Chitin synthase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Substantial decrease in cell wall α-1,3-glucan caused by disruption of the kexB gene encoding a subtilisin-like processing protease in Aspergillus oryzae

Disruption of the kexB encoding a subtilisin-like processing protease in Aspergillus oryzae (ΔkexB) leads to substantial morphological defects when the cells are grown on Czapek-Dox agar plates. We previously found that the disruption of kexB causes a constitutive activation of the cell wall integrity pathway. To understand how the disruption of the kexB affects cell wall organization and components, we analyzed the cell wall of ΔkexB grown on the plates. The results revealed that both total N-acetylglucosamine content, which constitutes chitin, and chitin synthase activities were increased. Whereas total glucose content, which constitutes β-1,3-glucan and α-1,3-glucan, was decreased; this decrease was attributed to a remarkable decrease in α-1,3-glucan. Additionally, the β-1,3-glucan in the alkali-insoluble fraction of the ΔkexB showed a high degree of polymerization. These results suggested that the loss of α-1,3-glucan in the ΔkexB was compensated by increases in the chitin content and the average degree of β-1,3-glucan polymerization.

2-Acylamido analogues of N-acetylglucosamine prime formation of chitin oligosaccharides by yeast chitin synthase 2

Chitin, a homopolymer of β1,4-linked N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) residues, is a key component of the cell walls of fungi and the exoskeletons of arthropods. Chitin synthases transfer GlcNAc from UDP-GlcNAc to preexisting chitin chains in reactions that are typically stimulated by free GlcNAc. The effect of GlcNAc was probed by using a yeast strain expressing a single chitin synthase, Chs2, by examining formation of chitin oligosaccharides (COs) and insoluble chitin, and by replacing GlcNAc with 2-acylamido analogues of GlcNAc. Synthesis of COs was strongly dependent on inclusion of GlcNAc in chitin synthase incubations, and N,N'-diacetylchitobiose (GlcNAc2) was the major reaction product. Formation of both COs and insoluble chitin was also stimulated by GlcNAc2 and by N-propanoyl-, N-butanoyl-, and N-glycolylglucosamine. MALDI analyses of the COs made in the presence of 2-acylamido analogues of GlcNAc showed they that contained a single GlcNAc analogue and one or more additional GlcNAc residues. These results indicate that Chs2 can use certain 2-acylamido analogues of GlcNAc, and likely free GlcNAc and GlcNAc2 as well, as GlcNAc acceptors in a UDP-GlcNAc-dependent glycosyltransfer reaction. Further, formation of modified disaccharides indicates that CSs can transfer single GlcNAc residues.

Anin vitroassay for (1 → 6)-β-D-glucan synthesis inSaccharomyces cerevisiae

(1 --> 6)-beta-D-glucan is a key cell wall component of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans. Many genes are known to affect the levels or structure of this glucan, but their roles and a molecular description of the synthesis of (1 --> 6)-beta-D-glucan remain to be established and a method to measure (1 --> 6)-beta-D-glucan synthase activity in vitro would provide an enabling tool. Here, conditions for the detection of in vitro synthesis of this polymer are described. Crude membrane preparations from S. cerevisiae were isolated, and incubated in the presence of UDP-glucose and GTP. With anti-(1 --> 6)-beta-D-glucan-specific antibodies, a time-dependent increase in the amount of this glucan was demonstrated in a dot-blot assay, or through an inhibition enzyme immunoassay. Antibody specificity was validated by competition experiments using pustulan, a (1 --> 6)-beta-D-glucan, laminarin, a (1 --> 3)-beta-D-glucan, yeast mannan and glycogen. The identity of the reaction product was also demonstrated by its sensitivity to a recombinant (1 --> 6)-beta-D-glucanase. Extracts from mutants in 10 genes with a wide range of altered cell wall (1 --> 6)-beta-D-glucan levels were assayed for in vitro synthesis of the polymer. A strong correlation of in vitro synthase activity with in vivo glucan levels was found, providing genetic support for the specificity of the assay. The basis for the GTP-dependence of the synthase reaction was studied. Extracts from rho2, rho3, rho4 and rho5 null mutants had wild-type in vitro activity. In contrast, Rho1p overproduction led to increased in vitro synthesis, implicating Rho1p in the regulation of (1 --> 6)-beta-D-glucan synthesis.

Relation between cell wall chitin content and susceptibility to amphotericin B in Kluyveromyces, Candida and Schizosaccharomyces species

Yeast strains belonging to the genera Candida, Kluyveromyces and Schizosaccharomyces were tested for their susceptibility (or resistance) to amphotericin B (AmB) in relation to their cell wall chitin content. Results showed that membrane sterol contents did not enable us to explain resistance or susceptibility of these yeasts to AmB. Indeed, we noted that resistant strains were as rich in ergosterol as sensitive strains. The suppression of the wall of yeasts induced an increase in susceptibility to AmB. Strains with high cell wall chitin content were more sensitive to this polyenic antifungal agent than strains with low chitin content. Growth of the yeasts in the presence of chitin induced a resistance of the yeasts to AmB. Similar results were obtained after treatment of the cells by chitinase. In contrast, growth of the yeasts in the presence of chitin synthase activators induced high susceptibility to AmB. Yeast cell wall chitin is an aminopolysaccharide, usually at low concentrations. In Schizosaccharomyces pombe its presence was not established. This polymer is associated with glucans in the wall matrix of the lateral wall and in the budding scars. Even at low content, this polymer seems to play an essential role in the sensitivity (or resistance) of yeast cells to AmB.

Two-dimensional analysis of proteins secreted by Saccharomyces cerevisiae regenerating protoplasts: a novel approach to study the cell wall

Protoplasts of Saccharomyces cerevisiae incubated in regenerating conditions secrete cell wall components in order to allow the biosynthesis of this structure. During the first hours of incubation, many of these are not retained in the forming cell wall but remain in the medium. We have developed a method for collecting the secreted proteins and have analysed these by two-dimensional electrophoresis to obtain a reference map of putative cell wall proteins. Several proteins were identified by microsequencing or immunoblotting; namely, cell wall hydrolytic enzymes, heat shock proteins, glycolytic enzymes and others. Some beta-1,3- and beta-1, 6-glucosylation was detected in the proteins secreted by regenerating protoplasts.

HKR1 encodes a cell surface protein that regulates both cell wall beta-glucan synthesis and budding pattern in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

We previously isolated the Saccharomyces cerevisiae HKR1 gene that confers on S. cerevisiae cells resistance to HM-1 killer toxin secreted by Hansenula mrakii (S. Kasahara, H. Yamada, T. Mio, Y. Shiratori, C. Miyamoto, T. Yabe, T. Nakajima, E. Ichishima, and Y. Furuichi, J. Bacteriol. 176:1488-1499, 1994). HKR1 encodes a type 1 membrane protein that contains a calcium-binding consensus sequence (EF hand motif) in the cytoplasmic domain. Although the null mutation of HKR1 is lethal, disruption of the 3' part of the coding region, which would result in deletion of the cytoplasmic domain of Hkr1p, did not affect the viability of yeast cells. This partial disruption of HKR1 significantly reduced beta-1,3-glucan synthase activity and the amount of beta-1,3-glucan in the cell wall and altered the axial budding pattern of haploid cells. Neither chitin synthase activity nor chitin content was significantly affected in the cells harboring the partially disrupted HKR1 allele. Immunofluorescence microscopy with an antibody raised against Hkr1p expressed in Escherichia coli revealed that Hkr1p was predominantly localized on the cell surface. The cell surface localization of Hkr1p required the N-terminal signal sequence because the C-terminal half of Hkr1p was detected uniformly in the cells. These results demonstrate that HKR1 encodes a cell surface protein that regulates both cell wall beta-glucan synthesis and budding pattern and suggest that bud site assembly is somehow related to beta-glucan synthesis in S. cerevisiae.

Identification of the aminocatechol A-3253 as an in vitro poison of DNA topoisomerase I from Candida albicans

The aminocatechol A-3253 is active against several pathogenic fungi, including Candida albicans, Cryptococcus albidus, and Aspergillus niger. A-3253 interferes with both the in vitro biosynthesis of (1,3)-beta-glucan and the activity of topoisomerases I isolated from Candida spp. It is likely that one or more of the enzymes involved in glucan biosynthesis rather than topoisomerase I is the primary intracellular target of A-3253, since a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae lacking topoisomerase I is as susceptible to A-3253 as cells containing wild-type levels of topoisomerase I. However, the interaction of A-3253 with topoisomerase I in vitro is of interest since the Candida topoisomerase is more susceptible to A-3253 than is the topoisomerase I isolated from human HeLa cells. A-3253 is both a reversible inhibitor of topoisomerase I catalysis and a reversible poison of topoisomerase I, and in both reactions the fungal topoisomerase I is more susceptible than the human topoisomerase I to A-3253. In contrast, an earlier study found that the human topoisomerase I is more susceptible than the fungal topoisomerase to camptothecin (J. M. Fostel, D. A. Montgomery, and L. L. Shen, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 36:2131-2138, 1992). Taken together with the response to camptothecin, the greater susceptibility of the Candida topoisomerase I to A-3253 suggests that there are structural differences between the human and fungal type I topoisomerases which can likely be exploited to allow for the development of antifungal agents which act against the fungal topoisomerase and which have minimal activity against the human enzyme.

Increased antifungal activity of L-733,560, a water-soluble, semisynthetic pneumocandin, is due to enhanced inhibition of cell wall synthesis

The pneumocandins are natural lipopeptide products of the echinocandin class which inhibit the synthesis of 1,3-beta-D-glucan in susceptible fungi. The lack of a corresponding pathway in mammalian hosts makes this mode of action an attractive one for treating systemic infections. Substitution by an aminoethyl ether at the hemiaminal and dehydration and reduction of the glutamine of pneumocandin B0 produced a semisynthetic compound (L-733,560) with intrinsic water solubility, significantly increased potency, and a broader antifungal spectrum. To evaluate the mechanism for the improved antifungal efficacy, we determined that L-733,560 was a more potent inhibitor of glucan synthase activity in vitro, did not affect the other membrane-bound enzymes tested, conferred susceptibility to lysis in the absence of osmotic support, and did not disrupt currents in liposomal bilayers or 86Rb+ fluxes from liposomes. In Aspergillus species L-733,560 also produced the same morphological alterations as pneumocandin B0. A stereoisomer of L-733,560 with poor antifungal activity was a weak inhibitor of glucan synthase. All of these results support the notion that the enhanced antifungal activity of L-733,560 is achieved by superior inhibition of glucan synthesis and not by nonspecific membrane effects or a second mode of action.

A Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant with echinocandin-resistant 1,3-beta-D-glucan synthase

A novel, potent, semisynthetic pneumocandin, L-733,560, was used to isolate a resistant mutant in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This compound, like other pneumocandins and echinocandins, inhibits 1,3-beta-D-glucan synthase from Candida albicans (F.A. Bouffard, R.A. Zambias, J. F. Dropinski, J.M. Balkovec, M.L. Hammond, G.K. Abruzzo, K.F. Bartizal, J.A. Marrinan, M. B. Kurtz, D.C. McFadden, K.H. Nollstadt, M.A. Powles, and D.M. Schmatz, J. Med. Chem. 37:222-225, 1994). Glucan synthesis catalyzed by a crude membrane fraction prepared from the S. cerevisiae mutant R560-1C was resistant to inhibition by L-733,560. The nearly 50-fold increase in the 50% inhibitory concentration against glucan synthase was commensurate with the increase in whole-cell resistance. R560-1C was cross-resistant to other inhibitors of C. albicans 1,3-beta-D-glucan synthase (aculeacin A, dihydropapulacandin, and others) but not to compounds with different modes of action. Genetic analysis revealed that enzyme and whole-cell pneumocandin resistance was due to a single mutant gene, designated etg1-1 (echinocandin target gene 1), which was semidominant in heterozygous diploids. The etg1-1 mutation did not confer enhanced ability to metabolize L-733,560 and had no effect on the membrane-bound enzymes chitin synthase I and squalene synthase. Alkali-soluble beta-glucan synthesized by crude microsomes from R560-1C was indistinguishable from the wild-type product. 1,3-beta-D-Glucan synthase activity from R560-1C was fractionated with NaCl and Tergitol NP-40; reconstitution with fractions from wild-type membranes revealed that drug resistance is associated with the insoluble membrane fraction. We propose that the etg1-1 mutant gene encodes a subunit of the 1,3-beta-D-glucan synthase complex.