showed that appressorium formation seems to be subordinated to the cell cycle. This subordination ensures the loading in the invading hypha of the correct genetic information to proceed with plant infection. However, how the cell cycle transmits its condition to the genetic program controlling appressorium formation and promoting the plant's invasion is unknown. Our results have uncovered how this process occurs for the appressorium of Ustilago maydis, the agent responsible for corn smut disease. Here, we described that the complex Clb2-cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk)1, one of the master regulators of G2/M cell cycle progression in U. maydis, interacts and controls the subcellular localization of Biz1, a transcriptional factor required for the activation of the appressorium formation. Besides, Biz1 can arrest the cell cycle by down-regulation of the gene encoding a second b-cyclin Clb1 also required for the G2/M transition. These results revealed a negative feedback loop between appressorium formation and cell cycle progression in U. maydis, which serves as a "toggle switch" to control the fungal decision between infecting the plant or proliferating out of the plant.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sónia Castanheira
- Instituto de Biología Funcional y Genómica (CSIC), 37007 Salamanca, Spain
| | - José Pérez-Martín
- Instituto de Biología Funcional y Genómica (CSIC), 37007 Salamanca, Spain
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8
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Bardetti P, Castanheira SM, Valerius O, Braus GH, Pérez-Martín J. Cytoplasmic retention and degradation of a mitotic inducer enable plant infection by a pathogenic fungus. eLife 2019; 8:e48943. [PMID: 31621584 PMCID: PMC6887120 DOI: 10.7554/elife.48943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 10/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In the fungus Ustilago maydis, sexual pheromones elicit mating resulting in an infective filament able to infect corn plants. Along this process a G2 cell cycle arrest is mandatory. Such as cell cycle arrest is initiated upon the pheromone recognition in each mating partner, and sustained once cell fusion occurred until the fungus enter the plant tissue. We describe that the initial cell cycle arrest resulted from inhibition of the nuclear transport of the mitotic inducer Cdc25 by targeting its importin, Kap123. Near cell fusion to take place, the increase on pheromone signaling promotes Cdc25 degradation, which seems to be important to ensure the maintenance of the G2 cell cycle arrest to lead the formation of the infective filament. This way, premating cell cycle arrest is linked to the subsequent steps required for establishment of the infection. Disabling this connection resulted in the inability of fungal cells to infect plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Bardetti
- Instituto de Biología Funcional y Genómica (CSIC)SalamancaSpain
| | | | - Oliver Valerius
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Genetics, Institute for Microbiology and GeneticsGeorg-August-UniversityGöttingenGermany
| | - Gerhard H Braus
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Genetics, Institute for Microbiology and GeneticsGeorg-August-UniversityGöttingenGermany
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New Insights of Ustilago maydis as Yeast Model for Genetic and Biotechnological Research: A Review. Curr Microbiol 2019; 76:917-926. [DOI: 10.1007/s00284-019-01629-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2018] [Accepted: 01/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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Rad53- and Chk1-Dependent DNA Damage Response Pathways Cooperatively Promote Fungal Pathogenesis and Modulate Antifungal Drug Susceptibility. mBio 2019; 10:mBio.01726-18. [PMID: 30602579 PMCID: PMC6315099 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01726-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Genome instability is detrimental for living things because it induces genetic disorder diseases and transfers incorrect genome information to descendants. Therefore, living organisms have evolutionarily conserved signaling networks to sense and repair DNA damage. However, how the DNA damage response pathway is regulated for maintaining the genome integrity of fungal pathogens and how this contributes to their pathogenicity remain elusive. In this study, we investigated the DNA damage response pathway in the basidiomycete pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans, which causes life-threatening meningoencephalitis in immunocompromised individuals, with an average of 223,100 infections leading to 181,100 deaths reported annually. Here, we found that perturbation of Rad53- and Chk1-dependent DNA damage response pathways attenuated the virulence of C. neoformans and increased its susceptibility to certain antifungal drugs, such as amphotericin B and flucytosine. Therefore, our work paves the way to understanding the important role of human fungal DNA damage networks in pathogenesis and antifungal drug susceptibility. Living organisms are constantly exposed to DNA damage stress caused by endogenous and exogenous events. Eukaryotic cells have evolutionarily conserved DNA damage checkpoint surveillance systems. We previously reported that a unique transcription factor, Bdr1, whose expression is strongly induced by the protein kinase Rad53 governs DNA damage responses by controlling the expression of DNA repair genes in the basidiomycetous fungus Cryptococcus neoformans. However, the regulatory mechanism of the Rad53-dependent DNA damage signal cascade and its function in pathogenicity remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate that Rad53 is required for DNA damage response and is phosphorylated by two phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-like kinases, Tel1 and Mec1, in response to DNA damage stress. Transcriptome analysis revealed that Rad53 regulates the expression of several DNA repair genes in response to gamma radiation. We found that expression of CHK1, another effector kinase involved in the DNA damage response, is regulated by Rad53 and that CHK1 deletion rendered cells highly susceptible to DNA damage stress. Nevertheless, BDR1 expression is regulated by Rad53, but not Chk1, indicating that DNA damage signal cascades mediated by Rad53 and Chk1 exhibit redundant and distinct functions. We found that perturbation of both RAD53 and CHK1 attenuated the virulence of C. neoformans, perhaps by promoting phagosome maturation within macrophage, reducing melanin production, and increasing susceptibility to oxidative stresses. Furthermore, deletion of both RAD53 and CHK1 increased susceptibility to certain antifungal drugs such as amphotericin B. This report provides insight into the regulatory mechanism of fungal DNA damage repair systems and their functional relationship with fungal virulence and antifungal drug susceptibility.
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Yang G, Hu Y, Fasoyin OE, Yue Y, Chen L, Qiu Y, Wang X, Zhuang Z, Wang S. The Aspergillus flavus Phosphatase CDC14 Regulates Development, Aflatoxin Biosynthesis and Pathogenicity. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2018; 8:141. [PMID: 29868497 PMCID: PMC5950752 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2018.00141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2018] [Accepted: 04/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Reversible protein phosphorylation is known to play important roles in the regulation of various cellular processes in eukaryotes. Phosphatase-mediated dephosphorylation are integral components of cellular signal pathways by counteracting the phosphorylation action of kinases. In this study, we characterized the functions of CDC14, a dual-specificity phosphatase in the development, secondary metabolism and crop infection of Aspergillus flavus. Deletion of AflCDC14 resulted in a growth defect and abnormal conidium morphology. Inactivation of AflCDC14 caused defective septum and failure to generate sclerotia. Additionally, the AflCDC14 deletion mutant (ΔCDC14) displayed increased sensitivity to osmotic and cell wall integrity stresses. Importantly, it had a significant increase in aflatoxin production, which was consistent with the up-regulation of the expression levels of aflatoxin biosynthesis related genes in ΔCDC14 mutant. Furthermore, seeds infection assays suggested that AflCDC14 was crucial for virulence of A. flavus. It was also found that the activity of amylase was decreased in ΔCDC14 mutant. AflCDC14-eRFP mainly localized to the cytoplasm and vesicles during coidial germination and mycelial development stages. Taken together, these results not only reveal the importance of the CDC14 phosphatase in the regulation of development, aflatoxin biosynthesis and virulence in A. flavus, but may also provide a potential target for controlling crop infections of this fungal pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guang Yang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yule Hu
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Opemipo E Fasoyin
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yuewei Yue
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Lijie Chen
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yue Qiu
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Xiuna Wang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Zhenhong Zhuang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Shihua Wang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Education Ministry, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
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12
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Li C, Cao S, Zhang C, Zhang Y, Zhang Q, Xu J, Wang C. MoCDC14 is important for septation during conidiation and appressorium formation in Magnaporthe oryzae. MOLECULAR PLANT PATHOLOGY 2018; 19:328-340. [PMID: 27935243 PMCID: PMC6638023 DOI: 10.1111/mpp.12523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2016] [Revised: 11/21/2016] [Accepted: 11/24/2016] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
As a typical foliar pathogen, appressorium formation and penetration are critical steps in the infection cycle of Magnaporthe oryzae. Because appressorium formation and penetration are closely co-regulated with the cell cycle, and Cdc14 phosphatases have an antagonistic relationship with cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) on proteins related to mitotic exit and cytokinesis, in this study, we functionally characterized the MoCDC14 gene in M. oryzae. The Mocdc14 deletion mutant showed significantly reduced growth rate and conidiation. It was also defective in septum formation and nuclear distribution. Septation was irregular in Mocdc14 hyphae and hyphal compartments became multi-nucleate. Mutant conidia often showed incomplete septa or lacked any septum. During appressorium formation, the septum delimiting appressoria from the rest of the germ tubes was often formed far away from the neck of the appressoria or not formed at all. Unlike the wild-type, some mutant appressoria had more than one nucleus at 24 h. In addition to appressoria, melanization occurred on parts of the germ tubes and conidia, depending on the irregular position of the appressorium-delimiting septum. The Mocdc14 mutant was also defective in glycogen degradation during appressorium formation and appressorial penetration of intact plant cells. Similar defects in septum formation, melanization and penetration were observed with appressorium-like structures formed at hyphal tips in the Mocdc14 mutant. Often a long fragment of mutant hyphae was melanized, together with the apical appressorium-like structures. These results indicate that MoCDC14 plays a critical role in septation, nuclear distribution and pathogenesis in M. oryzae, and correct septum formation during conidiogenesis and appressorium formation requires the MoCdc14 phosphatase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaohui Li
- NWAFU‐PU Joint Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant ProtectionNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxi712100China
| | - Shulin Cao
- NWAFU‐PU Joint Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant ProtectionNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxi712100China
| | - Chengkang Zhang
- Department of Botany and Plant PathologyPurdue UniversityWest LafayetteIN47907USA
| | - Yonghui Zhang
- NWAFU‐PU Joint Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant ProtectionNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxi712100China
| | - Qiang Zhang
- NWAFU‐PU Joint Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant ProtectionNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxi712100China
| | - Jin‐Rong Xu
- NWAFU‐PU Joint Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant ProtectionNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxi712100China
- Department of Botany and Plant PathologyPurdue UniversityWest LafayetteIN47907USA
| | - Chenfang Wang
- NWAFU‐PU Joint Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant ProtectionNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxi712100China
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13
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Frantzeskakis L, Courville KJ, Plücker L, Kellner R, Kruse J, Brachmann A, Feldbrügge M, Göhre V. The Plant-Dependent Life Cycle of Thecaphora thlaspeos: A Smut Fungus Adapted to Brassicaceae. MOLECULAR PLANT-MICROBE INTERACTIONS : MPMI 2017; 30:271-282. [PMID: 28421861 DOI: 10.1094/mpmi-08-16-0164-r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Smut fungi are globally distributed plant pathogens that infect agriculturally important crop plants such as maize or potato. To date, molecular studies on plant responses to smut fungi are challenging due to the genetic complexity of their host plants. Therefore, we set out to investigate the known smut fungus of Brassicaceae hosts, Thecaphora thlaspeos. T. thlaspeos infects different Brassicaceae plant species throughout Europe, including the perennial model plant Arabis alpina. In contrast to characterized smut fungi, mature and dry T. thlaspeos teliospores germinated only in the presence of a plant signal. An infectious filament emerges from the teliospore, which can proliferate as haploid filamentous cultures. Haploid filaments from opposite mating types mate, similar to sporidia of the model smut fungus Ustilago maydis. Consistently, the a and b mating locus genes are conserved. Infectious filaments can penetrate roots and aerial tissues of host plants, causing systemic colonization along the vasculature. Notably, we could show that T. thlaspeos also infects Arabidopsis thaliana. Exploiting the genetic resources of A. thaliana and Arabis alpina will allow us to characterize plant responses to smut infection in a comparative manner and, thereby, characterize factors for endophytic growth as well as smut fungi virulence in dicot plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lamprinos Frantzeskakis
- 1 Institute for Microbiology, Cluster of Excellence in Plant Sciences, Heinrich-Heine University, Building 26.12.01, Universitätsstr.1, 40205 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Kaitlyn J Courville
- 1 Institute for Microbiology, Cluster of Excellence in Plant Sciences, Heinrich-Heine University, Building 26.12.01, Universitätsstr.1, 40205 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Lesley Plücker
- 1 Institute for Microbiology, Cluster of Excellence in Plant Sciences, Heinrich-Heine University, Building 26.12.01, Universitätsstr.1, 40205 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Ronny Kellner
- 2 Max-Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Carl-von-Linné-Weg 10, 50829 Cologne, Germany
| | - Julia Kruse
- 3 Institute of Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; and
| | - Andreas Brachmann
- 4 Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Faculty of Biology, Genetics, Großhaderner Straße 2-4, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Michael Feldbrügge
- 1 Institute for Microbiology, Cluster of Excellence in Plant Sciences, Heinrich-Heine University, Building 26.12.01, Universitätsstr.1, 40205 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Vera Göhre
- 1 Institute for Microbiology, Cluster of Excellence in Plant Sciences, Heinrich-Heine University, Building 26.12.01, Universitätsstr.1, 40205 Düsseldorf, Germany
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Minz-Dub A, Sharon A. The Botrytis cinerea PAK kinase BcCla4 mediates morphogenesis, growth and cell cycle regulating processes downstream of BcRac. Mol Microbiol 2017; 104:487-498. [PMID: 28164413 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Rac proteins are involved in a variety of cellular processes. Effector proteins that interact with active Rac convey the GTPase-generated signal to downstream developmental cascades and processes. Here we report on the analysis of the main effector and signal cascade downstream of BcRac, the Rac homolog of the grey mold fungus Botrytis cinerea. Several lines of evidence highlighted the p21-activated kinase Cla4 as an important effector of Rac in fungi. Analysis of Δbccla4 strains revealed that the BcCla4 protein was sufficient to mediate all of the examined BcRac-driven processes, including hyphal growth and morphogenesis, conidia production and pathogenicity. In addition, the Δbccla4 strains had altered nuclei content, a phenomenon that was previously observed in Δbcrac isolates, thus connecting the BcRac/BcCla4 module with cell cycle control. Further analyses revealed that BcRac/BcCla4 control mitotic entry through changes in phosphorylation status of the cyclin dependent kinase BcCdk1. The complete cascade includes the kinase BcWee1, which is downstream of BcCla4 and upstream of BcCdk1. These results provide a mechanistic insight on the connection of cell cycle, morphogenesis and pathogenicity in fungi, and position BcCla4 as the most essential effector and central regulator of all of these processes downstream of BcRac.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Minz-Dub
- Department of Molecular Biology and Ecology of Plants, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Amir Sharon
- Department of Molecular Biology and Ecology of Plants, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
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15
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Abstract
ADAR mediated A-to-I RNA editing is thought to be unique to animals and occurs mainly in the non-coding regions. Recently filamentous fungi such as Fusarium graminearum were found to lack orthologs of animal ADARs but have stage-specific A-to-I editing during sexual reproduction. Unlike animals, majority of editing sites are in the coding regions and often result in missense and stop loss changes in fungi. Furthermore, whereas As in RNA stems are targeted by animal ADARs, RNA editing in fungi preferentially targets As in hairpin loops, implying that fungal RNA editing involves mechanisms related to editing of the anticodon loop by ADATs. Identification and characterization of fungal adenosine deaminases and their stage-specific co-factors may be helpful to understand the evolution of human ADARs. Fungi also can be used to study biological functions of missense and stop loss RNA editing events in eukaryotic organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenfang Wang
- a State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University , Yangling , Shaanxi , China.,b Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University , West Lafayette , IN , USA
| | - Jin-Rong Xu
- b Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University , West Lafayette , IN , USA
| | - Huiquan Liu
- a State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University , Yangling , Shaanxi , China
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16
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Pérez-Martín J, Bardetti P, Castanheira S, de la Torre A, Tenorio-Gómez M. Virulence-specific cell cycle and morphogenesis connections in pathogenic fungi. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2016; 57:93-99. [PMID: 27032479 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2016.03.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2016] [Revised: 03/14/2016] [Accepted: 03/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
To initiate pathogenic development, pathogenic fungi respond to a set of inductive cues. Some of them are of an extracellular nature (environmental signals), while others are intracellular (developmental signals). These signals must be integrated into a single response whose major outcome is changes in the morphogenesis of the fungus. The regulation of the cell cycle is pivotal during these cellular differentiation steps; therefore, cell cycle regulation would likely provide control points for infectious development by fungal pathogens. Here, we provide clues to understanding how the control of the cell cycle is integrated with the morphogenesis program in pathogenic fungi, and we review current examples that support these connections.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Pérez-Martín
- Instituto de Biología Funcional y Genómica, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Salamanca, Spain.
| | - Paola Bardetti
- Instituto de Biología Funcional y Genómica, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Sónia Castanheira
- Instituto de Biología Funcional y Genómica, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Antonio de la Torre
- Instituto de Biología Funcional y Genómica, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Salamanca, Spain
| | - María Tenorio-Gómez
- Instituto de Biología Funcional y Genómica, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Salamanca, Spain
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17
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Li C, Melesse M, Zhang S, Hao C, Wang C, Zhang H, Hall MC, Xu JR. FgCDC14 regulates cytokinesis, morphogenesis, and pathogenesis in Fusarium graminearum. Mol Microbiol 2015; 98:770-86. [PMID: 26256689 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/06/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Members of Cdc14 phosphatases are common in animals and fungi, but absent in plants. Although its orthologs are conserved in plant pathogenic fungi, their functions during infection are not clear. In this study, we showed that the CDC14 ortholog is important for pathogenesis and morphogenesis in Fusarium graminearum. FgCDC14 is required for normal cell division and septum formation and FgCdc14 possesses phosphatase activity with specificity for a subset of Cdk-type phosphorylation sites. The Fgcdc14 mutant was reduced in growth, conidiation, and ascospore formation. It was defective in ascosporogenesis and pathogenesis. Septation in Fgcdc14 was reduced and hyphal compartments contained multiple nuclei, indicating defects in the coordination between nuclear division and cytokinesis. Interestingly, foot cells of mutant conidia often differentiated into conidiogenous cells, resulting in the production of inter-connected conidia. In the interphase, FgCdc14-GFP localized to the nucleus and spindle-pole-body. Taken together, our results indicate that Cdc14 phosphatase functions in cell division and septum formation in F. graminearum, likely by counteracting Cdk phosphorylation, and is required for plant infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaohui Li
- NWAFU-PU Joint research Center, State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China
| | - Michael Melesse
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | - Shijie Zhang
- NWAFU-PU Joint research Center, State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China.,Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | - ChaoFeng Hao
- NWAFU-PU Joint research Center, State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China
| | - Chenfang Wang
- NWAFU-PU Joint research Center, State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China
| | - Hongchang Zhang
- NWAFU-PU Joint research Center, State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China
| | - Mark C Hall
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | - Jin-Rong Xu
- NWAFU-PU Joint research Center, State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China.,Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
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18
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Jiang C, Xu JR, Liu H. Distinct cell cycle regulation during saprophytic and pathogenic growth in fungal pathogens. Curr Genet 2015; 62:185-9. [PMID: 26337287 DOI: 10.1007/s00294-015-0515-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2015] [Revised: 08/20/2015] [Accepted: 08/22/2015] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
In a number of dimorphic and hemibiotrophic pathogens, cell cycle regulation has been shown to be important for morphological changes related to infectious growth or infection-related morphogenesis. However, the role of mitotic CDK kinase Cdc2, the key regulator of cell cycle, in pathogenic growth is not clear, because most fungal pathogens have a single CDC2 gene that is essential for cell cycle progression and viability. Interestingly, the wheat scab fungus Fusarium graminearum has two CDC2 genes. Although CDC2A and CDC2B have redundant functions in vegetative growth and asexual production, only CDC2A is required for invasive growth and plant infection. In this study, we showed that Cdc2A and Cdc2B interacted with each other and may form homo- and heterodimers in vegetative hyphae. We also identified sequence and structural differences between Cdc2A and Cdc2B that may be related to their functional divergence. These results, together with earlier studies with cyclins, important for differentiation and infection in Candida albicans and Ustilago maydis, indicated that dimorphic and hemibiotrophic fungal pathogens may have stage-specific cyclin-CDK combinations or CDK targets during saprophytic and pathogenic growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cong Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China.,Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Jin-Rong Xu
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Huiquan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China.
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19
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Liu H, Zhang S, Ma J, Dai Y, Li C, Lyu X, Wang C, Xu JR. Two Cdc2 Kinase Genes with Distinct Functions in Vegetative and Infectious Hyphae in Fusarium graminearum. PLoS Pathog 2015; 11:e1004913. [PMID: 26083253 PMCID: PMC4470668 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1004913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2014] [Accepted: 04/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Eukaryotic cell cycle involves a number of protein kinases important for the onset and progression through mitosis, most of which are well characterized in the budding and fission yeasts and conserved in other fungi. However, unlike the model yeast and filamentous fungi that have a single Cdc2 essential for cell cycle progression, the wheat scab fungus Fusarium graminearum contains two CDC2 orthologs. The cdc2A and cdc2B mutants had no obvious defects in growth rate and conidiation but deletion of both of them is lethal, indicating that these two CDC2 orthologs have redundant functions during vegetative growth and asexual reproduction. However, whereas the cdc2B mutant was normal, the cdc2A mutant was significantly reduced in virulence and rarely produced ascospores. Although deletion of CDC2A had no obvious effect on the formation of penetration branches or hyphopodia, the cdc2A mutant was limited in the differentiation and growth of infectious growth in wheat tissues. Therefore, CDC2A plays stage-specific roles in cell cycle regulation during infectious growth and sexual reproduction. Both CDC2A and CDC2B are constitutively expressed but only CDC2A was up-regulated during plant infection and ascosporogenesis. Localization of Cdc2A- GFP to the nucleus but not Cdc2B-GFP was observed in vegetative hyphae, ascospores, and infectious hyphae. Complementation assays with chimeric fusion constructs showed that both the N- and C-terminal regions of Cdc2A are important for its functions in pathogenesis and ascosporogenesis but only the N-terminal region is important for its subcellular localization. Among the Sordariomycetes, only three Fusarium species closely related to F. graminearum have two CDC2 genes. Furthermore, F. graminearum uniquely has two Aurora kinase genes and one additional putative cyclin gene, and its orthologs of CAK1 and other four essential mitotic kinases in the budding yeast are dispensable for viability. Overall, our data indicate that cell cycle regulation is different between vegetative and infectious hyphae in F. graminearum and Cdc2A, possibly by interacting with a stage-specific cyclin, plays a more important role than Cdc2B during ascosporogenesis and plant infection. In the model yeasts and filamentous fungi, CDC2 is an essential gene that encodes the only CDK essential for mitotic cell cycle progression. However, the wheat scab fungus F. graminearum contains two CDC2 orthologs. The cdc2A and cdc2B deletion mutants had no defects in vegetative growth but deletion of both is lethal. Whereas the cdc2B mutant was normal, the cdc2A mutant was almost non-pathogenic, indicating that only Cdc2A is essential in infectious hyphae. Cdc2A and Cdc2B differ in subcellular localization and only localization of Cdc2A to the nucleus was increased in cells active in mitosis. Furthermore, F. graminearum uniquely has two orthologs of Ipl1 Aurora kinase and mutants deleted of orthologs of five essential yeast mitotic kinase genes were viable. However, most of these mutants were significantly reduced in virulence. Overall, our data indicate that F. graminearum differs from the model fungi in CDK and other key mitotic kinase genes, and cell cycle regulation is different between vegetative and infectious hyphae. This is the first report on two Cdc2 kinases in fungi and they differ in subcellular localization and functions during sexual reproduction and plant infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiquan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Shijie Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jiwen Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Yafeng Dai
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Chaohui Li
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Xueliang Lyu
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Chenfang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jin-Rong Xu
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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20
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Castanheira S, Mielnichuk N, Pérez-Martín J. Programmed cell cycle arrest is required for infection of corn plants by the fungus Ustilago maydis. Development 2014; 141:4817-26. [PMID: 25411209 DOI: 10.1242/dev.113415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Ustilago maydis is a plant pathogen that requires a specific structure called infective filament to penetrate the plant tissue. Although able to grow, this filament is cell cycle arrested on the plant surface. This cell cycle arrest is released once the filament penetrates the plant tissue. The reasons and mechanisms for this cell cycle arrest are unknown. Here, we have tried to address these questions. We reached three conclusions from our studies. First, the observed cell cycle arrest is the result of the cooperation of at least two distinct mechanisms: one involving the activation of the DNA damage response (DDR) cascade; and the other relying on the transcriptional downregulation of Hsl1, a kinase that modulates the G2/M transition. Second, a sustained cell cycle arrest during the infective filament step is necessary for the virulence in U. maydis, as a strain unable to arrest the cell cycle was severely impaired in its ability to infect corn plants. Third, production of the appressorium, a structure required for plant penetration, is incompatible with an active cell cycle. The inability to infect plants by strains defective in cell cycle arrest seems to be caused by their failure to induce the appressorium formation process. In summary, our findings uncover genetic circuits to arrest the cell cycle during the growth of this fungus on the plant surface, thus allowing the penetration into plant tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sónia Castanheira
- Instituto de Biología Funcional y Genómica, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Zacarías González 2, Salamanca 37007, Spain
| | - Natalia Mielnichuk
- Instituto de Biología Funcional y Genómica, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Zacarías González 2, Salamanca 37007, Spain
| | - José Pérez-Martín
- Instituto de Biología Funcional y Genómica, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Zacarías González 2, Salamanca 37007, Spain
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21
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Qiu L, Wang JJ, Ying SH, Feng MG. Wee1 and Cdc25 control morphogenesis, virulence and multistress tolerance ofBeauveria bassianaby balancing cell cycle-required cyclin-dependent kinase 1 activity. Environ Microbiol 2014; 17:1119-33. [DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.12530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2014] [Revised: 05/31/2014] [Accepted: 05/31/2014] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Lei Qiu
- Institute of Microbiology; College of Life Sciences; Zhejiang University; Hangzhou Zhejiang 310058 China
| | - Juan-Juan Wang
- Institute of Microbiology; College of Life Sciences; Zhejiang University; Hangzhou Zhejiang 310058 China
| | - Sheng-Hua Ying
- Institute of Microbiology; College of Life Sciences; Zhejiang University; Hangzhou Zhejiang 310058 China
| | - Ming-Guang Feng
- Institute of Microbiology; College of Life Sciences; Zhejiang University; Hangzhou Zhejiang 310058 China
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22
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Martínez-Soto D, Ruiz-Herrera J. Transcriptomic analysis of the dimorphic transition of Ustilago maydis induced in vitro by a change in pH. Fungal Genet Biol 2013; 58-59:116-25. [PMID: 23994320 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2013.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2013] [Accepted: 08/18/2013] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Dimorphism is the property of fungi to grow as budding yeasts or mycelium, depending on the environmental conditions. This phenomenon is important as a model of differentiation in eukaryotic organisms, and since a large number of fungal diseases are caused by dimorphic fungi, its study is important for practical reasons. In this work, we examined the transcriptome during the dimorphic transition of the basidiomycota phytopathogenic fungus Ustilago maydis using microarrays, utilizing yeast and mycelium monomorphic mutants as controls. This way, we thereby identified 154 genes of the fungus that are specifically involved in the dimorphic transition induced by a pH change. Of these, 82 genes were up-regulated, and 72 were down-regulated. Differential categorization of these genes revealed that they mostly belonged to the classes of metabolism, cell cycle and DNA processing, transcription and protein fate, transport and cellular communication, stress, cell differentiation and biogenesis of cellular components, while a significant number of them corresponded to unclassified proteins. The data reported in this work are important for our understanding of the molecular bases of dimorphism in U. maydis, and possibly of other fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Domingo Martínez-Soto
- Departamento de Ingeniería Genética, Unidad Irapuato, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Irapuato, Gto., Mexico
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23
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The basidiomycete Ustilago maydis has two plasma membrane H+-ATPases related to fungi and plants. J Bioenerg Biomembr 2013; 45:477-90. [DOI: 10.1007/s10863-013-9520-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2013] [Accepted: 06/20/2013] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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24
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Gupta AK, Joshi GK, Seneviratne JM, Pandey D, Kumar A. Cloning, in silico characterization and induction of TiKpp2 MAP kinase in Tilletia indica under the influence of host factor(s) from wheat spikes. Mol Biol Rep 2013; 40:4967-78. [PMID: 23666057 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-013-2597-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2012] [Accepted: 04/29/2013] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
In order to understand the molecular mechanism(s) associated with floret specificity, morphogenetic and disease development of Karnal bunt (KB) pathogen in wheat spikes, host factor(s) was isolated from KB prone susceptible stage of wheat spikes. An orthologue of Kpp2 gene involved in pheromone response and fungal development was isolated from Tilletia indica for analyzing its role in fungal development. The maximum expression of TiKpp2 gene was observed at 14th day and decreased thereafter. To investigate whether the fungus alters the expression levels of same kinase upon interaction with plants, T. indica cultures were treated with 1% of host factor(s). Such treatment induced the expression of TiKpp2 gene in time dependent manner. Host factor(s) treatment tends to increase the myelination in fungal cultures by lowering the sporidial production. Increase in myelination led to impose more pathogenicity levels in the host and prolific multiplication of pathogen inside host causing more damage to developing grains. In silico characterization and protein-protein interaction studies further suggests that isolated gene showed similarity with Ustilago maydis Kpp2 and induction of TiKpp2 might further activate a downstream transcription factor Prf1. The results of present study clearly suggest that host factor(s) derived from wheat spikes provide certain signal(s) which activate TiKpp2 gene during morphogenetic development of T. indica and affect the fungal growth and pathogenicity. In turn it also provides a plausible explanation for floret specificity of KB fungus in wheat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atul K Gupta
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering, College of Basic Sciences and Humanities, G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, 263 145, India
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Sartorel E, Pérez-Martín J. The distinct interaction between cell cycle regulation and the widely conserved morphogenesis-related (MOR) pathway in the fungus Ustilago maydis determines morphology. J Cell Sci 2012; 125:4597-608. [PMID: 22767510 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.107862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The morphogenesis-related NDR kinase (MOR) pathway regulates morphogenesis in fungi. In spite of the high conservation of its components, impairing their functions results in highly divergent cellular responses depending on the fungal species. The reasons for such differences are unclear. Here we propose that the species-specific connections between cell cycle regulation and the MOR pathway could be partly responsible for these divergences. We based our conclusion on the characterization of the MOR pathway in the fungus Ustilago maydis. Each gene that encodes proteins of this pathway in U. maydis was deleted. All mutants exhibited a constitutive hyperpolarized growth, contrasting with the loss of polarity observed in other fungi. Using a conditional allele of the central NDR kinase Ukc1, we found that impairing MOR function resulted in a prolonged G2 phase. This cell cycle delay appears to be the consequence of an increase in Cdk1 inhibitory phosphorylation. Strikingly, prevention of the inhibitory Cdk1 phosphorylation abolished the hyperpolarized growth associated with MOR pathway depletion. We found that the prolonged G2 phase resulted in higher levels of expression of crk1, a conserved kinase that promotes polar growth in U. maydis. Deletion of crk1 also abolished the dramatic activation of polar growth in cells lacking the MOR pathway. Taken together, our results suggest that Cdk1 inhibitory phosphorylation may act as an integrator of signaling cascades regulating fungal morphogenesis and that the distinct morphological response observed in U. maydis upon impairment of the MOR pathway could be due to a cell cycle deregulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elodie Sartorel
- Instituto de Biología Funcional y Genómica (CSIC), 37007 Salamanca, Spain
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Pérez-Martín J. Cell Cycle and Morphogenesis Connections During the Formation of the Infective Filament in Ustilago maydis. TOPICS IN CURRENT GENETICS 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-22916-9_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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Pérez-Martín J, de Sena-Tomás C. Dikaryotic cell cycle in the phytopathogenic fungus Ustilago maydis is controlled by the DNA damage response cascade. PLANT SIGNALING & BEHAVIOR 2011; 6:1574-7. [PMID: 21918381 PMCID: PMC3256387 DOI: 10.4161/psb.6.10.17055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2011] [Accepted: 06/27/2011] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
In a large group of fungi, mating results in a dikaryon, a cell in which the two nuclei--one from each parent cell--share a single cytoplasm for a period of time without undergoing nuclear fusion. The dikaryon stage is typical in the life cycles of many fungal species primarily in the Basidiomycota, a large group that includes mushrooms, bracket fungi and many phytopathogenic fungi, such as the corn pathogen Ustilago maydis. Recently, we described that in U. maydis two conserved DNA-damage checkpoint kinases, Chk1 and Atr1, work together to control the dikaryon formation. However, how this pathway is activated during the dikaryon formation and how its activation/deactivation is coordinated with the different cell cycle phases is unknown. Here we propose and discuss several hypothesis to address these questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose Pérez-Martín
- Departamento de Biotecnología Microbiana, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología CSIC, Madrid, Spain.
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Vollmeister E, Schipper K, Baumann S, Haag C, Pohlmann T, Stock J, Feldbrügge M. Fungal development of the plant pathogen Ustilago maydis. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2011; 36:59-77. [PMID: 21729109 DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6976.2011.00296.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The maize pathogen Ustilago maydis has to undergo various morphological transitions for the completion of its sexual life cycle. For example, haploid cells respond to pheromone by forming conjugation tubes that fuse at their tips. The resulting dikaryon grows filamentously, expanding rapidly at the apex and inserting retraction septa at the basal pole. In this review, we present progress on the underlying mechanisms regulating such defined developmental programmes. The key findings of the postgenomic era are as follows: (1) endosomes function not only during receptor recycling, but also as multifunctional transport platforms; (2) a new transcriptional master regulator for pathogenicity is part of an intricate transcriptional network; (3) determinants for uniparental mitochondrial inheritance are encoded at the a2 mating-type locus; (4) microtubule-dependent mRNA transport is important in determining the axis of polarity; and (5) a battery of fungal effectors encoded in gene clusters is crucial for plant infection. Importantly, most processes are tightly controlled at the transcriptional, post-transcriptional and post-translational levels, resulting in a complex regulatory network. This intricate system is crucial for the timing of the correct order of developmental phases. Thus, new insights from all layers of regulation have substantially advanced our understanding of fungal development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evelyn Vollmeister
- Institute for Microbiology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
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Vollmeister E, Feldbrügge M. Posttranscriptional control of growth and development in Ustilago maydis. Curr Opin Microbiol 2010; 13:693-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2010.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2010] [Accepted: 08/31/2010] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Heimel K, Scherer M, Schuler D, Kämper J. The Ustilago maydis Clp1 protein orchestrates pheromone and b-dependent signaling pathways to coordinate the cell cycle and pathogenic development. THE PLANT CELL 2010; 22:2908-22. [PMID: 20729384 PMCID: PMC2947178 DOI: 10.1105/tpc.110.076265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2010] [Revised: 07/30/2010] [Accepted: 08/05/2010] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Regulation of the cell cycle and morphogenetic switching during pathogenic and sexual development in Ustilago maydis is orchestrated by a concerted action of the a and b mating-type loci. Activation of either mating-type locus triggers the G2 cell cycle arrest that is a prerequisite for the formation of the infectious dikaryon; this cell cycle arrest is released only after penetration of the host plant. Here, we show that bW, one of the two homeodomain transcription factors encoded by the b mating-type locus, and the zinc-finger transcription factor Rbf1, a master regulator for pathogenic development, interact with Clp1 (clampless 1), a protein required for the distribution of nuclei during cell division of the dikaryon. In addition, we identify Cib1, a previously undiscovered bZIP transcription factor required for pathogenic development, as a Clp1-interacting protein. Clp1 interaction with bW blocks b-dependent functions, such as the b-dependent G2 cell cycle arrest and dimorphic switching. The interaction of Clp1 with Rbf1 results in the repression of the a-dependent pheromone pathway, conjugation tube formation, and the a-induced G2 cell cycle arrest. The concerted interaction of Clp1 with Rbf1 and bW coordinates a- and b-dependent cell cycle control and ensures cell cycle release and progression at the onset of biotrophic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Heimel
- Department of Genetics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76187 Karlsruhe, Germany
- Max-Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Mario Scherer
- Max-Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - David Schuler
- Department of Genetics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76187 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Jörg Kämper
- Department of Genetics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76187 Karlsruhe, Germany
- Max-Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, 35043 Marburg, Germany
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Carbó N, Pérez-Martín J. Activation of the cell wall integrity pathway promotes escape from G2 in the fungus Ustilago maydis. PLoS Genet 2010; 6:e1001009. [PMID: 20617206 PMCID: PMC2895642 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1001009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2009] [Accepted: 05/27/2010] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
It is widely accepted that MAPK activation in budding and fission yeasts is often associated with negative effects on cell cycle progression, resulting in delay or arrest at a specific stage in the cell cycle, thereby enabling cells to adapt to changing environmental conditions. For instance, activation of the Cell Wall Integrity (CWI) pathway in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae signals an increase in CDK inhibitory phosphorylation, which leads cells to remain in the G2 phase. Here we characterized the CWI pathway of Ustilago maydis, a fungus evolutionarily distant from budding and fission yeasts, and show that activation of the CWI pathway forces cells to escape from G2 phase. In spite of these disparate cell cycle responses in S. cerevisiae and U. maydis, the CWI pathway in both organisms appears to respond to the same class cell wall stressors. To understand the basis of such a difference, we studied the mechanism behind the U. maydis response. We found that activation of CWI pathway in U. maydis results in a decrease in CDK inhibitory phosphorylation, which depends on the mitotic phosphatase Cdc25. Moreover, in response to activation of the CWI pathway, Cdc25 accumulates in the nucleus, providing a likely explanation for the increase in the unphosphorylated form of CDK. We also found that the extended N-terminal domain of Cdc25, which is dispensable under normal growth conditions, is required for this G2 escape as well as for resistance to cell wall stressors. We propose that the process of cell cycle adaptation to cell stress evolved differently in these two divergent organisms so that each can move towards a cell cycle phase most appropriate for responding to the environmental signals encountered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Carbó
- Department of Microbial Biotechnology, National Center of Biotechnology, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
| | - José Pérez-Martín
- Department of Microbial Biotechnology, National Center of Biotechnology, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
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Mielnichuk N, Sgarlata C, Pérez-Martín J. A role for the DNA-damage checkpoint kinase Chk1 in the virulence program of the fungus Ustilago maydis. J Cell Sci 2009; 122:4130-40. [PMID: 19861497 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.052233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
During induction of the virulence program in the phytopathogenic fungus Ustilago maydis, the cell cycle is arrested on the plant surface and it is not resumed until the fungus enters the plant. The mechanism of this cell cycle arrest is unknown, but it is thought that it is necessary for the correct implementation of the virulence program. Here, we show that this arrest takes place in the G2 phase, as a result of an increase in the inhibitory phosphorylation of the catalytic subunit of the mitotic cyclin-dependent kinase Cdk1. Sequestration in the cytoplasm of the Cdc25 phosphatase seems to be one of the reasons for the increase in inhibitory phosphorylation. Strikingly, we also report the DNA-damage checkpoint kinase Chk1 appears to be involved in this process. Our results support the emerging idea that checkpoint kinases have roles other than in the DNA-damage response, by virtue of their ability to interact with the cell cycle machinery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Mielnichuk
- Departamento de Biotecnología Microbiana, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología CSIC, Campus de Cantoblanco-UAM, 28049 Madrid, Spain
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DNA-damage response in the basidiomycete fungus Ustilago maydis relies in a sole Chk1-like kinase. DNA Repair (Amst) 2009; 8:720-31. [PMID: 19269260 DOI: 10.1016/j.dnarep.2009.01.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2008] [Accepted: 01/31/2009] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Chk1 is a protein kinase that acts as a key signal transducer within the complex network responsible of the cellular response to different DNA damages. It is a conserved element along the eukaryotic kingdom, together with a second checkpoint kinase, called Chk2/Rad53. In fact, all organisms studied so far carried at least one copy of each kind of checkpoint kinase. Since the relative contribution to the DNA-damage response of each type of kinase varies from one organism to other, the current view about the roles of Chk1 and Chk2/Rad53 during DNA-damage response is one of mutual complementation and intimate cooperation. However, in this work it is reported that Ustilago maydis - a phytopathogenic fungus exhibiting extreme resistance to UV and ionizing radiation - have a single kinase belonging to the Chk1 family but strikingly no kinases related to Chk2/Rad53 family are apparent. The U. maydis Chk1 kinase is able to respond to different classes of DNA damages and its activity is required for the cellular adaptation to such damages. As other described components of the Chk1 family of kinases, U. maydis Chk1 is phosphorylated and translocated to nucleus in response to DNA-damage signals. Interestingly subtle differences in this response depending on the kind of DNA damage are apparent, suggesting that in U. maydis the sole Chk1 kinase recapitulates the roles that in other organisms are shared by Chk1 and the Chk2/Rad53 family of protein kinases.
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Cánovas D, Pérez-Martín J. Sphingolipid biosynthesis is required for polar growth in the dimorphic phytopathogen Ustilago maydis. Fungal Genet Biol 2009; 46:190-200. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2008.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2008] [Revised: 10/21/2008] [Accepted: 11/03/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Mielnichuk N, Pérez-Martín J. 14-3-3 regulates the G2/M transition in the basidiomycete Ustilago maydis. Fungal Genet Biol 2008; 45:1206-15. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2008.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2008] [Revised: 05/19/2008] [Accepted: 05/20/2008] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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Carbó N, Pérez-Martín J. Spa2 is required for morphogenesis but it is dispensable for pathogenicity in the phytopathogenic fungus Ustilago maydis. Fungal Genet Biol 2008; 45:1315-27. [PMID: 18674629 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2008.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2008] [Revised: 06/23/2008] [Accepted: 06/29/2008] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The increasing evidence linking regulation of polar growth and pathogenicity in fungi has elicited a significant effort devoted to produce a better understanding of mechanisms determining polarization in pathogenic fungi. Here we characterize in the phytopathogenic basidiomycete Ustilago maydis, the Spa2 protein, a well-known component of polarisome, firstly described in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. U. maydis display a dimorphic switch between budding growth of hapoid cells and filamentous growth of the dikaryon. During yeast growth, a GFP-tagged Spa2 protein localized to distinct growth sites in a cell cycle-specific manner, while during hyphal growth is persistently located to hyphal tips. Deletion of spa2 gene produces rounder budding cells and thicker filaments than wild-type cells, suggesting a role of Spa2 for the determination of the growth area in U. maydis. We also address the connections between Spa2 and the actin- and microtubule-cytoskeleton. We found that the absence of Spa2 does not affect cytoskeleton organization and strikingly, interference with actin filament or microtubule formation does not affect the polar localization of Spa2. In contrast, defects in the small GTPase Rac1 seems to affect the ability of Spa2 to locate to precise sites at the tip cell. Finally, to our surprise, we found that cells defectives in Spa2 function were as pathogenic as wild-type cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Carbó
- Departamento de Biotecnología Microbiana, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología CSIC, Madrid, Spain
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Zarnack K, Eichhorn H, Kahmann R, Feldbrügge M. Pheromone-regulated target genes respond differentially to MAPK phosphorylation of transcription factor Prf1. Mol Microbiol 2008; 69:1041-53. [PMID: 18627457 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2008.06345.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Pheromone signalling during mating is essential for pathogenicity of Ustilago maydis. The activity of the key transcription factor Prf1 is controlled at the transcriptional level and post-translationally by mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and protein kinase A (PKA) phosphorylation. However, the precise contribution of these regulatory mechanisms to the transcriptional output is unknown. Here, we genetically dissected the three levels of Prf1 regulation. We performed transcriptional profiling of respective mutants to identify and classify targets. This approach revealed that transcriptional regulation of prf1 had only minor influence on target gene expression stressing the importance of post-translational control. PKA regulation of Prf1 was sufficient to control expression of nine pheromone-responsive genes including the major transcription factor regulating pathogenicity. MAPK regulation was necessary for the pheromone response of a set of 57 genes. In 35 cases, pheromone responsiveness was completely lost, while in the remaining 22 cases regulation was alleviated. This indicated a novel level of complexity in MAPK signalling suggesting that target genes respond differentially to MAPK phosphorylation of the respective transcription factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathi Zarnack
- Department of Organismic Interactions, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Strasse, Marburg, Germany
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Pérez-Martín J, Castillo-Lluva S. Connections between polar growth and cell cycle arrest during the induction of the virulence program in the phytopathogenic fungus Ustilago maydis. PLANT SIGNALING & BEHAVIOR 2008; 3:480-1. [PMID: 19704492 PMCID: PMC2634436 DOI: 10.4161/psb.3.7.5680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2008] [Accepted: 01/31/2008] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Elegant work by others has highlighted the importance of connections between polar growth and cell cycle regulation in budding and fission yeast. However, it is striking that little attention has been paid to the study of these connections in phytopathogenic fungi. In these crop pests, germination of spores, the main infective agent, requires a strict control of cell cycle regulation as well as polarity growth. Our finding that a cyclin-cdk pair controls both processes in the corn smut fungus Ustilago maydis supports the importance of such a regulation during the pathogenic development of fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose Pérez-Martín
- Departamento de Biotecnología Microbiana; Centro Nacional de Biotecnología CSIC; Madrid, Spain
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Soanes DM, Alam I, Cornell M, Wong HM, Hedeler C, Paton NW, Rattray M, Hubbard SJ, Oliver SG, Talbot NJ. Comparative genome analysis of filamentous fungi reveals gene family expansions associated with fungal pathogenesis. PLoS One 2008; 3:e2300. [PMID: 18523684 PMCID: PMC2409186 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0002300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2008] [Accepted: 04/15/2008] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Fungi and oomycetes are the causal agents of many of the most serious diseases of plants. Here we report a detailed comparative analysis of the genome sequences of thirty-six species of fungi and oomycetes, including seven plant pathogenic species, that aims to explore the common genetic features associated with plant disease-causing species. The predicted translational products of each genome have been clustered into groups of potential orthologues using Markov Chain Clustering and the data integrated into the e-Fungi object-oriented data warehouse (http://www.e-fungi.org.uk/). Analysis of the species distribution of members of these clusters has identified proteins that are specific to filamentous fungal species and a group of proteins found only in plant pathogens. By comparing the gene inventories of filamentous, ascomycetous phytopathogenic and free-living species of fungi, we have identified a set of gene families that appear to have expanded during the evolution of phytopathogens and may therefore serve important roles in plant disease. We have also characterised the predicted set of secreted proteins encoded by each genome and identified a set of protein families which are significantly over-represented in the secretomes of plant pathogenic fungi, including putative effector proteins that might perturb host cell biology during plant infection. The results demonstrate the potential of comparative genome analysis for exploring the evolution of eukaryotic microbial pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darren M. Soanes
- School of Biosciences, Geoffrey Pope Building, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Intikhab Alam
- School of Computer Science, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Mike Cornell
- School of Computer Science, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Han Min Wong
- School of Biosciences, Geoffrey Pope Building, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Cornelia Hedeler
- School of Computer Science, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Norman W. Paton
- School of Computer Science, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Magnus Rattray
- School of Computer Science, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Simon J. Hubbard
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Michael Smith Building, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen G. Oliver
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Sanger Building, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Nicholas J. Talbot
- School of Biosciences, Geoffrey Pope Building, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
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Lin SS, Pranikoff T, Smith SF, Brandt ME, Gilbert K, Palavecino EL, Shetty AK. Central venous catheter infection associated with Pseudozyma aphidis in a child with short gut syndrome. J Med Microbiol 2008; 57:516-518. [DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.47563-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Pseudozyma aphidis is a heterobasidiomycetous yeast related to the smut fungi in the genus Ustilago. Pseudozyma species are usually isolated from plants and rarely from clinical specimens. We report what is believed to be the first paediatric case of central venous catheter (CVC)-related fungaemia associated with P. aphidis. Prompt removal of the CVC in conjunction with anti-fungal therapy resulted in a successful outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shau-Shau Lin
- Departments of Pediatric Surgery, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Thomas Pranikoff
- Departments of Pediatric Surgery, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Shani F. Smith
- Department of Pediatrics, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Mary E. Brandt
- Mycotic Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Kemery Gilbert
- Department of Pathology, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | | | - Avinash K. Shetty
- Department of Pediatrics, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
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The fungus Ustilago maydis and humans share disease-related proteins that are not found in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. BMC Genomics 2007; 8:473. [PMID: 18096044 PMCID: PMC2262911 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-8-473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2007] [Accepted: 12/20/2007] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The corn smut fungus Ustilago maydis is a well-established model system for molecular phytopathology. In addition, it recently became evident that U. maydis and humans share proteins and cellular processes that are not found in the standard fungal model Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This prompted us to do a comparative analysis of the predicted proteome of U. maydis, S. cerevisiae and humans. Results At a cut off at 20% identity over protein length, all three organisms share 1738 proteins, whereas both fungi share only 541 conserved proteins. Despite the evolutionary distance between U. maydis and humans, 777 proteins were shared. When applying a more stringent criterion (≥ 20% identity with a homologue in one organism over at least 50 amino acids and ≥ 10% less in the other organism), we found 681 proteins for the comparison of U. maydis and humans, whereas the both fungi share only 622 fungal specific proteins. Finally, we found that S. cerevisiae and humans shared 312 proteins. In the U. maydis to H. sapiens homology set 454 proteins are functionally classified and 42 proteins are related to serious human diseases. However, a large portion of 222 proteins are of unknown function. Conclusion The fungus U. maydis has a long history of being a model system for understanding DNA recombination and repair, as well as molecular plant pathology. The identification of functionally un-characterized genes that are conserved in humans and U. maydis opens the door for experimental work, which promises new insight in the cell biology of the mammalian cell.
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Flor-Parra I, Castillo-Lluva S, Pérez-Martín J. Polar growth in the infectious hyphae of the phytopathogen ustilago maydis depends on a virulence-specific cyclin. THE PLANT CELL 2007; 19:3280-96. [PMID: 17921314 PMCID: PMC2174706 DOI: 10.1105/tpc.107.052738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2007] [Revised: 09/07/2007] [Accepted: 09/19/2007] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
The maize smut fungus Ustilago maydis switches from yeast to hyphal growth to infect maize (Zea mays) plants. This switching is promoted by mating of compatible cells and seems to be required for plant penetration. Although many genes distinctively expressed during this dimorphic switch have been identified and shown to be essential for the infection process, none seems to be explicitly required for polar growth control. Here, we report the characterization of pcl12, encoding a cyclin that interacts specifically with Cdk5, an essential cyclin-dependent kinase with regulatory roles in morphogenesis in U. maydis. Pcl12 fulfills the requirements to be a virulence-specific regulator of polar growth in U. maydis. First, pcl12 expression is induced during the pathogenic development. Secondly, Pcl12 is sufficient to induce hyperpolarized growth in U. maydis cells, as haploid cells overexpressing pcl12 in axenic conditions produce filaments that were morphologically indistinguishable from those produced during the infection process. Finally, cells defective in pcl12 showed impaired polar growth during the formation of the b-dependent filament, the induction of the conjugation tubes, or the formation of a promycelium in spore germination. However, in spite of this pivotal role during morphogenesis, pcl12 mutants were virulent. We discuss the implications of these results for the role of polar growth during the infection process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ignacio Flor-Parra
- Departamento de Biotecnología Microbiana, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
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Mao N, Zhou Q, Kojic M, Pérez-Martín J, Holloman WK. Ortholog of BRCA2-interacting protein BCCIP controls morphogenetic responses during DNA replication stress in Ustilago maydis. DNA Repair (Amst) 2007; 6:1651-60. [PMID: 17627904 PMCID: PMC2696116 DOI: 10.1016/j.dnarep.2007.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2006] [Revised: 05/23/2007] [Accepted: 05/29/2007] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The BRCA2 tumor suppressor functions in repair of DNA by homologous recombination through regulating the action of Rad51. In turn, BRCA2 appears to be regulated by other interacting proteins. Dss1, a small interacting protein that binds to the C-terminal domain, has a profound effect on activity as deduced from studies on the BRCA2-related protein Brh2 in Ustilago maydis. Evidence accumulating in mammalian systems suggests that BCCIP, another small interacting protein that binds to the C-terminal domain of BRCA2, also serves to regulate homologous recombination activity. Here we were interested in testing the role of the putative U. maydis BCCIP ortholog Bcp1 in DNA repair and recombination. In keeping with the mammalian paradigm, Bcp1 bound to the C-terminal region of Brh2. Mutants deleted of the gene were extremely slow growing, showed a delay passing through S phase and exhibited sensitivity to hydroxyurea, but were otherwise normal in DNA repair and homologous recombination. In the absence of Bcp1 cells were unable to maintain the wild type morphology when challenged by a DNA replication stress. These results suggest that Bcp1 could be involved in coordinating morphogenetic events with DNA processing during replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ninghui Mao
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Hearst Microbiology Research Center, Cornell University Weill Medical College, New York, NY 10021
| | - Qingwen Zhou
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Hearst Microbiology Research Center, Cornell University Weill Medical College, New York, NY 10021
| | - Milorad Kojic
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Hearst Microbiology Research Center, Cornell University Weill Medical College, New York, NY 10021
| | | | - William K. Holloman
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Hearst Microbiology Research Center, Cornell University Weill Medical College, New York, NY 10021
- Corresponding author: Dr. W. K. Holloman, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Box 62, Cornell University Weill Medical College, 1300 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021 USA, Tel: 212-746-6510 Fax: 212-746-8587,
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Steinberg G. Tracks for traffic: microtubules in the plant pathogen Ustilago maydis. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2007; 174:721-733. [PMID: 17504456 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2007.02072.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Pathogenic development of the corn smut fungus Ustilago maydis depends on the ability of the hypha to grow invasively. Extended hyphal growth and mitosis require microtubules, as revealed by recent studies on the microtubule cytoskeleton. Surprisingly, hyphal tip growth involves only two out of 10 kinesins. Kinesin-3 is responsible for tip-directed (anterograde) endosome motility of early endosomes, which are thought to support hyphal elongation by apical membrane recycling. In addition, kinesin-3, together with kinesin-1 and myosin-5, appear to deliver secretory vesicles to the hyphal tip. Kinesin-1 also affects endosome motility by targeting cytoplasmic dynein to microtubule plus ends. This plus-end localization of dynein is essential for cell body-directed (retrograde) endosome motility, but also allows force generation during spindle elongation in mitosis. Furthermore, kinesin-1 and dynein participate in the organization of the microtubule array, thereby building their own network of tracks for intracellular motility. The recent progress in understanding microtubule-based processes in U. maydis has revealed an unexpected complexity of motor functions essential for the virulence of this pathogen. Further studies on structural and regulatory requirements for motor activity should help identify novel targets for fungicide development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gero Steinberg
- Max-Planck-Institut für terrestrische Mikrobiologie, Karl-von-Frisch-Straße, D-35043 Marburg, Germany
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