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Gene complementation strategies for filamentous fungi biotechnology. Process Biochem 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.procbio.2023.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
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2
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Establishment of a visual gene knockout system based on CRISPR/Cas9 for the rare actinomycete Nonomuraea gerenzanensis. Biotechnol Lett 2023; 45:401-410. [PMID: 36650342 DOI: 10.1007/s10529-023-03347-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To develop a modified CRISPR/Cas9 system with the β-glucuronidase (GusA) reporter and a dual sgRNA cassette for Nonomuraea gerenzanensis (N. gerenzanensis). RESULTS With the aid of a visual GusA reporter, the complicated and tedious process of cloning and gene identification could be abandoned entirely in the genetic editing of N. gerenzanensis. Moreover, introducing a dual sgRNA cassette into the CRISPR/Cas9 system significantly improved gene deletion efficiency compared to the single sgRNA element. Furthermore, the length of the homologous flanking sequences set to the lowest value of 500 bp in this system could still reach the relatively higher conjugation transfer frequency. CONCLUSIONS The enhanced CRISPR/Cas9 system could efficiently perform genetic manipulation on the rare actinomycete N. gerenzanensis.
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3
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Baldin C, Kühbacher A, Merschak P, Wagener J, Gsaller F. Modular Inducible Multigene Expression System for Filamentous Fungi. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0367022. [PMID: 36350143 PMCID: PMC9769661 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03670-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Inducible promoters are indispensable elements when considering the possibility to modulate gene expression on demand. Desirable traits of conditional expression systems include their capacity for tight downregulation, high overexpression, and in some instances for fine-tuning, to achieve a desired product's stoichiometry. Although the number of inducible systems is slowly increasing, suitable promoters comprising these features are rare. To date, the concomitant use of multiple regulatable promoter platforms for controlled multigene expression has been poorly explored. This work provides pioneer work in the human pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus, wherein we investigated different inducible systems, elucidated three candidate promoters, and proved for the first time that up to three systems can be used simultaneously without interfering with each other. Proof of concept was obtained by conditionally expressing three antifungal drug targets within the ergosterol biosynthetic pathway under the control of the xylose-inducible PxylP system, the tetracycline-dependent Tet-On system, and the thiamine-repressible PthiA system. IMPORTANCE In recent years, inducible promoters have gained increasing interest for industrial or laboratory use and have become key instruments for protein expression, synthetic biology, and metabolic engineering. Constitutive, high-expressing promoters can be used to achieve high expression yields; however, the continuous overexpression of specific proteins can lead to an unpredictable metabolic burden. To prevent undesirable effects on the expression host's metabolism, the utilization of tunable systems that allow expression of a gene product on demand is indispensable. Here, we elucidated several excellent tunable promoter systems and verified that each can be independently induced in a single strain to ultimately develop a unique conditional multigene expression system. This highly efficient, modular toolbox has the potential to significantly advance applications in fundamental as well as applied research in which regulatable expression of several genes is a key requirement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Baldin
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Biocenter Innsbruck, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Alexander Kühbacher
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Biocenter Innsbruck, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Petra Merschak
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Biocenter Innsbruck, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Johannes Wagener
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Fabio Gsaller
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Biocenter Innsbruck, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
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Establishment of in vivo proximity labeling with biotin using TurboID in the filamentous fungus Sordaria macrospora. Sci Rep 2022; 12:17727. [PMID: 36272986 PMCID: PMC9588061 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-22545-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Proximity-dependent biotin identification (BioID) has emerged as a powerful methodology to identify proteins co-localizing with a given bait protein in vivo. The approach has been established in animal cells, plants and yeast but not yet in filamentous fungi. BioID relies on promiscuous biotin ligases fused to bait proteins to covalently label neighboring proteins with biotin. Biotinylated proteins are specifically enriched through biotin affinity capture from denatured cell lysates and subsequently identified and quantified with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). In contrast to many other affinity capture approaches for studying protein-protein interactions, BioID does not rely on physical protein-protein binding within native cell lysates. This feature allows the identification of protein proximities of weak or transient and dynamic nature. Here, we demonstrate the application of BioID for the fungal model organism Sordaria macrospora (Sm) using the example of the STRIPAK complex interactor 1 (SCI1) of the well-characterized striatin-interacting phosphatase and kinase (SmSTRIPAK) complex as proof of concept. For the establishment of BioID in S. macrospora, a codon-optimized TurboID biotin ligase was fused to SCI1. Biotin capture of the known SmSTRIPAK components PRO11, SmMOB3, PRO22 and SmPP2Ac1 demonstrates the successful BioID application in S. macrospora. BioID proximity labeling approaches will provide a powerful proteomics tool for fungal biologists.
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5
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Cephalosporin C biosynthesis and fermentation in Acremonium chrysogenum. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2022; 106:6413-6426. [DOI: 10.1007/s00253-022-12181-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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6
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A Straightforward Approach to Synthesize 7-Aminocephalosporanic Acid In Vivo in the Cephalosporin C Producer Acremonium chrysogenum. J Fungi (Basel) 2022; 8:jof8050450. [PMID: 35628706 PMCID: PMC9144927 DOI: 10.3390/jof8050450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Revised: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 04/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The pharmaceutical industry has developed various highly effective semi-synthetic cephalosporins, which are generated by modifying the side chains of the core molecule 7-aminocephalosporanic acid (7-ACA). In industrial productions, the 7-ACA nucleus is obtained in vitro from cephalosporin C (CPC) by chemical or enzymatic processes, which are waste intensive and associated with high production costs. Here, we used a transgenic in vivo approach to express bacterial genes for cephalosporin C acylase (CCA) in the CPC producer Acremonium chrysogenum. Western blot and mass spectrometry analyses verified that the heterologous enzymes are processed into α- and β-subunits in the fungal cell. Extensive HPLC analysis detected substrates and products of CCAs in both fungal mycelia and culture supernatants, with the highest amount of 7-ACA found in the latter. Using different incubation times, temperatures, and pH values, we explored the optimal conditions for the active bacterial acylase to convert CPC into 7-ACA in the culture supernatant. We calculated that the best transgenic fungal strains exhibit a one-step conversion rate of the bacterial acylase of 30%. Our findings can be considered a remarkable contribution to supporting future pharmaceutical manufacturing processes with reduced production costs.
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Lin YY, Zhao S, Lin X, Zhang T, Li CX, Luo XM, Feng JX. Improvement of cellulase and xylanase production in Penicillium oxalicum under solid-state fermentation by flippase recombination enzyme/ recognition target-mediated genetic engineering of transcription repressors. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2021; 337:125366. [PMID: 34144430 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.125366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Revised: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/29/2021] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Penicillium oxalicum has received increasing attention as a potential cellulase-producer. In this study, a copper-controlled flippase recombination enzyme/recognition target (FLP/FRT)-mediated recombination system was constructed in P. oxalicum, to overcome limited availability of antibiotic resistance markers. Using this system, two crucial transcription repressor genes atf1 and cxrC for the production of cellulase and xylanase under solid-state fermentation (SSF) were simultaneously deleted, thereby leading to 2.4- to 29.1-fold higher cellulase and 78.9% to 130.8% higher xylanase production than the parental strain under SSF, respectively. Glucose and xylose released from hydrolysis of pretreated sugarcane bagasse achieved 10.6%-13.5% improvement by using the crude enzymes from the engineered strain Δatf1ΔcxrC::flp under SSF in comparison with that of the parental strain. Consequently, these results provide a feasible strategy for improved cellulase and xylanase production by filamentous fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying-Ying Lin
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Shuai Zhao
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Xiong Lin
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Ting Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Cheng-Xi Li
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Xue-Mei Luo
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Jia-Xun Feng
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi Research Center for Microbial and Enzyme Engineering Technology, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China.
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8
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Sun R, Xu H, Feng Y, Hou X, Zhu T, Che Q, Pfeifer B, Zhang G, Li D. An efficient marker recycling system for sequential gene deletion in a deep sea-derived fungus Acremonium sp. HDN16-126. Synth Syst Biotechnol 2021; 6:127-133. [PMID: 34141909 PMCID: PMC8187431 DOI: 10.1016/j.synbio.2021.05.001] [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: 02/26/2021] [Revised: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Acremonium species are prolific producers of therapeutic molecules which include the widely used beta-lactam antibiotic, cephalosporin. In light of their significant medical value, an efficient gene disruption method is required for the physiological and biochemical studies on this genus of fungi. However, the number of selection markers that can be used for gene targeting is limited, which constrain the genetic analysis of multiple functional genes. In this study, we established a uridine auxotrophy based marker recycling system which achieves scarless gene deletion, and allows the use of the same selection marker in successive transformations in a deep sea-derived fungus Acremonium sp. HDN16-126. We identified one homologue of Acremonium chrysogenum pyrG (also as a homologous gene of the yeast URA3) from HDN16-126, designated as pyrG-A1, which can be used as a selection marker on uridine free medium. We then removed pyrG-A1 from HDN16-126 genome via homologous recombination (HR) on MM medium with 5-fluoroortic acid (5-FOA), a chemical that can be converted into a toxin of 5-flurouracil by pyrG-A1 activity, thus generating the HDN16-126-△pyrG mutant strain which showed auxotrophy for uridine but insensitivity to 5-FOA and enabled the use of exogenous pyrG gene as both positive and negative selection marker to achieve the scarless deletion of target DNA fragments. We further applied this marker recycling system to successfully disrupt two target genes pepL (encodes a putative 2OG-Fe (II) dioxygenase) and pepM (encodes a putative aldolase) identified from HDN16-126 genome, which are proposed to be functional genes related to 2-aminoisobutyric acid metabolism in fungi. This work is the first application of uridine auxotrophy based scarless gene deletion method in Acremonium species and shows promising potential in assisting sequential genetic analysis of filamentous fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruonan Sun
- School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, People's Republic of China
| | - Hengyi Xu
- School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, People's Republic of China
| | - Yanyan Feng
- School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, People's Republic of China
| | - Xuewen Hou
- School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, People's Republic of China
| | - Tianjiao Zhu
- School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, People's Republic of China
| | - Qian Che
- School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, People's Republic of China
| | - Blaine Pfeifer
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14260, United States
| | - Guojian Zhang
- School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, People's Republic of China
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts of Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237, People's Republic of China
- Corresponding author. School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, People's Republic of China.
| | - Dehai Li
- School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, People's Republic of China
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts of Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237, People's Republic of China
- Corresponding author. Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts of Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237, People's Republic of China.
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9
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Miao Y, Xia Y, Kong Y, Zhu H, Mei H, Li P, Feng H, Xun W, Xu Z, Zhang N, Liu D, Shen Q, Zhang R. Overcoming diverse homologous recombinations and single chimeric guide RNA competitive inhibition enhances Cas9-based cyclical multiple genes coediting in filamentous fungi. Environ Microbiol 2021; 23:2937-2954. [PMID: 33754479 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Deciphering the complex cellular behaviours and advancing the biotechnology applications of filamentous fungi increase the requirement for genetically manipulating a large number of target genes. The current strategies cannot cyclically coedit multiple genes simultaneously. In this study, we firstly revealed the existence of diverse homologous recombination (HR) types in marker-free editing of filamentous fungi, and then, demonstrated that sgRNA efficiency-mediated competitive inhibition resulted in the low integration of multiple genetic sites during coediting, which are the two major obstacles to limit the efficiency of cyclically coediting of multiple genes. To overcome these obstacles, we developed a biased cutting strategy by Cas9 to greatly enhance the desired HR type and applied a new selection marker labelling strategy for multiple donor DNAs, in which only the donor DNA with the lowest sgRNA efficiency was labelled. Combined with these strategies, we successfully developed a convenient method for cyclically coediting multiple genes in different filamentous fungi. In addition, diverse HRs resulted in a useful and convenient one-step approach for gene functional study combining both gene disruption and complementation. This research provided both a useful one-step approach for gene functional study and an efficient strategy for cyclically coediting multiple genes in filamentous fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youzhi Miao
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Yanwei Xia
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Yanqiong Kong
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Han Zhu
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Huiling Mei
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Pan Li
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources Collection and Preservation, Ministry of Agriculture, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Haichao Feng
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Weibing Xun
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Zhihui Xu
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Nan Zhang
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Dongyang Liu
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Qirong Shen
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Ruifu Zhang
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources Collection and Preservation, Ministry of Agriculture, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
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10
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Golden Gate vectors for efficient gene fusion and gene deletion in diverse filamentous fungi. Curr Genet 2020; 67:317-330. [PMID: 33367953 PMCID: PMC8032637 DOI: 10.1007/s00294-020-01143-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The cloning of plasmids can be time-consuming or expensive. Yet, cloning is a prerequisite for many standard experiments for the functional analysis of genes, including the generation of deletion mutants and the localization of gene products. Here, we provide Golden Gate vectors for fast and easy cloning of gene fusion as well as gene deletion vectors applicable to diverse fungi. In Golden Gate cloning, restriction and ligation occur simultaneously in a one-pot reaction. Our vector set contains recognition sites for the commonly used type IIS restriction endonuclease BsaI. We generated plasmids for C- as well as N-terminal tagging with GFP, mRFP and 3xFLAG. For gene deletion, we provide five different donor vectors for selection marker cassettes. These include standard cassettes for hygromycin B, nourseothricin and phleomycin resistance genes as well as FLP/FRT-based marker recycling cassettes for hygromycin B and nourseothricin resistance genes. To make cloning most feasible, we provide robust protocols, namely (1) an overview of cloning procedures described in this paper, (2) specific Golden Gate reaction protocols and (3) standard primers for cloning and sequencing of plasmids and generation of deletion cassettes by PCR and split-marker PCR. We show that our vector set is applicable for the biotechnologically relevant Penicillium chrysogenum and the developmental model system Sordaria macrospora. We thus expect these vectors to be beneficial for other fungi as well. Finally, the vectors can easily be adapted to organisms beyond the kingdom fungi.
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Werner A, Otte KL, Stahlhut G, Pöggeler S. Establishment of the monomeric yellow-green fluorescent protein mNeonGreen for life cell imaging in mycelial fungi. AMB Express 2020; 10:222. [PMID: 33349910 PMCID: PMC7752937 DOI: 10.1186/s13568-020-01160-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The engineered monomeric version of the lancelet Branchiostoma lanceolatum fluorescent protein, mNeonGreen (mNG), has several positive characteristics, such as a very bright fluorescence, high photostability and fast maturation. These features make it a good candidate for the utilization as fluorescent tool for cell biology and biochemical applications in filamentous fungi. We report the generation of plasmids for the expression of the heterologous mNG gene under the control of an inducible and a constitutive promoter in the filamentous ascomycete Sordaria macrospora and display a stable expression of mNG in the cytoplasm. To demonstrate its usefulness for labeling of organelles, the peroxisomal targeting sequence serine-lysine-leucine (SKL) was fused to mNG. Expression of this tagged version led to protein import of mNG into peroxisomes and their bright fluorescence in life cell imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonia Werner
- Department of Genetics of Eukaryotic Microorganisms, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Georg-August-University of Göttingen, Grisebachstr. 8, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Kolja L. Otte
- Department of Genetics of Eukaryotic Microorganisms, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Georg-August-University of Göttingen, Grisebachstr. 8, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Gertrud Stahlhut
- Department of Genetics of Eukaryotic Microorganisms, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Georg-August-University of Göttingen, Grisebachstr. 8, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Stefanie Pöggeler
- Department of Genetics of Eukaryotic Microorganisms, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Georg-August-University of Göttingen, Grisebachstr. 8, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
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12
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Zhgun A, Dumina M, Valiakhmetov A, Eldarov M. The critical role of plasma membrane H+-ATPase activity in cephalosporin C biosynthesis of Acremonium chrysogenum. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0238452. [PMID: 32866191 PMCID: PMC7458343 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0238452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The filamentous fungus Acremonium chrysogenum is the main industrial producer of cephalosporin C (CPC), one of the major precursors for manufacturing of cephalosporin antibiotics. The plasma membrane H+-ATPase (PMA) plays a key role in numerous fungal physiological processes. Previously we observed a decrease of PMA activity in A. chrysogenum overproducing strain RNCM 408D (HY) as compared to the level the wild-type strain A. chrysogenum ATCC 11550. Here we report the relationship between PMA activity and CPC biosynthesis in A. chrysogenum strains. The elevation of PMA activity in HY strain through overexpression of PMA1 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, under the control of the constitutive gpdA promoter from Aspergillus nidulans, results in a 1.2 to 10-fold decrease in CPC production, shift in beta-lactam intermediates content, and is accompanied by the decrease in cef genes expression in the fermentation process; the characteristic colony morphology on agar media is also changed. The level of PMA activity in A. chrysogenum HY OE::PMA1 strains has been increased by 50–100%, up to the level observed in WT strain, and was interrelated with ATP consumption; the more PMA activity is elevated, the more ATP level is depleted. The reduced PMA activity in A. chrysogenum HY strain may be one of the selected events during classical strain improvement, aimed at elevating the ATP content available for CPC production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Zhgun
- Research Center of Biotechnology RAS, Moscow, Russia
- * E-mail:
| | - Mariya Dumina
- Research Center of Biotechnology RAS, Moscow, Russia
| | - Ayrat Valiakhmetov
- Skryabin Institute of Biophysics and Physiology of Microorganisms, RAS, Pushchino, Russia
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13
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Schmidt S, Märker R, Ramšak B, Beier-Rosberger AM, Teichert I, Kück U. Crosstalk Between Pheromone Signaling and NADPH Oxidase Complexes Coordinates Fungal Developmental Processes. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:1722. [PMID: 32849367 PMCID: PMC7401384 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual and asexual development in filamentous ascomycetes is controlled by components of conserved signaling pathways. Here, we investigated the development of mutant strains lacking genes for kinases MAK2, MEK2, and MIK2, as well as the scaffold protein HAM5 of the pheromone response (PR) pathway. All had a defect in fruiting body development and hyphal fusion. Another phenotype was a defect in melanin-dependent ascospore germination. However, this deficiency was observed only in kinase deletion mutants, but not in strains lacking HAM5. Notably, the same developmental phenotypes were previously described for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase 1 (NOX1) mutants, but the germination defect was only seen in NOX2 mutants. These data suggest a molecular link between the pheromone signaling pathway and both NOX complexes. Using data from yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) analysis, we found that the scaffolding protein HAM5 interacts with NOR1, the regulator of NOX1 and NOX2 complexes. This interaction was further confirmed using differently fluorescent-labeled proteins to demonstrate that NOR1 and HAM5 co-localize at cytoplasmic spots and tips of mature hyphae. This observation was supported by phenotypic characterization of single and double mutants. The oxidative stress response and the initiation of fruiting bodies were similar in Δham5Δnor1 and Δham5, but distinctly reduced in Δnor1, indicating that the double deletion leads to a partial suppression of the Δnor1 phenotype. We conclude that the PR and NOX1 complexes are connected by direct interaction between HAM5 and NOR1. In contrast, PR kinases are linked to the NOX2 complex without participation of HAM5.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Ulrich Kück
- Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany
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Chen C, Liu J, Duan C, Pan Y, Liu G. Improvement of the CRISPR-Cas9 mediated gene disruption and large DNA fragment deletion based on a chimeric promoter in Acremonium chrysogenum. Fungal Genet Biol 2020; 134:103279. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2019.103279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Revised: 09/30/2019] [Accepted: 10/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Liu Q, Zhang Y, Li F, Li J, Sun W, Tian C. Upgrading of efficient and scalable CRISPR-Cas-mediated technology for genetic engineering in thermophilic fungus Myceliophthora thermophila. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 2019; 12:293. [PMID: 31890021 PMCID: PMC6927189 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-019-1637-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Thermophilic filamentous fungus Myceliophthora thermophila has great capacity for biomass degradation and is an attractive system for direct production of enzymes and chemicals from plant biomass. Its industrial importance inspired us to develop genome editing tools to speed up the genetic engineering of this fungus. First-generation CRISPR-Cas9 technology was developed in 2017 and, since then, some progress has been made in thermophilic fungi genetic engineering, but a number of limitations remain. They include the need for complex independent expression cassettes for targeting multiplex genomic loci and the limited number of available selectable marker genes. RESULTS In this study, we developed an Acidaminococcus sp. Cas12a-based CRISPR system for efficient multiplex genome editing, using a single-array approach in M. thermophila. These CRISPR-Cas12a cassettes worked well for simultaneous multiple gene deletions/insertions. We also developed a new simple approach for marker recycling that relied on the novel cleavage activity of the CRISPR-Cas12a system to make DNA breaks in selected markers. We demonstrated its performance by targeting nine genes involved in the cellulase production pathway in M. thermophila via three transformation rounds, using two selectable markers neo and bar. We obtained the nonuple mutant M9 in which protein productivity and lignocellulase activity were 9.0- and 18.5-fold higher than in the wild type. We conducted a parallel investigation using our transient CRISPR-Cas9 system and found the two technologies were complementary. Together we called them CRISPR-Cas-assisted marker recycling technology (Camr technology). CONCLUSIONS Our study described new approaches (Camr technology) that allow easy and efficient marker recycling and iterative stacking of traits in the same thermophilic fungus strain either, using the newly established CRISPR-Cas12a system or the established CRISPR-Cas9 system. This Camr technology will be a versatile and efficient tool for engineering, theoretically, an unlimited number of genes in fungi. We expect this advance to accelerate biotechnology-oriented engineering processes in fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Liu
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308 China
| | - Yongli Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308 China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049 China
| | - Fangya Li
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308 China
| | - Jingen Li
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308 China
| | - Wenliang Sun
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308 China
| | - Chaoguang Tian
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308 China
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Chen G, Chu J. Characterization of Two Polyketide Synthases Involved in Sorbicillinoid Biosynthesis by Acremonium chrysogenum Using the CRISPR/Cas9 System. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 2019; 188:1134-1144. [PMID: 30809786 DOI: 10.1007/s12010-019-02960-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2018] [Accepted: 01/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Acremonium chrysogenum is an important fungal strain used for cephalosporin C production. Many efforts have been made to develop versatile genome-editing tools to better understand the mechanism of A. chrysogenum. Here, we developed a feasible and efficient CRISPR/Cas9 system. Two genes responsible for the synthesis of yellow pigments (sorbicillinoids) were chosen as targets, and plasmids expressing both the Cas9 protein and single-guide RNAs were constructed. After introducing the plasmids into the protoplasts of A. chrysogenum, 83 to 93% albino mutants harboring the expected genomic alteration, on average, were obtained. We have generated two mutant strains that respectively disrupt sorA and sorB by flexible CRISPR/Cas9 system. We further confirmed that the sorbicillinoid biosynthetic gene cluster is regulated by an autoinduction mechanism. This work will lay a solid foundation for gene function research and regulation in the sorbicillinoid biosynthetic pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guozhi Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, Shanghai, 200237, People's Republic of China
| | - Ju Chu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, Shanghai, 200237, People's Republic of China.
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17
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Strategies for gene disruption and expression in filamentous fungi. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2019; 103:6041-6059. [DOI: 10.1007/s00253-019-09953-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2019] [Revised: 05/24/2019] [Accepted: 05/28/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
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Inducible promoters and functional genomic approaches for the genetic engineering of filamentous fungi. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2018; 102:6357-6372. [PMID: 29860590 PMCID: PMC6061484 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-018-9115-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2018] [Revised: 05/17/2018] [Accepted: 05/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
In industry, filamentous fungi have a prominent position as producers of economically relevant primary or secondary metabolites. Particularly, the advent of genetic engineering of filamentous fungi has led to a growing number of molecular tools to adopt filamentous fungi for biotechnical applications. Here, we summarize recent developments in fungal biology, where fungal host systems were genetically manipulated for optimal industrial applications. Firstly, available inducible promoter systems depending on carbon sources are mentioned together with various adaptations of the Tet-Off and Tet-On systems for use in different industrial fungal host systems. Subsequently, we summarize representative examples, where diverse expression systems were used for the production of heterologous products, including proteins from mammalian systems. In addition, the progressing usage of genomics and functional genomics data for strain improvement strategies are addressed, for the identification of biosynthesis genes and their related metabolic pathways. Functional genomic data are further used to decipher genomic differences between wild-type and high-production strains, in order to optimize endogenous metabolic pathways that lead to the synthesis of pharmaceutically relevant end products. Lastly, we discuss how molecular data sets can be used to modify products for optimized applications.
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Kluge J, Kück U. AcAxl2 and AcMst1 regulate arthrospore development and stress resistance in the cephalosporin C producer Acremonium chrysogenum. Curr Genet 2017; 64:713-727. [PMID: 29209784 DOI: 10.1007/s00294-017-0790-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2017] [Revised: 11/17/2017] [Accepted: 11/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The filamentous fungus Acremonium chrysogenum is the primordial producer of the β-lactam antibiotic cephalosporin C. This antibiotic is of major biotechnological and medical relevance because of its antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Antibiotic production during the lag phase of fermentation is often accompanied by a typical morphological feature of A. chrysogenum, the fragmentation of the mycelium into arthrospores. Here, we sought to identify factors that regulate the hyphal septation process and present the first comparative functional characterization of the type I integral plasma membrane protein Axl2 (axial budding pattern protein 2), a central component of the bud site selection system (BSSS) and Mst1 (mammalian Sterile20-like kinase), a septation initiation network (SIN)-associated germinal center kinase (GCK). Although an Acaxl2 deletion strain showed accelerated arthrospore formation after 96 h in liquid culture, deletion of Acmst1 led to a 24 h delay in arthrospore development. The overexpression of Acaxl2 resulted in an arthrospore formation similar to the A3/2 strain. In contrast to this, A3/2::Acmst1 OE strain displayed an enhanced arthrospore titer. Large-scale stress tests revealed an involvement of AcAxl2 in controlling osmotic, endoplasmic reticulum, and cell wall stress response. In a similar approach, we found that AcMst1 plays an essential role in regulating growth under osmotic, cell wall, and oxidative stress conditions. Microscopic analyses and plating assays on media containing Calcofluor White and NaCl showed that arthrospore development is a stress-dependent process. Our results suggest the potential for identifying candidate genes for strain improvement programs to optimize industrial fermentation processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janina Kluge
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstr. 150, 44780, Bochum, Germany
| | - Ulrich Kück
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstr. 150, 44780, Bochum, Germany.
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Terfehr D, Kück U. Deactivation of the autotrophic sulfate assimilation pathway substantially reduces high-level β-lactam antibiotic biosynthesis and arthrospore formation in a production strain from Acremonium chrysogenum. MICROBIOLOGY-SGM 2017; 163:817-828. [PMID: 28598313 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.000474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
The filamentous ascomycete Acremonium chrysogenum is the only industrial producer of the β-lactam antibiotic cephalosporin C. Synthesis of all β-lactam antibiotics starts with the three amino acids l-α-aminoadipic acid, l-cysteine and l-valine condensing to form the δ-(l-α-aminoadipyl)-l-cysteinyl-d-valine tripeptide. The availability of building blocks is essential in every biosynthetic process and is therefore one of the most important parameters required for optimal biosynthetic production. Synthesis of l-cysteine is feasible by various biosynthetic pathways in all euascomycetes, and sequencing of the Acr. chrysogenum genome has shown that a full set of sulfur-metabolizing genes is present. In principle, two pathways are effective: an autotrophic one, where the sulfur atom is taken from assimilated sulfide to synthesize either l-cysteine or l-homocysteine, and a reverse transsulfuration pathway, where l-methionine is the sulfur donor. Previous research with production strains has focused on reverse transsulfuration, and concluded that both l-methionine and reverse transsulfuration are essential for high-level cephalosporin C synthesis. Here, we conducted molecular genetic analysis with A3/2, another production strain, to investigate the autotrophic pathway. Strains lacking either cysteine synthase or homocysteine synthase, enzymes of the autotrophic pathway, are still autotrophic for sulfur. However, deletion of both genes results in sulfur amino acid auxotrophic mutants exhibiting delayed biomass production and drastically reduced cephalosporin C synthesis. Furthermore, both single- and double-deletion strains are more sensitive to oxidative stress and form fewer arthrospores. Our findings provide evidence that autotrophic sulfur assimilation is essential for growth and cephalosporin C biosynthesis in production strain A3/2 from Acr. chrysogenum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominik Terfehr
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstr 150, 44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - Ulrich Kück
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstr 150, 44780 Bochum, Germany
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Terfehr D, Dahlmann TA, Kück U. Transcriptome analysis of the two unrelated fungal β-lactam producers Acremonium chrysogenum and Penicillium chrysogenum: Velvet-regulated genes are major targets during conventional strain improvement programs. BMC Genomics 2017; 18:272. [PMID: 28359302 PMCID: PMC5374653 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-017-3663-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2016] [Accepted: 03/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cephalosporins and penicillins are the most frequently used β-lactam antibiotics for the treatment of human infections worldwide. The main industrial producers of these antibiotics are Acremonium chrysogenum and Penicillium chrysogenum, two taxonomically unrelated fungi. Both were subjects of long-term strain development programs to reach economically relevant antibiotic titers. It is so far unknown, whether equivalent changes in gene expression lead to elevated antibiotic titers in production strains. RESULTS Using the sequence of PcbC, a key enzyme of β-lactam antibiotic biosynthesis, from eighteen different pro- and eukaryotic microorganisms, we have constructed a phylogenetic tree to demonstrate the distant relationship of both fungal producers. To address the question whether both fungi have undergone similar genetic adaptions, we have performed a comparative gene expression analysis of wild-type and production strains. We found that strain improvement is associated with the remodeling of the transcriptional landscape in both fungi. In P. chrysogenum, 748 genes showed differential expression, while 1572 genes from A. chrysogenum are differentially expressed in the industrial strain. Common in both fungi is the upregulation of genes belonging to primary and secondary metabolism, notably those involved in precursor supply for β-lactam production. Other genes not essential for β-lactam production are downregulated with a preference for those responsible for transport processes or biosynthesis of other secondary metabolites. Transcriptional regulation was shown to be an important parameter during strain improvement in different organisms. We therefore investigated deletion strains of the major transcriptional regulator velvet from both production strains. We identified 567 P. chrysogenum and 412 A. chrysogenum Velvet target genes. In both deletion strains, approximately 50% of all secondary metabolite cluster genes are differentially regulated, including β-lactam biosynthesis genes. Most importantly, 35-57% of Velvet target genes are among those that showed differential expression in both improved industrial strains. CONCLUSIONS The major finding of our comparative transcriptome analysis is that strain improvement programs in two unrelated fungal β-lactam antibiotic producers alter the expression of target genes of Velvet, a global regulator of secondary metabolism. From these results, we conclude that regulatory alterations are crucial contributing factors for improved β-lactam antibiotic titers during strain improvement in both fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominik Terfehr
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstr. 150, Bochum, 44780, Germany
| | - Tim A Dahlmann
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstr. 150, Bochum, 44780, Germany
| | - Ulrich Kück
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstr. 150, Bochum, 44780, Germany.
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Teichert I, Lutomski M, Märker R, Nowrousian M, Kück U. New insights from an old mutant: SPADIX4 governs fruiting body development but not hyphal fusion in Sordaria macrospora. Mol Genet Genomics 2016; 292:93-104. [DOI: 10.1007/s00438-016-1258-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2016] [Accepted: 10/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Steffens EK, Becker K, Krevet S, Teichert I, Kück U. Transcription factor PRO1 targets genes encoding conserved components of fungal developmental signaling pathways. Mol Microbiol 2016; 102:792-809. [PMID: 27560538 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/24/2016] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The filamentous fungus Sordaria macrospora is a model system to study multicellular development during fruiting body formation. Previously, we demonstrated that this major process in the sexual life cycle is controlled by the Zn(II)2 Cys6 zinc cluster transcription factor PRO1. Here, we further investigated the genome-wide regulatory network controlled by PRO1 by employing chromatin immunoprecipitation combined with next-generation sequencing (ChIP-seq) to identify binding sites for PRO1. We identified several target regions that occur in the promoter regions of genes encoding components of diverse signaling pathways. Furthermore, we identified a conserved DNA-binding motif that is bound specifically by PRO1 in vitro. In addition, PRO1 controls in vivo the expression of a DsRed reporter gene under the control of the esdC target gene promoter. Our ChIP-seq data suggest that PRO1 also controls target genes previously shown to be involved in regulating the pathways controlling cell wall integrity, NADPH oxidase and pheromone signaling. Our data point to PRO1 acting as a master regulator of genes for signaling components that comprise a developmental cascade controlling fruiting body formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Katharina Steffens
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, Bochum, 44780, Germany
| | - Kordula Becker
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, Bochum, 44780, Germany
| | - Sabine Krevet
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, Bochum, 44780, Germany
| | - Ines Teichert
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, Bochum, 44780, Germany
| | - Ulrich Kück
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, Bochum, 44780, Germany
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Hu Y, Zhu B. Study on genetic engineering of Acremonium chrysogenum, the cephalosporin C producer. Synth Syst Biotechnol 2016; 1:143-149. [PMID: 29062938 PMCID: PMC5640796 DOI: 10.1016/j.synbio.2016.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2016] [Revised: 08/11/2016] [Accepted: 09/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Acremonium chrysogenum is an important filamentous fungus which produces cephalosporin C in industry. This review summarized the study on genetic engineering of Acremonium chrysogenum, including biosynthesis and regulation for fermentation of cephalosporin C, molecular techniques, molecular breeding and transcriptomics of Acremonium chrysogenum. We believe with all the techniques available and full genomic sequence, the industrial strain of Acremonium chrysogenum can be genetically modified to better serve the pharmaceutical industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youjia Hu
- China State Institute of Pharmaceutical Industry, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Baoquan Zhu
- China State Institute of Pharmaceutical Industry, Shanghai 201203, China
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A rapid and reliable strategy for chromosomal integration of gene(s) with multiple copies. Sci Rep 2015; 5:9684. [PMID: 25851494 PMCID: PMC4389210 DOI: 10.1038/srep09684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2014] [Accepted: 03/16/2015] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Direct optimization of the metabolic pathways on the chromosome requires tools that can fine tune the overexpression of a desired gene or optimize the combination of multiple genes. Although plasmid-dependent overexpression has been used for this task, fundamental issues concerning its genetic stability and operational repeatability have not been addressed. Here, we describe a rapid and reliable strategy for chromosomal integration of gene(s) with multiple copies (CIGMC), which uses the flippase from the yeast 2-μm plasmid. Using green fluorescence protein as a model, we verified that the fluorescent intensity was in accordance with the integration copy number of the target gene. When a narrow-host-range replicon, R6K, was used in the integrative plasmid, the maximum integrated copy number of Escherichia coli reached 15. Applying the CIGMC method to optimize the overexpression of single or multiple genes in amino acid biosynthesis, we successfully improved the product yield and stability of the production. As a flexible strategy, CIGMC can be used in various microorganisms other than E. coli.
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Genome Sequence and Annotation of Acremonium chrysogenum, Producer of the β-Lactam Antibiotic Cephalosporin C. GENOME ANNOUNCEMENTS 2014; 2:2/5/e00948-14. [PMID: 25291769 PMCID: PMC4175204 DOI: 10.1128/genomea.00948-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The filamentous fungus Acremonium chrysogenum is the industrial producer of the β-lactam antibiotic cephalosporin C. Here, we present the genome sequence of strain ATCC 11550, which contains genes for 8,901 proteins, 127 tRNAs, and 22 rRNAs. Genome annotation led to the prediction of 42 gene clusters for secondary metabolites.
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Teichert I, Steffens EK, Schnaß N, Fränzel B, Krisp C, Wolters DA, Kück U. PRO40 is a scaffold protein of the cell wall integrity pathway, linking the MAP kinase module to the upstream activator protein kinase C. PLoS Genet 2014; 10:e1004582. [PMID: 25188365 PMCID: PMC4154660 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1004582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2014] [Accepted: 07/02/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways are crucial signaling instruments in eukaryotes. Most ascomycetes possess three MAPK modules that are involved in key developmental processes like sexual propagation or pathogenesis. However, the regulation of these modules by adapters or scaffolds is largely unknown. Here, we studied the function of the cell wall integrity (CWI) MAPK module in the model fungus Sordaria macrospora. Using a forward genetic approach, we found that sterile mutant pro30 has a mutated mik1 gene that encodes the MAPK kinase kinase (MAPKKK) of the proposed CWI pathway. We generated single deletion mutants lacking MAPKKK MIK1, MAPK kinase (MAPKK) MEK1, or MAPK MAK1 and found them all to be sterile, cell fusion-deficient and highly impaired in vegetative growth and cell wall stress response. By searching for MEK1 interaction partners via tandem affinity purification and mass spectrometry, we identified previously characterized developmental protein PRO40 as a MEK1 interaction partner. Although fungal PRO40 homologs have been implicated in diverse developmental processes, their molecular function is currently unknown. Extensive affinity purification, mass spectrometry, and yeast two-hybrid experiments showed that PRO40 is able to bind MIK1, MEK1, and the upstream activator protein kinase C (PKC1). We further found that the PRO40 N-terminal disordered region and the central region encompassing a WW interaction domain are sufficient to govern interaction with MEK1. Most importantly, time- and stress-dependent phosphorylation studies showed that PRO40 is required for MAK1 activity. The sum of our results implies that PRO40 is a scaffold protein for the CWI pathway, linking the MAPK module to the upstream activator PKC1. Our data provide important insights into the mechanistic role of a protein that has been implicated in sexual and asexual development, cell fusion, symbiosis, and pathogenicity in different fungal systems. The specific response to environmental cues is crucial for cell differentiation and is often mediated by highly conserved eukaryotic MAP kinase (MAPK) pathways. How these pathways react specifically to huge numbers of different cues is still unclear, and current literature about adapter and scaffolding proteins remains scarce. However, gaining fundamental insight into molecular signaling determinants is pivotal for combating diseases with impaired signal transduction processes, such as Alzheimer's disease or cancer. Importantly, signal transduction can easily be studied in lower eukaryotes like filamentous fungi that are readily genetically tractable. The fungus Sordaria macrospora has a long history as an ideal model system for cell differentiation, and we show here that the proposed cell wall integrity (CWI) MAPK module of this fungus controls differentiation of sexual fruiting bodies, cell fusion, polar growth and cell wall stress response. We further discovered that developmental protein PRO40 binds the MAPK kinase kinase (MAPKKK), the MAPK kinase (MAPKK) and upstream activator protein kinase C (PKC1) of the CWI pathway and is required for MAK1 activity, thereby providing evidence that PRO40 is a scaffold protein. Collectively, our findings reveal a molecular role for a protein implicated in development, cell fusion, symbiosis, and pathogenicity in different fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ines Teichert
- Department for General and Molecular Botany, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | | | - Nicole Schnaß
- Department for General and Molecular Botany, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Benjamin Fränzel
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Christoph Krisp
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Dirk A. Wolters
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Ulrich Kück
- Department for General and Molecular Botany, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
- * E-mail:
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