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Zhang J, Qiu R, Bieger BD, Oakley CE, Oakley BR, Egan MJ, Xiang X. Aspergillus SUMOylation mutants exhibit chromosome segregation defects including chromatin bridges. Genetics 2023; 225:iyad169. [PMID: 37724751 PMCID: PMC10697819 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Functions of protein SUMOylation remain incompletely understood in different cell types. Via forward genetics, here we identified ubaBQ247*, a loss-of-function mutation in a SUMO activation enzyme UbaB in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans. The ubaBQ247*, ΔubaB, and ΔsumO mutants all produce abnormal chromatin bridges, indicating the importance of SUMOylation in the completion of chromosome segregation. The bridges are enclosed by nuclear membrane containing peripheral nuclear pore complex proteins that normally get dispersed during mitosis, and the bridges are also surrounded by cytoplasmic microtubules typical of interphase cells. Time-lapse sequences further indicate that most bridges persist through interphase prior to the next mitosis, and anaphase chromosome segregation can produce new bridges that persist into the next interphase. When the first mitosis happens at a higher temperature of 42°C, SUMOylation deficiency produces not only chromatin bridges but also many abnormally shaped single nuclei that fail to divide. UbaB-GFP localizes to interphase nuclei just like the previously studied SumO-GFP, but the nuclear signals disappear during mitosis when the nuclear pores are partially open, and the signals reappear after mitosis. The nuclear localization is consistent with many SUMO targets being nuclear proteins. Finally, although the budding yeast SUMOylation machinery interacts with LIS1, a protein critical for dynein activation, loss of SUMOylation does not cause any obvious defect in dynein-mediated transport of nuclei and early endosomes, indicating that SUMOylation is unnecessary for dynein activation in A. nidulans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences-F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Rongde Qiu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences-F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Baronger D Bieger
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Arkansas Systems Division of Agriculture, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
| | - C Elizabeth Oakley
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
| | - Berl R Oakley
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
| | - Martin J Egan
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Arkansas Systems Division of Agriculture, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
| | - Xin Xiang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences-F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
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Zhang J, Qiu R, Bieger BD, Oakley CE, Oakley BR, Egan MJ, Xiang X. Aspergillus SUMOylation mutants have normal dynein function but exhibit chromatin bridges. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.16.537086. [PMID: 37131833 PMCID: PMC10153134 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.16.537086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Functions of protein SUMOylation remain incompletely understood in different cell types. The budding yeast SUMOylation machinery interacts with LIS1, a protein critical for dynein activation, but dynein-pathway components were not identified as SUMO-targets in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans. Via A. nidulans forward genetics, here we identified ubaBQ247*, a loss-of-function mutation in a SUMO-activation enzyme UbaB. Colonies of the ubaBQ247*, ΔubaB and ΔsumO mutants looked similar and less healthy than the wild-type colony. In these mutants, about 10% of nuclei are connected by abnormal chromatin bridges, indicating the importance of SUMOylation in the completion of chromosome segregation. Nuclei connected by chromatin bridges are mostly in interphase, suggesting that these bridges do not prevent cell-cycle progression. UbaB-GFP localizes to interphase nuclei just like the previously studied SumO-GFP, but the nuclear signals disappear during mitosis when the nuclear pores are partially open, and the signals reappear after mitosis. The nuclear localization is consistent with many SUMO-targets being nuclear proteins, for example, topoisomerase II whose SUMOylation defect gives rise to chromatin bridges in mammalian cells. Unlike in mammalian cells, however, loss of SUMOylation in A. nidulans does not apparently affect the metaphase-to-anaphase transition, further highlighting differences in the requirements of SUMOylation in different cell types. Finally, loss of UbaB or SumO does not affect dynein- and LIS1-mediated early-endosome transport, indicating that SUMOylation is unnecessary for dynein or LIS1 function in A. nidulans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences- F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA
| | - Rongde Qiu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences- F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA
| | - Baronger D. Bieger
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Arkansas Systems Division of Agriculture, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | - C. Elizabeth Oakley
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Berl R. Oakley
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Martin J. Egan
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Arkansas Systems Division of Agriculture, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | - Xin Xiang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences- F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA
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Suresh S, Osmani SA. Protein Retargeting in Aspergillus nidulans to Study the Function of Nuclear Pore Complex Proteins. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2502:183-201. [PMID: 35412239 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2337-4_12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Targeting a protein of interest to a subcellular location by linking it to another protein is a commonly used approach to help determine function in many model systems. Such targeting strategies rely on the creation of functional protein-protein fusions followed by microscopic examination if one or both proteins have fluorescent tags. In this paper, using the model filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans, we describe methods to link GFP-tagged proteins to other proteins in the cell by fusing the latter with a GFP-Binding Protein (GBP) that has a high affinity for GFP. This method enables rapid generation of strains with linked proteins in filamentous fungi by sexual crossing or transformations. Additionally, if these two linked proteins stably associate with subcellular structures, it is possible to link the structures using this approach. For example, we used this method to link Nuclear Pore Complexes (NPCs) with mitotic chromatin in A. nidulans. This was done to show that the NPC protein Nup2, that uniquely transitions from NPC onto mitotic chromatin, couples NPC segregation with chromatin segregation by bridging these two structures. In the absence of Nup2, we used the described approach to show that an artificial NPC-chromatin bridge was sufficient for faithful NPC segregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subbulakshmi Suresh
- The Department of Molecular Genetics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
| | - Stephen A Osmani
- The Department of Molecular Genetics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
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Shang R, Zhu F, Li Y, He P, Qi J, Chen Y, Sun F, Zhang Y, Wang Q, Shen Z. Identification and localization of Nup170 in the microsporidian Nosema bombycis. Parasitol Res 2021; 120:2125-2134. [PMID: 33768334 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-021-07129-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
As one of the core framework proteins of nuclear pore complex (NPC), nucleoporin Nupl70 acts as a structural adapter between the nucleolus and nuclear pore membrane and maintains the stability of NPC structure through interaction with other proteins. In this study, we identified a Nup170 protein in the microsporidian Nosema bombycis for the first time and named it as NbNup170. Secondary structure prediction showed that the NbNup170 contains α-helices and random coils. The three-dimensional structure of NbNup170 is elliptical in shape. Phylogenetic analysis based on the Nup170 and homologous sequences showed that N. bombycis clustered together with Vairimorpha ceranae and Vairimorpha apis. The immunofluorescence localization results showed that the NbNup170 was located on the plasma membrane of the dormant spore and transferred to the surface of sporoplasm in a punctate pattern when the dormant spore has finished germination, and that NbNup170 was distributed on the nuclear membrane and both sides of the nuclei of early proliferative phase, and only on the nuclear membrane during sporogonic phase in the N. bombycis. qPCR analysis showed that the relative expression level of NbNup170 maintained at a low level from 30 to 78 h post-infection with N. bombycis, then reached the highest at 102 h, while that of NbNup170 was repressed at a very low level throughout its life cycle by RNA interference. These results suggested that NbNup170 protein is involved in the proliferative phase and active during the sporogonic phase of N. bombycis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruisha Shang
- Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, 212018, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Feng Zhu
- College of Life Sciences, Zaozhuang University, Zaozhuang, 277160, Shandong Province, China
- Institute of Sericulture and Apiculture, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Mengzi, 661101, Yunnan Province, China
| | - Yu Li
- Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, 212018, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Ping He
- Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, 212018, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Jingru Qi
- Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, 212018, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Yong Chen
- Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, 212018, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Fuzhen Sun
- Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, 212018, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Yiling Zhang
- Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, 212018, Jiangsu Province, China
- Sericultural Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhenjiang, 212018, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Qiang Wang
- Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, 212018, Jiangsu Province, China
- Sericultural Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhenjiang, 212018, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Zhongyuan Shen
- Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, 212018, Jiangsu Province, China.
- Sericultural Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhenjiang, 212018, Jiangsu Province, China.
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Loss of SMPD4 Causes a Developmental Disorder Characterized by Microcephaly and Congenital Arthrogryposis. Am J Hum Genet 2019; 105:689-705. [PMID: 31495489 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2019.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2019] [Accepted: 08/15/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Sphingomyelinases generate ceramide from sphingomyelin as a second messenger in intracellular signaling pathways involved in cell proliferation, differentiation, or apoptosis. Children from 12 unrelated families presented with microcephaly, simplified gyral pattern of the cortex, hypomyelination, cerebellar hypoplasia, congenital arthrogryposis, and early fetal/postnatal demise. Genomic analysis revealed bi-allelic loss-of-function variants in SMPD4, coding for the neutral sphingomyelinase-3 (nSMase-3/SMPD4). Overexpression of human Myc-tagged SMPD4 showed localization both to the outer nuclear envelope and the ER and additionally revealed interactions with several nuclear pore complex proteins by proteomics analysis. Fibroblasts from affected individuals showed ER cisternae abnormalities, suspected for increased autophagy, and were more susceptible to apoptosis under stress conditions, while treatment with siSMPD4 caused delayed cell cycle progression. Our data show that SMPD4 links homeostasis of membrane sphingolipids to cell fate by regulating the cross-talk between the ER and the outer nuclear envelope, while its loss reveals a pathogenic mechanism in microcephaly.
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Huguet F, Flynn S, Vagnarelli P. The Role of Phosphatases in Nuclear Envelope Disassembly and Reassembly and Their Relevance to Pathologies. Cells 2019; 8:cells8070687. [PMID: 31284660 PMCID: PMC6678589 DOI: 10.3390/cells8070687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2019] [Revised: 07/05/2019] [Accepted: 07/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of kinases in the regulation of cell cycle transitions is very well established, however, over the past decade, studies have identified the ever-growing importance of phosphatases in these processes. It is well-known that an intact or otherwise non-deformed nuclear envelope (NE) is essential for maintaining healthy cells and any deviation from this can result in pathological conditions. This review aims at assessing the current understanding of how phosphatases contribute to the remodelling of the nuclear envelope during its disassembling and reformation after cell division and how errors in this process may lead to the development of diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florentin Huguet
- College of Health and Life Science, Research Institute for Environment Health and Society, Brunel University London, London UB8 3PH, UK
| | - Shane Flynn
- College of Health and Life Science, Research Institute for Environment Health and Society, Brunel University London, London UB8 3PH, UK
| | - Paola Vagnarelli
- College of Health and Life Science, Research Institute for Environment Health and Society, Brunel University London, London UB8 3PH, UK.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark C Field
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom;
- Biology Centre, Institute of Parasitology, Czech Academy of Sciences, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
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