A plant defense response effector induces microbial apoptosis

Novel Multiresistant Osmotin-like Protein from Sweetpotato as a Promising Biofungicide to Control Ceratocystis fimbriata by Destroying Spores through Accumulation of Reactive Oxygen Species

Osmotin-like proteins (OLPs) play an important role in host-plant defense. In this study, a novel multiresistant OLP (IbOLP1) was screened from sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) with a molecular weight of 26.3 kDa. The expression level of IbOLP1 was significantly higher in resistant cultivars than susceptible ones after inoculation with Ceratocystis fimbriata, which causes black rot disease in sweetpotato. The expression of IbOLP1 in Pichia pastoris led to the lysis of yeast cells themselves. The recombinant IbOLP1 displayed antifungal, antibacterial, and antinematode activity and stability. IbOLP1 could restrain the mycelial growth and lyse spores of C. fimbriata, distinctly reducing the incidence of black rot in sweetpotato. The IbOLP1 can trigger the apoptosis of black rot spores by elevating the intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species. Collectively, these findings suggest that IbOLP1 can be used to develop natural antimicrobial resources instead of chemical agents and generate new, disease-resistant germplasm.

Tomato-Thaumatin-like Protein Genes Solyc08g080660 and Solyc08g080670 Confer Resistance to Five Soil-Borne Diseases by Enhancing β-1,3-Glucanase Activity

Although thaumatin-like proteins (TLPs) are involved in resistance to a variety of fungal diseases, whether the TLP5 and TLP6 genes in tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum) confer resistance to the pathogenesis of soil-borne diseases has not been demonstrated. In this study, five soil-borne diseases (fungal pathogens: Fusarium solani, Fusarium oxysporum, and Verticillium dahliae; bacterial pathogens: Clavibacter michiganense subsp. michiganense and Ralstonia solanacearum) were used to infect susceptible "No. 5" and disease-resistant "S-55" tomato cultivars. We found that SlTLP5 and SlTLP6 transcript levels were higher in susceptible cultivars treated with the three fungal pathogens than in those treated with the two bacterial pathogens and that transcript levels varied depending on the pathogen. Moreover, the SlTLP5 and SlTLP6 transcript levels were much higher in disease-resistant cultivars than in disease-susceptible cultivars, and the SlTLP5 and SlTLP6 transcript levels were higher in cultivars treated with the same fungal pathogen than in those treated with bacterial pathogens. SlTLP6 transcript levels were higher than SlTLP5. SlTLP5 and SlTLP6 overexpression and gene-edited transgenic mutants were generated in both susceptible and resistant cultivars. Overexpression and knockout increased and decreased resistance to the five diseases, respectively. Transgenic plants overexpressing SlTLP5 and SlTLP6 inhibited the activities of peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and catalase (CAT) after inoculation with fungal pathogens, and the activities of POD, SOD, and APX were similar to those of fungi after infection with bacterial pathogens. The activities of CAT were increased, and the activity of β-1,3-glucanase was increased in both the fungal and bacterial treatments. Overexpressed plants were more resistant than the control plants. After SlTLP5 and SlTLP6 knockout plants were inoculated, POD, SOD, and APX had no significant changes, but CAT activity increased and decreased significantly after the fungal and bacterial treatments, contrary to overexpression. The activity of β-1,3-glucanase decreased in the treatment of the five pathogens, and the knocked-out plants were more susceptible to disease than the control. In summary, this study contributes to the further understanding of TLP disease resistance mechanisms in tomato plants.

Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of the PPO Gene Family in Cotton (Gossypium) and Their Expression Variations Responding to Verticillium Wilt Infection

Polyphenol oxidases (PPOs) are copper-binding metalloproteinases encoded by nuclear genes, ubiquitously existing in the plastids of microorganisms, plants, and animals. As one of the important defense enzymes, PPOs have been reported to participate in the resistant processes that respond to diseases and insect pests in multiple plant species. However, PPO gene identification and characterization in cotton and their expression patterns under Verticillium wilt (VW) treatment have not been clearly studied. In this study, 7, 8, 14, and 16 PPO genes were separately identified from Gossypium arboreum, G. raimondii, G. hirsutum, and G. barbadense, respectively, which were distributed within 23 chromosomes, though mainly gathered in chromosome 6. The phylogenetic tree manifested that all the PPOs from four cotton species and 14 other plants were divided into seven groups, and the analyses of the conserved motifs and nucleotide sequences showed highly similar characteristics of the gene structure and domains in the cotton PPO genes. The dramatically expressed differences were observed among the different organs at various stages of growth and development or under the diverse stresses referred to in the published RNA-seq data. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) experiments were also performed on the GhPPO genes in the roots, stems, and leaves of VW-resistant MBI8255 and VW-susceptible CCRI36 infected with Verticillium dahliae V991, proving the strong correlation between PPO activity and VW resistance. A comprehensive analysis conducted on cotton PPO genes contributes to the screening of the candidate genes for subsequent biological function studies, which is also of great significance for the in-depth understanding of the molecular genetic basis of cotton resistance to VW.

Genome-Wide Identification of the Thaumatin-like Protein Family Genes in Gossypium barbadense and Analysis of Their Responses to Verticillium dahliae Infection

(1) Background: Plants respond to pathogen challenge by activating a defense system involving pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins. The PR-5 family includes thaumatin, thaumatin-like proteins (TLPs), and other related proteins. TLPs play an important role in response to biotic and abiotic stresses. Many TLP-encoding genes have been identified and functionally characterized in the model plant species. (2) Results: We identified a total of 90 TLP genes in the G. barbadense genome. They were phylogenetically classified into 10 subfamilies and distributed across 19 chromosomes and nine scaffolds. The genes were characterized by examining their exon-intron structures, promoter cis-elements, conserved domains, synteny and collinearity, gene family evolution, and gene duplications. Several TLP genes were predicted to be targets of miRNAs. Investigation of expression changes of 21 GbTLPs in a G. barbadense cultivar (Hai7124) resistance to Verticillium dahliae revealed 13 GbTLPs being upregulated in response to V. dahliae infection, suggesting a potential role of these GbTLP genes in disease response. (3) Conclusions: The results of this study allow insight into the GbTLP gene family, identify GbTLP genes responsive to V. dahliae infection, and provide candidate genes for future studies of their roles in disease resistance.

ROS Dependent Antifungal and Anticancer Modulations of Piper colubrinum Osmotin

Osmotin, a plant defense protein, has functional similarity to adiponectin, an insulin sensitizingsensitising hormone secreted by adipocytes. We speculated that Piper colubrinum Osmotin (PcOSM) could have functional roles in obesity-related cancers, especially breast cancer. Immunofluorescence assays, flow cytometry, cell cycle analysis and a senescence assay were employed to delineate the activity in MDAMB231 breast cancer cell line. PcOSM pre-treated P. nigrum leaves showed significant reduction in disease symptoms correlated with high ROS production. In silico analysis predicted that PcOSM has higher binding efficiency with adiponectin receptor compared to adiponectin. PcOSM was effectively taken up by MDAMB231 cancer cells which resulted in marked increase in intracellular ROS levels leading to senescence and cell cycle arrest in G2/M stage. This study provides evidence on the ROS mediated direct inhibitory activity of the plant derived osmotin protein on the phytopathogen Phytophthora capsici, and the additional functional roles of this plant defense protein on cancer cells through inducing ROS associated senescence. The strong leads produced from this study could be pursued further to obtain more insights into the therapeutic potential of osmotin in human cancers.

Apoptosis, Induced by Human α-Synuclein in Yeast, Can Occur Independent of Functional Mitochondria

Human α-synuclein expression in baker’s yeast reportedly induces mitochondria-dependent apoptosis. Surprisingly, we find that, under de-repressing conditions of the inducible MET25/GAL1 promoters, yeast cells expressing chromosomally-integrated copies of the human α-synuclein gene are not killed, but spontaneously form respiration-deficient rho-minus (ρ⁻) petites. Although yeast cells can undergo cell death (apoptosis) from loss of mitochondrial function, they can also survive without functional mitochondria. Such cells are referred to as ρ⁰ or ρ⁻ petites. This study reports that minimal expression of human α-synuclein in yeast, from MET25/GAL1 promoter, gives rise to ρ⁻ petites. Interestingly, the full expression of α-synuclein, from the same promoters, in α-synuclein-triggered ρ⁻ petites and also in ρ⁰ petites (produced by treating ρ⁺ cells with the mutagen ethidium bromide) initiates apoptosis. The percentages of petites increase with increasing α-synuclein gene copy-number. ρ⁻ petites expressing α-synuclein from fully-induced MET25/GAL1 promoters exhibit increased ROS levels, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, and nuclear DNA fragmentation, with increasing copies of α-synuclein. Our results indicate that, for the first time in yeast, α-synuclein-triggered apoptosis can occur independently of functional mitochondria. The observation that α-synuclein naturally forms petites and that they can undergo apoptosis may have important implications in understanding the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease.

The Antifungal Protein AfpB Induces Regulated Cell Death in Its Parental Fungus Penicillium digitatum

Disease-causing fungi pose a serious threat to human health and food safety and security. The limited number of licensed antifungals, together with the emergence of pathogenic fungi with multiple resistance to available antifungals, represents a serious challenge for medicine and agriculture. Therefore, there is an urgent need for new compounds with high fungal specificity and novel antifungal mechanisms. Antifungal proteins in general, and AfpB from Penicillium digitatum in particular, are promising molecules for the development of novel antifungals. This study on AfpB’s mode of action demonstrates its potent, specific fungicidal activity through the interaction with multiple targets, presumably reducing the risk of evolving fungal resistance, and through a regulated cell death process, uncovering this protein as an excellent candidate for a novel biofungicide. The in-depth knowledge on AfpB mechanistic function presented in this work is important to guide its possible future clinical and agricultural applications.

Filamentous fungi produce small cysteine-rich proteins with potent, specific antifungal activity, offering the potential to fight fungal infections that severely threaten human health and food safety and security. The genome of the citrus postharvest fungal pathogen Penicillium digitatum encodes one of these antifungal proteins, namely AfpB. Biotechnologically produced AfpB inhibited the growth of major pathogenic fungi at minimal concentrations, surprisingly including its parental fungus, and conferred protection to crop plants against fungal infections. This study reports an in-depth characterization of the AfpB mechanism of action, showing that it is a cell-penetrating protein that triggers a regulated cell death program in the target fungus. We prove the importance of AfpB interaction with the fungal cell wall to exert its killing activity, for which protein mannosylation is required. We also show that the potent activity of AfpB correlates with its rapid and efficient uptake by fungal cells through an energy-dependent process. Once internalized, AfpB induces a transcriptional reprogramming signaled by reactive oxygen species that ends in cell death. Our data show that AfpB activates a self-injury program, suggesting that this protein has a biological function in the parental fungus beyond defense against competitors, presumably more related to regulation of the fungal population. Our results demonstrate that this protein is a potent antifungal that acts through various targets to kill fungal cells through a regulated process, making AfpB a promising compound for the development of novel biofungicides with multiple fields of application in crop and postharvest protection, food preservation, and medical therapies.

IMPORTANCE Disease-causing fungi pose a serious threat to human health and food safety and security. The limited number of licensed antifungals, together with the emergence of pathogenic fungi with multiple resistance to available antifungals, represents a serious challenge for medicine and agriculture. Therefore, there is an urgent need for new compounds with high fungal specificity and novel antifungal mechanisms. Antifungal proteins in general, and AfpB from Penicillium digitatum in particular, are promising molecules for the development of novel antifungals. This study on AfpB’s mode of action demonstrates its potent, specific fungicidal activity through the interaction with multiple targets, presumably reducing the risk of evolving fungal resistance, and through a regulated cell death process, uncovering this protein as an excellent candidate for a novel biofungicide. The in-depth knowledge on AfpB mechanistic function presented in this work is important to guide its possible future clinical and agricultural applications.

Osmotin-Like Protein Gene from Panax notoginseng Is Regulated by Jasmonic Acid and Involved in Defense Responses to Fusarium solani

Osmotin and osmotin-like proteins (OLPs) play important roles in plant defense responses. The full-length cDNA sequence of an OLP gene was cloned from Panax notoginseng using rapid amplification of cDNA-end technology and named PnOLP1. A quantitative reverse transcription-PCR analysis showed that the signaling molecules methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid, ethylene, and hydrogen peroxide induced PnOLP1 expression to different degrees. In addition, the expression level of PnOLP1 rapidly increased within 48 h of inoculating P. notoginseng with the root rot pathogen Fusarium solani. Subcellular localization revealed that PnOLP1 localized to the cell wall. A prokaryotic expression vector containing PnOLP1 was constructed and transformed into Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3), and in vitro antifungal assays were performed using the purified recombinant PnOLP1 protein. The recombinant PnOLP1 protein had strong inhibitory effects on the mycelial growth of F. oxysporum, F. graminearum, and F. solani. A plant PnOLP1-overexpression vector was constructed and transfected into tobacco, and the resistance of T2 transgenic tobacco against F. solani was significantly enhanced compared with wild-type tobacco. Moreover, a PnOLP1 RNAi vector was constructed and transferred to the P. notoginseng leaves for transient expression, and the decrease of PnOLP1 expression level in P. notoginseng leaves increased the susceptibility to F. solani. Thus, PnOLP1 is an important disease resistance gene involved in the defense responses of P. notoginseng to F. solani.

Molecular Characterization of the Thaumatin-like Protein PR-NP24 in Tomato Fruits

Pathogenesis-related proteins play significant roles in plant responses to pathogen infection and environmental stresses. PR-5 proteins are thaumatin-like proteins (TLPs) and can improve plant resistance to diseases. In this study, a protein named PR-NP24 belonging to the PR-5 family was found to be specifically expressed in tomato exocarp. Subsequently, PR-NP24 and orthologous TLPs were identified in partial Solanaceae species. The differential expression patterns of the PR-NP24 protein in the exocarp of tomato were further analyzed, which resulted in a better understanding of PR-NP24 regulation in plant responses to abiotic and biotic stresses. Accumulation of PR-NP24 induced by salt (NaCl) treatment could promote plant resistance against invasive fungal pathogens. This study concluded that the regulation of PR-NP24 in tomato exocarp could possibly be applied to improve the harvest management of tomato fruits as well as be of practical significance to control the allergenic potentials of the fruits of other plants.

Genome wide association study identifies novel single nucleotide polymorphic loci and candidate genes involved in soybean sudden death syndrome resistance

Fusarium virguliforme is a soil borne root pathogen that causes sudden death syndrome (SDS) in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill]. Once the fungus invades the root xylem tissues, the pathogen secretes toxins that cause chlorosis and necrosis in foliar tissues leading to defoliation, flower and pod drop and eventually death of plants. Resistance to F. virguliforme in soybean is partial and governed by over 80 quantitative trait loci (QTL). We have conducted genome-wide association study (GWAS) for a group of 254 plant introductions lines using a panel of approximately 30,000 SNPs and identified 19 single nucleotide polymorphic loci (SNPL) that are associated with 14 genomic regions encoding foliar SDS and eight SNPL associated with seven genomic regions for root rot resistance. Of the identified 27 SNPL, six SNPL for foliar SDS resistance and two SNPL for root rot resistance co-mapped to previously identified QTL for SDS resistance. This study identified 13 SNPL associated with eight novel genomic regions containing foliar SDS resistance genes and six SNPL with five novel regions for root-rot resistance. This study identified five genes carrying nonsynonymous mutations: (i) three of which mapped to previously identified QTL for foliar SDS resistance and (ii) two mapped to two novel regions containing root rot resistance genes. Of the three genes mapped to QTL for foliar SDS resistance genes, two encode LRR-receptors and third one encodes a novel protein with unknown function. Of the two genes governing root rot resistance, Glyma.01g222900.1 encodes a soybean-specific LEA protein and Glyma.10g058700.1 encodes a heparan-alpha-glucosaminide N-acetyltransferase. In the LEA protein, a conserved serine residue was substituted with asparagine; and in the heparan-alpha-glucosaminide N-acetyltransferase, a conserved histidine residue was substituted with an arginine residue. Such changes are expected to alter functions of these two proteins regulated through phosphorylation. The five genes with nonsynonymous mutations could be considered candidate SDS resistance genes and should be suitable molecular markers for breeding SDS resistance in soybean. The study also reports desirable plant introduction lines and novel genomic regions for enhancing SDS resistance in soybean.

Review: Potential biotechnological assets related to plant immunity modulation applicable in engineering disease-resistant crops

This review emphasizes the biotechnological potential of molecules implicated in the different layers of plant immunity, including, pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP)-triggered immunity (PTI), effector-triggered susceptibility (ETS), and effector-triggered immunity (ETI) that can be applied in the development of disease-resistant genetically modified (GM) plants. These biomolecules are produced by pathogens (viruses, bacteria, fungi, oomycetes) or plants during their mutual interactions. Biomolecules involved in the first layers of plant immunity, PTI and ETS, include inhibitors of pathogen cell-wall-degrading enzymes (CWDEs), plant pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) and susceptibility (S) proteins, while the ETI-related biomolecules include plant resistance (R) proteins. The biomolecules involved in plant defense PTI/ETI responses described herein also include antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins and ribosome-inhibiting proteins (RIPs), as well as enzymes involved in plant defensive secondary metabolite biosynthesis (phytoanticipins and phytoalexins). Moreover, the regulation of immunity by RNA interference (RNAi) in GM disease-resistant plants is also considered. Therefore, the present review does not cover all the classes of biomolecules involved in plant innate immunity that may be applied in the development of disease-resistant GM crops but instead highlights the most common strategies in the literature, as well as their advantages and disadvantages.

Regulated Cell Death as a Therapeutic Target for Novel Antifungal Peptides and Biologics

The rise of microbial pathogens refractory to conventional antibiotics represents one of the most urgent and global public health concerns for the 21st century. Emergence of Candida auris isolates and the persistence of invasive mold infections that resist existing treatment and cause severe illness has underscored the threat of drug-resistant fungal infections. To meet these growing challenges, mechanistically novel agents and strategies are needed that surpass the conventional fungistatic or fungicidal drug actions. Host defense peptides have long been misunderstood as indiscriminant membrane detergents. However, evidence gathered over the past decade clearly points to their sophisticated and selective mechanisms of action, including exploiting regulated cell death pathways of their target pathogens. Such peptides perturb transmembrane potential and mitochondrial energetics, inducing phosphatidylserine accessibility and metacaspase activation in fungi. These mechanisms are often multimodal, affording target pathogens fewer resistance options as compared to traditional small molecule drugs. Here, recent advances in the field are examined regarding regulated cell death subroutines as potential therapeutic targets for innovative anti-infective peptides against pathogenic fungi. Furthering knowledge of protective host defense peptide interactions with target pathogens is key to advancing and applying novel prophylactic and therapeutic countermeasures to fungal resistance and pathogenesis.

The Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a Model for Understanding RAS Proteins and their Role in Human Tumorigenesis

The exploitation of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a biological model for the investigation of complex molecular processes conserved in multicellular organisms, such as humans, has allowed fundamental biological discoveries. When comparing yeast and human proteins, it is clear that both amino acid sequences and protein functions are often very well conserved. One example of the high degree of conservation between human and yeast proteins is highlighted by the members of the RAS family. Indeed, the study of the signaling pathways regulated by RAS in yeast cells led to the discovery of properties that were often found interchangeable with RAS proto-oncogenes in human pathways, and vice versa. In this work, we performed an updated critical literature review on human and yeast RAS pathways, specifically highlighting the similarities and differences between them. Moreover, we emphasized the contribution of studying yeast RAS pathways for the understanding of human RAS and how this model organism can contribute to unveil the roles of RAS oncoproteins in the regulation of mechanisms important in the tumorigenic process, like autophagy.

Osmotin: A plant defense tool against biotic and abiotic stresses

Plants are prone to a number of pathogens and abiotic stresses that cause various disorders. However, plants possess a defense mechanism to cope with these stresses. The osmotin protein belongs to the PR-5 family of Pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins, which are produced in response to diseases caused by various biotic and abiotic stresses. Osmotin uses a signal transduction pathway to inhibit the activity of defensive cell wall barriers and increases its own cytotoxic efficiency. However, in response to cytotoxic effects, this pathway stimulates a mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade that triggers changes in the cell wall and enables osmotin's entrance into the plasma membrane. This mechanism involves cell wall binding and membrane perturbation, although the complete mechanism of osmotin activity has not been fully elucidated. Osmotin possesses an acidic cleft that is responsible for communication with its receptor in the plasma membrane of fungi. Osmotin is also involved in the initiation of apoptosis and programmed cell death, whereas its overexpression causes the accumulation of proline in transgenic plants. A higher concentration of osmotin can cause the lysis of hyphae tips. This review highlights the role of osmotin protein in the plant defense mechanism and its mode of action against numerous pathogens in wild and transgenic plants.

Bark and wood tissues of American elm exhibit distinct responses to Dutch elm disease

Tolerance to Dutch elm disease (DED) has been linked to the rapid and/or high induction of disease-responsive genes after infection with the fungus Ophiostoma novo-ulmi. Although the fungal infection by O. novo-ulmi primarily takes places in xylem vessels, it is still unclear how xylem contributes to the defense against DED. Taking advantage of the easy separation of wood and bark tissues in young American elm saplings, here we show that most disease-responsive genes exhibited higher expression in wood compared to bark tissues after fungal infection. On the other hand, the stress-related phytohormones were generally more abundant in the bark compared to wood tissues. However, only endogenous levels of jasmonates (JAs), but not salicylic acid (SA) and abscisic acid (ABA) increased in the inoculated tissues. This, along with the upregulation of JA-biosynthesis genes in inoculated bark and core tissues further suggest that phloem and xylem might contribute to the de novo biosynthesis of JA after fungal infection. The comparison between two tolerant elm varieties, 'Valley Forge' and 'Princeton,' also indicated that tolerance against DED might be mediated by different mechanisms in the xylem. The present study sheds some light on the amplitude and kinetics of defense responses produced in the xylem and phloem in response to DED.

Plant phenolic acids induce programmed cell death of a fungal pathogen: MAPK signaling and survival of Cochliobolus heterostrophus

Plant aromatic compounds provide signals and a nutrient source to pathogens, and also act as stressors. Structure-activity relationships suggest two pathways sensing these compounds in the maize pathogen Cochliobolus heterostrophus, one triggering a stress response, and one inducing enzymes for their degradation. Focusing on the stress pathway, we found that ferulic acid causes rapid appearance of TUNEL-positive nuclei, dispersion of histone H1:GFP, hyphal shrinkage, and eventually membrane damage. These hallmarks of programmed cell death (PCD) were not seen upon exposure to caffeic acid, a very similar compound. Exposure to ferulic acid dephosphorylated two MAP kinases: Hog1 (stress activated) and Chk1 (pathogenicity related), while increasing phosphorylation of Mps1 (cell integrity related). Mutants lacking Hog1 or Chk1 are hypersensitive to ferulic acid while Mps1 mutants are not. These results implicate three MAPK pathways in the stress response. Ferulic acid and the antifungal fludioxonil have opposite additive effects on survival and on dephosphorylation of Hog1, which is thus implicated in survival. The results may explain why some fungal pathogens of plants undergo cell death early in host invasion, when phenolics are released from plant tissue.

Antifungal activity of the cationic antimicrobial polymer-polyhexamethylene guanidine hydrochloride and its mode of action

The antifungal activity of polyhexamethylene guanidine hydrochloride (PHMGH) was studied against various pathogenic fungi. PHMGH had more potent antifungal activity than amphotericin B, which is a commonly used antifungal drug, and also showed no hemolytic and lactate dehydrogenase release activities in the range of 1.25-40.0 μg mL^-1. PHMGH is a cationic polymer containing an amino group and a polymeric guanidine group. Based on its characteristics such as the cationic charge and hydrophobicity, the antifungal mechanism of PHMGH was investigated using Candida albicans, as a model organism. Flow cytometric contour-plot analysis and microscopy showed changes in the size and granularity of the cells after treatment with PHMGH. A membrane study using 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene labelling indicated a great loss of phospholipid area in the plasma membrane following PHMGH treatment. To investigate the extent of the damage, fluorescein isothiocyanate-labelled dextran leakage from large unilamellar vesicles was observed, indicating that PHMGH acts on the fungal membranes by inducing pore formation, with the majority of pore size being between 2.3 and 3.3 nm. This mechanism was confirmed with ion transition assays using 3,3'-dipropylthiacarbocyanine iodide and an ion-selective electrode meter, which indicated that membrane depolarization involving K⁺ leakage was induced. Taken together, these results show that PHMGH exerts its fungicidal effect by forming pores in the cell membrane.

Alteramide B is a microtubule antagonist of inhibiting Candida albicans

BACKGROUND

Alteramide B (ATB), isolated from Lysobacter enzymogenes C3, was a new polycyclic tetramate macrolactam (PTM). ATB exhibited potent inhibitory activity against several yeasts, particularly Candida albicans SC5314, but its antifungal mechanism is unknown.

METHODS

The structure of ATB was established by extensive spectroscopic analyses, including high-resolution mass spectrometry, 1D- and 2D-NMR, and CD spectra. Flow cytometry, fluorescence microscope, transmission electron microscope, molecular modeling, overexpression and site-directed mutation studies were employed to delineate the anti-Candida molecular mechanism of ATB.

RESULTS

ATB induced apoptosis in C. albicans through inducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by disrupting microtubules. Molecular dynamics studies revealed the binding patterns of ATB to the β-tubulin subunit. Overexpression of the wild type and site-directed mutants of the β-tubulin gene (TUBB) changed the sensitivity of C. albicans to ATB, confirming the binding of ATB to β-tubulin, and indicating that the binding sites are L215, L217, L273, L274 and R282. In vivo, ATB significantly improved the survival of the candidiasis mice and reduced fungal burden.

CONCLUSION

The molecular mechanism underlying the ATB-induced apoptosis in C. albicans is through inhibiting tubulin polymerization that leads to cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase. The identification of ATB and the study of its activity provide novel mechanistic insights into the mode of action of PTMs against the human pathogen.

GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE

This study shows that ATB is a new microtubule inhibitor and a promising anti-Candida lead compound. The results also support β-tubulin as a potential target for anti-Candida drug discovery.

Programmed Cell Death Initiation and Execution in Budding Yeast

Apoptosis or programmed cell death (PCD) was initially described in metazoans as a genetically controlled process leading to intracellular breakdown and engulfment by a neighboring cell . This process was distinguished from other forms of cell death like necrosis by maintenance of plasma membrane integrity prior to engulfment and the well-defined genetic system controlling this process. Apoptosis was originally described as a mechanism to reshape tissues during development. Given this context, the assumption was made that this process would not be found in simpler eukaryotes such as budding yeast. Although basic components of the apoptotic pathway were identified in yeast, initial observations suggested that it was devoid of prosurvival and prodeath regulatory proteins identified in mammalian cells. However, as apoptosis became extensively linked to the elimination of damaged cells, key PCD regulatory proteins were identified in yeast that play similar roles in mammals. This review highlights recent discoveries that have permitted information regarding PCD regulation in yeast to now inform experiments in animals.

A thaumatin-like protein of Ocimum basilicum confers tolerance to fungal pathogen and abiotic stress in transgenic Arabidopsis

Plant often responds to fungal pathogens by expressing a group of proteins known as pathogenesis-related proteins (PRs). The expression of PR is mediated through pathogen-induced signal-transduction pathways that are fine-tuned by phytohormones such as methyl jasmonate (MeJA). Here, we report functional characterization of an Ocimum basilicum PR5 family member (ObTLP1) that was identified from a MeJA-responsive expression sequence tag collection. ObTLP1 encodes a 226 amino acid polypeptide that showed sequence and structural similarities with a sweet-tasting protein thaumatin of Thaumatococcus danielli and also with a stress-responsive protein osmotin of Nicotiana tabacum. The expression of ObTLP1 in O. basilicum was found to be organ-preferential under unstressed condition, and responsive to biotic and abiotic stresses, and multiple phytohormone elicitations. Bacterially-expressed recombinant ObTLP1 inhibited mycelial growth of the phytopathogenic fungi, Scleretonia sclerotiorum and Botrytis cinerea; thereby, suggesting its antifungal activity. Ectopic expression of ObTLP1 in Arabidopsis led to enhanced tolerance to S. sclerotiorum and B. cinerea infections, and also to dehydration and salt stress. Moreover, induced expression of the defense marker genes suggested up-regulation of the defense-response pathways in ObTLP1-expressing Arabidopsis upon fungal challenge. Thus, ObTLP1 might be useful for providing tolerance to the fungal pathogens and abiotic stresses in crops.

Antimicrobial properties of two novel peptides derived from Theobroma cacao osmotin

The osmotin proteins of several plants display antifungal activity, which can play an important role in plant defense against diseases. Thus, this protein can be useful as a source for biotechnological strategies aiming to combat fungal diseases. In this work, we analyzed the antifungal activity of a cacao osmotin-like protein (TcOsm1) and of two osmotin-derived synthetic peptides with antimicrobial features, differing by five amino acids residues at the N-terminus. Antimicrobial tests showed that TcOsm1 expressed in Escherichia coli inhibits the growth of Moniliophthora perniciosa mycelium and Pichia pastoris X-33 in vitro. The TcOsm1-derived peptides, named Osm-pepA (H-RRLDRGGVWNLNVNPGTTGARVWARTK-NH2), located at R23-K49, and Osm-pepB (H-GGVWNLNVNPGTTGARVWARTK-NH2), located at G28-K49, inhibited growth of yeasts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae S288C and Pichia pastoris X-33) and spore germination of the phytopathogenic fungi Fusarium f. sp. glycines and Colletotrichum gossypi. Osm-pepA was more efficient than Osm-pepB for S. cerevisiae (MIC=40μM and MIC=127μM, respectively), as well as for P. pastoris (MIC=20μM and MIC=127μM, respectively). Furthermore, the peptides presented a biphasic performance, promoting S. cerevisiae growth in doses around 5μM and inhibiting it at higher doses. The structural model for these peptides showed that the five amino acids residues, RRLDR at Osm-pepA N-terminus, significantly affect the tertiary structure, indicating that this structure is important for the peptide antimicrobial potency. This is the first report of development of antimicrobial peptides from T. cacao. Taken together, the results indicate that the cacao osmotin and its derived peptides, herein studied, are good candidates for developing biotechnological tools aiming to control phytopathogenic fungi.

Proteomic Analysis of Rhizoctonia solani Identifies Infection-specific, Redox Associated Proteins and Insight into Adaptation to Different Plant Hosts

Rhizoctonia solani is an important root infecting pathogen of a range of food staples worldwide including wheat, rice, maize, soybean, potato and others. Conventional resistance breeding strategies are hindered by the absence of tractable genetic resistance in any crop host. Understanding the biology and pathogenicity mechanisms of this fungus is important for addressing these disease issues, however, little is known about how R. solani causes disease. This study capitalizes on recent genomic studies by applying mass spectrometry based proteomics to identify soluble, membrane-bound and culture filtrate proteins produced under wheat infection and vegetative growth conditions. Many of the proteins found in the culture filtrate had predicted functions relating to modification of the plant cell wall, a major activity required for pathogenesis on the plant host, including a number found only under infection conditions. Other infection related proteins included a high proportion of proteins with redox associated functions and many novel proteins without functional classification. The majority of infection only proteins tested were confirmed to show transcript up-regulation during infection including a thaumatin which increased susceptibility to R. solani when expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana. In addition, analysis of expression during infection of different plant hosts highlighted how the infection strategy of this broad host range pathogen can be adapted to the particular host being encountered. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD002806.

Arabidopsis thaliana: A Model Host Plant to Study Plant-Pathogen Interaction Using Rice False Smut Isolates of Ustilaginoidea virens

Rice false smut fungus which is a biotrophic fungal pathogen causes an important rice disease and brings a severe damage where rice is cultivated. We established a new fungal-plant pathosystem where Ustilaginoidea virens was able to interact compatibly with the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Disease symptoms were apparent on the leaves of the plants after 6 days of post inoculation in the form of chlorosis. Cytological studies showed that U. virens caused a heavy infestation inside the cells of the chlorotic tissues. Development and colonization of aerial mycelia in association with floral organ, particularly on anther and stigma of the flowers after 3 weeks of post inoculation was evident which finally caused infection on the developing seeds and pod tissues. The fungus adopts a uniquely biotrophic infection strategy in roots and spreads without causing a loss of host cell viability. We have also demonstrated that U. virens isolates infect Arabidopsis and the plant subsequently activates different defense response mechanisms which are witnessed by the expression of pathogenesis-related genes, PR-1, PR-2, PR-5, PDF1.1, and PDF1.2. The established A. thaliana-U. virens pathosystem will now permit various follow-up molecular genetics and gene expression experiments to be performed to identify the defense signals and responses that restrict fungal hyphae colonization in planta and also provide initial evidence for tissue-adapted fungal infection strategies.

Plant antifungal proteins and their applications in agriculture

Fungi are far more complex organisms than viruses or bacteria and can develop numerous diseases in plants that cause loss of a substantial portion of the crop every year. Plants have developed various mechanisms to defend themselves against these fungi which include the production of low-molecular-weight secondary metabolites and proteins and peptides with antifungal activity. In this review, families of plant antifungal proteins (AFPs) including defensins, lectins, and several others will be summarized. Moreover, the application of AFPs in agriculture will also be analyzed.

Osmotin: a plant sentinel and a possible agonist of mammalian adiponectin

Osmotin is a stress responsive antifungal protein belonging to the pathogenesis-related (PR)-5 family that confers tolerance to both biotic and abiotic stresses in plants. Protective efforts of osmotin in plants range from high temperature to cold and salt to drought. It lyses the plasma membrane of the pathogens. It is widely distributed in fruits and vegetables. It is a differentially expressed and developmentally regulated protein that protects the cells from osmotic stress and invading pathogens as well, by structural or metabolic alterations. During stress conditions, osmotin helps in the accumulation of the osmolyte proline, which quenches reactive oxygen species and free radicals. Osmotin expression results in the accumulation of storage reserves and increases the shelf-life of fruits. It binds to a seven-transmembrane-domain receptor-like protein and induces programmed cell death in Saccharomyces cerevisiae through RAS2/cAMP signaling pathway. Adiponectin, produced in adipose tissues of mammals, is an insulin-sensitizing hormone. Strangely, osmotin acts like the mammalian hormone adiponectin in various in vitro and in vivo models. Adiponectin and osmotin, the two receptor binding proteins do not share sequence similarity at the amino acid level, but interestingly they have a similar structural and functional properties. In experimental mice, adiponectin inhibits endothelial cell proliferation and migration, primary tumor growth, and reduces atherosclerosis. This retrospective work examines the vital role of osmotin in plant defense and as a potential targeted therapeutic drug for humans.

New insights into the structure and mode of action of Mo-CBP3, an antifungal chitin-binding protein of Moringa oleifera seeds

Mo-CBP3 is a chitin-binding protein purified from Moringa oleifera Lam. seeds that displays inhibitory activity against phytopathogenic fungi. This study investigated the structural properties and the antifungal mode of action of this protein. To this end, circular dichroism spectroscopy, antifungal assays, measurements of the production of reactive oxygen species and microscopic analyses were utilized. Mo-CBP3 is composed of 30.3% α-helices, 16.3% β-sheets, 22.3% turns and 30.4% unordered forms. The Mo-CBP3 structure is highly stable and retains its antifungal activity regardless of temperature and pH. Fusarium solani was used as a model organism for studying the mechanisms by which this protein acts as an antifungal agent. Mo-CBP3 significantly inhibited spore germination and mycelial growth at 0.05 mg.mL-1. Mo-CBP3 has both fungistatic and fungicidal effects, depending on the concentration used. Binding of Mo-CBP3 to the fungal cell surface is achieved, at least in part, via electrostatic interactions, as salt was able to reduce its inhibitory effect. Mo-CBP3 induced the production of ROS and caused disorganization of both the cytoplasm and the plasma membrane in F. solani cells. Based on its high stability and specific toxicity, with broad-spectrum efficacy against important phytopathogenic fungi at low inhibitory concentrations but not to human cells, Mo-CBP3 has great potential for the development of new antifungal drugs or transgenic crops with enhanced resistance to phytopathogens.

Phytophthora sojae TatD nuclease positively regulates sporulation and negatively regulates pathogenesis

During pathogenic interactions, both the host and pathogen are exposed to conditions that induce programmed cell death (PCD). Certain aspects of PCD have been recently examined in eukaryotic microbes but not in oomycetes. Here, we identified conserved TatD proteins in Phytophthora sojae; the proteins are key components of DNA degradation in apoptosis. We selected PsTatD4 for further investigation because the enzyme is unique to the oomycete branch of the phylogenetic tree. The purified protein exhibited DNase activity in vitro. Its expression was upregulated in sporangia and later infective stages but downregulated in cysts and during early infection. Functional analysis revealed that the gene was required for sporulation and zoospore production, and the expression levels were associated with the numbers of hydrogen-peroxide-induced terminal dUTP nick end-labeling-positive cells. Furthermore, overexpression of PsTatD4 gene reduced the virulence in a susceptible soybean cultivar. Together, these data suggest that apoptosis may play different roles in the early and late infective stages of P. sojae, and that PsTatD4 is a key regulator of infection. The association of PsTatD4 and apoptosis will lay a foundation to understanding the basic biology of apoptosis and its roles in P. sojae disease cycle.

Response of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to the stimulation of lipopolysaccharide

Lipopolysaccharide, known as endotoxin, can stimulate potent host immune responses through the complex of Toll-like-receptor 4 and myeloid differentiation protein 2; but its influence on Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a model organism for studying eukaryotes, is not clear. In this study, we found that lipopolysaccharide-treated S. cerevisiae cells could be stained by methylene blue, but did not die. Transcriptional profiling of the lipopolysaccharide-treated S. cerevisiae cells showed that 5745 genes were modulated: 2491 genes up-regulated and 3254 genes down-regulated. Significantly regulated genes (460 up-regulated genes and 135 down-regulated genes) in lipopolysaccharide-treated S. cerevisiae cells were analyzed on Gene Ontology, and used to establish physical protein-protein interaction network and protein phosphorylation network. Based on these analyses, most of the regulated genes in lipopolysaccharide-treated S. cerevisiae cells were related to cell wall, membrane, peroxisome and mitochondrion. Further experiments demonstrated that lipopolysaccharide stimulation caused the exposure of phosphatidylserine and the increase of mitochondrial membrane potential in S. cerevisiae cells, but levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species and metacaspase activation were not increased. This study demonstrated that lipopolysaccharide stimulation causes significant changes in S. cerevisiae cells, and the results would contribute to understand the response of eukaryotic cells to lipopolysaccharide stimulation.

Effects of fengycin from Bacillus subtilis fmbJ on apoptosis and necrosis in Rhizopus stolonifer

The lipopeptide antibiotic fengycin, produced by Bacillus subtilis, strongly inhibits growth of filamentous fungi. In this study, we evaluated the effects of fengycin treatment on apoptosis and necrosis in Rhizopus stolonifer by means of cell staining and epifluorescence microscopy. At fengycin concentrations less than 50 μg/ml, treated fungal cells demonstrated a dose-dependent increase in apoptosis-associated markers compared with the untreated control. These markers included chromatin condensation, reactive oxygen species accumulation, mitochondrial membrane potential depolarization, phosphatidylserine externalization, and the occurrence of DNA strand breaks. These results showed that fungal cells were impaired in a number of important functions and entered apoptosis upon treatment with low concentrations of fengycin. In contrast, high concentrations (>50 μg/ml) induced necrosis, indicating that the fungicidal action of fengycin operates via two modes: apoptosis at low concentrations and necrosis at high concentrations. Additionally, the apoptotic effect that we have shown suggests that lower concentrations of fengycin than previously thought may be effective for food preservation.

Phenoptosis in yeasts

The current view on phenoptosis and apoptosis as genetic programs aimed at eliminating potentially dangerous organisms and cells, respectively, is given. Special emphasis is placed on apoptosis (phenoptosis) in yeasts: intracellular defects and a plethora of external stimuli inducing apoptosis in yeasts; distinctive morphological and biochemical hallmarks accompanying apoptosis in yeasts; pro- and antiapoptotic factors involved in yeast apoptosis signaling; consecutive stages of apoptosis from external stimulus to the cell death; a prominent role of mitochondria and other organelles in yeast apoptosis; possible pathways for release of apoptotic factors from the intermembrane mitochondrial space into the cytosol are described. Using some concrete examples, the obvious physiological importance and expediency of altruistic death of yeast cells is shown. Poorly known aspects of yeast apoptosis and prospects for yeast apoptosis study are defined.

Pepper osmotin-like protein 1 (CaOSM1) is an essential component for defense response, cell death, and oxidative burst in plants

Osmotin or osmotin-like protein, a PR-5 family member, is differentially induced in plants by abiotic and biotic stresses. Here, we demonstrate that the pepper (Capsicum annuum) osmotin-like protein 1 gene, CaOSM1, was required for the defense and hypersensitive cell death response and oxidative burst signaling during Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria (Xcv) infection. CaOSM1 protein was localized to the plasma membrane in leaf cells of Nicotiana benthamiana. Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression of CaOSM1 in pepper distinctly induced the hypersensitive cell death response and H2O2 accumulation. Knock-down of CaOSM1 in pepper by virus-induced gene silencing increased the susceptibility to Xcv infection, which was accompanied by attenuation of the cell death response and decreased accumulation of H2O2. CaOSM1 overexpression in transgenic Arabidopsis conferred reduced susceptibility and accelerated cell death response and H2O2 accumulation to infection by Pseudomonas syringe pv. tomato and Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis. Together, these results suggest that CaOSM1 is involved in cell death and oxidative burst responses during plant defense against microbial pathogens.

7-ketocholesterol-induced caspase-mediated apoptosis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The cytotoxicity of cholesterol oxidation products has been documented in several mammalian cell lines. It can lead to a wide range of diseases. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this toxicity in vivo are scarce. The objective of the present study was to assess the potential toxic effects of 7-ketocholesterol, an important cholesterol oxidation product, on Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Our data show for the first time that 7-ketocholesterol can induce dose-dependent cell death in S. cerevisiae. These results suggest that the death induced by this compound is apoptotic and accompanied by chromatin condensation, the production of ROS, and translocation of phosphatidylserine from the inner to the outer leaflet of the cytoplasmic membrane. We further showed that 7-ketocholesterol-induced cell death was partially rescued after pretreatment with caspase inhibitor (Z-VAD-fmk). In addition, caspase deletion resulted in promotion of cell viability. All these results strongly indicated that 7-ketocholesterol induces apoptosis in yeast cells through a caspase-dependent pathway.

Mechanisms of the antifungal action of marine metagenome-derived peptide, MMGP1, against Candida albicans

BACKGROUND

Development of resistant variants to existing antifungal drugs continues to be the serious problem in Candida albicans-induced fungal pathogenesis, which has a considerable impact on animal and human health. Identification and characterization of newer drugs against C. albicans is, therefore, essential. MMGP1 is a direct cell-penetrating peptide recently identified from marine metagenome, which was found to possess potent antifungal activity against C. albicans.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

In this study, we investigated the mechanism of antifungal action of MMGP1 against C. albicans. Agarose gel shift assay found the peptide to be having a remarkable DNA-binding ability. The modification of the absorption spectra and fluorescence quenching of the tryptophyl residue correspond to the stacking between indole ring and nucleotide bases. The formation of peptide-DNA complexes was confirmed by fluorescence quenching of SYTO 9 probe. The interaction of peptide with plasmid DNA afforded protection of DNA from enzymatic degradation by DNase I. In vitro transcription of mouse β-actin gene in the presence of peptide led to a decrease in the level of mRNA synthesis. The C. albicans treated with MMGP1 showed strong inhibition of biosynthetic incorporation of uridine analog 5-ethynyluridine (EU) into nascent RNA, suggesting the peptide's role in the inhibition of macromolecular synthesis. Furthermore, the peptide also induces endogenous accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in C. albicans. MMGP1 supplemented with glutathione showed an increased viability of C. albicans cells. The hyper-produced ROS by MMGP1 leads to increased levels of protein carbonyls and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and it also causes dissipation of mitochondrial membrane potential and DNA fragmentation in C. albicans cells.

CONCLUSION

And Significance: Therefore, the antifungal activity of MMGP1 could be attributed to its binding with DNA, causing inhibition of transcription followed by endogenous production of ROS, which triggers cascade of events that leads to cell death.

A Saccharomyces cerevisiae assay system to investigate ligand/AdipoR1 interactions that lead to cellular signaling

Adiponectin is a mammalian hormone that exerts anti-diabetic, anti-cancer and cardioprotective effects through interaction with its major ubiquitously expressed plasma membrane localized receptors, AdipoR1 and AdipoR2. Here, we report a Saccharomyces cerevisiae based method for investigating agonist-AdipoR interactions that is amenable for high-throughput scale-up and can be used to study both AdipoRs separately. Agonist-AdipoR1 interactions are detected using a split firefly luciferase assay based on reconstitution of firefly luciferase (Luc) activity due to juxtaposition of its N- and C-terminal fragments, NLuc and CLuc, by ligand induced interaction of the chimeric proteins CLuc-AdipoR1 and APPL1-NLuc (adaptor protein containing pleckstrin homology domain, phosphotyrosine binding domain and leucine zipper motif 1-NLuc) in a S. cerevisiae strain lacking the yeast homolog of AdipoRs (Izh2p). The assay monitors the earliest known step in the adiponectin-AdipoR anti-diabetic signaling cascade. We demonstrate that reconstituted Luc activity can be detected in colonies or cells using a CCD camera and quantified in cell suspensions using a microplate reader. AdipoR1-APPL1 interaction occurs in absence of ligand but can be stimulated specifically by agonists such as adiponectin and the tobacco protein osmotin that was shown to have AdipoR-dependent adiponectin-like biological activity in mammalian cells. To further validate this assay, we have modeled the three dimensional structures of receptor-ligand complexes of membrane-embedded AdipoR1 with cyclic peptides derived from osmotin or osmotin-like plant proteins. We demonstrate that the calculated AdipoR1-peptide binding energies correlate with the peptides’ ability to behave as AdipoR1 agonists in the split luciferase assay. Further, we demonstrate agonist-AdipoR dependent activation of protein kinase A (PKA) signaling and AMP activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation in S. cerevisiae, which are homologous to important mammalian adiponectin-AdipoR1 signaling pathways. This system should facilitate the development of therapeutic inventions targeting adiponectin and/or AdipoR physiology.

The antifungal occidiofungin triggers an apoptotic mechanism of cell death in yeast

Occidiofungin is a nonribosomally synthesized cyclic peptide having a base mass of 1200 Da. It is naturally produced by the soil bacterium Burkholderia contaminans MS14 and possesses potent broad-spectrum antifungal properties. The mechanism of action of occidiofungin is unknown. Viability, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL), reactive oxygen species (ROS) detection, membrane and cell wall stability, and membrane mimetic assays were used to characterize the effect of occidiofungin on yeast cells. Confocal and electron microscopy experiments were used to visualize morphological changes within treated cells. TUNEL and ROS detection assays revealed an increase in fluorescence with increasing concentrations of the antifungal. Yeast cells appeared to shrink in size and showed the presence of 'dancing bodies' at low drug concentrations (1 μg/mL). A screen carried out on Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene deletion mutants in the apoptotic and autophagy pathways identified the apoptotic gene for YCA1, as having an important role in occidiofungin response as cells deleted for this gene exhibit a 2-fold increase in resistance. Results from our experiments demonstrate that the mechanism of action for occidiofungin in yeast is different from that of the common classes of antifungals used in the clinic, such as azoles, polyenes, and echinocandins. Our study also indicates that occidiofungin causes cell death in yeast through an apoptotic mechanism of action.

Overexpression of tobacco osmotin (Tbosm) in soybean conferred resistance to salinity stress and fungal infections

Salinity and fungal diseases are the two significant constraints limiting soybean productivity. In order to address these problems, we have transformed soybean cv. Pusa 16 via somatic embryogenesis with salinity induced and apoplastically secreted pathogenesis-related tobacco osmotin (Tbosm) gene using Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation. Integration of Tbosm in randomly selected five GUS assay-positive independently transformed soybean plants was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Southern hybridization. Reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR) and Western blotting confirmed that the Tbosm was expressed in three of the five transformed soybean plants. Further the Western blotting revealed that the truncated osmotin protein accumulated more in apoplastic fluid. The transformed (T(1)) soybean plants survived up to 200 mM NaCl, whereas non-transformed (NT) plants could withstand till 100 mM and perished at 150 mM NaCl. The biochemical analysis revealed the T(1) soybean plants accumulated higher amount of proline, chlorophyll, APX, CAT, SOD, DHAR, MDHAR, and RWC than NT plants. Leaf gas exchange measurements revealed that T(1) soybean plants maintained higher net photosynthetic rate, CO(2) assimilation, and stomatal conductance than NT plants. The three T(1) soybean plants expressing the osmotin gene also showed resistance against three important fungal pathogens of soybean--Microsphaera diffusa, Septoria glycines and Phakopsora pachyrhizi. The T(1) soybean plants produced 32-35 soybean pods/plant containing 10.3-12.0 g of seeds at 200 mM NaCl, whereas NT plant produced 28.6 soybean pods containing 9.6 g of seeds at 100 mM NaCl. The present investigation clearly shows that expression of Tbosm enhances salinity tolerance and fungal disease resistance in transformed soybean plants.

Apoptotic-like programed cell death in fungi: the benefits in filamentous species

Studies conducted in the early 1990s showed for the first time that Saccharomyces cerevisiae can undergo cell death with hallmarks of animal apoptosis. These findings came as a surprise, since suicide machinery was unexpected in unicellular organisms. Today, apoptosis in yeast is well-documented. Apoptotic death of yeast cells has been described under various conditions and S. cerevisiae homologs of human apoptotic genes have been identified and characterized. These studies also revealed fundamental differences between yeast and animal apoptosis; in S. cerevisiae apoptosis is mainly associated with aging and stress adaptation, unlike animal apoptosis, which is essential for proper development. Further, many apoptosis regulatory genes are either missing, or highly divergent in S. cerevisiae. Therefore, in this review we will use the term apoptosis-like programed cell death (PCD) instead of apoptosis. Despite these significant differences, S. cerevisiae has been instrumental in promoting the study of heterologous apoptotic proteins, particularly from human. Work in fungi other than S. cerevisiae revealed differences in the manifestation of PCD in single cell (yeasts) and multicellular (filamentous) species. Such differences may reflect the higher complexity level of filamentous species, and hence the involvement of PCD in a wider range of processes and life styles. It is also expected that differences might be found in the apoptosis apparatus of yeast and filamentous species. In this review we focus on aspects of PCD that are unique or can be better studied in filamentous species. We will highlight the similarities and differences of the PCD machinery between yeast and filamentous species and show the value of using S. cerevisiae along with filamentous species to study apoptosis.

Yeast aging and apoptosis

A concerted balance between proliferation and apoptosis is essential to the survival of multicellular organisms. Thus, apoptosis per se, although it is a destructive process leading to the death of single cells, also serves as a pro-survival mechanism pro-survival mechanism that ensures healthy organismal development and acts as a life-prolonging or anti-aging anti-aging program. The discovery that yeast also possess a functional and, in many cases, highly conserved apoptotic machinery has made it possible to study the relationships between aging and apoptosis in depth using a well-established genetic system and the powerful tools available to yeast researchers for investigating complex physiological and cytological interactions. The aging process of yeast, be it replicative replicative or chronological chronological aging, is closely related to apoptosis, although it remains unclear whether apoptosis is a causal feature of the aging process or vice versa. Nevertheless, experimental results obtained during the past several years clearly demonstrate that yeast serve as a powerful and versatile experimental system for understanding the interconnections between these two fundamentally important cellular and physiological pathways.

Apoptosis-inducing antifungal peptides and proteins

Despite the availability of various classes of antimycotics, the treatment of patients with systemic fungal infections is challenging. Therefore the development of new antifungals is urgently required. Promising new antifungal candidates are antimicrobial peptides. In the present review, we provide an overview of antifungal peptides isolated from plants, insects, amphibians and mammals that induce apoptosis. Their antifungal spectrum, mode of action and toxicity are discussed in more detail.

Apoptosis-like programmed cell death in the grey mould fungus Botrytis cinerea: genes and their role in pathogenicity

A considerable number of fungal homologues of human apoptotic genes have been identified in recent years. Nevertheless, we are far from being able to connect the different pieces and construct a primary structure of the fungal apoptotic regulatory network. To get a better picture of the available fungal components, we generated an automatic search protocol that is based on protein sequences together with a domain-centred approach. We used this protocol to search all the available fungal databases for domains and homologues of human apoptotic proteins. Among all known apoptotic domains, only the BIR [baculovirus IAP (inhibitor of apoptosis protein) repeat] domain was found in fungi. A single protein with one or two BIR domains is present in most (but not all) fungal species. We isolated the BIR-containing protein from the grey mould fungus Botrytis cinerea and determined its role in apoptosis and pathogenicity. We also isolated and analysed BcNMA, a homologue of the yeast NMA11 gene. Partial knockout or overexpression strains of BcBIR1 confirmed that BcBir1 is anti-apoptotic and this activity was assigned to the N′-terminal part of the protein. Plant infection assays showed that the fungus undergoes massive PCD (programmed cell death) during early stages of infection. Further studies showed that fungal virulence was fully correlated with the ability of the fungus to cope with plant-induced PCD. Together, our result show that BcBir1 is a major regulator of PCD in B. cinerea and that proper regulation of the host-induced PCD is essential for pathogenesis in this and other similar fungal pathogens.