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Sato N, Endo M, Nishi H, Fujiwara S, Tsuzuki M. Polyphosphate-kinase-1 dependent polyphosphate hyperaccumulation for acclimation to nutrient loss in the cyanobacterium, Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 15:1441626. [PMID: 39145186 PMCID: PMC11322815 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1441626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2024] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 08/16/2024]
Abstract
Polyphosphate is prevalent in living organisms. To obtain insights into polyphosphate synthesis and its physiological significance in cyanobacteria, we characterize sll0290, a homolog of the polyphosphate-kinase-1 gene, in the freshwater cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. The Sll0290 protein structure reveals characteristics of Ppk1. A Synechocystis sll0290 disruptant and sll0290-overexpressing Escherichia coli transformant demonstrated loss and gain of polyphosphate synthesis ability, respectively. Accordingly, sll0290 is identified as ppk1. The disruptant (Δppk1) grows normally with aeration of ordinary air (0.04% CO2), consistent with its photosynthesis comparable to the wild type level, which contrasts with a previously reported high-CO2 (5%) requirement for Δppk1 in an alkaline hot spring cyanobacterium, Synechococcus OS-B'. Synechocystis Δppk1 is defective in polyphosphate hyperaccumulation and survival competence at the stationary phase, and also under sulfur-starvation conditions, implying that sulfur limitation is one of the triggers to induce polyphosphate hyperaccumulation in stationary cells. Furthermore, Δppk1 is defective in the enhancement of total phosphorus contents under sulfur-starvation conditions, a phenomenon that is only partially explained by polyphosphate hyperaccumulation. This study therefore demonstrates that in Synechocystis, ppk1 is not essential for low-CO2 acclimation but plays a crucial role in dynamic P-metabolic regulation, including polyP hyperaccumulation, to maintain physiological fitness under sulfur-starvation conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norihiro Sato
- School of Life Sciences, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan
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Lapointe A, Kocademir M, Bergman P, Ragupathy IC, Laumann M, Underwood GJC, Zumbusch A, Spiteller D, Kroth PG. Characterization of polyphosphate dynamics in the widespread freshwater diatom Achnanthidium minutissimum under varying phosphorus supplies. JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY 2024; 60:624-638. [PMID: 38163284 DOI: 10.1111/jpy.13423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 11/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Polyphosphates (polyP) are ubiquitous biomolecules that play a multitude of physiological roles in many cells. We have studied the presence and role of polyP in a unicellular alga, the freshwater diatom Achnanthidium minutissimum. This diatom stores up to 2.0 pg·cell-1 of polyP, with chain lengths ranging from 130 to 500 inorganic phosphate units (Pi). We applied energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Raman/fluorescence microscopy, and biochemical assays to localize and characterize the intracellular polyP granules that were present in large apical vacuoles. We investigated the fate of polyP in axenic A. minutissimum cells grown under phosphorus (P), replete (P(+)), or P deplete (P(-)) cultivation conditions and observed that in the absence of exogenous P, A. minutissimum rapidly utilizes their internal polyP reserves, maintaining their intrinsic growth rates for up to 8 days. PolyP-depleted A. minutissimum cells rapidly took up exogenous P a few hours after Pi resupply and generated polyP three times faster than cells that were not initially subjected to P limitation. Accordingly, we propose that A. minutissimum deploys a succession of acclimation strategies regarding polyP dynamics where the production or consumption of polyP plays a central role in the homeostasis of the diatom.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrien Lapointe
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | | | - Paavo Bergman
- Electron-Microscopy Centre, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | | | - Michael Laumann
- Electron-Microscopy Centre, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | | | - Andreas Zumbusch
- Department of Chemistry, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Dieter Spiteller
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Peter G Kroth
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
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Khan A, Mallick M, Ladke JS, Bhandari R. The ring rules the chain - inositol pyrophosphates and the regulation of inorganic polyphosphate. Biochem Soc Trans 2024; 52:567-580. [PMID: 38629621 DOI: 10.1042/bst20230256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2024] [Revised: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
The maintenance of phosphate homeostasis serves as a foundation for energy metabolism and signal transduction processes in all living organisms. Inositol pyrophosphates (PP-InsPs), composed of an inositol ring decorated with monophosphate and diphosphate moieties, and inorganic polyphosphate (polyP), chains of orthophosphate residues linked by phosphoanhydride bonds, are energy-rich biomolecules that play critical roles in phosphate homeostasis. There is a complex interplay between these two phosphate-rich molecules, and they share an interdependent relationship with cellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and inorganic phosphate (Pi). In eukaryotes, the enzymes involved in PP-InsP synthesis show some degree of conservation across species, whereas distinct enzymology exists for polyP synthesis among different organisms. In fact, the mechanism of polyP synthesis in metazoans, including mammals, is still unclear. Early studies on PP-InsP and polyP synthesis were conducted in the slime mould Dictyostelium discoideum, but it is in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae that a clear understanding of the interplay between polyP, PP-InsPs, and Pi homeostasis has now been established. Recent research has shed more light on the influence of PP-InsPs on polyP in mammals, and the regulation of both these molecules by cellular ATP and Pi levels. In this review we will discuss the cross-talk between PP-InsPs, polyP, ATP, and Pi in the context of budding yeast, slime mould, and mammals. We will also highlight the similarities and differences in the relationship between these phosphate-rich biomolecules among this group of organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azmi Khan
- Laboratory of Cell Signalling, Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Hyderabad 500039, India
| | - Manisha Mallick
- Laboratory of Cell Signalling, Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Hyderabad 500039, India
- Graduate Studies, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka 576104, India
| | - Jayashree S Ladke
- Laboratory of Cell Signalling, Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Hyderabad 500039, India
- Graduate Studies, Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad 121001, Haryana, India
| | - Rashna Bhandari
- Laboratory of Cell Signalling, Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Hyderabad 500039, India
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de Souza W. Contribution of microscopy to a better understanding of the anatomy of pathogenic protists. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2321515121. [PMID: 38621128 PMCID: PMC11046605 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2321515121] [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: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024] Open
Abstract
In this Inaugural Article the author briefly revises its scientific career and how he starts to work with parasitic protozoa. Emphasis is given to his contribution to topics such as a) the structural organization of the surface of protozoa using freeze-fracture and deep-etching; b) the cytoskeleton of protozoa, especially structures such as the subpellicular microtubules of trypanosomatids, the conoid of Toxoplasma gondii, microtubules and inner membrane complex of this protozoan, and the costa of Tritrichomonas foetus; c) the flagellulm of trypanosomatids, that in addition to the axoneme contains a complex network of filaments that constitute the paraflagellar rod; d) special organelles such as the acidocalcisome, hydrogenosome, and glycosome; and e) the highly polarized endocytic pathway found in epimastigote forms of Trypanosoma cruzi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanderley de Souza
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Centro de Pesquisa em Medicina de Precisão, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro21941-902, Brazil
- Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro21941-902, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem—Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro21941-902, Brazil
- Centro Multiusuário para Análise de Fenômenos Biomédicos, Universidade do Estado do Amazonas, Amazonas69065-001, Brazil
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Kuzminov A. Bacterial nucleoid is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. J Bacteriol 2024; 206:e0021123. [PMID: 38358278 PMCID: PMC10994824 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00211-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Bacterial chromosome, the nucleoid, is traditionally modeled as a rosette of DNA mega-loops, organized around proteinaceous central scaffold by nucleoid-associated proteins (NAPs), and mixed with the cytoplasm by transcription and translation. Electron microscopy of fixed cells confirms dispersal of the cloud-like nucleoid within the ribosome-filled cytoplasm. Here, I discuss evidence that the nucleoid in live cells forms DNA phase separate from riboprotein phase, the "riboid." I argue that the nucleoid-riboid interphase, where DNA interacts with NAPs, transcribing RNA polymerases, nascent transcripts, and ssRNA chaperones, forms the transcription zone. An active part of phase separation, transcription zone enforces segregation of the centrally positioned information phase (the nucleoid) from the surrounding action phase (the riboid), where translation happens, protein accumulates, and metabolism occurs. I speculate that HU NAP mostly tiles up the nucleoid periphery-facilitating DNA mobility but also supporting transcription in the interphase. Besides extruding plectonemically supercoiled DNA mega-loops, condensins could compact them into solenoids of uniform rings, while HU could support rigidity and rotation of these DNA rings. The two-phase cytoplasm arrangement allows the bacterial cell to organize the central dogma activities, where (from the cell center to its periphery) DNA replicates and segregates, DNA is transcribed, nascent mRNA is handed over to ribosomes, mRNA is translated into proteins, and finally, the used mRNA is recycled into nucleotides at the inner membrane. The resulting information-action conveyor, with one activity naturally leading to the next one, explains the efficiency of prokaryotic cell design-even though its main intracellular transportation mode is free diffusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrei Kuzminov
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
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Opperdoes FR, Záhonová K, Škodová-Sveráková I, Bučková B, Chmelová Ľ, Lukeš J, Yurchenko V. In silico prediction of the metabolism of Blastocrithidia nonstop, a trypanosomatid with non-canonical genetic code. BMC Genomics 2024; 25:184. [PMID: 38365628 PMCID: PMC10874023 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-024-10094-8] [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: 09/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Almost all extant organisms use the same, so-called canonical, genetic code with departures from it being very rare. Even more exceptional are the instances when a eukaryote with non-canonical code can be easily cultivated and has its whole genome and transcriptome sequenced. This is the case of Blastocrithidia nonstop, a trypanosomatid flagellate that reassigned all three stop codons to encode amino acids. RESULTS We in silico predicted the metabolism of B. nonstop and compared it with that of the well-studied human parasites Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania major. The mapped mitochondrial, glycosomal and cytosolic metabolism contains all typical features of these diverse and important parasites. We also provided experimental validation for some of the predicted observations, concerning, specifically presence of glycosomes, cellular respiration, and assembly of the respiratory complexes. CONCLUSIONS In an unusual comparison of metabolism between a parasitic protist with a massively altered genetic code and its close relatives that rely on a canonical code we showed that the dramatic differences on the level of nucleic acids do not seem to be reflected in the metabolisms. Moreover, although the genome of B. nonstop is extremely AT-rich, we could not find any alterations of its pyrimidine synthesis pathway when compared to other trypanosomatids. Hence, we conclude that the dramatic alteration of the genetic code of B. nonstop has no significant repercussions on the metabolism of this flagellate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fred R Opperdoes
- de Duve Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Kristína Záhonová
- Life Science Research Centre, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czechia
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czechia
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, BIOCEV, Vestec, Czechia
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Ingrid Škodová-Sveráková
- Life Science Research Centre, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czechia
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czechia
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Barbora Bučková
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Ľubomíra Chmelová
- Life Science Research Centre, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czechia
| | - Julius Lukeš
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czechia
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czechia
| | - Vyacheslav Yurchenko
- Life Science Research Centre, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czechia.
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Lucea S, Chopo-Escuin G, Guillén N, Sosa C, Sorribas V. Intestinal and Renal Adaptations to Changes of Dietary Phosphate Concentrations in Rat. FUNCTION 2023; 5:zqad063. [PMID: 38033458 PMCID: PMC10686248 DOI: 10.1093/function/zqad063] [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: 08/09/2023] [Revised: 11/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
We have studied the role of the intestine, kidney, and several hormones when adapting to changes in dietary P concentration. Normal and parathyroidectomized (PTX) rats were fed pH-matched diets containing 0.1%, 0.6%, and 1.2% P concentrations. 32Pi uptake was determined in the jejunum and kidney cortex brush border membrane vesicles. Several hormone and ion concentrations were determined in the blood and urine of rats. Both jejunum and kidney cortex Pi transport was regulated with 5 d of chronic feeding of P diets in normal rats. Acute adaptation was determined by switching foods on day 6, which was only clearly observed in the kidney cortex of normal rats, with more statistical variability in the jejunum. However, no paradoxical increase of Pi uptake in the jejunum was reproduced after the acute switch to the 1.2% P diet. Pi uptake in the jejunum was parathyroid hormone (PTH)-independent, but in the kidney, the chronic adaptation was reduced, and no acute dietary adaptations were observed. The NaPi2a protein was more abundant in the PTX than the sham kidneys, but contrary to the modest or absent changes in Pi uptake adaptation, the transporter was similarly regulated by dietary P, as in the sham rats. PTH and fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) were the only hormones regulated by all diet changes, even in fasting animals, which exhibited regulated Pi transport despite similar phosphatemia. Evidence of Pi appetite effects was also observed. In brief, our results show new characteristics of Pi adaptations, including a lack of correlation between Pi transport, NaPi2a expression, and PTH/FGF23 concentrations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susana Lucea
- Laboratory of Molecular Toxicology, Department of Biochemistry and Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Zaragoza, E50013 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Gema Chopo-Escuin
- Laboratory of Molecular Toxicology, Department of Biochemistry and Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Zaragoza, E50013 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Natalia Guillén
- Laboratory of Molecular Toxicology, Department of Biochemistry and Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Zaragoza, E50013 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Cecilia Sosa
- Laboratory of Molecular Toxicology, Department of Biochemistry and Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Zaragoza, E50013 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Víctor Sorribas
- Laboratory of Molecular Toxicology, Department of Biochemistry and Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Zaragoza, E50013 Zaragoza, Spain
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Fernie AR, Skirycz A. Plant metabolism: A protein map of the photosynthetic organelle. Curr Biol 2023; 33:R1147-R1150. [PMID: 37935127 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.09.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
While chloroplasts are commonly recognized as a hub in photosynthetic metabolism, our understanding of the protein functionality and spatial organization remains fragmentary. A recent study provides insights into a number of poorly characterized proteins, including unexpected spatial distributions of enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alisdair R Fernie
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany.
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9
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Wang L, Patena W, Van Baalen KA, Xie Y, Singer ER, Gavrilenko S, Warren-Williams M, Han L, Harrigan HR, Hartz LD, Chen V, Ton VTNP, Kyin S, Shwe HH, Cahn MH, Wilson AT, Onishi M, Hu J, Schnell DJ, McWhite CD, Jonikas MC. A chloroplast protein atlas reveals punctate structures and spatial organization of biosynthetic pathways. Cell 2023; 186:3499-3518.e14. [PMID: 37437571 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2022] [Revised: 05/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
Chloroplasts are eukaryotic photosynthetic organelles that drive the global carbon cycle. Despite their importance, our understanding of their protein composition, function, and spatial organization remains limited. Here, we determined the localizations of 1,034 candidate chloroplast proteins using fluorescent protein tagging in the model alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The localizations provide insights into the functions of poorly characterized proteins; identify novel components of nucleoids, plastoglobules, and the pyrenoid; and reveal widespread protein targeting to multiple compartments. We discovered and further characterized cellular organizational features, including eleven chloroplast punctate structures, cytosolic crescent structures, and unexpected spatial distributions of enzymes within the chloroplast. We also used machine learning to predict the localizations of other nuclear-encoded Chlamydomonas proteins. The strains and localization atlas developed here will serve as a resource to accelerate studies of chloroplast architecture and functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lianyong Wang
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Weronika Patena
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Kelly A Van Baalen
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Yihua Xie
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Emily R Singer
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Sophia Gavrilenko
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | | | - Linqu Han
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA; MSU-DOE Plant Research Lab, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Henry R Harrigan
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Linnea D Hartz
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Vivian Chen
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Vinh T N P Ton
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Saw Kyin
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Henry H Shwe
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Matthew H Cahn
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Alexandra T Wilson
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Masayuki Onishi
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Jianping Hu
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA; MSU-DOE Plant Research Lab, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Danny J Schnell
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Claire D McWhite
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Martin C Jonikas
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
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Manoukian L, Stein RS, Correa JA, Frigon D, Omelon S. Short-chain polyphosphates: Extraction effects on migration and size estimation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae extracts with polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Electrophoresis 2023; 44:1197-1205. [PMID: 37353918 DOI: 10.1002/elps.202300055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis is commonly used to characterize the chain length of polyphosphates (polyP), more generally called condensed phosphates. After separation, nonradioactive, optical polyP staining is limited to chain lengths greater than 15PO 3 - ${\rm{PO}}_3^ - $ monomers with toluidine blue or 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole. PolyP chain lengths longer than 62PO 3 - $\;{\rm{PO}}_3^ - $ monomers were correlated to the shortest DNA ladders. In this study, synthetic linear polyPs (Sigma-Aldrich "Type 45", estimated mean length of 45PO 3 - ${\rm{PO}}_3^ - $ monomers), trimetaphosphate (trimetaP: 3PO 3 - ${\rm{PO}}_3^ - $ ring), tripolyphosphate (tripolyP), pyrophosphate (PPi ), and inorganic orthophosphate (o-Pi ) were visualized after separation by an in situ hydrolytic degradation process to o-Pi that was subsequently stained with methyl green. Statistically insignificant migration reduction of synthetic short-chain polyP after perchloric acid or phenol-chloroform extraction was confirmed with the Friedman test. 31 P diffusion-ordered NMR spectroscopy confirmed that extraction also reduced PPi diffusivity by <10%. Linear regression between the Rf peak migration value and the logarithm of synthetic polyP molecular weights enabled estimation of extracted polyP chain lengths from 2 to 45PO 3 - ${\rm{PO}}_3^ - $ monomers. Linear polyP extracts from Saccharomyces cerevisiae grown in aerobic conditions were generally shorter than extracts cultured in anaerobic conditions. Extractions from both aerobic and anaerobic S. cerevisiae included tripolyP and o-Pi , but no PPi .
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Affiliation(s)
- Lori Manoukian
- Department of Mining and Materials Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Robin S Stein
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - José A Correa
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Dominic Frigon
- Department of Civil Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Sidney Omelon
- Department of Mining and Materials Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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11
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Strenkert D, Schmollinger S, Hu Y, Hofmann C, Holbrook K, Liu HW, Purvine SO, Nicora CD, Chen S, Lipton MS, Northen TR, Clemens S, Merchant SS. Zn deficiency disrupts Cu and S homeostasis in Chlamydomonas resulting in over accumulation of Cu and Cysteine. Metallomics 2023; 15:mfad043. [PMID: 37422438 PMCID: PMC10357957 DOI: 10.1093/mtomcs/mfad043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/10/2023]
Abstract
Growth of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii in zinc (Zn) limited medium leads to disruption of copper (Cu) homeostasis, resulting in up to 40-fold Cu over-accumulation relative to its typical Cu quota. We show that Chlamydomonas controls its Cu quota by balancing Cu import and export, which is disrupted in a Zn deficient cell, thus establishing a mechanistic connection between Cu and Zn homeostasis. Transcriptomics, proteomics and elemental profiling revealed that Zn-limited Chlamydomonas cells up-regulate a subset of genes encoding "first responder" proteins involved in sulfur (S) assimilation and consequently accumulate more intracellular S, which is incorporated into L-cysteine, γ-glutamylcysteine, and homocysteine. Most prominently, in the absence of Zn, free L-cysteine is increased ∼80-fold, corresponding to ∼2.8 × 109 molecules/cell. Interestingly, classic S-containing metal binding ligands like glutathione and phytochelatins do not increase. X-ray fluorescence microscopy showed foci of S accumulation in Zn-limited cells that co-localize with Cu, phosphorus and calcium, consistent with Cu-thiol complexes in the acidocalcisome, the site of Cu(I) accumulation. Notably, cells that have been previously starved for Cu do not accumulate S or Cys, causally connecting cysteine synthesis with Cu accumulation. We suggest that cysteine is an in vivo Cu(I) ligand, perhaps ancestral, that buffers cytosolic Cu.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Strenkert
- California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Stefan Schmollinger
- California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Yuntao Hu
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology, Lawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryBerkeley CAUSA
| | | | - Kristen Holbrook
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Helen W Liu
- California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Samuel O Purvine
- Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, US Department of Energy, Richland, WA 99352, USA
| | - Carrie D Nicora
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, US Department of Energy, Richland, WA 99352, USA
| | - Si Chen
- Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL 60439, USA
| | - Mary S Lipton
- Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, US Department of Energy, Richland, WA 99352, USA
| | - Trent R Northen
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology, Lawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryBerkeley CAUSA
- Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley CAUSA
| | - Stephan Clemens
- Department of Plant Physiology, University of Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Sabeeha S Merchant
- California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology, Lawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryBerkeley CAUSA
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
- Department of Molecular & Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
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Lobakova E, Gorelova O, Selyakh I, Semenova L, Scherbakov P, Vasilieva S, Zaytsev P, Shibzukhova K, Chivkunova O, Baulina O, Solovchenko A. Failure of Micractinium simplicissimum Phosphate Resilience upon Abrupt Re-Feeding of Its Phosphorus-Starved Cultures. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24108484. [PMID: 37239835 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24108484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Revised: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Microalgae are naturally adapted to the fluctuating availability of phosphorus (P) to opportunistically uptake large amounts of inorganic phosphate (Pi) and safely store it in the cell as polyphosphate. Hence, many microalgal species are remarkably resilient to high concentrations of external Pi. Here, we report on an exception from this pattern comprised by a failure of the high Pi-resilience in strain Micractinium simplicissimum IPPAS C-2056 normally coping with very high Pi concentrations. This phenomenon occurred after the abrupt re-supplementation of Pi to the M. simplicissimum culture pre-starved of P. This was the case even if Pi was re-supplemented in a concentration far below the level toxic to the P-sufficient culture. We hypothesize that this effect can be mediated by a rapid formation of the potentially toxic short-chain polyphosphate following the mass influx of Pi into the P-starved cell. A possible reason for this is that the preceding P starvation impairs the capacity of the cell to convert the newly absorbed Pi into a "safe" storage form of long-chain polyphosphate. We believe that the findings of this study can help to avoid sudden culture crashes, and they are also of potential significance for the development of algae-based technologies for the efficient bioremoval of P from P-rich waste streams.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Lobakova
- Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1-12 Leninskie Gory, 119234 Moscow, Russia
- Institute of Natural Sciences, Derzhavin Tambov State University, Komsomolskaya Square 5, 392008 Tambov, Russia
| | - Olga Gorelova
- Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1-12 Leninskie Gory, 119234 Moscow, Russia
| | - Irina Selyakh
- Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1-12 Leninskie Gory, 119234 Moscow, Russia
| | - Larisa Semenova
- Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1-12 Leninskie Gory, 119234 Moscow, Russia
| | - Pavel Scherbakov
- Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1-12 Leninskie Gory, 119234 Moscow, Russia
| | - Svetlana Vasilieva
- Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1-12 Leninskie Gory, 119234 Moscow, Russia
- Institute of Natural Sciences, Derzhavin Tambov State University, Komsomolskaya Square 5, 392008 Tambov, Russia
| | - Petr Zaytsev
- Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1-12 Leninskie Gory, 119234 Moscow, Russia
- Institute of Natural Sciences, Derzhavin Tambov State University, Komsomolskaya Square 5, 392008 Tambov, Russia
| | - Karina Shibzukhova
- Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1-12 Leninskie Gory, 119234 Moscow, Russia
| | - Olga Chivkunova
- Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1-12 Leninskie Gory, 119234 Moscow, Russia
| | - Olga Baulina
- Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1-12 Leninskie Gory, 119234 Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexei Solovchenko
- Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1-12 Leninskie Gory, 119234 Moscow, Russia
- Institute of Natural Sciences, Derzhavin Tambov State University, Komsomolskaya Square 5, 392008 Tambov, Russia
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13
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Schmollinger S, Chen S, Merchant SS. Quantitative elemental imaging in eukaryotic algae. Metallomics 2023; 15:mfad025. [PMID: 37186252 PMCID: PMC10209819 DOI: 10.1093/mtomcs/mfad025] [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: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
All organisms, fundamentally, are made from the same raw material, namely the elements of the periodic table. Biochemical diversity is achieved by how these elements are utilized, for what purpose, and in which physical location. Determining elemental distributions, especially those of trace elements that facilitate metabolism as cofactors in the active centers of essential enzymes, can determine the state of metabolism, the nutritional status, or the developmental stage of an organism. Photosynthetic eukaryotes, especially algae, are excellent subjects for quantitative analysis of elemental distribution. These microbes utilize unique metabolic pathways that require various trace nutrients at their core to enable their operation. Photosynthetic microbes also have important environmental roles as primary producers in habitats with limited nutrient supplies or toxin contaminations. Accordingly, photosynthetic eukaryotes are of great interest for biotechnological exploitation, carbon sequestration, and bioremediation, with many of the applications involving various trace elements and consequently affecting their quota and intracellular distribution. A number of diverse applications were developed for elemental imaging, allowing subcellular resolution, with X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM, XRF) being at the forefront, enabling quantitative descriptions of intact cells in a non-destructive method. This Tutorial Review summarizes the workflow of a quantitative, single-cell elemental distribution analysis of a eukaryotic alga using XFM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Schmollinger
- California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Departments of Molecular and Cell Biology and Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Si Chen
- X-ray Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL 60439, USA
| | - Sabeeha S Merchant
- California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Departments of Molecular and Cell Biology and Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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14
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Zhang B, Tang Y, Yu F, Peng Z, Yao S, Deng X, Long H, Wang X, Huang K. Translatomics and physiological analyses of the detoxification mechanism of green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to cadmium toxicity. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2023; 448:130990. [PMID: 36860060 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.130990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Cadmium (Cd) is one of the most toxic pollutants found in aquatic ecosystems. Although gene expression in algae exposed to Cd has been studied at the transcriptional level, little is known about Cd impacts at the translational level. Ribosome profiling is a novel translatomics method that can directly monitor RNA translation in vivo. Here, we analyzed the translatome of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii following treatment with Cd to identify the cellular and physiological responses to Cd stress. Interestingly, we found that the cell morphology and cell wall structure were altered, and starch and high-electron-density particles accumulated in the cytoplasm. Several ATP-binding cassette transporters that responded to Cd exposure were identified. Redox homeostasis was adjusted to adapt to Cd toxicity, and GDP-L-galactose phosphorylase (VTC2), glutathione peroxidase (GPX5), and ascorbate were found to play important roles in maintaining reactive oxygen species homeostasis. Moreover, we found that the key enzyme of flavonoid metabolism, i.e., hydroxyisoflavone reductase (IFR1), is also involved in the detoxification of Cd. Thus, in this study, translatome and physiological analyses provided a complete picture of the molecular mechanisms of green algae cell responses to Cd.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baolong Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Algal Biology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, Hubei, China
| | - Yuxin Tang
- School of Urban Construction, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430065, Hubei, China
| | - Fei Yu
- School of Urban Construction, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430065, Hubei, China
| | - Zhao Peng
- School of Life Sciences and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, Hubei, China
| | - Sheng Yao
- School of Life Sciences and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, Hubei, China
| | - Xuan Deng
- Key Laboratory of Algal Biology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, Hubei, China
| | - Huan Long
- Key Laboratory of Algal Biology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, Hubei, China
| | - Xun Wang
- School of Urban Construction, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430065, Hubei, China
| | - Kaiyao Huang
- Key Laboratory of Algal Biology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, Hubei, China.
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15
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Strenkert D, Schmollinger S, Hu Y, Hofmann C, Holbrook K, Liu HW, Purvine SO, Nicora CD, Chen S, Lipton MS, Northen TR, Clemens S, Merchant SS. Cysteine: an ancestral Cu binding ligand in green algae? BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.15.532757. [PMID: 36993560 PMCID: PMC10055113 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.15.532757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Growth of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii in zinc (Zn) limited medium leads to disruption of copper (Cu) homeostasis, resulting in up to 40-fold Cu over-accumulation relative to its typical Cu quota. We show that Chlamydomonas controls its Cu quota by balancing Cu import and export, which is disrupted in a Zn deficient cell, thus establishing a mechanistic connection between Cu and Zn homeostasis. Transcriptomics, proteomics and elemental profiling revealed that Zn-limited Chlamydomonas cells up-regulate a subset of genes encoding "first responder" proteins involved in sulfur (S) assimilation and consequently accumulate more intracellular S, which is incorporated into L-cysteine, γ-glutamylcysteine and homocysteine. Most prominently, in the absence of Zn, free L-cysteine is increased ~80-fold, corresponding to ~ 2.8 × 10 9 molecules/cell. Interestingly, classic S-containing metal binding ligands like glutathione and phytochelatins do not increase. X-ray fluorescence microscopy showed foci of S accumulation in Zn-limited cells that co-localize with Cu, phosphorus and calcium, consistent with Cu-thiol complexes in the acidocalcisome, the site of Cu(I) accumulation. Notably, cells that have been previously starved for Cu do not accumulate S or Cys, causally connecting cysteine synthesis with Cu accumulation. We suggest that cysteine is an in vivo Cu(I) ligand, perhaps ancestral, that buffers cytosolic Cu.
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16
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Guan Z, Chen J, Liu R, Chen Y, Xing Q, Du Z, Cheng M, Hu J, Zhang W, Mei W, Wan B, Wang Q, Zhang J, Cheng P, Cai H, Cao J, Zhang D, Yan J, Yin P, Hothorn M, Liu Z. The cytoplasmic synthesis and coupled membrane translocation of eukaryotic polyphosphate by signal-activated VTC complex. Nat Commun 2023; 14:718. [PMID: 36759618 PMCID: PMC9911596 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36466-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) is an ancient energy metabolite and phosphate store that occurs ubiquitously in all organisms. The vacuolar transporter chaperone (VTC) complex integrates cytosolic polyP synthesis from ATP and polyP membrane translocation into the vacuolar lumen. In yeast and in other eukaryotes, polyP synthesis is regulated by inositol pyrophosphate (PP-InsP) nutrient messengers, directly sensed by the VTC complex. Here, we report the cryo-electron microscopy structure of signal-activated VTC complex at 3.0 Å resolution. Baker's yeast VTC subunits Vtc1, Vtc3, and Vtc4 assemble into a 3:1:1 complex. Fifteen trans-membrane helices form a novel membrane channel enabling the transport of newly synthesized polyP into the vacuolar lumen. PP-InsP binding orients the catalytic polymerase domain at the entrance of the trans-membrane channel, both activating the enzyme and coupling polyP synthesis and membrane translocation. Together with biochemical and cellular studies, our work provides mechanistic insights into the biogenesis of an ancient energy metabolite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeyuan Guan
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Juan Chen
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Ruiwen Liu
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Yanke Chen
- Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Qiong Xing
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, 430062, China
| | - Zhangmeng Du
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Meng Cheng
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Jianjian Hu
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Wenhui Zhang
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Wencong Mei
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Beijing Wan
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Qiang Wang
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Jie Zhang
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Peng Cheng
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Huanyu Cai
- College of Science, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Jianbo Cao
- Public Laboratory of Electron Microscopy, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Delin Zhang
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Junjie Yan
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Ping Yin
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Michael Hothorn
- Structural Plant Biology Laboratory, Department of Plant Scienes, University of Geneva, Geneva, 1211, Switzerland
| | - Zhu Liu
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.
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17
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Galarraga E, Santorelli AE, Urdaneta N, Cibati AR, Delgado MV, Díaz-Pérez LJ, Milano-Franco L, Benaim G. Synthesis of novel 6-substituted-3-formyl chromone derivatives as anti-leishmanial agents and their possible mechanism of action in Leishmania donovani. J Mol Struct 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2023.135081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
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18
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Abstract
Living systems are built from a small subset of the atomic elements, including the bulk macronutrients (C,H,N,O,P,S) and ions (Mg,K,Na,Ca) together with a small but variable set of trace elements (micronutrients). Here, we provide a global survey of how chemical elements contribute to life. We define five classes of elements: those that are (i) essential for all life, (ii) essential for many organisms in all three domains of life, (iii) essential or beneficial for many organisms in at least one domain, (iv) beneficial to at least some species, and (v) of no known beneficial use. The ability of cells to sustain life when individual elements are absent or limiting relies on complex physiological and evolutionary mechanisms (elemental economy). This survey of elemental use across the tree of life is encapsulated in a web-based, interactive periodic table that summarizes the roles chemical elements in biology and highlights corresponding mechanisms of elemental economy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaleigh A Remick
- Department of Microbiology, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States
| | - John D Helmann
- Department of Microbiology, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States.
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19
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Smircich P, Pérez-Díaz L, Hernández F, Duhagon MA, Garat B. Transcriptomic analysis of the adaptation to prolonged starvation of the insect-dwelling Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1138456. [PMID: 37091675 PMCID: PMC10117895 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1138456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi is a digenetic unicellular parasite that alternates between a blood-sucking insect and a mammalian, host causing Chagas disease or American trypanosomiasis. In the insect gut, the parasite differentiates from the non-replicative trypomastigote forms that arrive upon blood ingestion to the non-infective replicative epimastigote forms. Epimastigotes develop into infective non-replicative metacyclic trypomastigotes in the rectum and are delivered via the feces. In addition to these parasite stages, transitional forms have been reported. The insect-feeding behavior, characterized by few meals of large blood amounts followed by long periods of starvation, impacts the parasite population density and differentiation, increasing the transitional forms while diminishing both epimastigotes and metacyclic trypomastigotes. To understand the molecular changes caused by nutritional restrictions in the insect host, mid-exponentially growing axenic epimastigotes were cultured for more than 30 days without nutrient supplementation (prolonged starvation). We found that the parasite population in the stationary phase maintains a long period characterized by a total RNA content three times smaller than that of exponentially growing epimastigotes and a distinctive transcriptomic profile. Among the transcriptomic changes induced by nutrient restriction, we found differentially expressed genes related to managing protein quality or content, the reported switch from glucose to amino acid consumption, redox challenge, and surface proteins. The contractile vacuole and reservosomes appeared as cellular components enriched when ontology term overrepresentation analysis was carried out, highlighting the roles of these organelles in starving conditions possibly related to their functions in regulating cell volume and osmoregulation as well as metabolic homeostasis. Consistent with the quiescent status derived from nutrient restriction, genes related to DNA metabolism are regulated during the stationary phase. In addition, we observed differentially expressed genes related to the unique parasite mitochondria. Finally, our study identifies gene expression changes that characterize transitional parasite forms enriched by nutrient restriction. The analysis of the here-disclosed regulated genes and metabolic pathways aims to contribute to the understanding of the molecular changes that this unicellular parasite undergoes in the insect vector.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Smircich
- Sección Genómica Funcional, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
- Laboratorio de Bioinformática, Departamento de Genómica, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Montevideo, Uruguay
- *Correspondence: Beatriz Garat, ; Pablo Smircich,
| | - Leticia Pérez-Díaz
- Sección Genómica Funcional, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Fabricio Hernández
- Sección Genómica Funcional, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - María Ana Duhagon
- Sección Genómica Funcional, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
- Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Medicina Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Beatriz Garat
- Sección Genómica Funcional, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
- *Correspondence: Beatriz Garat, ; Pablo Smircich,
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20
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Functional importance of coacervation to convert calcium polyphosphate nanoparticles into the physiologically active state. Mater Today Bio 2022; 16:100404. [PMID: 36065353 PMCID: PMC9440442 DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2022.100404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Inorganic polyphosphates (polyP) are of increasing medical interest due to their unprecedented ability to exhibit both morphogenetic and ATP-delivering properties. However, these polymers are only physiologically active in the coacervate state, but not as amorphous nanoparticles (NP), the storage form of the polymer. Little is known about the mechanism of formation and interconversion of these two distinct polyP phases in the presence of metal ions. Based on in silico simulation studies, showing a differential clustering of polyP and calcium ions, the pH-dependent NP and coacervate formation of polyP was examined experimentally. Turbidimetric studies showed that Ca-polyP coacervate formation at pH 7 is a slow process compared to NP formation at pH 10. In FTIR spectra, the asymmetric stretching vibration signal of the internal (PO2)− units, which is present in the Ca-polyP coacervate formed at pH 7, disappears in the NP formed at pH 10 using the conventional method (dropping of a CaCl2 solution into a Na-polyP solution). Surprisingly, when reversing the procedure, adding Na-polyP to CaCl2, a coacervate is obtained at both pH 7 and pH 10, as confirmed by SEM and FTIR analyses. The (PO2)− signal also disappears when Ca-polyP-NP are exposed to peptides, leading to the transformation of the NP into the coacervate phase. From these results, a mechanistic model of pH-dependent coacervate and NP formation is proposed that considers not only electrostatic ion-ion but also ion-dipole interactions. Functional studies revealed a delayed polyP release kinetics for Ca-polyP-NP embedded in a hydrogel due to NP/coacervate conversion. Human A549 epithelial cells grown on the coacervate show increased proliferation and ATP production compared to cells cultured on particulate polyP. Ca-polyP NP taken up by endocytosis undergo intracellular coacervate transformation. Understanding the differential expression of the two polyP phases is of functional importance for the potential therapeutic application of this physiological, regeneratively active polymer. Polyphosphate (polyP) is a polymer that is abundantly formed in blood platelets. This polyanionic polymer exists both in the form of soluble polyP chains and as nanoparticles. PolyP polymers must undergo coacervation before reaching functional activity. Coacervation is based on a redistribution of the Ca2+ and polyP ions, distinct from nanoparticle formation. In the coacervate state, polyP causes cell proliferation and ATP generation.
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Abstract
Acidocalcisomes are electron-dense organelles rich in polyphosphate and inorganic and organic cations that are acidified by proton pumps, and possess several channels, pumps, and transporters. They are present in bacteria and eukaryotes and have been studied in greater detail in trypanosomatids. Biogenesis studies of trypanosomatid acidocalcisomes found that they share properties with lysosome-related organelles of animal cells. In addition to their described roles in autophagy, cation and phosphorus storage, osmoregulation, pH homeostasis, and pathogenesis, recent studies have defined the role of these organelles in phosphate utilization, calcium ion (Ca2+ ) signaling, and bioenergetics, and will be the main subject of this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Docampo
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
- Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Guozhong Huang
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
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22
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Schröder HC, Neufurth M, Zhou H, Wang S, Wang X, Müller WEG. Inorganic Polyphosphate: Coacervate Formation and Functional Significance in Nanomedical Applications. Int J Nanomedicine 2022; 17:5825-5850. [DOI: 10.2147/ijn.s389819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
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23
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da Silva VS, Machado CR. Sex in protists: A new perspective on the reproduction mechanisms of trypanosomatids. Genet Mol Biol 2022; 45:e20220065. [PMID: 36218381 PMCID: PMC9552303 DOI: 10.1590/1678-4685-gmb-2022-0065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The Protist kingdom individuals are the most ancestral representatives of
eukaryotes. They have inhabited Earth since ancient times and are currently
found in the most diverse environments presenting a great heterogeneity of life
forms. The unicellular and multicellular algae, photosynthetic and heterotrophic
organisms, as well as free-living and pathogenic protozoa represents the protist
group. The evolution of sex is directly associated with the origin of eukaryotes
being protists the earliest protagonists of sexual reproduction on earth. In
eukaryotes, the recombination through genetic exchange is a ubiquitous mechanism
that can be stimulated by DNA damage. Scientific evidences support the
hypothesis that reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced DNA damage can promote
sexual recombination in eukaryotes which might have been a decisive factor for
the origin of sex. The fact that some recombination enzymes also participate in
meiotic sex in modern eukaryotes reinforces the idea that sexual reproduction
emerged as consequence of specific mechanisms to cope with mutations and
alterations in genetic material. In this review we will discuss about origin of
sex and different strategies of evolve sexual reproduction in some protists such
that cause human diseases like malaria, toxoplasmosis, sleeping sickness, Chagas
disease, and leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verônica Santana da Silva
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Departamento de Genética,
Ecologia e Evolução, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Carlos Renato Machado
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Departamento de Bioquímica e
Imunologia, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
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24
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Rijal R, Kirolos SA, Rahman RJ, Gomer RH. Dictyostelium discoideum cells retain nutrients when the cells are about to overgrow their food source. J Cell Sci 2022; 135:276454. [PMID: 36017702 PMCID: PMC9592050 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.260107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Dictyostelium discoideum is a unicellular eukaryote that eats bacteria, and eventually outgrows the bacteria. D. discoideum cells accumulate extracellular polyphosphate (polyP), and the polyP concentration increases as the local cell density increases. At high cell densities, the correspondingly high extracellular polyP concentrations allow cells to sense that they are about to outgrow their food supply and starve, causing the D. discoideum cells to inhibit their proliferation. In this report, we show that high extracellular polyP inhibits exocytosis of undigested or partially digested nutrients. PolyP decreases plasma membrane recycling and apparent cell membrane fluidity, and this requires the G protein-coupled polyP receptor GrlD, the polyphosphate kinase Ppk1 and the inositol hexakisphosphate kinase I6kA. PolyP alters protein contents in detergent-insoluble crude cytoskeletons, but does not significantly affect random cell motility, cell speed or F-actin levels. Together, these data suggest that D. discoideum cells use polyP as a signal to sense their local cell density and reduce cell membrane fluidity and membrane recycling, perhaps as a mechanism to retain ingested food when the cells are about to starve. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramesh Rijal
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3474, USA
| | - Sara A Kirolos
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3474, USA
| | - Ryan J Rahman
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3474, USA
| | - Richard H Gomer
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3474, USA
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25
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Schröder HC, Wang X, Neufurth M, Wang S, Tan R, Müller WEG. Inorganic Polymeric Materials for Injured Tissue Repair: Biocatalytic Formation and Exploitation. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10030658. [PMID: 35327460 PMCID: PMC8945818 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10030658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Revised: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Two biocatalytically produced inorganic biomaterials show great potential for use in regenerative medicine but also other medical applications: bio-silica and bio-polyphosphate (bio-polyP or polyP). Biosilica is synthesized by a group of enzymes called silicateins, which mediate the formation of amorphous hydrated silica from monomeric precursors. The polymeric silicic acid formed by these enzymes, which have been cloned from various siliceous sponge species, then undergoes a maturation process to form a solid biosilica material. The second biomaterial, polyP, has the extraordinary property that it not only has morphogenetic activity similar to biosilica, i.e., can induce cell differentiation through specific gene expression, but also provides metabolic energy through enzymatic cleavage of its high-energy phosphoanhydride bonds. This reaction is catalyzed by alkaline phosphatase, a ubiquitous enzyme that, in combination with adenylate kinase, forms adenosine triphosphate (ATP) from polyP. This article attempts to highlight the biomedical importance of the inorganic polymeric materials biosilica and polyP as well as the enzymes silicatein and alkaline phosphatase, which are involved in their metabolism or mediate their biological activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heinz C. Schröder
- ERC Advanced Investigator Group, Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany; (H.C.S.); (X.W.); (M.N.); (S.W.)
| | - Xiaohong Wang
- ERC Advanced Investigator Group, Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany; (H.C.S.); (X.W.); (M.N.); (S.W.)
| | - Meik Neufurth
- ERC Advanced Investigator Group, Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany; (H.C.S.); (X.W.); (M.N.); (S.W.)
| | - Shunfeng Wang
- ERC Advanced Investigator Group, Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany; (H.C.S.); (X.W.); (M.N.); (S.W.)
| | - Rongwei Tan
- Shenzhen Lando Biomaterials Co., Ltd., Building B3, Unit 2B-C, China Merchants Guangming Science Park, Guangming District, Shenzhen 518107, China;
| | - Werner E. G. Müller
- ERC Advanced Investigator Group, Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany; (H.C.S.); (X.W.); (M.N.); (S.W.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-6131-3925910
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26
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Suzina NE, Sorokin VV, Polivtseva VN, Klyueva VV, Emelyanova EV, Solyanikova IP. From Rest to Growth: Life Collisions of Gordonia polyisoprenivorans 135. Microorganisms 2022; 10:465. [PMID: 35208919 PMCID: PMC8879720 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10020465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 01/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
In the process of evolution, living organisms develop mechanisms for population preservation to survive in unfavorable conditions. Spores and cysts are the most obvious examples of dormant forms in microorganisms. Non-spore-forming bacteria are also capable of surviving in unfavorable conditions, but the patterns of their behavior and adaptive reactions have been studied in less detail compared to spore-forming organisms. The purpose of this work was to study the features of transition from dormancy to active vegetative growth in one of the non-spore-forming bacteria, Gordonia polisoprenivorans 135, which is known as a destructor of such aromatic compounds as benzoate, 3-chlorobenzoate, and phenol. It was shown that G. polyisoprenivorans 135 under unfavorable conditions forms cyst-like cells with increased thermal resistance. Storage for two years does not lead to complete cell death. When the cells were transferred to fresh nutrient medium, visible growth was observed after 3 h. Immobilized cells stored at 4 °C for at least 10 months regenerated their metabolic activity after only 30 min of aeration. A study of the ultrathin organization of resting cells by transmission electron microscopy combined with X-ray microanalysis revealed intracytoplasmic electron-dense spherical membrane ultrastructures with significant similarity to previously described acidocalcisomas. The ability of some resting G. polyisoprenivorans 135 cells in the population to secrete acidocalcisome-like ultrastructures into the extracellular space was also detected. These structures contain predominantly calcium (Ca) and, to a lesser extent, phosphorus (P), and are likely to serve as depots of vital macronutrients to maintain cell viability during resting and provide a quick transition to a metabolically active state under favorable conditions. The study revealed the features of transitions from active growth to dormant state and vice versa of non-spore-forming bacteria G. polyisoprenivorans 135 and the possibility to use them as the basis of biopreparations with a long shelf life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nataliya E. Suzina
- Federal Research Center “Pushchino Scientific Center for Biological Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences”, Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms, 142290 Pushchino, Russia; (N.E.S.); (V.N.P.); (E.V.E.)
| | - Vladimir V. Sorokin
- Federal Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, 117312 Moscow, Russia;
| | - Valentina N. Polivtseva
- Federal Research Center “Pushchino Scientific Center for Biological Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences”, Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms, 142290 Pushchino, Russia; (N.E.S.); (V.N.P.); (E.V.E.)
| | - Violetta V. Klyueva
- Institute of Pharmacy, Chemistry and Biology, Regional Microbiological Center, Department of Biotechnology and Microbiology, Belgorod National Research University, 308015 Belgorod, Russia;
| | - Elena V. Emelyanova
- Federal Research Center “Pushchino Scientific Center for Biological Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences”, Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms, 142290 Pushchino, Russia; (N.E.S.); (V.N.P.); (E.V.E.)
| | - Inna P. Solyanikova
- Federal Research Center “Pushchino Scientific Center for Biological Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences”, Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms, 142290 Pushchino, Russia; (N.E.S.); (V.N.P.); (E.V.E.)
- Institute of Pharmacy, Chemistry and Biology, Regional Microbiological Center, Department of Biotechnology and Microbiology, Belgorod National Research University, 308015 Belgorod, Russia;
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27
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Ramos I, Machado E, Masuda H, Gomes F. Open questions on the functional biology of the yolk granules during embryo development. Mol Reprod Dev 2022; 89:86-94. [PMID: 35020238 DOI: 10.1002/mrd.23555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Revised: 12/28/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Biogenesis and consumption of the yolk are well-conserved aspects of the reproductive biology in oviparous species. Most egg-laying animals accumulate yolk proteins within the oocytes thus creating the source of nutrients and energy that will feed embryo development. Yolk accumulation drives the generation of a highly specialized oocyte cytoplasm with maternal mRNAs, ribosomes, mitochondria, and, mainly, a set of organelles collectively referred to as yolk granules (Ygs). Following fertilization, the Ygs are involved in regulated mechanisms of yolk degradation to fuel the anabolic metabolism of the growing embryo. Thus, yolk accumulation and degradation are essential processes that allow successful development in many species. Nevertheless, the molecular machinery and mechanisms dedicated to the programmed yolk mobilization throughout development are still enigmatic and remain mostly unexplored. Moreover, while the Ygs functional biology as a nutritional source for the embryo has been acknowledged, several reports have suggested that Ygs cargoes and functions go far beyond yolk storage. Evidence of the role of Ygs in gene expression, microbiota harboring, and paracrine signaling has been proposed. In this study, we summarize the current knowledge of the Ygs functional biology pointing to open questions and where further investigation is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabela Ramos
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular - INCT-EM/CNPq, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Ednildo Machado
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular - INCT-EM/CNPq, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho (IBCCF), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Hatisaburo Masuda
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular - INCT-EM/CNPq, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Fabio Gomes
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho (IBCCF), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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28
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Müller WEG, Wang X, Neufurth M, Schröder HC. Polyphosphate in Antiviral Protection: A Polyanionic Inorganic Polymer in the Fight Against Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 Infection. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR AND SUBCELLULAR BIOLOGY 2022; 61:145-189. [PMID: 35697940 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-01237-2_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Polyanions as polymers carrying multiple negative charges have been extensively studied with regard to their potential antiviral activity. Most studies to date focused on organic polyanionic polymers, both natural and synthetic. The inorganic polymer, polyphosphate (polyP), despite the ubiquitous presence of this molecule from bacteria to man, has attracted much less attention. More recently, and accelerated by the search for potential antiviral agents in the fight against the pandemic caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, it turned out that polyP disrupts the first step of the viral replication cycle, the interaction of the proteins in the virus envelope and in the cell membrane that are involved in the docking process of the virus with the target host cell. Experiments on a molecular level using the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and the cellular angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor revealed that polyP strongly inhibits the binding reaction through an electrostatic interaction between the negatively charged centers of the polyP molecule and a cationic groove, which is formed by positively charged amino acids on the RBD surface. In addition, it was found that polyP, due to its morphogenetic and energy delivering activities, enhances the antiviral host innate immunity defense of the respiratory epithelium. The underlying mechanisms and envisaged application of polyP in the therapy and prevention of COVID-19 are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Werner E G Müller
- ERC Advanced Investigator Group, Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Xiaohong Wang
- ERC Advanced Investigator Group, Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Meik Neufurth
- ERC Advanced Investigator Group, Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Heinz C Schröder
- ERC Advanced Investigator Group, Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
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29
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Schröder HC, Wang X, Neufurth M, Wang S, Müller WEG. Biomimetic Polyphosphate Materials: Toward Application in Regenerative Medicine. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR AND SUBCELLULAR BIOLOGY 2022; 61:83-130. [PMID: 35697938 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-01237-2_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) has attracted increasing attention as a biomedical polymer or biomaterial with a great potential for application in regenerative medicine, in particular in the fields of tissue engineering and repair. The interest in polyP is based on two properties of this physiological polymer that make polyP stand out from other polymers: polyP has morphogenetic activity by inducing cell differentiation through specific gene expression, and it functions as an energy store and donor of metabolic energy, especially in the extracellular matrix or in the extracellular space. No other biopolymer applicable in tissue regeneration/repair is known that is endowed with this combination of properties. In addition, polyP can be fabricated both in the form of a biologically active coacervate and as biomimetic amorphous polyP nano/microparticles, which are stable and are activated by transformation into the coacervate phase after contact with protein/body fluids. PolyP can be used in the form of various metal salts and in combination with various hydrogel-forming polymers, whereby (even printable) hybrid materials with defined porosities and mechanical and biological properties can be produced, which can even be loaded with cells for 3D cell printing or with drugs and support the growth and differentiation of (stem) cells as well as cell migration/microvascularization. Potential applications in therapy of bone, cartilage and eye disorders/injuries and wound healing are summarized and possible mechanisms are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heinz C Schröder
- ERC Advanced Investigator Group, Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Xiaohong Wang
- ERC Advanced Investigator Group, Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Meik Neufurth
- ERC Advanced Investigator Group, Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Shunfeng Wang
- ERC Advanced Investigator Group, Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Werner E G Müller
- ERC Advanced Investigator Group, Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany.
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30
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Müller WEG, Schröder HC, Neufurth M, Wang X. An unexpected biomaterial against SARS-CoV-2: Bio-polyphosphate blocks binding of the viral spike to the cell receptor. MATERIALS TODAY (KIDLINGTON, ENGLAND) 2021; 51:504-524. [PMID: 34366696 PMCID: PMC8326012 DOI: 10.1016/j.mattod.2021.07.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2021] [Revised: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
No other virus after the outbreak of the influenza pandemic of 1918 affected the world's population as hard as the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. The identification of effective agents/materials to prevent or treat COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 is an urgent global need. This review aims to survey novel strategies based on inorganic polyphosphate (polyP), a biologically formed but also synthetically available polyanionic polymeric material, which has the potential of being a potent inhibitor of the SARS-CoV-2 virus-cell-docking machinery. This virus attaches to the host cell surface receptor ACE2 with its receptor binding domain (RBD), which is present at the tips of the viral envelope spike proteins. On the surface of the RBD an unusually conserved cationic groove is exposed, which is composed of basic amino acids (Arg, Lys, and His). This pattern of cationic amino acids, the cationic groove, matches spatially with the anionic polymeric material, with polyP, allowing an electrostatic interaction. In consequence, the interaction between the RBD and ACE2 is potently blocked. PolyP is a physiological inorganic polymer, synthesized by cells and especially enriched in the blood platelets, which releases metabolically useful energy through enzymatic degradation and coupled ADP/ATP formation. In addition, this material upregulates the steady-state-expression of the mucin genes in the epithelial cells. We propose that polyP, with its two antiviral properties (blocking the binding of the virus to the cells and reinforcing the defense barrier against infiltration of the virus) has the potential to be a novel protective/therapeutic anti-COVID-19 agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Werner E G Müller
- ERC Advanced Investigator Grant Research Group at the Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Heinz C Schröder
- ERC Advanced Investigator Grant Research Group at the Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Meik Neufurth
- ERC Advanced Investigator Grant Research Group at the Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Xiaohong Wang
- ERC Advanced Investigator Grant Research Group at the Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany
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31
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Gal A. Dense intracellular ion pools in unicellular organisms. J Struct Biol 2021; 213:107807. [PMID: 34740781 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2021.107807] [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: 09/21/2021] [Revised: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/30/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Uptake and concentration of inorganic ions are part of the complex cellular processes required for cell homeostasis, as well as for mineral formation by organisms. These ion transport mechanisms include distinct cellular compartments and chemical phases that play various roles in the physiology of organisms. Here, the prominent cases of dense ion pools in unicellular organisms are briefly reviewed. The specific observations that were reported for different organisms are consolidated into a wide perspective that emphasizes general traits. It is suggested that the intracellular ion pools can be divided into three types: a high cytoplasmic concentration, a labile storage compartment that hosts dense ion-rich phases, and a mineral-forming compartment in which a stable long-lived structure is formed. Recently, many labile pools were identified in various organisms using advanced techniques, bringing many new questions about their possible roles in the formation of the stable mineralized structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Assaf Gal
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
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32
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Johansson NG, Dreano L, Vidilaseris K, Khattab A, Liu J, Lasbleiz A, Ribeiro O, Kiriazis A, Boije af Gennäs G, Meri S, Goldman A, Yli‐Kauhaluoma J, Xhaard H. Exploration of Pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines as Membrane-Bound Pyrophosphatase Inhibitors. ChemMedChem 2021; 16:3360-3367. [PMID: 34459148 PMCID: PMC8597055 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202100392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Inhibition of membrane-bound pyrophosphatase (mPPase) with small molecules offer a new approach in the fight against pathogenic protozoan parasites. mPPases are absent in humans, but essential for many protists as they couple pyrophosphate hydrolysis to the active transport of protons or sodium ions across acidocalcisomal membranes. So far, only few nonphosphorus inhibitors have been reported. Here, we explore the chemical space around previous hits using a combination of screening and synthetic medicinal chemistry, identifying compounds with low micromolar inhibitory activities in the Thermotoga maritima mPPase test system. We furthermore provide early structure-activity relationships around a new scaffold having a pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine core. The most promising pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine congener was further investigated and found to inhibit Plasmodium falciparum mPPase in membranes as well as the growth of P. falciparum in an ex vivo survival assay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niklas G. Johansson
- Drug Research Program, Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of PharmacyUniversity of HelsinkiP.O. Box 56 (Viikinkaari 5 E)00014HelsinkiFinland
| | - Loïc Dreano
- Drug Research Program, Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of PharmacyUniversity of HelsinkiP.O. Box 56 (Viikinkaari 5 E)00014HelsinkiFinland
| | - Keni Vidilaseris
- Department of Biosciences, Division of BiochemistryUniversity of HelsinkiP.O. Box 56 (Viikinkaari 9)00014HelsinkiFinland
| | - Ayman Khattab
- Malaria Research Laboratory, Translational Immunology Research Program, Department of Bacteriology and Immunology, Haartman InstituteUniversity of HelsinkiP.O. Box 21 (Haartmaninkatu 3)00014HelsinkiFinland
| | - Jianing Liu
- Department of Biosciences, Division of BiochemistryUniversity of HelsinkiP.O. Box 56 (Viikinkaari 9)00014HelsinkiFinland
| | - Arthur Lasbleiz
- Drug Research Program, Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of PharmacyUniversity of HelsinkiP.O. Box 56 (Viikinkaari 5 E)00014HelsinkiFinland
| | - Orquidea Ribeiro
- Department of Biosciences, Division of BiochemistryUniversity of HelsinkiP.O. Box 56 (Viikinkaari 9)00014HelsinkiFinland
| | - Alexandros Kiriazis
- Drug Research Program, Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of PharmacyUniversity of HelsinkiP.O. Box 56 (Viikinkaari 5 E)00014HelsinkiFinland
| | - Gustav Boije af Gennäs
- Drug Research Program, Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of PharmacyUniversity of HelsinkiP.O. Box 56 (Viikinkaari 5 E)00014HelsinkiFinland
| | - Seppo Meri
- Malaria Research Laboratory, Translational Immunology Research Program, Department of Bacteriology and Immunology, Haartman InstituteUniversity of HelsinkiP.O. Box 21 (Haartmaninkatu 3)00014HelsinkiFinland
| | - Adrian Goldman
- Department of Biosciences, Division of BiochemistryUniversity of HelsinkiP.O. Box 56 (Viikinkaari 9)00014HelsinkiFinland
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular BiologyUniversity of Leeds, Clarendon WayLeeds LS2 9JTUK
| | - Jari Yli‐Kauhaluoma
- Drug Research Program, Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of PharmacyUniversity of HelsinkiP.O. Box 56 (Viikinkaari 5 E)00014HelsinkiFinland
| | - Henri Xhaard
- Drug Research Program, Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of PharmacyUniversity of HelsinkiP.O. Box 56 (Viikinkaari 5 E)00014HelsinkiFinland
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33
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The Histidine Ammonia Lyase of Trypanosoma cruzi Is Involved in Acidocalcisome Alkalinization and Is Essential for Survival under Starvation Conditions. mBio 2021; 12:e0198121. [PMID: 34724827 PMCID: PMC8561398 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01981-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi, the agent of Chagas disease, accumulates polyphosphate (polyP) and Ca2+ inside acidocalcisomes. The alkalinization of this organelle stimulates polyP hydrolysis and Ca2+ release. Here, we report that histidine ammonia lyase (HAL), an enzyme that catalyzes histidine deamination with production of ammonia (NH3) and urocanate, is responsible for acidocalcisome alkalinization. Histidine addition to live parasites expressing HAL fused to the pH-sensitive emission biosensor green fluorescent protein (GFP) variant pHluorin induced alkalinization of acidocalcisomes. PolyP decreased HAL activity of epimastigote lysates or the recombinant protein but did not cause its polyphosphorylation, as determined by the lack of HAL electrophoretic shift on NuPAGE gels using both in vitro and in vivo conditions. We demonstrate that HAL binds strongly to polyP and localizes to the acidocalcisomes and cytosol of the parasite. Four lysine residues localized in the HAL C-terminal region are instrumental for its polyP binding, its inhibition by polyP, its function inside acidocalcisomes, and parasite survival under starvation conditions. Expression of HAL in yeast deficient in polyP degradation decreased cell fitness. This effect was enhanced by histidine and decreased when the lysine-rich C-terminal region was deleted. In conclusion, this study highlights a mechanism for stimulation of acidocalcisome alkalinization linked to amino acid metabolism.
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Wimmer JLE, Kleinermanns K, Martin WF. Pyrophosphate and Irreversibility in Evolution, or why PP i Is Not an Energy Currency and why Nature Chose Triphosphates. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:759359. [PMID: 34759911 PMCID: PMC8575175 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.759359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The possible evolutionary significance of pyrophosphate (PPi) has been discussed since the early 1960s. Lipmann suggested that PPi could have been an ancient currency or a possible environmental source of metabolic energy at origins, while Kornberg proposed that PPi vectorializes metabolism because ubiquitous pyrophosphatases render PPi forming reactions kinetically irreversible. To test those ideas, we investigated the reactions that consume phosphoanhydride bonds among the 402 reactions of the universal biosynthetic core that generates amino acids, nucleotides, and cofactors from H2, CO2, and NH3. We find that 36% of the core's phosphoanhydride hydrolyzing reactions generate PPi, while no reactions use PPi as an energy currency. The polymerization reactions that generate ~80% of cell mass - protein, RNA, and DNA synthesis - all generate PPi, while none use PPi as an energy source. In typical prokaryotic cells, aminoacyl tRNA synthetases (AARS) underlie ~80% of PPi production. We show that the irreversibility of the AARS reaction is a kinetic, not a thermodynamic effect. The data indicate that PPi is not an ancient energy currency and probably never was. Instead, PPi hydrolysis is an ancient mechanism that imparts irreversibility, as Kornberg suggested, functioning like a ratchet's pawl to vectorialize the life process toward growth. The two anhydride bonds in nucleoside triphosphates offer ATP-cleaving enzymes an option to impart either thermodynamic control (Pi formation) or kinetic control (PPi formation) upon reactions. This dual capacity explains why nature chose the triphosphate moiety of ATP as biochemistry's universal energy currency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L. E. Wimmer
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Department of Biology, Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Karl Kleinermanns
- Institute for Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - William F. Martin
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Department of Biology, Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
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35
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Kun Á. The major evolutionary transitions and codes of life. Biosystems 2021; 210:104548. [PMID: 34547424 DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2021.104548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Major evolutionary transitions as well as the evolution of codes of life are key elements in macroevolution which are characterized by increase in complexity Major evolutionary transitions ensues by a transition in individuality and by the evolution of a novel mode of using, transmitting or storing information. Here is where codes of life enter the picture: they are arbitrary mappings between different (mostly) molecular species. This flexibility allows information to be employed in a variety of ways, which can fuel evolutionary innovation. The collation of the list of major evolutionary transitions and the list of codes of life show a clear pattern: codes evolved prior to a major evolutionary transition and then played roles in the transition and/or in the transformation of the new individual. The evolution of a new code of life is in itself not a major evolutionary transition but allow major evolutionary transitions to happen. This could help us to identify new organic codes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ádám Kun
- Parmenides Center for the Conceptual Foundations of Science, Parmenides Foundation, Kirchplatz 1, D-82049, Pullach, Germany; Institute of Evolution, Centre for Ecological Research, Konkoly-Thege Miklós út 29-33, H-1121, Budapest, Hungary; MTA-ELTE Theoretical Biology and Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, H-1117, Budapest, Hungary; Institute for Advanced Studies Kőszeg, Chernel utca 14, H-9730, Kőszeg, Hungary; Department of Plant Systematics, Ecology and Theoretical Biology, Eötvös University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, H-1117, Budapest, Hungary.
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Tavanti M, Hosford J, Lloyd RC, Brown MJB. Recent Developments and Challenges for the Industrial Implementation of Polyphosphate Kinases. ChemCatChem 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/cctc.202100688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Michele Tavanti
- Synthetic Biochemistry Medicinal Science and Technology Pharma R&D GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre Gunnels Wood Road Stevenage SG12NY UK
- Early Chemical development Pharmaceutical Sciences, R&D AstraZeneca Astrazeneca PLC 1 Francis Crick Avenue Cambridge Biomedical Campus Cambridge CB20AA UK
| | - Joseph Hosford
- Synthetic Biochemistry Medicinal Science and Technology Pharma R&D GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre Gunnels Wood Road Stevenage SG12NY UK
| | - Richard C. Lloyd
- Chemical Development Medicinal Science and Technology Pharma R&D GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre Gunnels Wood Road Stevenage SG12NY UK
| | - Murray J. B. Brown
- Synthetic Biochemistry Medicinal Science and Technology Pharma R&D GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre Gunnels Wood Road Stevenage SG12NY UK
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37
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de Oliveira LS, Alborghetti MR, Carneiro RG, Bastos IMD, Amino R, Grellier P, Charneau S. Calcium in the Backstage of Malaria Parasite Biology. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 11:708834. [PMID: 34395314 PMCID: PMC8355824 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.708834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The calcium ion (Ca2+) is a ubiquitous second messenger involved in key biological processes in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. In Plasmodium species, Ca2+ signaling plays a central role in the parasite life cycle. It has been associated with parasite development, fertilization, locomotion, and host cell infection. Despite the lack of a canonical inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate receptor gene in the Plasmodium genome, pharmacological evidence indicates that inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate triggers Ca2+ mobilization from the endoplasmic reticulum. Other structures such as acidocalcisomes, food vacuole and mitochondria are proposed to act as supplementary intracellular Ca2+ reservoirs. Several Ca2+-binding proteins (CaBPs) trigger downstream signaling. Other proteins with no EF-hand motifs, but apparently involved with CaBPs, are depicted as playing an important role in the erythrocyte invasion and egress. It is also proposed that a cross-talk among kinases, which are not members of the family of Ca2+-dependent protein kinases, such as protein kinases G, A and B, play additional roles mediated indirectly by Ca2+ regulation. This statement may be extended for proteins directly related to invasion or egress, such as SUB1, ERC, IMC1I, IMC1g, GAP45 and EBA175. In this review, we update our understanding of aspects of Ca2+-mediated signaling correlated to the developmental stages of the malaria parasite life cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Silva de Oliveira
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Protein Chemistry, Department of Cell Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil
- UMR 7245 MCAM, Molécules de Communication et Adaptation des Micro-organismes, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Équipe Parasites et Protistes Libres, Paris, France
| | - Marcos Rodrigo Alborghetti
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Protein Chemistry, Department of Cell Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas, Brazil
| | - Renata Garcia Carneiro
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Protein Chemistry, Department of Cell Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil
| | - Izabela Marques Dourado Bastos
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Interaction, Department of Cell Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil
| | - Rogerio Amino
- Unité Infection et Immunité Paludéennes, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Philippe Grellier
- UMR 7245 MCAM, Molécules de Communication et Adaptation des Micro-organismes, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Équipe Parasites et Protistes Libres, Paris, France
| | - Sébastien Charneau
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Protein Chemistry, Department of Cell Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil
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38
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Ramakrishnan S, Baptista RP, Asady B, Huang G, Docampo R. TbVps41 regulates trafficking of endocytic but not biosynthetic cargo to lysosomes of bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma brucei. FASEB J 2021; 35:e21641. [PMID: 34041791 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202100487r] [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: 03/21/2021] [Revised: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The bloodstream stage of Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agent of African trypanosomiasis, is characterized by its high rate of endocytosis, which is involved in remodeling of its surface coat. Here we present evidence that RNAi-mediated expression down-regulation of vacuolar protein sorting 41 (Vps41), a component of the homotypic fusion and vacuole protein sorting (HOPS) complex, leads to a strong inhibition of endocytosis, vesicle accumulation, enlargement of the flagellar pocket ("big eye" phenotype), and dramatic effect on cell growth. Unexpectedly, other functions described for Vps41 in mammalian cells and yeasts, such as delivery of proteins to lysosomes, and lysosome-related organelles (acidocalcisomes) were unaffected, indicating that in trypanosomes post-Golgi trafficking is distinct from that of mammalian cells and yeasts. The essentiality of TbVps41 suggests that it is a potential drug target.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Beejan Asady
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Guozhong Huang
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Roberto Docampo
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, Athens, GA, USA.,Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
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39
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Gao H, Zhang W, Zhang J, Huang Y, Zhang J, Tian J, Niu Y, Zou C, Jia C, Chang Z, Yang X, Jiang D. Methionine biosynthesis pathway genes affect curdlan biosynthesis of Agrobacterium sp. CGMCC 11546 via energy regeneration. Int J Biol Macromol 2021; 185:821-831. [PMID: 34216670 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.06.189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Revised: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Curdlan is a water-insoluble exopolysaccharide produced by Agrobacterium species under nitrogen starvation. The curdlan production in the ΔmdeA, ΔmetA, ΔmetH, and ΔmetZ mutants of methionine biosynthesis pathway of Agrobacterium sp. CGMCC 11546 were significantly impaired. Fermentation profiles of four mutants showed that the consumption of ammonia and sucrose was impaired. Transcriptome analysis of the ΔmetH and ΔmetZ mutants showed that numerous differentially expressed genes involved in the electron transfer chain (ETC) were significantly down-regulated, suggesting that methionine biosynthesis pathway affected the production of energy ATP during the curdlan biosynthesis. Furthermore, metabolomics analysis of the ΔmetH and ΔmetZ mutants showed that ADP and FAD were significantly accumulated, while acetyl-CoA was diminished, suggesting that the impaired curdlan production in the ΔmetH and ΔmetZ mutants might be caused by the insufficient supply of energy ATP. Finally, the addition of both dibasic sodium succinate as a substrate of FAD recycling and methionine significantly restored the curdlan production of four mutants. In conclusion, methionine biosynthesis pathway plays an important role in curdlan biosynthesis in Agrobacterium sp. CGMCC 11546, which affected the sufficient supply of energy ATP from the ETC during the curdlan biosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongliang Gao
- School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, PR China
| | - Wei Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, PR China
| | - Jing Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, PR China
| | - Yimin Huang
- School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, PR China
| | - Jingyu Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, PR China
| | - Jiangtao Tian
- School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, PR China
| | - Yanning Niu
- School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, PR China
| | - Chunjing Zou
- School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, PR China
| | - Caifeng Jia
- School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, PR China
| | - Zhongyi Chang
- School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, PR China
| | - Xuexia Yang
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, PR China.
| | - Deming Jiang
- School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, PR China.
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40
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Extracellular and Intracellular Lanthanide Accumulation in the Methylotrophic Beijerinckiaceae Bacterium RH AL1. Appl Environ Microbiol 2021; 87:e0314420. [PMID: 33893117 PMCID: PMC8316094 DOI: 10.1128/aem.03144-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent work with Methylorubrum extorquens AM1 identified intracellular, cytoplasmic lanthanide storage in an organism that harnesses these metals for its metabolism. Here, we describe the extracellular and intracellular accumulation of lanthanides in the Beijerinckiaceae bacterium RH AL1, a newly isolated and recently characterized methylotroph. Using ultrathin-section transmission electron microscopy (TEM), freeze fracture TEM (FFTEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, we demonstrated that strain RH AL1 accumulates lanthanides extracellularly at outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) and stores them in the periplasm. High-resolution elemental analyses of biomass samples revealed that strain RH AL1 can accumulate ions of different lanthanide species, with a preference for heavier lanthanides. Its methanol oxidation machinery is supposedly adapted to light lanthanides, and their selective uptake is mediated by dedicated uptake mechanisms. Based on transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis, these presumably include the previously characterized TonB-ABC transport system encoded by the lut cluster but potentially also a type VI secretion system. A high level of constitutive expression of genes coding for lanthanide-dependent enzymes suggested that strain RH AL1 maintains a stable transcript pool to flexibly respond to changing lanthanide availability. Genes coding for lanthanide-dependent enzymes are broadly distributed taxonomically. Our results support the hypothesis that central aspects of lanthanide-dependent metabolism partially differ between the various taxa. IMPORTANCE Although multiple pieces of evidence have been added to the puzzle of lanthanide-dependent metabolism, we are still far from understanding the physiological role of lanthanides. Given how widespread lanthanide-dependent enzymes are, only limited information is available with respect to how lanthanides are taken up and stored in an organism. Our research complements work with commonly studied model organisms and showed the localized storage of lanthanides in the periplasm. This storage occurred at comparably low concentrations. Strain RH AL1 is able to accumulate lanthanide ions extracellularly and to selectively utilize lighter lanthanides. The Beijerinckiaceae bacterium RH AL1 might be an attractive target for developing biorecovery strategies to obtain these economically highly demanded metals in environmentally friendly ways.
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Tanuwidjaja I, Vogel C, Pronk GJ, Schöler A, Kublik S, Vestergaard G, Kögel-Knabner I, Mrkonjic Fuka M, Schloter M, Schulz S. Microbial Key Players Involved in P Turnover Differ in Artificial Soil Mixtures Depending on Clay Mineral Composition. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2021; 81:897-907. [PMID: 33161521 PMCID: PMC8062357 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-020-01635-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Nutrient turnover in soils is strongly driven by soil properties, including clay mineral composition. One main nutrient is phosphorus (P), which is known to be easily immobilized in soil. Therefore, the specific surface characteristics of clay minerals might substantially influence P availability in soil and thus the microbial strategies for accessing P pools. We used a metagenomic approach to analyze the microbial potential to access P after 842 days of incubation in artificial soils with a clay mineral composition of either non-expandable illite (IL) or expandable montmorillonite (MT), which differ in their surface characteristics like soil surface area and surface charge. Our data indicate that microorganisms of the two soils developed different strategies to overcome P depletion, resulting in similar total P concentrations. Genes predicted to encode inorganic pyrophosphatase (ppa), exopolyphosphatase (ppx), and the pstSCAB transport system were higher in MT, suggesting effective P uptake and the use of internal poly-P stores. Genes predicted to encode enzymes involved in organic P turnover like alkaline phosphatases (phoA, phoD) and glycerophosphoryl diester phosphodiesterase were detected in both soils in comparable numbers. In addition, Po concentrations did not differ significantly. Most identified genes were assigned to microbial lineages generally abundant in agricultural fields, but some were assigned to lineages known to include oligotrophic specialists, such as Bacillaceae and Microchaetaceae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina Tanuwidjaja
- Research Unit Comparative Microbiome Analysis, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Oberschleißheim, Germany
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Cordula Vogel
- Lehrstuhl für Bodenkunde, Technische Universität München, Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
- Institute of Soil Science and Site Ecology, Dresden University of Technology, Tharandt, Germany
| | - Geertje J Pronk
- Lehrstuhl für Bodenkunde, Technische Universität München, Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
- Institute for Advanced Study, Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany
- KWR Watercycle Research Institute, Nieuwegein, Netherlands
| | - Anne Schöler
- Research Unit Comparative Microbiome Analysis, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Oberschleißheim, Germany
| | - Susanne Kublik
- Research Unit Comparative Microbiome Analysis, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Oberschleißheim, Germany
| | - Gisle Vestergaard
- Research Unit Comparative Microbiome Analysis, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Oberschleißheim, Germany
- Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Ingrid Kögel-Knabner
- Lehrstuhl für Bodenkunde, Technische Universität München, Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
- Institute for Advanced Study, Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany
| | - Mirna Mrkonjic Fuka
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Michael Schloter
- Research Unit Comparative Microbiome Analysis, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Oberschleißheim, Germany
- Lehrstuhl für Bodenkunde, Technische Universität München, Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
| | - Stefanie Schulz
- Research Unit Comparative Microbiome Analysis, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Oberschleißheim, Germany.
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42
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Molecular characterization and transcriptional regulation of two types of H +-pyrophosphatases in the scuticociliate parasite Philasterides dicentrarchi. Sci Rep 2021; 11:8519. [PMID: 33875762 PMCID: PMC8055999 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-88102-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Proton-translocating inorganic pyrophosphatases (H+-PPases) are an ancient family of membrane bound enzymes that couple pyrophosphate (PPi) hydrolysis to H+ translocation across membranes. In this study, we conducted a molecular characterization of two isoenzymes (PdVP1 and PdVP2) located in respectively the alveolar sacs and in the membranes of the intracellular vacuoles of a scuticociliate parasite (Philasterides dicentrarchi) of farmed turbot. We analyzed the genetic expression of the isoenzymes after administration of antiparasitic drugs and after infection in the host. PdVP1 and PdVP2 are encoded by two genes of 2485 and 3069 bp, which respectively contain 3 and 11 exons and express proteins of 746 and 810 aa of molecular mass 78.9 and 87.6 kDa. Topological predictions from isoenzyme sequences indicate the formation of thirteen transmembrane regions (TMRs) for PdVP1 and seventeen TMRs for PdVP2. Protein structure modelling indicated that both isoenzymes are homodimeric, with three Mg2+ binding sites and an additional K+ binding site in PdVP2. The levels of identity and similarity between the isoenzyme sequences are respectively 33.5 and 51.2%. The molecular weights of the native proteins are 158 kDa (PdVP1) and 178 kDa (PdVP2). The isoenzyme sequences are derived from paralogous genes that form a monophyletic grouping with other ciliate species. Genetic expression of the isoenzymes is closely related to the acidification of alveolar sacs (PdVP1) and intracellular vacuoles (PdVP2): antiparasitic drugs inhibit transcription, while infection increases transcription of both isoenzymes. The study findings show that P. dicentrarchi possesses two isoenzymes with H+-PPase activity which are located in acidophilic cell compartment membranes and which are activated during infection in the host and are sensitive to antiparasitic drugs. The findings open the way to using molecular modelling to design drugs for the treatment of scuticociliatosis.
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43
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Stasic AJ, Dykes EJ, Cordeiro CD, Vella SA, Fazli MS, Quinn S, Docampo R, Moreno SNJ. Ca 2+ entry at the plasma membrane and uptake by acidic stores is regulated by the activity of the V-H + -ATPase in Toxoplasma gondii. Mol Microbiol 2021; 115:1054-1068. [PMID: 33793004 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Revised: 03/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Ca2+ is a universal intracellular signal that regulates many cellular functions. In Toxoplasma gondii, the controlled influx of extracellular and intracellular Ca2+ into the cytosol initiates a signaling cascade that promotes pathogenic processes like tissue destruction and dissemination. In this work, we studied the role of proton transport in cytosolic Ca2+ homeostasis and the initiation of Ca2+ signaling. We used a T. gondii mutant of the V-H+ -ATPase, a pump previously shown to transport protons to the extracellular medium, and to control intracellular pH and membrane potential and we show that proton gradients are important for maintaining resting cytosolic Ca2+ at physiological levels and for Ca2+ influx. Proton transport was also important for Ca2+ storage by acidic stores and, unexpectedly, the endoplasmic reticulum. Proton transport impacted the amount of polyphosphate (polyP), a phosphate polymer that binds Ca2+ and concentrates in acidocalcisomes. This was supported by the co-localization of the vacuolar transporter chaperone 4 (VTC4), the catalytic subunit of the VTC complex that synthesizes polyP, with the V-ATPase in acidocalcisomes. Our work shows that proton transport regulates plasma membrane Ca2+ transport and control acidocalcisome polyP and Ca2+ content, impacting Ca2+ signaling and downstream stimulation of motility and egress in T. gondii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Stasic
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Georgia, GA, USA
| | - Eric J Dykes
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Georgia, GA, USA.,Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Ciro D Cordeiro
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Georgia, GA, USA.,Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Stephen A Vella
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Georgia, GA, USA
| | - Mojtaba S Fazli
- Department of Computer Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Shannon Quinn
- Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.,Department of Computer Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Roberto Docampo
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Georgia, GA, USA.,Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Silvia N J Moreno
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Georgia, GA, USA.,Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
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44
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Single-cell visualization and quantification of trace metals in Chlamydomonas lysosome-related organelles. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2026811118. [PMID: 33879572 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2026811118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The acidocalcisome is an acidic organelle in the cytosol of eukaryotes, defined by its low pH and high calcium and polyphosphate content. It is visualized as an electron-dense object by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) or described with mass spectrometry (MS)-based imaging techniques or multimodal X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM) based on its unique elemental composition. Compared with MS-based imaging techniques, XFM offers the additional advantage of absolute quantification of trace metal content, since sectioning of the cell is not required and metabolic states can be preserved rapidly by either vitrification or chemical fixation. We employed XFM in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to determine single-cell and organelle trace metal quotas within algal cells in situations of trace metal overaccumulation (Fe and Cu). We found up to 70% of the cellular Cu and 80% of Fe sequestered in acidocalcisomes in these conditions and identified two distinct populations of acidocalcisomes, defined by their unique trace elemental makeup. We utilized the vtc1 mutant, defective in polyphosphate synthesis and failing to accumulate Ca, to show that Fe sequestration is not dependent on either. Finally, quantitation of the Fe and Cu contents of individual cells and compartments via XFM, over a range of cellular metal quotas created by nutritional and genetic perturbations, indicated excellent correlation with bulk data from corresponding cell cultures, establishing a framework to distinguish the nutritional status of single cells.
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45
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Schepler H, Wang X, Neufurth M, Wang S, Schröder HC, Müller WEG. The therapeutic potential of inorganic polyphosphate: A versatile physiological polymer to control coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Theranostics 2021; 11:6193-6213. [PMID: 33995653 PMCID: PMC8120197 DOI: 10.7150/thno.59535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Rationale: The pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is advancing rapidly. In particular, the number of severe courses of the disease is still dramatically high. An efficient drug therapy that helps to improve significantly the fatal combination of damages in the airway epithelia, in the extensive pulmonary microvascularization and finally multiorgan failure, is missing. The physiological, inorganic polymer, polyphosphate (polyP) is a molecule which could prevent the initial phase of the virus life cycle, the attachment of the virus to the target cells, and improve the epithelial integrity as well as the mucus barrier. Results: Surprisingly, polyP matches perfectly with the cationic groove on the RBD. Subsequent binding studies disclosed that polyP, with a physiological chain length of 40 phosphate residues, abolishes the binding propensity of the RBD to the ACE2 receptor. In addition to this first mode of action of polyP, this polymer causes in epithelial cells an increased gene expression of the major mucins in the airways, of MUC5AC and MUC1, as well as a subsequent glycoprotein production. MUC5AC forms a gel-like mucus layer trapping inhaled particles which are then transported out of the airways, while MUC1 constitutes the periciliary liquid layer and supports ciliary beating. As a third mode of action, polyP undergoes enzymatic hydrolysis of the anhydride bonds in the airway system by alkaline phosphatase, releasing metabolic energy. Conclusions: This review summarizes the state of the art of the biotherapeutic potential of the polymer polyP and the findings from basic research and outlines future biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hadrian Schepler
- Department of Dermatology, University Clinic Mainz, Langenbeckstr. 1, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Xiaohong Wang
- ERC Advanced Investigator Grant Research Group at the Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Meik Neufurth
- ERC Advanced Investigator Grant Research Group at the Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Shunfeng Wang
- ERC Advanced Investigator Grant Research Group at the Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Heinz C. Schröder
- ERC Advanced Investigator Grant Research Group at the Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Werner E. G. Müller
- ERC Advanced Investigator Grant Research Group at the Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, 55128 Mainz, Germany
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46
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Pérez-Castiñeira JR, Docampo R, Ezawa T, Serrano A. Editorial: Pyrophosphates and Polyphosphates in Plants and Microorganisms. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:653416. [PMID: 33841482 PMCID: PMC8034386 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.653416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Roberto Docampo
- Department of Cellular Biology and Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Tatsuhiro Ezawa
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Aurelio Serrano
- Instituto de Bioquímica Vegetal y Fotosíntesis, Universidad de Sevilla-CSIC, Sevilla, Spain
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47
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Hanikenne M, Esteves SM, Fanara S, Rouached H. Coordinated homeostasis of essential mineral nutrients: a focus on iron. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2021; 72:2136-2153. [PMID: 33175167 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/eraa483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
In plants, iron (Fe) transport and homeostasis are highly regulated processes. Fe deficiency or excess dramatically limits plant and algal productivity. Interestingly, complex and unexpected interconnections between Fe and various macro- and micronutrient homeostatic networks, supposedly maintaining general ionic equilibrium and balanced nutrition, are currently being uncovered. Although these interactions have profound consequences for our understanding of Fe homeostasis and its regulation, their molecular bases and biological significance remain poorly understood. Here, we review recent knowledge gained on how Fe interacts with micronutrient (e.g. zinc, manganese) and macronutrient (e.g. sulfur, phosphate) homeostasis, and on how these interactions affect Fe uptake and trafficking. Finally, we highlight the importance of developing an improved model of how Fe signaling pathways are integrated into functional networks to control plant growth and development in response to fluctuating environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Hanikenne
- InBioS - PhytoSystems, Functional Genomics and Plant Molecular Imaging, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Sara M Esteves
- InBioS - PhytoSystems, Functional Genomics and Plant Molecular Imaging, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Steven Fanara
- InBioS - PhytoSystems, Functional Genomics and Plant Molecular Imaging, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Hatem Rouached
- BPMP, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, INRA, Montpellier SupAgro, Montpellier, France
- Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
- Plant Resilience Institute, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
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Did Cyclic Metaphosphates Have a Role in the Origin of Life? ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2021; 51:1-60. [PMID: 33721178 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-021-09604-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
How life began still eludes science life, the initial progenote in the context presented herein, being a chemical aggregate of primordial inorganic and organic molecules capable of self-replication and evolution into ever increasingly complex forms and functions.Presented is a hypothesis that a mineral scaffold generated by geological processes and containing polymerized phosphate units was present in primordial seas that provided the initiating factor responsible for the sequestration and organization of primordial life's constituents. Unlike previous hypotheses proposing phosphates as the essential initiating factor, the key phosphate described here is not a polynucleotide or just any condensed phosphate but a large (in the range of at least 1 kilo-phosphate subunits), water soluble, cyclic metaphosphate, which is a closed loop chain of polymerized inorganic phosphate residues containing only phosphate middle groups. The chain forms an intrinsic 4-phosphate helix analogous to its structure in Na Kurrol's salt, and as with DNA, very large metaphosphates may fold into hairpin structures. Using a Holliday-junction-like scrambling mechanism, also analogous to DNA, rings may be manipulated (increased, decreased, exchanged) easily with little to no need for additional energy, the reaction being essentially an isomerization.A literature review is presented describing findings that support the above hypothesis. Reviewed is condensed phosphate inorganic chemistry including its geological origins, biological occurrence, enzymes and their genetics through eukaryotes, polyphosphate functions, circular polynucleotides and the role of the Holliday junction, previous biogenesis hypotheses, and an Eoarchean Era timeline.
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Dynamic Polyphosphate Metabolism Coordinating with Manganese Ions Defends against Oxidative Stress in the Extreme Bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans. Appl Environ Microbiol 2021; 87:AEM.02785-20. [PMID: 33452031 DOI: 10.1128/aem.02785-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Deinococcus radiodurans is an extreme bacterium with unparalleled resistance to oxidative stresses. Accumulation of intracellular Mn2+ complexing with small metabolites is the key contributor to the tolerance of D. radiodurans against oxidative stress. However, the intracellular reservoir of Mn ions and homeostatic regulation of the Mn complex in D. radiodurans remain unclear. We identified an evolutionarily ancient and negatively charged phosphate polymer (polyphosphate [PolyP]) in D. radiodurans We investigated PolyP metabolism in the response of D. radiodurans to oxidative stress. The genes dr1939, encoding polyphosphatase kinase (PPKDr; the subscript "Dr" refers to D. radiodurans), and dra0185, encoding exopolyphosphatase (PPXDr), were identified. PPXDr is a novel exopolyphosphatase with a cofactor preference to Mn2+, which enhances the dimerization and activity of PPXDr to allow the effective cleavage of PolyP-Mn. PPKDr and PPXDr exhibited different dynamic expression profiles under oxidative stress. First, ppkDr was upregulated leading to the accumulation of PolyP, which chelated large amounts of intracellular Mn ions. Subsequently, the expression level of ppkDr decreased while ppxDr was substantially upregulated and effectively hydrolyzed inactive PolyP-Mn to release phosphate (Pi) and Mn2+, which could form into Mn-Pi complexes to scavenge O2 - and protect proteins from oxidative damage. Hence, dynamic cellular PolyP metabolites complexed with free Mn ions highlight a defense strategy of D. radiodurans in response to oxidative stress.IMPORTANCE The Mn-phosphate complex (Mn-Pi) plays a key role in the cellular resistance of radioresistant bacteria. The evolutionarily ancient polyphosphate polymers (polyphosphate [PolyP]) could effectively chelate Mn2+ and donate phosphates. However, the intracellular reservoir of Mn ions and homeostatic regulation of the Mn-Pi complex remain unclear. Here, we investigated the relationship of PolyP metabolites and Mn2+ homeostasis and how they function to defend against oxidative stress in the radioresistant bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans We found that PPXDr (the subscript "Dr" refers to D. radiodurans) is a novel exopolyphosphatase with a cofactor preference for Mn2+, mediating PolyP-Mn degradation into Pi and Mn ions. The formed Mn-Pi complexes effectively protect proteins. The dynamic PolyP metabolism coordinating with Mn ions is a defense strategy of D. radiodurans in response to oxidative stress. The findings not only provide new insights into the resistance mechanism of the extreme bacterium D. radiodurans but also broaden our understanding of the functions of PolyP metabolism in organisms.
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Zhang B, Duan G, Fang Y, Deng X, Yin Y, Huang K. Selenium(Ⅳ) alleviates chromium(Ⅵ)-induced toxicity in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2021; 272:116407. [PMID: 33433342 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.116407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Revised: 12/25/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The wide range of industrial applications of chromium (Cr) has led to an increasing risk of water contamination by Cr(Ⅵ). However, efficient methods to remove or decrease the toxicity of Cr(Ⅵ) in situ are lacking. The main aim of this study was to investigate the mechanisms by which selenite alleviates chromium(Ⅵ)-induced toxicity in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Our results showed that K2Cr2O7 had toxic effects on both the structure and physiology of C. reinhardtii in a dose-dependent manner. Adding selenite significantly alleviated chromium accumulation and toxicity in cells. RNA-seq data showed that the expression level of selenoproteins such as SELENOH was significantly increased. Both SELENOH-amiRNA knockdown mutants and selenoh insertional mutant produced more reactive oxygen species (ROS) and grew slower than the wild type, suggesting that SELENOH can reduce chromium toxicity by decreasing the levels of ROS produced by Cr(Ⅵ). We also demonstrated that selenite can reduce the absorption of Cr(Ⅵ) by cells but does not affect the process of Cr(Ⅵ) adsorption and efflux. This information on the molecular mechanism by which selenite alleviates Cr(Ⅵ) toxicity can be used to increase the bioremediation capacity of algae and reduce the human health risks associated with Cr(Ⅵ) toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baolong Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Algal Biology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430072, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Guangqian Duan
- Key Laboratory of Algal Biology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430072, China
| | - Yingying Fang
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China; Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China
| | - Xuan Deng
- Key Laboratory of Algal Biology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430072, China
| | - Yongguang Yin
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China; Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China; School of Environment, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310000, China
| | - Kaiyao Huang
- Key Laboratory of Algal Biology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430072, China.
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