1
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Kerkaert JD, Huberman LB. Regulation of nutrient utilization in filamentous fungi. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2023; 107:5873-5898. [PMID: 37540250 PMCID: PMC10983054 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-023-12680-4] [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: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
Organisms must accurately sense and respond to nutrients to survive. In filamentous fungi, accurate nutrient sensing is important in the establishment of fungal colonies and in continued, rapid growth for the exploitation of environmental resources. To ensure efficient nutrient utilization, fungi have evolved a combination of activating and repressing genetic networks to tightly regulate metabolic pathways and distinguish between preferred nutrients, which require minimal energy and resources to utilize, and nonpreferred nutrients, which have more energy-intensive catabolic requirements. Genes necessary for the utilization of nonpreferred carbon sources are activated by transcription factors that respond to the presence of the specific nutrient and repressed by transcription factors that respond to the presence of preferred carbohydrates. Utilization of nonpreferred nitrogen sources generally requires two transcription factors. Pathway-specific transcription factors respond to the presence of a specific nonpreferred nitrogen source, while another transcription factor activates genes in the absence of preferred nitrogen sources. In this review, we discuss the roles of transcription factors and upstream regulatory genes that respond to preferred and nonpreferred carbon and nitrogen sources and their roles in regulating carbon and nitrogen catabolism. KEY POINTS: • Interplay of activating and repressing transcriptional networks regulates catabolism. • Nutrient-specific activating transcriptional pathways provide metabolic specificity. • Repressing regulatory systems differentiate nutrients in mixed nutrient environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua D Kerkaert
- Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Lori B Huberman
- Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
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2
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Carrasco-Navarro U, Aguirre J. H 2O 2 Induces Major Phosphorylation Changes in Critical Regulators of Signal Transduction, Gene Expression, Metabolism and Developmental Networks in Aspergillus nidulans. J Fungi (Basel) 2021; 7:624. [PMID: 34436163 PMCID: PMC8399174 DOI: 10.3390/jof7080624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) regulate several aspects of cell physiology in filamentous fungi including the antioxidant response and development. However, little is known about the signaling pathways involved in these processes. Here, we report Aspergillus nidulans global phosphoproteome during mycelial growth and show that under these conditions, H2O2 induces major changes in protein phosphorylation. Among the 1964 phosphoproteins we identified, H2O2 induced the phosphorylation of 131 proteins at one or more sites as well as the dephosphorylation of a larger set of proteins. A detailed analysis of these phosphoproteins shows that H2O2 affected the phosphorylation of critical regulatory nodes of phosphoinositide, MAPK, and TOR signaling as well as the phosphorylation of multiple proteins involved in the regulation of gene expression, primary and secondary metabolism, and development. Our results provide a novel and extensive protein phosphorylation landscape in A. nidulans, indicating that H2O2 induces a shift in general metabolism from anabolic to catabolic, and the activation of multiple stress survival pathways. Our results expand the significance of H2O2 in eukaryotic cell signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jesús Aguirre
- Departamento de Biología Celular y del Desarrollo, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apartado Postal 70-242, Ciudad de México 04510, Mexico;
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3
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Impact of Membrane Lipids on UapA and AzgA Transporter Subcellular Localization and Activity in Aspergillus nidulans. J Fungi (Basel) 2021; 7:jof7070514. [PMID: 34203131 PMCID: PMC8304608 DOI: 10.3390/jof7070514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent biochemical and biophysical evidence have established that membrane lipids, namely phospholipids, sphingolipids and sterols, are critical for the function of eukaryotic plasma membrane transporters. Here, we study the effect of selected membrane lipid biosynthesis mutations and of the ergosterol-related antifungal itraconazole on the subcellular localization, stability and transport kinetics of two well-studied purine transporters, UapA and AzgA, in Aspergillus nidulans. We show that genetic reduction in biosynthesis of ergosterol, sphingolipids or phosphoinositides arrest A. nidulans growth after germling formation, but solely blocks in early steps of ergosterol (Erg11) or sphingolipid (BasA) synthesis have a negative effect on plasma membrane (PM) localization and stability of transporters before growth arrest. Surprisingly, the fraction of UapA or AzgA that reaches the PM in lipid biosynthesis mutants is shown to conserve normal apparent transport kinetics. We further show that turnover of UapA, which is the transporter mostly sensitive to membrane lipid content modification, occurs during its trafficking and by enhanced endocytosis, and is partly dependent on autophagy and Hect-type HulARsp5 ubiquitination. Our results point out that the role of specific membrane lipids on transporter biogenesis and function in vivo is complex, combinatorial and transporter-dependent.
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4
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Bocanegra-Jiménez FY, Montero-Morán GM, Lara-González S. Purification and characterization of an Fe II- and α-ketoglutarate-dependent xanthine hydroxylase from Aspergillus oryzae. Protein Expr Purif 2021; 183:105862. [PMID: 33716123 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2021.105862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2020] [Revised: 02/13/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
XanA is an FeII- and α-ketoglutarate-dependent enzyme responsible for the conversion of xanthine to uric acid. It is unique to fungi and it was first described in Aspergillus nidulans. In this work, we present the preliminary characterization of the XanA enzyme from Aspergillus oryzae, a relevant fungus in food production in Japan. The XanA protein (GenBank BAE56701.1) was expressed as a recombinant protein in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) Arctic cells. Initial purification assays showed low protein solubility; therefore, the buffer composition was optimized using a fluorescence-based thermal shift assay. The protein was stabilized in solution in the presence of either 600 μM xanthine, 1 M NaCl, 600 μM α-ketoglutarate or 20% glycerol, which increases the melting temperature (Tm) by 2, 4, 5 and 6 °C respectively. The XanA protein was purified by following a three-step purification protocol. The nickel affinity purified protein was subjected to ion-exchange chromatography once the N-terminal 6XHis-tag had been successfully removed, followed by size-exclusion purification. Dynamic light scattering experiments showed that the purified protein was monodisperse and behaved as a monomer in solution. Preliminary activity assays in the presence of xanthine, α-ketoglutarate, and iron suggest that the enzyme is an iron- and α-ketoglutarate-dependent xanthine dioxygenase. Furthermore, the enzyme's optimum activity conditions were determined to be 25 °C, pH of 7.2, HEPES buffer, and 1% of glycerol. In conclusion, we established the conditions to purify the XanA enzyme from A. oryzae in its active form from E. coli bacteria and determined the optimal activity conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fitzya Y Bocanegra-Jiménez
- IPICYT, División de Biología Molecular, Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica A. C., San Luis Potosí, SLP, Mexico
| | - Gabriela M Montero-Morán
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Laboratorio IBCM, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, SLP, Mexico
| | - Samuel Lara-González
- IPICYT, División de Biología Molecular, Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica A. C., San Luis Potosí, SLP, Mexico.
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5
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Dimou S, Kourkoulou A, Amillis S, Percudani R, Diallinas G. The peroxisomal SspA protein is redundant for purine utilization but essential for peroxisome localization in septal pores in Aspergillus nidulans. Fungal Genet Biol 2019; 132:103259. [PMID: 31394175 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2019.103259] [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: 06/25/2019] [Revised: 07/22/2019] [Accepted: 07/25/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
In an in silico search for correlated gene loss with fungal peroxisomal uric acid oxidase (UOX), we identified PMP22-like proteins, some of which function as promiscuous channels in organellar membranes. To investigate whether PMP22 channels have a role in peroxisomal uric acid transport and catabolism, we functionally analyzed the closest homologue in Aspergillus nidulans, named SspA. We confirmed that SspA is a peroxisomal membrane protein that co-localizes significantly with PTS1-tagged mRFP, UOX or HexA, the latter considered a protein of Woronin bodies (WB), organelles originating from peroxisomes that dynamically plug septal pores in ascomycetes. Our results suggest that in A. nidulans, unlike some other ascomycetes, there is no strict protein segregation of peroxisomal and WB-specific proteins. Importantly, genetic deletion of sspA, but not of hexA, led to lack of peroxisomal localization at septal pores, suggesting that SspA is a key factor for septal pore functioning. Additionally, ΔsspA resulted in increased sensitivity to oxidative stress, apparently as a consequence of not only the inability to plug septal pores, but also a recorded reduction in peroxisome biogenesis. However, deleting sspA had no effect on uric acid or purine utilization, as we hypothesized, a result also in line with the observation that expression of SspA was not affected by regulatory mutants and conditions known to control purine catabolic enzymes. Our results are discussed within the framework of previous studies of SspA homologues in other fungi, as well as, the observed gene losses of PMP22 and peroxisomal uric acid oxidase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Dimou
- Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimioupolis, 15784 Athens, Greece
| | - Anezia Kourkoulou
- Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimioupolis, 15784 Athens, Greece
| | - Sotiris Amillis
- Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimioupolis, 15784 Athens, Greece
| | - Riccardo Percudani
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences, and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, 43124 Parma, Italy
| | - George Diallinas
- Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimioupolis, 15784 Athens, Greece.
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6
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Ámon J, Fernández-Martín R, Bokor E, Cultrone A, Kelly JM, Flipphi M, Scazzocchio C, Hamari Z. A eukaryotic nicotinate-inducible gene cluster: convergent evolution in fungi and bacteria. Open Biol 2018; 7:rsob.170199. [PMID: 29212709 PMCID: PMC5746545 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.170199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2017] [Accepted: 11/09/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Nicotinate degradation has hitherto been elucidated only in bacteria. In the ascomycete Aspergillus nidulans, six loci, hxnS/AN9178 encoding the molybdenum cofactor-containing nicotinate hydroxylase, AN11197 encoding a Cys2/His2 zinc finger regulator HxnR, together with AN11196/hxnZ, AN11188/hxnY, AN11189/hxnP and AN9177/hxnT, are clustered and stringently co-induced by a nicotinate derivative and subject to nitrogen metabolite repression mediated by the GATA factor AreA. These genes are strictly co-regulated by HxnR. Within the hxnR gene, constitutive mutations map in two discrete regions. Aspergillus nidulans is capable of using nicotinate and its oxidation products 6-hydroxynicotinic acid and 2,5-dihydroxypyridine as sole nitrogen sources in an HxnR-dependent way. HxnS is highly similar to HxA, the canonical xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH), and has originated by gene duplication, preceding the origin of the Pezizomycotina. This cluster is conserved with some variations throughout the Aspergillaceae. Our results imply that a fungal pathway has arisen independently from bacterial ones. Significantly, the neo-functionalization of XDH into nicotinate hydroxylase has occurred independently from analogous events in bacteria. This work describes for the first time a gene cluster involved in nicotinate catabolism in a eukaryote and has relevance for the formation and evolution of co-regulated primary metabolic gene clusters and the microbial degradation of N-heterocyclic compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judit Ámon
- Department of Microbiology, University of Szeged Faculty of Science and Informatics, Szeged, Hungary (present address of ZH)
| | | | - Eszter Bokor
- Department of Microbiology, University of Szeged Faculty of Science and Informatics, Szeged, Hungary (present address of ZH)
| | - Antonietta Cultrone
- Institute de Génétique et Microbiologie, Université Paris-Sud, Orsay, France
| | - Joan M Kelly
- Department of Biology, University of Essex, Colchester, UK
| | - Michel Flipphi
- Institute de Génétique et Microbiologie, Université Paris-Sud, Orsay, France
| | - Claudio Scazzocchio
- Institute de Génétique et Microbiologie, Université Paris-Sud, Orsay, France .,Department of Biology, University of Essex, Colchester, UK.,Department of Microbiology, Imperial College, London, UK (present address of CS).,Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette, France (present address of CS)
| | - Zsuzsanna Hamari
- Department of Microbiology, University of Szeged Faculty of Science and Informatics, Szeged, Hungary (present address of ZH) .,Institute de Génétique et Microbiologie, Université Paris-Sud, Orsay, France
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7
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Balaska S, Myrianthopoulos V, Tselika M, Hatzinikolaou DG, Mikros E, Diallinas G. NmeA, a novel efflux transporter specific for nucleobases and nucleosides, contributes to metal resistance in Aspergillus nidulans. Mol Microbiol 2017; 105:426-439. [PMID: 28509393 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/12/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Through Minos transposon mutagenesis we obtained A. nidulans mutants resistant to 5-fluorouracil due to insertions into the upstream region of the uncharacterized gene nmeA, encoding a Major Facilitator Superfamily (MFS) transporter. Minos transpositions increased nmeA transcription, which is otherwise extremely low under all conditions tested. To dissect the function of NmeA we used strains overexpressing or genetically lacking the nmeA gene. Strains overexpressing NmeA are resistant to toxic purine analogues, but also, to cadmium, zinc and borate, whereas an isogenic nmeAΔ null mutant exhibits increased sensitivity to these compounds. We provide direct evidence that nmeA overexpression leads to efflux of adenine, xanthine, uric acid and allantoin, the latter two being intermediate metabolites of purine catabolism that are toxic when accumulated cytoplasmically due to relevant genetic lesions. By using a functional GFP-tagged version we show that NmeA is a plasma membrane transporter. Homology modeling and docking approaches identified a single purine binding site and a tentative substrate translocation trajectory in NmeA. Orthologues of NmeA are present in all Aspergilli and other Eurotiomycetes, but are absent from other fungi or non-fungal organisms. NmeA is thus the founding member of a new class of transporters essential for fungal success under specific toxic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Balaska
- Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimioupolis, Athens, 15784, Greece
| | - Vassilios Myrianthopoulos
- Department of Pharmacy, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimioupolis, Athens, 15771, Greece
| | - Martha Tselika
- Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimioupolis, Athens, 15784, Greece
| | - Dimitris G Hatzinikolaou
- Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimioupolis, Athens, 15784, Greece
| | - Emmanuel Mikros
- Department of Pharmacy, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimioupolis, Athens, 15771, Greece
| | - George Diallinas
- Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimioupolis, Athens, 15784, Greece
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8
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Martzoukou O, Amillis S, Zervakou A, Christoforidis S, Diallinas G. The AP-2 complex has a specialized clathrin-independent role in apical endocytosis and polar growth in fungi. eLife 2017; 6. [PMID: 28220754 PMCID: PMC5338921 DOI: 10.7554/elife.20083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2016] [Accepted: 02/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Filamentous fungi provide excellent systems for investigating the role of the AP-2 complex in polar growth. Using Aspergillus nidulans, we show that AP-2 has a clathrin-independent essential role in polarity maintenance and growth. This is in line with a sequence analysis showing that the AP-2 β subunit (β2) of higher fungi lacks a clathrin-binding domain, and experiments showing that AP-2 does not co-localize with clathrin. We provide genetic and cellular evidence that AP-2 interacts with endocytic markers SlaBEnd4 and SagAEnd3 and the lipid flippases DnfA and DnfB in the sub-apical collar region of hyphae. The role of AP-2 in the maintenance of proper apical membrane lipid and cell wall composition is further supported by its functional interaction with BasA (sphingolipid biosynthesis) and StoA (apical sterol-rich membrane domains), and its essentiality in polar deposition of chitin. Our findings support that the AP-2 complex of dikarya has acquired, in the course of evolution, a specialized clathrin-independent function necessary for fungal polar growth. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.20083.001
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Martzoukou
- Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Sotiris Amillis
- Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Amalia Zervakou
- Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Savvas Christoforidis
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology-Biomedical Research, Foundation for Research and Technology, Ioannina, Greece.,Laboratory of Biological Chemistry, Department of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece
| | - George Diallinas
- Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
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9
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Sioupouli G, Lambrinidis G, Mikros E, Amillis S, Diallinas G. Cryptic purine transporters inAspergillus nidulansreveal the role of specific residues in the evolution of specificity in the NCS1 family. Mol Microbiol 2016; 103:319-332. [DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Georgia Sioupouli
- Department of Biology; National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimioupolis; Athens 15784 Greece
| | - George Lambrinidis
- Department of Pharmacy; National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimioupolis; Athens 15771 Greece
| | - Emmanuel Mikros
- Department of Pharmacy; National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimioupolis; Athens 15771 Greece
| | - Sotiris Amillis
- Department of Biology; National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimioupolis; Athens 15784 Greece
| | - George Diallinas
- Department of Biology; National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimioupolis; Athens 15784 Greece
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10
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Daumann M, Golfier P, Knüppel N, Hahn M, Möhlmann T. Botrytis cinerea can import and utilize nucleosides in salvage and catabolism and BcENT functions as high affinity nucleoside transporter. Fungal Biol 2016; 120:904-916. [PMID: 27521624 DOI: 10.1016/j.funbio.2016.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2015] [Revised: 04/13/2016] [Accepted: 05/31/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Nucleotide de novo synthesis is an essential pathway in nearly all organisms. Transport processes as well as salvage and catabolism of nucleotides and pathway intermediates are required to balance nucleotide pools. We have analysed the genome of the fungal plant pathogen Botrytis cinerea for genes involved in nucleotide metabolism and found a complete set of genes necessary for purine and pyrimidine uptake and salvage based on homology of the gene products to corresponding proteins from Aspergillus nidulans. Candidate genes required for a complete purine catabolic sequence were identified in addition. These analyses were complemented by growth tests showing functional transport and salvage activity for pyrimidines. Growth of B. cinerea mycelium in nitrogen free medium could be restored by addition of purines, indicating the presence of a functional purine catabolism, whereas pyrimidines did not support growth. Bcin07g05490 (BcENT) was identified as sole member of the equilibrative nucleoside transporter (ENT) family. The protein synthesized in Saccharomyces cerevisiae revealed high affinity transport of adenosine (KM = 6.81 μM) and uridine (KM=9.04 μM). Furthermore, a BcENT knockout mutant was generated and tested in a range of growth and infection assays. These results provide detailed insight in the use of externally supplied nucleobases and nucleosides by B. cinerea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Daumann
- Pflanzenphysiologie, Fachbereich Biologie, Technische Universität Kaiserslautern, Erwin-Schrödinger-Straße, D-67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Philippe Golfier
- Pflanzenphysiologie, Fachbereich Biologie, Technische Universität Kaiserslautern, Erwin-Schrödinger-Straße, D-67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Nathalie Knüppel
- Phytopathologie, Fachbereich Biologie, Technische Universität Kaiserslautern, Erwin-Schrödinger-Straße, D-67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Matthias Hahn
- Phytopathologie, Fachbereich Biologie, Technische Universität Kaiserslautern, Erwin-Schrödinger-Straße, D-67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Torsten Möhlmann
- Pflanzenphysiologie, Fachbereich Biologie, Technische Universität Kaiserslautern, Erwin-Schrödinger-Straße, D-67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany.
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11
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The identification of an integral membrane, cytochrome c urate oxidase completes the catalytic repertoire of a therapeutic enzyme. Sci Rep 2015; 5:13798. [PMID: 26349049 PMCID: PMC4562309 DOI: 10.1038/srep13798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2015] [Accepted: 08/05/2015] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
In living organisms, the conversion of urate into allantoin requires three consecutive enzymes. The pathway was lost in hominid, predisposing humans to hyperuricemia and gout. Among other species, the genomic distribution of the two last enzymes of the pathway is wider than that of urate oxidase (Uox), suggesting the presence of unknown genes encoding Uox. Here we combine gene network analysis with association rule learning to identify the missing urate oxidase. In contrast with the known soluble Uox, the identified gene (puuD) encodes a membrane protein with a C-terminal cytochrome c. The 8-helix transmembrane domain corresponds to DUF989, a family without similarity to known proteins. Gene deletion in a PuuD-encoding organism (Agrobacterium fabrum) abolished urate degradation capacity; the phenotype was fully restored by complementation with a cytosolic Uox from zebrafish. Consistent with H2O2 production by zfUox, urate oxidation in the complemented strain caused a four-fold increase of catalase. No increase was observed in the wild-type, suggesting that urate oxidation by PuuD proceeds through cytochrome c-mediated electron transfer. These findings identify a missing link in purine catabolism, assign a biochemical activity to a domain of unknown function (DUF989), and complete the catalytic repertoire of an enzyme useful for human therapy.
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12
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Martzoukou O, Karachaliou M, Yalelis V, Leung J, Byrne B, Amillis S, Diallinas G. Oligomerization of the UapA Purine Transporter Is Critical for ER-Exit, Plasma Membrane Localization and Turnover. J Mol Biol 2015; 427:2679-96. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2015.05.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2015] [Revised: 05/27/2015] [Accepted: 05/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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13
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Evangelinos M, Anagnostopoulos G, Karvela-Kalogeraki I, Stathopoulou PM, Scazzocchio C, Diallinas G. Minos as a novel Tc1/mariner-type transposable element for functional genomic analysis in Aspergillus nidulans. Fungal Genet Biol 2015; 81:1-11. [PMID: 26021704 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2015.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2015] [Revised: 05/15/2015] [Accepted: 05/18/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Transposons constitute powerful genetic tools for gene inactivation, exon or promoter trapping and genome analyses. The Minos element from Drosophila hydei, a Tc1/mariner-like transposon, has proved as a very efficient tool for heterologous transposition in several metazoa. In filamentous fungi, only a handful of fungal-specific transposable elements have been exploited as genetic tools, with the impala Tc1/mariner element from Fusarium oxysporum being the most successful. Here, we developed a two-component transposition system to manipulate Minos transposition in Aspergillus nidulans (AnMinos). Our system allows direct selection of transposition events based on re-activation of niaD, a gene necessary for growth on nitrate as a nitrogen source. On average, among 10(8) conidiospores, we obtain up to ∼0.8×10(2) transposition events leading to the expected revertant phenotype (niaD(+)), while ∼16% of excision events lead to AnMinos loss. Characterized excision footprints consisted of the four terminal bases of the transposon flanked by the TA target duplication and led to no major DNA rearrangements. AnMinos transposition depends on the presence of its homologous transposase. Its frequency was not significantly affected by temperature, UV irradiation or the transcription status of the original integration locus (niaD). Importantly, transposition is dependent on nkuA, encoding an enzyme essential for non-homologous end joining of DNA in double-strand break repair. AnMinos proved to be an efficient tool for functional analysis as it seems to transpose in different genomic loci positions in all chromosomes, including a high proportion of integration events within or close to genes. We have used Minos to obtain morphological and toxic analogue resistant mutants. Interestingly, among morphological mutants some seem to be due to Minos-elicited over-expression of specific genes, rather than gene inactivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minoas Evangelinos
- Faculty of Biology, University of Athens, Panepistimioupolis, Athens 15784, Greece
| | | | | | | | - Claudio Scazzocchio
- Department of Microbiology, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom; Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Bâtiment 400, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France
| | - George Diallinas
- Faculty of Biology, University of Athens, Panepistimioupolis, Athens 15784, Greece.
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Krypotou E, Evangelidis T, Bobonis J, Pittis AA, Gabaldón T, Scazzocchio C, Mikros E, Diallinas G. Origin, diversification and substrate specificity in the family of NCS1/FUR transporters. Mol Microbiol 2015; 96:927-50. [DOI: 10.1111/mmi.12982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Emilia Krypotou
- Faculty of Biology; University of Athens; Panepistimioupolis Athens 15784 Greece
| | - Thomas Evangelidis
- Faculty of Pharmacy; University of Athens; Panepistimioupolis Athens 15771 Greece
| | - Jacob Bobonis
- Faculty of Biology; University of Athens; Panepistimioupolis Athens 15784 Greece
| | - Alexandros A. Pittis
- Bioinformatics and Genomics Programme; Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG); Dr. Aiguader, 88 Barcelona 08003 Spain
- Department of Experimental and Health Sciences; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF); Barcelona 08003 Spain
| | - Toni Gabaldón
- Bioinformatics and Genomics Programme; Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG); Dr. Aiguader, 88 Barcelona 08003 Spain
- Department of Experimental and Health Sciences; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF); Barcelona 08003 Spain
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA); Pg. Lluís Companys 23 Barcelona 08010 Spain
| | - Claudio Scazzocchio
- Department of Microbiology; Imperial College; London SW7 2AZ UK
- Institut de Génétique et Microbiologie; Université Paris-Sud; France
| | - Emmanuel Mikros
- Faculty of Pharmacy; University of Athens; Panepistimioupolis Athens 15771 Greece
| | - George Diallinas
- Faculty of Biology; University of Athens; Panepistimioupolis Athens 15784 Greece
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Scazzocchio C. Fungal biology in the post-genomic era. Fungal Biol Biotechnol 2014; 1:7. [PMID: 28955449 PMCID: PMC5611559 DOI: 10.1186/s40694-014-0007-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2014] [Accepted: 09/15/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In this review I give a personal perspective of how fungal biology has changed since I started my Ph. D. in 1963. At that time we were working in the shadow of the birth of molecular biology as an autonomous and reductionistic discipline, embodied in Crick’s central dogma. This first period was methodologically characterised by the fact that we knew what genes were, but we could not access them directly. This radically changed in the 70s-80s when gene cloning, reverse genetics and DNA sequencing become possible. The “next generation” sequencing techniques have produced a further qualitative revolutionary change. The ready access to genomes and transcriptomes of any microbial organism allows old questions to be asked in a radically different way and new questions to be approached. I provide examples chosen somewhat arbitrarily to illustrate some of these changes, from applied aspects to fundamental problems such as the origin of fungal specific genes, the evolutionary history of genes clusters and the realisation of the pervasiveness of horizontal transmission. Finally, I address how the ready availability of genomes and transcriptomes could change the status of model organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudio Scazzocchio
- Department of Microbiology, Imperial College, London, SW7 2AZ UK.,Institut de Génétique et Microbiologie, CNRS UMR 8621, Université Paris-Sud, Orsay, 91405 France
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