1
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Sun M, Lu T, Chen P, Wang X, Yang H, Zhou R, Zheng W, Zhao Y. The sensor histidine kinase (SLN1) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC1) coordinately regulate the response of Neurospora crassa to the springtail Sinella curviseta (Collembola: Entomobryidae) attack. Appl Environ Microbiol 2023; 89:e0101823. [PMID: 37855634 PMCID: PMC10686092 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01018-23] [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: 06/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Understanding the regulatory pathways by which fungi respond to environmental signals through interlinked genes provides insights into the interactions between fungi and insects. The coordinated optimization of the regulatory networks is necessary for fungi to adapt to their habitats. We demonstrated that the synergistic regulation of sensor histidine kinase (SLN1) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC1) plays a critical role in regulating the fungal response to Sinella curviseta stress. Furthermore, we found that the enhanced production of trehalose, carotenoids, and 5-MTHF plays crucial role in the resistance to the fungivore. Our results provide insights into the understanding of the adaptation of N. crassa to environmental stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengni Sun
- School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Ting Lu
- School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Pengxu Chen
- School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Xiaomeng Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Hanbing Yang
- School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Rong Zhou
- School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Weifa Zheng
- School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Yanxia Zhao
- School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, China
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2
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Li L, Zhu XM, Zhang YR, Cai YY, Wang JY, Liu MY, Wang JY, Bao JD, Lin FC. Research on the Molecular Interaction Mechanism between Plants and Pathogenic Fungi. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23094658. [PMID: 35563048 PMCID: PMC9104627 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23094658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Revised: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Plant diseases caused by fungi are one of the major threats to global food security and understanding the interactions between fungi and plants is of great significance for plant disease control. The interaction between pathogenic fungi and plants is a complex process. From the perspective of pathogenic fungi, pathogenic fungi are involved in the regulation of pathogenicity by surface signal recognition proteins, MAPK signaling pathways, transcription factors, and pathogenic factors in the process of infecting plants. From the perspective of plant immunity, the signal pathway of immune response, the signal transduction pathway that induces plant immunity, and the function of plant cytoskeleton are the keys to studying plant resistance. In this review, we summarize the current research progress of fungi–plant interactions from multiple aspects and discuss the prospects and challenges of phytopathogenic fungi and their host interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Li
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Treats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Institute of Plant Protection and Microbiology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China; (L.L.); (X.-M.Z.); (J.-Y.W.); (J.-D.B.)
| | - Xue-Ming Zhu
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Treats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Institute of Plant Protection and Microbiology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China; (L.L.); (X.-M.Z.); (J.-Y.W.); (J.-D.B.)
| | - Yun-Ran Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Treats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; (Y.-R.Z.); (Y.-Y.C.); (J.-Y.W.); (M.-Y.L.)
| | - Ying-Ying Cai
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Treats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; (Y.-R.Z.); (Y.-Y.C.); (J.-Y.W.); (M.-Y.L.)
| | - Jing-Yi Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Treats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; (Y.-R.Z.); (Y.-Y.C.); (J.-Y.W.); (M.-Y.L.)
| | - Meng-Yu Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Treats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; (Y.-R.Z.); (Y.-Y.C.); (J.-Y.W.); (M.-Y.L.)
| | - Jiao-Yu Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Treats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Institute of Plant Protection and Microbiology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China; (L.L.); (X.-M.Z.); (J.-Y.W.); (J.-D.B.)
| | - Jian-Dong Bao
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Treats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Institute of Plant Protection and Microbiology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China; (L.L.); (X.-M.Z.); (J.-Y.W.); (J.-D.B.)
| | - Fu-Cheng Lin
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Treats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Institute of Plant Protection and Microbiology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China; (L.L.); (X.-M.Z.); (J.-Y.W.); (J.-D.B.)
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Treats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; (Y.-R.Z.); (Y.-Y.C.); (J.-Y.W.); (M.-Y.L.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-571-88404007
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3
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Muñiz-Paredes F, Sanchéz-García L, Garza-López P, Viniegra-González G, Loera O. Improved conidiation from entomopathogenic fungi through 26% oxygen pulses in solid-state culture depends on a balance between headspace volume and substrate amounts. Lett Appl Microbiol 2019; 69:279-285. [PMID: 31400161 DOI: 10.1111/lam.13206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2019] [Revised: 07/05/2019] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Oxygen-enriched atmospheres applied as periodic pulses increased conidia production from entomopathogenic fungi in agar surface cultures. However, this advantage has not been obtained in solid-state cultures (SSC), probably as a result of different biomass production between both culture systems. In this work, the biomass formation from two Isaria strains was limited in SSC using 5, 2·5 and 1 initial grams of substrate (gds). In the system with 5 gds, conidia production decreased in 26% oxygen-enriched pulses compared to the normal atmosphere. Conversely, 26% oxygen pulses increased conidiation up to one order magnitude in systems with 2·5 and 1 gds, respective to the normal atmosphere. These results were explained by oxygen depletion and high CO2 accumulation in the 5 gds system. Whereas in systems with 2·5 or 1 gds, oxygen levels remained high enough to stimulate conidiation. These results were attributed to the headspace volume:gds ratio, which is suggested to be ≥48 ml per gds. This ratio is proposed as a scaling-up criterion for bioreactor design when oxygen-enriched pulses are used in SSC for improvement of conidia production. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Oxygen-enriched atmospheres applied as periodic pulses increase conidiation in entomopathogenic fungi (EF). However, this remained restricted to agar surface cultures, since conidiation decreased when carried out in solid-state culture (SSC) which is used as large-scale production system. We identified that in SSC the ratio between the headspace volume containing 26% oxygen-enriched pulses and the grams of substrate determines the conidiation response to oxygen-enriched pulses. For the first time, oxygen-enriched pulses increased conidiation in SSC respective to the normal atmosphere in four EF. This ratio is proposed as a bioreactor criterion design for large-scale conidia production of EF using oxygen-enriched pulses.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Muñiz-Paredes
- Departamento de Biotecnología, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Iztapalapa, Iztapalapa, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - L Sanchéz-García
- Departamento de Biotecnología, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Iztapalapa, Iztapalapa, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - P Garza-López
- Instituto de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Tulancingo, Hidalgo, Mexico
| | - G Viniegra-González
- Departamento de Biotecnología, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Iztapalapa, Iztapalapa, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - O Loera
- Departamento de Biotecnología, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Iztapalapa, Iztapalapa, Ciudad de México, Mexico
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4
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Conidiation in Neurospora crassa: vegetative reproduction by a model fungus. Int Microbiol 2019; 23:97-105. [DOI: 10.1007/s10123-019-00085-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2019] [Revised: 05/14/2019] [Accepted: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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5
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Sun X, Wang F, Lan N, Liu B, Hu C, Xue W, Zhang Z, Li S. The Zn(II)2Cys6-Type Transcription Factor ADA-6 Regulates Conidiation, Sexual Development, and Oxidative Stress Response in Neurospora crassa. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:750. [PMID: 31024511 PMCID: PMC6468284 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00750] [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] [Received: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 03/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Conidiation and sexual development are critical for reproduction, dispersal and better-adapted survival in many filamentous fungi. The Neurospora crassa gene ada-6 encodes a Zn(II)2Cys6-type transcription factor, whose deletion resulted in reduced conidial production and female sterility. In this study, we confirmed the positive contribution of ada-6 to conidiation and sexual development by detailed phenotypic characterization of its deletion mutant and the complemented mutant. To understand the regulatory mechanisms of ADA-6 in conidiation and sexual development, transcriptomic profiles generated by RNA-seq from the Δada-6 mutant and wild type during conidiation and sexual development were compared. During conidial development, differential expressed genes (DEGs) between the Δada-6 mutant and wild type are mainly involved in oxidation-reduction process and single-organism metabolic process. Several conidiation related genes are positively regulated by ADA-6, including genes that positively regulate conidiation (fluffy and acon-3), and genes preferentially expressed during conidial development (eas, con-6, con-8, con-10, con-13, pcp-1, and NCU9357), as the expression of these genes were lower in the Δada-6 mutant compared to wild type during conidial development. Phenotypic observation of deletion mutants for other genes with unknown function down-regulated by ada-6 deletion revealed that deletion mutants for four genes (NCU00929, NCU05260, NCU00116, and NCU04813) produced less conidia than wild type. Deletion of ada-6 resulted in female sterility, which might be due to that ADA-6 affects oxidation-reduction process and transmembrane transport process, and positively regulates the transcription of pre-2, poi-2, and NCU05832, three key genes participating in sexual development. In both conidiation and the sexual development process, ADA-6 regulates the transcription of cat-3 and other genes participating in reactive oxygen species production according to RNA-seq data, indicating a role of ADA-6 in oxidative stress response. This was further confirmed by the results that deletion of ada-6 led to hypersensitivity to oxidants H2O2 and menadione. Together, these results proved that ADA-6, as a global regulator, plays a crucial role in conidiation, sexual development, and oxidative stress response of N. crassa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianyun Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Fei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Food Science and Engineering, Qilu University of Technology, Jinan, China
| | - Nan Lan
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Bo Liu
- College of Food Science and Engineering, Qilu University of Technology, Jinan, China
| | - Chengcheng Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Xue
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhenying Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shaojie Li
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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6
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Cao H, Huang P, Yan Y, Shi Y, Dong B, Liu X, Ye L, Lin F, Lu J. The basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor Crf1 is required for development and pathogenicity of the rice blast fungus by regulating carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. Environ Microbiol 2018; 20:3427-3441. [PMID: 30126031 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.14387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2017] [Revised: 08/12/2018] [Accepted: 08/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Pyricularia oryzae is a plant pathogen causing rice blast, a serious disease spreading in cultivated rice globally. Transcription factors play important regulatory roles in fungal development and pathogenicity. Here, we characterized the biological functions of Crf1, a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor, in the development and pathogenicity of P. oryzae with functional genetics, molecular and biochemical approaches. We found that CRF1 is necessary for virulence and plays an indispensable role in the regulation of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in P. oryzae. Deletion of CRF1 led to defects in utilization of lipids, ethanol, glycerol and L-arabinose, and down-regulation of many important genes in lipolysis, β-oxidation, gluconeogenesis, as well as glycerol and arabinose metabolism. CRF1 is also essential for peroxisome and vacuole function, and conidial cell death during appressorium formation. The appressorium turgor, penetration ability and virulence in Δcrf1 were restored by supplementation of exogenous glucose. The virulence of Crf1 mutant was also recovered by adding exogenous D-xylose, but not by addition of ethanol, pyruvate, leucine or L-arabinose. These data showed that Crf1 plays an important role in the complex regulatory network of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism that governs fungal development and pathogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huijuan Cao
- State Key Laboratory for Rice Biology, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, Zhejiang Province, China.,Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, 210014, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Pengyun Huang
- State Key Laboratory for Rice Biology, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Yuxin Yan
- State Key Laboratory for Rice Biology, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Yongkai Shi
- State Key Laboratory for Rice Biology, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Bo Dong
- Institute of Virology and Biotechnology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, 310021, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Xiaohong Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Rice Biology, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Lidan Ye
- Institute of Bioengineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
| | - Fucheng Lin
- State Key Laboratory for Rice Biology, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Jianping Lu
- State Key Laboratory for Rice Biology, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, Zhejiang Province, China.,Key Laboratory for Cell and Gene Engineering of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, Zhejiang Province, China
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7
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Abstract
Regulation of gene expression by DNA-binding transcription factors is essential for proper control of growth and development in all organisms. In this study, we annotate and characterize growth and developmental phenotypes for transcription factor genes in the model filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa. We identified 312 transcription factor genes, corresponding to 3.2% of the protein coding genes in the genome. The largest class was the fungal-specific Zn2Cys6 (C6) binuclear cluster, with 135 members, followed by the highly conserved C2H2 zinc finger group, with 61 genes. Viable knockout mutants were produced for 273 genes, and complete growth and developmental phenotypic data are available for 242 strains, with 64% possessing at least one defect. The most prominent defect observed was in growth of basal hyphae (43% of mutants analyzed), followed by asexual sporulation (38%), and the various stages of sexual development (19%). Two growth or developmental defects were observed for 21% of the mutants, while 8% were defective in all three major phenotypes tested. Analysis of available mRNA expression data for a time course of sexual development revealed mutants with sexual phenotypes that correlate with transcription factor transcript abundance in wild type. Inspection of this data also implicated cryptic roles in sexual development for several cotranscribed transcription factor genes that do not produce a phenotype when mutated.
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8
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Muñiz-Paredes F, Garza-López PM, Viniegra-González G, Loera O. Comparison between superficial and solid-state cultures of Isaria fumosorosea: conidial yields, quality and sensitivity to oxidant conditions. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2016; 32:111. [PMID: 27263006 DOI: 10.1007/s11274-016-2072-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2015] [Accepted: 04/23/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Conidia production and quality from mycoinsecticides in solid-state cultures (SSC) are frequently inferred from superficial culture (SC) results. Both parameters were evaluated for two Isaria fumosorosea strains (ARSEF 3302 and CNRCB1), in SC and SSC, using culture media with the same chemical composition. For both strains, conidia production was higher in SC than SSC in terms of conidia per gram of dry substrate. Germination in both strains did not show significant differences between SC and SSC (>90 %). Similarly, conidia viability in ARSEF 3302 strain did not show differences at early stages between SC and SSC, but was higher in SC compared to SSC in the late stage of culture; in contrast, conidia from CNRCB1 strain did not differ between both culture systems. Some infectivity parameters improved in conidia from SSC, compared to SC at the early stages, but these differences disappeared at the final stage, independently of the strain. Both strains showed decreased conidia production when 26 % O2 pulses were applied; nevertheless, conidiation in SSC was two orders of magnitude more sensitive to oxidant pulses. In SC with 26 % O2 pulses, conidia viability for both strains at early stages, was higher than in normal atmospheric conditions. Infectivity towards Galleria mellonella larvae was similar between conidia from normal atmosphere and oxidant conditions; notably, for the strain ARSEF 3302 infectivity decreased at the final stage. This study shows the intrinsic differences between SC and SSC, which should be considered when using SC as a model to design production processes in SSC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Facundo Muñiz-Paredes
- Departamento de Biotecnología, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Iztapalapa, 09340, Iztapalapa, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Paul Misael Garza-López
- Instituto de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, 43600, Tulancingo, Hidalgo, Mexico
| | - Gustavo Viniegra-González
- Departamento de Biotecnología, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Iztapalapa, 09340, Iztapalapa, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Octavio Loera
- Departamento de Biotecnología, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Iztapalapa, 09340, Iztapalapa, Mexico City, Mexico.
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9
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Coordinated and distinct functions of velvet proteins in Fusarium verticillioides. EUKARYOTIC CELL 2014; 13:909-18. [PMID: 24792348 DOI: 10.1128/ec.00022-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Velvet-domain-containing proteins are broadly distributed within the fungal kingdom. In the corn pathogen Fusarium verticillioides, previous studies showed that the velvet protein F. verticillioides VE1 (FvVE1) is critical for morphological development, colony hydrophobicity, toxin production, and pathogenicity. In this study, tandem affinity purification of FvVE1 revealed that FvVE1 can form a complex with the velvet proteins F. verticillioides VelB (FvVelB) and FvVelC. Phenotypic characterization of gene knockout mutants showed that, as in the case of FvVE1, FvVelB regulated conidial size, hyphal hydrophobicity, fumonisin production, and oxidant resistance, while FvVelC was dispensable for these biological processes. Comparative transcriptional analysis of eight genes involved in the ROS (reactive oxygen species) removal system revealed that both FvVE1 and FvVelB positively regulated the transcription of a catalase-encoding gene, F. verticillioides CAT2 (FvCAT2). Deletion of FvCAT2 resulted in reduced oxidant resistance, providing further explanation of the regulation of oxidant resistance by velvet proteins in the fungal kingdom.
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10
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Transcription factor CCG-8 as a new regulator in the adaptation to antifungal azole stress. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2013; 58:1434-42. [PMID: 24342650 DOI: 10.1128/aac.02244-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Antifungal azoles are widely used for controlling fungal infections. Fungi are able to change the expression of many genes when they adapt to azole stress, and increased expression of some of these genes can elevate resistance to azoles. However, the regulatory mechanisms behind transcriptional adaption to azoles in filamentous fungi are poorly understood. In this study, we found that deletion of the transcription factor gene ccg-8, which is known to be a clock-controlled gene, made Neurospora crassa hypersensitive to azoles. A comparative genome-wide analysis of the responses to ketoconazole of the wild type and the ccg-8 mutant revealed that the transcriptional responses to ketoconazole of 78 of the 488 transcriptionally ketoconazole-upregulated genes and the 427 transcriptionally ketoconazole-downregulated genes in the wild type were regulated by CCG-8. Ketoconazole sensitivity testing of all available knockout mutants for CCG-8-regulated genes revealed that CCG-8 contributed to azole adaption by regulating the ketoconazole responses of many genes, including the target gene (erg11), an azole transporter gene (cdr4), a hexose transporter gene (hxt13), a stress response gene (locus number NCU06317, named kts-1), two transcription factor genes (NCU01386 [named kts-2] and fsd-1/ndt80), four enzyme-encoding genes, and six unknown-function genes. CCG-8 also regulated phospholipid synthesis in N. crassa in a manner similar to that of its homolog in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Opi1p. However, there was no cross talk between phospholipid synthesis and azole resistance in N. crassa. CCG-8 homologs are conserved and are common in filamentous fungi. Deletion of the CCG-8 homolog-encoding gene in Fusarium verticillioides (Fvccg-8) also made this fungus hypersensitive to antifungal azoles.
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11
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Zhu J, Yu X, Xie B, Gu X, Zhang Z, Li S. Transcriptomic profiling-based mutant screen reveals three new transcription factors mediating menadione resistance in Neurospora crassa. Fungal Biol 2013; 117:422-30. [DOI: 10.1016/j.funbio.2013.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2013] [Revised: 04/10/2013] [Accepted: 04/11/2013] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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12
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Sun X, Wang W, Wang K, Yu X, Liu J, Zhou F, Xie B, Li S. Sterol C-22 Desaturase ERG5 Mediates the Sensitivity to Antifungal Azoles in Neurospora crassa and Fusarium verticillioides. Front Microbiol 2013; 4:127. [PMID: 23755044 PMCID: PMC3666115 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2013.00127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2013] [Accepted: 05/04/2013] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Antifungal azoles inhibit ergosterol biosynthesis by interfering with lanosterol 14α-demethylase. In this study, seven upregulated and four downregulated ergosterol biosynthesis genes in response to ketoconazole treatment were identified in Neurospora crassa. Azole sensitivity test of knockout mutants for six ketoconazole-upregulated genes in ergosterol biosynthesis revealed that deletion of only sterol C-22 desaturase ERG5 altered sensitivity to azoles: the erg5 mutant was hypersensitive to azoles but had no obvious defects in growth and development. The erg5 mutant accumulated higher levels of ergosta 5,7-dienol relative to the wild type but its levels of 14α-methylated sterols were similar to the wild type. ERG5 homologs are highly conserved in fungal kingdom. Deletion of Fusarium verticillioides erg5 also increased ketoconazole sensitivity, suggesting that the roles of ERG5 homologs in azole resistance are highly conserved among different fungal species, and inhibition of ERG5 could reduce the usage of azoles and thus provide a new target for drug design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianyun Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing, China
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13
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Sun X, Zhu J, Bao L, Hu C, Jin C, Harris SD, Liu H, Li S. PyrG is required for maintaining stable cellular uracil level and normal sporulation pattern under excess uracil stress in Aspergillus nidulans. SCIENCE CHINA-LIFE SCIENCES 2013; 56:467-75. [PMID: 23633078 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-013-4480-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2013] [Accepted: 03/28/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Tight control of the intracellular uracil level is believed to be important to reduce the occurrence of uracil incorporation into DNA. The pyrG gene of Aspergillus nidulans encodes orotidine 5'-phosphate decarboxylase, which catalyzes the conversion of orotidine monophosphate (OMP) to uridine monophosphate (UMP). In this study, we found that pyrG is critical for maintaining uracil at a low concentration in A. nidulans cells in the presence of exogenous uracil. Excess uracil and its derivatives had a stronger inhibitory effect on the growth of the pyrG89 mutant with defective OMP decarboxylase activity than on the growth of wild type, and induced sexual development in the pyrG89 mutant but not in wild type. Analysis of transcriptomic responses to excess uracil by digital gene expression profiling (DGE) revealed that genes related to sexual development were transcriptionally activated in the pyrG89 mutant but not in wild type. Quantitative analysis by HPLC showed that the cellular uracil level was 6.5 times higher in the pyrG89 mutant than in wild type in the presence of exogenous uracil. This study not only provides new information on uracil recycling and adaptation to excess uracil but also reveals the potential effects of OMP decarboxylase on fungal growth and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianyun Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, China
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Sun X, Yu L, Lan N, Wei S, Yu Y, Zhang H, Zhang X, Li S. Analysis of the role of transcription factor VAD-5 in conidiation of Neurospora crassa. Fungal Genet Biol 2012; 49:379-87. [PMID: 22445960 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2012.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2011] [Revised: 03/01/2012] [Accepted: 03/07/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Conidiation is the major mode of reproduction in many filamentous fungi. The Neurospora crassa gene vad-5, which encodes a GAL4-like Zn2Cys6 transcription factor, was suggested to contribute to conidiation in a previous study using a knockout mutant. In this study, we confirmed the positive contribution of vad-5 to conidiation by gene complementation. To understand the role of vad-5 in conidiation, transcriptomic profiles generated by digital gene expression profiling from the vad-5 deletion mutant and the wild-type strain were compared. Among 7559 detected genes, 176 genes were found to be transcriptionally down-regulated and 277 genes transcriptionally upregulated in the vad-5 deletion mutant, using ≥1-fold change as a cutoff threshold. Among the down-regulated genes, four which were already known to be involved in conidiation -fluffy, ada-6, rca-1, and eas - were examined further in a time course experiment. Transcription of each of the four genes in the vad-5 deletion mutant was lower than in the wild-type strain during conidial development. Phenotypic observation of deletion mutants for 132 genes down-regulated by vad-5 deletion revealed that deletion mutants for 17 genes, including fluffy, ada-6, and eas, produced fewer conidia than the wild type. By phenotypic observation of deletion mutants for 211 genes upregulated in the vad-5 deletion mutant, two types of deletion mutants were found. One type, which produced more conidia than the wild-type strain, includes deletion mutants for previously characterized genes cat-2, cat-3, and sah-1 and for a non-characterized gene NCU07221. Deletion mutants of NCU06302 and NCU11090, representing the second type, produced conidia earlier than the wild-type strain. Based on these conidiation phenotypes, we designated NCU07221 as high conidial production-1 (hcp-1) and named NCU06302 and NCU11090 as early conidial development-1 (ecd-1) and ecd-2, respectively. Given the collective results from this study, we propose that vad-5 exerts an effect on conidiation by activating genes that positively contribute to conidiation as well as by repressing genes that negatively influence conidial development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianyun Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, China
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