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Wang BB, Wang FH, Wang YJ, Jia YB, Tian SY, Zhang XC, Xue YJ, Li YL, Cai KZ. Microstructure characterization of different types of chlamydospores in Arthrobotrys flagrans. J Basic Microbiol 2024; 64:32-41. [PMID: 37699751 DOI: 10.1002/jobm.202300308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023]
Abstract
The morphological and structural differences of different types of chlamydospore of Arthrobotrys flagrans, a nematophagous fungus, were studied under light microscope and electron microscope to provide a reference for the biological control of parasitic nematodiasis. In this study, A. flagrans isolate F088 dormant chlamydospore and nondormant chlamydospore were selected as the research objects. The structural differences of these spores were observed by optical microscopy through lactol cotton blue, Trypan blue, and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) staining. FunXite -1, 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole, and calcofluor white staining were used to observe the metabolic activity, cell wall, and nucleus differences of the two types of spores under fluorescence microscope. Ultrastructure of the two kinds of spores was observed using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Since lacto phenol cotton blue, trypan blue staining cannot distinguish dormant spores from dead spores, MTT assay was performed. Fluorescence microscopy observation showed that the cytoplasmic metabolic activity of nondormant spores was stronger than that of dormant spores. The nucleus of dormant spores was bright blue, and their fluorescence was stronger than that of nondormant spores. The cell wall of nondormant spores produced stronger yellow-green fluorescence than that of dormant spores. Ultrastructural observation showed that there were globular protuberances on the surface of the two types of spores but with no significant difference between them. The inner wall of dormant spore possesses a thick zona pellucida with high electron density which was significantly thicker than that of nondormant spores, and their cytoplasm is also changed. In this study, the microstructure characteristics of dormant and nondormant chlamydospores of A. flagrans fungi were preliminarily clarified, suggesting that the state of cell wall and intracellular materials were changed after spores entered to dormancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo-Bo Wang
- Medical College of Yan'an University, Yan'an, China
- Yan'an Key Laboratory of Zoonotic Parasitology Laboratory, Yan'an, China
| | - Feng-Hui Wang
- Medical College of Yan'an University, Yan'an, China
- Yan'an Key Laboratory of Fungi Resources Development and Biological Control, Yan'an, China
| | - Yu-Jue Wang
- Medical College of Yan'an University, Yan'an, China
| | - Yi-Bo Jia
- Medical College of Yan'an University, Yan'an, China
| | - Shu-Yue Tian
- Medical College of Yan'an University, Yan'an, China
| | - Xi-Chen Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research by Ministry of Education, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Ya-Juan Xue
- Medical College of Yan'an University, Yan'an, China
| | - You-Lei Li
- Medical College of Yan'an University, Yan'an, China
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Transcription in fungal conidia before dormancy produces phenotypically variable conidia that maximize survival in different environments. Nat Microbiol 2021; 6:1066-1081. [PMID: 34183813 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-021-00922-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Fungi produce millions of clonal asexual conidia (spores) that remain dormant until favourable conditions occur. Conidia contain abundant stable messenger RNAs but the mechanisms underlying the production of these transcripts and their composition and functions are unknown. Here, we report that the conidia of three filamentous fungal species (Aspergillus nidulans, Aspergillus fumigatus, Talaromyces marneffei) are transcriptionally active and can synthesize mRNAs. We find that transcription in fully developed conidia is modulated in response to changes in the environment until conidia leave the developmental structure. Environment-specific transcriptional responses can alter conidial content (mRNAs, proteins and secondary metabolites) and change gene expression when dormancy is broken. Conidial transcription affects the fitness and capabilities of fungal cells after germination, including stress and antifungal drug (azole) resistance, mycotoxin and secondary metabolite production and virulence. The transcriptional variation that we characterize in fungal conidia explains how genetically identical conidia mature into phenotypically variable conidia. We find that fungal conidia prepare for the future by synthesizing and storing transcripts according to environmental conditions present before dormancy.
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Muggia L, Ametrano CG, Sterflinger K, Tesei D. An Overview of Genomics, Phylogenomics and Proteomics Approaches in Ascomycota. Life (Basel) 2020; 10:E356. [PMID: 33348904 PMCID: PMC7765829 DOI: 10.3390/life10120356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Revised: 12/10/2020] [Accepted: 12/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Fungi are among the most successful eukaryotes on Earth: they have evolved strategies to survive in the most diverse environments and stressful conditions and have been selected and exploited for multiple aims by humans. The characteristic features intrinsic of Fungi have required evolutionary changes and adaptations at deep molecular levels. Omics approaches, nowadays including genomics, metagenomics, phylogenomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, and proteomics have enormously advanced the way to understand fungal diversity at diverse taxonomic levels, under changeable conditions and in still under-investigated environments. These approaches can be applied both on environmental communities and on individual organisms, either in nature or in axenic culture and have led the traditional morphology-based fungal systematic to increasingly implement molecular-based approaches. The advent of next-generation sequencing technologies was key to boost advances in fungal genomics and proteomics research. Much effort has also been directed towards the development of methodologies for optimal genomic DNA and protein extraction and separation. To date, the amount of proteomics investigations in Ascomycetes exceeds those carried out in any other fungal group. This is primarily due to the preponderance of their involvement in plant and animal diseases and multiple industrial applications, and therefore the need to understand the biological basis of the infectious process to develop mechanisms for biologic control, as well as to detect key proteins with roles in stress survival. Here we chose to present an overview as much comprehensive as possible of the major advances, mainly of the past decade, in the fields of genomics (including phylogenomics) and proteomics of Ascomycota, focusing particularly on those reporting on opportunistic pathogenic, extremophilic, polyextremotolerant and lichenized fungi. We also present a review of the mostly used genome sequencing technologies and methods for DNA sequence and protein analyses applied so far for fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Muggia
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Claudio G. Ametrano
- Grainger Bioinformatics Center, Department of Science and Education, The Field Museum, Chicago, IL 60605, USA;
| | - Katja Sterflinger
- Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Institute of Natual Sciences and Technology in the Arts, 1090 Vienna, Austria;
| | - Donatella Tesei
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, 1190 Vienna, Austria;
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Whetton AD, Preston GW, Abubeker S, Geifman N. Proteomics and Informatics for Understanding Phases and Identifying Biomarkers in COVID-19 Disease. J Proteome Res 2020; 19:4219-4232. [PMID: 32657586 PMCID: PMC7384384 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.0c00326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The emergence of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, has necessitated the urgent development of new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Rapid research and development, on an international scale, has already generated assays for detecting SARS-CoV-2 RNA and host immunoglobulins. However, the complexities of COVID-19 are such that fuller definitions of patient status, trajectory, sequelae, and responses to therapy are now required. There is accumulating evidence-from studies of both COVID-19 and the related disease SARS-that protein biomarkers could help to provide this definition. Proteins associated with blood coagulation (D-dimer), cell damage (lactate dehydrogenase), and the inflammatory response (e.g., C-reactive protein) have already been identified as possible predictors of COVID-19 severity or mortality. Proteomics technologies, with their ability to detect many proteins per analysis, have begun to extend these early findings. To be effective, proteomics strategies must include not only methods for comprehensive data acquisition (e.g., using mass spectrometry) but also informatics approaches via which to derive actionable information from large data sets. Here we review applications of proteomics to COVID-19 and SARS and outline how pipelines involving technologies such as artificial intelligence could be of value for research on these diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony D. Whetton
- Stoller
Biomarker Discovery Centre, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health
(FBMH), University of Manchester, Manchester M20 4GJ, United Kingdom
- Stem
Cell and Leukaemia Proteomics Laboratory, Manchester Cancer Research
Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
- Manchester
National Institute for Health Biomedical Research Centre, Manchester M13 9WL, United Kingdom
| | - George W. Preston
- Stoller
Biomarker Discovery Centre, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health
(FBMH), University of Manchester, Manchester M20 4GJ, United Kingdom
- Stem
Cell and Leukaemia Proteomics Laboratory, Manchester Cancer Research
Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
| | - Semira Abubeker
- Stoller
Biomarker Discovery Centre, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health
(FBMH), University of Manchester, Manchester M20 4GJ, United Kingdom
- Stem
Cell and Leukaemia Proteomics Laboratory, Manchester Cancer Research
Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
| | - Nophar Geifman
- Centre
for Health Informatics, FBMH, University
of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
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Blango MG, Pschibul A, Rivieccio F, Krüger T, Rafiq M, Jia LJ, Zheng T, Goldmann M, Voltersen V, Li J, Panagiotou G, Kniemeyer O, Brakhage AA. Dynamic Surface Proteomes of Allergenic Fungal Conidia. J Proteome Res 2020; 19:2092-2104. [PMID: 32233371 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.0c00013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Fungal spores and hyphal fragments play an important role as allergens in respiratory diseases. In this study, we performed trypsin shaving and secretome analyses to identify the surface-exposed proteins and secreted/shed proteins of Aspergillus fumigatus conidia, respectively. We investigated the surface proteome under different conditions, including temperature variation and germination. We found that the surface proteome of resting A. fumigatus conidia is not static but instead unexpectedly dynamic, as evidenced by drastically different surface proteomes under different growth conditions. Knockouts of two abundant A. fumigatus surface proteins, ScwA and CweA, were found to function only in fine-tuning the cell wall stress response, implying that the conidial surface is very robust against perturbations. We then compared the surface proteome of A. fumigatus to other allergy-inducing molds, including Alternaria alternata, Penicillium rubens, and Cladosporium herbarum, and performed comparative proteomics on resting and swollen conidia, as well as secreted proteins from germinating conidia. We detected 125 protein ortholog groups, including 80 with putative catalytic activity, in the extracellular region of all four molds, and 42 nonorthologous proteins produced solely by A. fumigatus. Ultimately, this study highlights the dynamic nature of the A. fumigatus conidial surface and provides targets for future diagnostics and immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew G Blango
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology-Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI), Jena 07745, Germany
| | - Annica Pschibul
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology-Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI), Jena 07745, Germany.,Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena 07745, Germany
| | - Flora Rivieccio
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology-Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI), Jena 07745, Germany.,Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena 07745, Germany
| | - Thomas Krüger
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology-Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI), Jena 07745, Germany
| | - Muhammad Rafiq
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology-Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI), Jena 07745, Germany.,Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena 07745, Germany
| | - Lei-Jie Jia
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology-Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI), Jena 07745, Germany
| | - Tingting Zheng
- Department of Systems Biology and Bioinformatics, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology-Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI), Jena 07745, Germany
| | - Marie Goldmann
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology-Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI), Jena 07745, Germany.,Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena 07745, Germany
| | - Vera Voltersen
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology-Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI), Jena 07745, Germany
| | - Jun Li
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong S.A.R., China.,School of Data Science, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong S.A.R., China
| | - Gianni Panagiotou
- Department of Systems Biology and Bioinformatics, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology-Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI), Jena 07745, Germany
| | - Olaf Kniemeyer
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology-Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI), Jena 07745, Germany.,Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena 07745, Germany
| | - Axel A Brakhage
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology-Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI), Jena 07745, Germany.,Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena 07745, Germany
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Blachowicz A, Chiang AJ, Romsdahl J, Kalkum M, Wang CCC, Venkateswaran K. Proteomic characterization of Aspergillus fumigatus isolated from air and surfaces of the International Space Station. Fungal Genet Biol 2019; 124:39-46. [PMID: 30611835 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2019.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2018] [Revised: 12/18/2018] [Accepted: 01/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The on-going Microbial Observatory Experiments on the International Space Station (ISS) revealed the presence of various microorganisms that may be affected by the distinct environment of the ISS. The low-nutrient environment combined with enhanced irradiation and microgravity may trigger changes in the molecular suite of microorganisms leading to increased virulence and resistance of microbes. Proteomic characterization of two Aspergillus fumigatus strains, ISSFT-021 and IF1SW-F4, isolated from HEPA filter debris and cupola surface of the ISS, respectively, is presented, along with a comparison to well-studied clinical isolates Af293 and CEA10. In-depth analysis highlights variations in the proteome of both ISS-isolated strains when compared to the clinical strains. Proteins that showed increased abundance in ISS isolates were overall involved in stress responses, and carbohydrate and secondary metabolism. Among the most abundant proteins were Pst2 and ArtA involved in oxidative stress response, PdcA and AcuE responsible for ethanol fermentation and glyoxylate cycle, respectively, TpcA, TpcF, and TpcK that are part of trypacidin biosynthetic pathway, and a toxin Asp-hemolysin. This report provides insight into possible molecular adaptation of filamentous fungi to the unique ISS environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Blachowicz
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Biotechnology and Planetary Protection Group, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Abby J Chiang
- Department of Molecular Immunology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Jillian Romsdahl
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Markus Kalkum
- Department of Molecular Immunology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Clay C C Wang
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Chemistry, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Kasthuri Venkateswaran
- Biotechnology and Planetary Protection Group, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
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Piguillem SV, Ortega FG, Raba J, Messina GA, Fernández-Baldo MA. Development of a nanostructured electrochemical immunosensor applied to the early detection of invasive aspergillosis. Microchem J 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.microc.2018.03.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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