1
|
Liu Q, Zhong Z, Zheng S, Chu Y, Sakamoto N, Kuno T, Fang Y. Identification and characterization of a novel antifungal compound tubeimoside I targeting cell wall. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0404723. [PMID: 38651884 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.04047-23] [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: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Due to fungal diseases that threaten immunocompromised patients, along with the limited availability of antifungal agents, there is an urgent need for new antifungal compounds to treat fungal infections. Here, we aimed to identify potential antifungal drugs from natural products using the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe as a model organism since it shares many features with some pathogenic fungi. Here, we identified tubeimoside I (TBMS1), an extract from Chinese herbal medicine, that showed strong antifungal activity against S. pombe. To gain insight into the underlying mechanism, we performed transcriptomics analyses of S. pombe cells exposed to TBMS1. A significant proportion of the differential expressed genes were involved in cell wall organization or biogenesis. Additionally, TBMS1 treatment of S. pombe cells resulted in pleiotropic phenotypes, including increased sensitivity to β-glucanase, enhanced calcineurin activity, translocation of GFP-Prz1 to the nucleus, as well as enhanced dephosphorylation of Prz1, suggesting that TBMS1 disrupted cell wall integrity of S. pombe cells. Notably, calcofluor staining showed that abnormal deposits of cell wall materials were observed in the septum and cell wall of the TBMS1-treated cells, which were further corroborated by electron microscopy analysis. We also found that oxidative stress might be involved in the antifungal action of TBMS1. Moreover, we confirmed the antifungal activities of TBMS1 against several clinical isolates of pathogenic fungi. Collectively, our findings suggest that TBMS1, a novel antifungal compound, exerts its antifungal activity by targeting cell walls, which may pave the way for the development of a new class of antifungals. IMPORTANCE Fungal infections pose a serious threat to public health and have become an emerging crisis worldwide. The development of new antifungal agents is urgently needed. Here, we identified compound tubeimoside I (TBMS1) for the first time showing strong antifungal activity, and explored the underlying mechanisms of its antifungal action by using the model yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Notably, we presented multiple evidence that TBMS1 exerts its antifungal activity through targeting fungal cell walls. Moreover, we verified the antifungal activities of TBMS1 against several pathogenic fungi. Our work indicated that TBMS1 may serve as a novel antifungal candidate, which provides an important foundation for designing and developing new cell wall-targeting agents for combating life-threatening fungal infections.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qiannan Liu
- Department of Microbial and Biochemical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Zhiqi Zhong
- Department of Microbial and Biochemical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Shunxin Zheng
- Department of Microbial and Biochemical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Yunzhuo Chu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Norihiro Sakamoto
- Division of Food and Drug Evaluation Science, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan
| | - Takayoshi Kuno
- Department of Microbial and Biochemical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China
- Division of Food and Drug Evaluation Science, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan
| | - Yue Fang
- Department of Microbial and Biochemical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Lim KK, Koh NZH, Zeng YB, Chuan JK, Raechell R, Chen ES. Resistance to Chemotherapeutic 5-Fluorouracil Conferred by Modulation of Heterochromatic Integrity through Ino80 Function in Fission Yeast. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:10687. [PMID: 37445861 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241310687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/25/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is a conventional chemotherapeutic drug widely used in clinics worldwide, but development of resistance that compromises responsiveness remains a major hurdle to its efficacy. The mechanism underlying 5-FU resistance is conventionally attributed to the disruption of nucleotide synthesis, even though research has implicated other pathways such as RNA processing and chromatin dysregulation. Aiming to clarify resistance mechanisms of 5-FU, we tested the response of a collection of fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe) null mutants, which confer multiple environmental factor responsiveness (MER). Our screen identified disruption of membrane transport, chromosome segregation and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation to increase cellular susceptibility towards 5-FU. Conversely, we revealed several null mutants of Ino80 complex factors exhibited resistance to 5-FU. Furthermore, attenuation of Ino80 function via deleting several subunit genes reversed loss of chromosome-segregation fidelity in 5-FU in the loss-of-function mutant of the Argonaute protein, which regulates RNA interference (RNAi)-dependent maintenance of pericentromeric heterochromatin. Our study thus uncovered a critical role played by chromatin remodeling Ino80 complex factors in 5-FU resistance, which may constitute a possible target to modulate in reversing 5-FU resistance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kim Kiat Lim
- Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117596, Singapore
| | - Nathaniel Zhi Hao Koh
- Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117596, Singapore
| | - Yi Bing Zeng
- Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117596, Singapore
| | - Jun Kai Chuan
- Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117596, Singapore
| | - Raechell Raechell
- Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117596, Singapore
| | - Ee Sin Chen
- Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117596, Singapore
- National University Health System (NUHS), Singapore 119228, Singapore
- NUS Center for Cancer Research, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117599, Singapore
- NUS Graduate School-Integrative Sciences & Engineering Programme, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119077, Singapore
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Tasak M, Phizicky EM. Initiator tRNA lacking 1-methyladenosine is targeted by the rapid tRNA decay pathway in evolutionarily distant yeast species. PLoS Genet 2022; 18:e1010215. [PMID: 35901126 PMCID: PMC9362929 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
All tRNAs have numerous modifications, lack of which often results in growth defects in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and neurological or other disorders in humans. In S. cerevisiae, lack of tRNA body modifications can lead to impaired tRNA stability and decay of a subset of the hypomodified tRNAs. Mutants lacking 7-methylguanosine at G46 (m7G46), N2,N2-dimethylguanosine (m2,2G26), or 4-acetylcytidine (ac4C12), in combination with other body modification mutants, target certain mature hypomodified tRNAs to the rapid tRNA decay (RTD) pathway, catalyzed by 5’-3’ exonucleases Xrn1 and Rat1, and regulated by Met22. The RTD pathway is conserved in the phylogenetically distant fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe for mutants lacking m7G46. In contrast, S. cerevisiae trm6/gcd10 mutants with reduced 1-methyladenosine (m1A58) specifically target pre-tRNAiMet(CAU) to the nuclear surveillance pathway for 3’-5’ exonucleolytic decay by the TRAMP complex and nuclear exosome. We show here that the RTD pathway has an unexpected major role in the biology of m1A58 and tRNAiMet(CAU) in both S. pombe and S. cerevisiae. We find that S. pombe trm6Δ mutants lacking m1A58 are temperature sensitive due to decay of tRNAiMet(CAU) by the RTD pathway. Thus, trm6Δ mutants had reduced levels of tRNAiMet(CAU) and not of eight other tested tRNAs, overexpression of tRNAiMet(CAU) restored growth, and spontaneous suppressors that restored tRNAiMet(CAU) levels had mutations in dhp1/RAT1 or tol1/MET22. In addition, deletion of cid14/TRF4 in the nuclear surveillance pathway did not restore growth. Furthermore, re-examination of S. cerevisiae trm6 mutants revealed a major role of the RTD pathway in maintaining tRNAiMet(CAU) levels, in addition to the known role of the nuclear surveillance pathway. These findings provide evidence for the importance of m1A58 in the biology of tRNAiMet(CAU) throughout eukaryotes, and fuel speculation that the RTD pathway has a major role in quality control of body modification mutants throughout fungi and other eukaryotes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Monika Tasak
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Center for RNA Biology, University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, New York, United States of America
| | - Eric M. Phizicky
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Center for RNA Biology, University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Dysfunction of Prohibitin 2 Results in Reduced Susceptibility to Multiple Antifungal Drugs via Activation of the Oxidative Stress-Responsive Transcription Factor Pap1 in Fission Yeast. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2018; 62:AAC.00860-18. [PMID: 30181366 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00860-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2018] [Accepted: 08/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The fight against resistance to antifungal drugs requires a better understanding of the underlying cellular mechanisms. In order to gain insight into the mechanisms leading to antifungal drug resistance, we performed a genetic screen on a model organism, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, to identify genes whose overexpression caused resistance to antifungal drugs, including clotrimazole and terbinafine. We identified the phb2 + gene, encoding a highly conserved mitochondrial protein, prohibitin (Phb2), as a novel determinant of reduced susceptibility to multiple antifungal drugs. Unexpectedly, deletion of the phb2 + gene also exhibited antifungal drug resistance. Overexpression of the phb2 + gene failed to cause drug resistance when the pap1 + gene, encoding an oxidative stress-responsive transcription factor, was deleted. Furthermore, pap1+ mRNA expression was significantly increased when the phb2 + gene was overexpressed or deleted. Importantly, either overexpression or deletion of the phb2 + gene stimulated the synthesis of NO and reactive oxygen species (ROS), as measured by the cell-permeant fluorescent NO probe DAF-FM DA (4-amino-5-methylamino-2',7'-difluorofluorescein diacetate) and the ROS probe DCFH-DA (2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate), respectively. Taken together, these results suggest that Phb2 dysfunction results in reduced susceptibility to multiple antifungal drugs by increasing NO and ROS synthesis due to dysfunctional mitochondria, thereby activating the transcription factor Pap1 in fission yeast.
Collapse
|
5
|
Yang Y, Liu Q, Jiang G, Chen S, Zhou L, Sakamoto N, Kuno T, Fang Y, Yao F. Genome-wide screen reveals important roles for ESCRT proteins in drug/ion resistance of fission yeast. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0198516. [PMID: 29856841 PMCID: PMC5983419 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0198516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2018] [Accepted: 05/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
To study sodium homeostasis, we performed a genome-wide screen for deletion strains that show resistance to NaCl. We identified 34 NaCl-resistant strains. Among them, the largest group that consists of 10 genes related to membrane trafficking and 7 out of 10 genes are ESCRT proteins which are involved in cargo transportation into luminal vesicles within the multivesicular body. All of the ESCRT related mutants which showed sodium resistance also showed defects in vacuole fusion. To further understand the role of the ESCRT pathway in various ion homeostasis, we examined sensitivity of these ESCRT mutants to various cation salts other than NaCl, including KCl, LiCl, CaCl2, CoCl2, MgCl2, NiSO4 and MnCl2. While these ESCRT mutants showed resistance to LiCl, CoCl2 and MgCl2, they showed sensitivity to KCl, CaCl2, NiSO4 and MnCl2. Then we examined sensitivity of these ESCRT mutants to various drugs which are known to inhibit the growth of fission yeast cells. While these ESCRT mutants were more or equally sensitive to most of the drugs tested as compared to the wild-type cells, they showed resistance to some drugs such as tamoxifen, fluorouracil and amiodarone. These results suggest that the ESCRT pathway plays important roles in drug/ion resistance of fission yeast.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yikun Yang
- Department of Microbial and Biochemical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Qiannan Liu
- Department of Microbial and Biochemical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Guanglie Jiang
- Department of Microbial and Biochemical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Si Chen
- Department of Microbial and Biochemical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Lina Zhou
- Department of Microbial and Biochemical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Norihiro Sakamoto
- Division of Food and Drug Evaluation Science, Department of Social/Community Medicine and Health Science, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan
| | - Takayoshi Kuno
- Department of Microbial and Biochemical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
- Division of Food and Drug Evaluation Science, Department of Social/Community Medicine and Health Science, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan
| | - Yue Fang
- Department of Microbial and Biochemical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Fan Yao
- Department of Breast Surgery and Surgical Oncology, Research Unit of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| |
Collapse
|