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Berasategui A, Salem H, Moller AG, Christopher Y, Vidaurre Montoya Q, Conn C, Read TD, Rodrigues A, Ziemert N, Gerardo N. Genomic insights into the evolution of secondary metabolism of Escovopsis and its allies, specialized fungal symbionts of fungus-farming ants. mSystems 2024; 9:e0057624. [PMID: 38904377 PMCID: PMC11265373 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00576-24] [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: 04/24/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024] Open
Abstract
The metabolic intimacy of symbiosis often demands the work of specialists. Natural products and defensive secondary metabolites can drive specificity by ensuring infection and propagation across host generations. But in contrast to bacteria, little is known about the diversity and distribution of natural product biosynthetic pathways among fungi and how they evolve to facilitate symbiosis and adaptation to their host environment. In this study, we define the secondary metabolism of Escovopsis and closely related genera, symbionts in the gardens of fungus-farming ants. We ask how the gain and loss of various biosynthetic pathways correspond to divergent lifestyles. Long-read sequencing allowed us to define the chromosomal features of representative Escovopsis strains, revealing highly reduced genomes composed of seven to eight chromosomes. The genomes are highly syntenic with macrosynteny decreasing with increasing phylogenetic distance, while maintaining a high degree of mesosynteny. An ancestral state reconstruction analysis of biosynthetic pathways revealed that, while many secondary metabolites are shared with non-ant-associated Sordariomycetes, 56 pathways are unique to the symbiotic genera. Reflecting adaptation to diverging ant agricultural systems, we observe that the stepwise acquisition of these pathways mirrors the ecological radiations of attine ants and the dynamic recruitment and replacement of their fungal cultivars. As different clades encode characteristic combinations of biosynthetic gene clusters, these delineating profiles provide important insights into the possible mechanisms underlying specificity between these symbionts and their fungal hosts. Collectively, our findings shed light on the evolutionary dynamic nature of secondary metabolism in Escovopsis and its allies, reflecting adaptation of the symbionts to an ancient agricultural system.IMPORTANCEMicrobial symbionts interact with their hosts and competitors through a remarkable array of secondary metabolites and natural products. Here, we highlight the highly streamlined genomic features of attine-associated fungal symbionts. The genomes of Escovopsis species, as well as species from other symbiont genera, many of which are common with the gardens of fungus-growing ants, are defined by seven chromosomes. Despite a high degree of metabolic conservation, we observe some variation in the symbionts' potential to produce secondary metabolites. As the phylogenetic distribution of the encoding biosynthetic gene clusters coincides with attine transitions in agricultural systems, we highlight the likely role of these metabolites in mediating adaptation by a group of highly specialized symbionts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aileen Berasategui
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Cluster of Excellence-Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Mutualisms Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen, Germany
- Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Hassan Salem
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Mutualisms Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Abraham G. Moller
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Yuliana Christopher
- Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta Tecnología, Ciudad del Saber, Panamá City, Panama
| | - Quimi Vidaurre Montoya
- Department of General and Applied Biology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Institute of Biosciences, Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Caitlin Conn
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Department of Biology, Berry College, Mount Berry, Georgia, USA
| | - Timothy D. Read
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Andre Rodrigues
- Department of General and Applied Biology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Institute of Biosciences, Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Nadine Ziemert
- Cluster of Excellence-Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Translational Genome Mining for Natural Products, Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine Tübingen (IMIT), Interfaculty Institute for Biomedical Informatics (IBMI), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Nicole Gerardo
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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Hatmaker EA, Barber AE, Drott MT, Sauters TJC, Alastruey-Izquierdo A, Garcia-Hermoso D, Kurzai O, Rokas A. Pathogenicity is associated with population structure in a fungal pathogen of humans. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.07.05.602241. [PMID: 39026826 PMCID: PMC11257439 DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.05.602241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Aspergillus flavus is a clinically and agriculturally important saprotrophic fungus responsible for severe human infections and extensive crop losses. We analyzed genomic data from 250 (95 clinical and 155 environmental) A. flavus isolates from 9 countries, including 70 newly sequenced clinical isolates, to examine population and pan-genome structure and their relationship to pathogenicity. We identified five A. flavus populations, including a new population, D, corresponding to distinct clades in the genome-wide phylogeny. Strikingly, > 75% of clinical isolates were from population D. Accessory genes, including genes within biosynthetic gene clusters, were significantly more common in some populations but rare in others. Population D was enriched for genes associated with zinc ion binding, lipid metabolism, and certain types of hydrolase activity. In contrast to the major human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus, A. flavus pathogenicity in humans is strongly associated with population structure, making it a great system for investigating how population-specific genes contribute to pathogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. Anne Hatmaker
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Evolutionary Studies Initiative, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Amelia E. Barber
- Institute for Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
| | - Milton T. Drott
- Cereal Disease Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Saint Paul, MN, USA
| | - Thomas J. C. Sauters
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Evolutionary Studies Initiative, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Ana Alastruey-Izquierdo
- Mycology Reference Laboratory, National Center for Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Center for Biomedical Research in Network in Infectious Diseases (CIBERINFEC), Carlos III Heath Institute, Madrid, Spain
| | - Dea Garcia-Hermoso
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, National Reference Center for Invasive Mycoses and Antifungals, Translational Mycology Research Group, Mycology Department, Paris, France
| | - Oliver Kurzai
- National Reference Center for Invasive Fungal Infections NRZMyk, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans-Knoell-Institute, Jena, Germany
- Institute for Hygiene and Microbiology, University of Würzburg. Würzburg, Germany
| | - Antonis Rokas
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Evolutionary Studies Initiative, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
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Perrier M, Barber AE. Unraveling the genomic diversity and virulence of human fungal pathogens through pangenomics. PLoS Pathog 2024; 20:e1012313. [PMID: 38990800 PMCID: PMC11238998 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1012313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/13/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Marion Perrier
- Junior Research Group Fungal Informatics, Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence Balance of the Microverse, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
| | - Amelia E Barber
- Junior Research Group Fungal Informatics, Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence Balance of the Microverse, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
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Moore GG, Mack BM, Wendt KL, Castano-Duque L, Anderson VM, Cichewicz RH. Genomic and metabolomic diversity within a familial population of Aspergillus flavus. Mol Microbiol 2024; 121:927-939. [PMID: 38396382 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.15244] [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: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
Aspergillus flavus is an agriculturally significant micro-fungus having potential to contaminate food and feed crops with toxic secondary metabolites such as aflatoxin (AF) and cyclopiazonic acid (CPA). Research has shown A. flavus strains can overcome heterokaryon incompatibility and undergo meiotic recombination as teleomorphs. Although evidence of recombination in the AF gene cluster has been reported, the impacts of recombination on genotype and metabolomic phenotype in a single generation are lacking. In previous studies, we paired an aflatoxigenic MAT1-1 A. flavus strain with a non-aflatoxigenic MAT1-2 A. flavus strain that had been tagged with green fluorescent protein and then 10 F1 progenies (a mix of fluorescent and non-fluorescent) were randomly selected from single-ascospore colonies and broadly examined for evidence of recombination. In this study, we determined four of those 10 F1 progenies were recombinants because they were not vegetatively compatible with either parent or their siblings, and they exhibited other distinctive traits that could only result from meiotic recombination. The other six progenies examined shared genomic identity with the non-aflatoxigenic, fluorescent, and MAT1-2 parent, but were metabolically distinct. This study highlights phenotypic and genomic changes that may occur in a single generation from the outcrossing of sexually compatible strains of A. flavus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geromy G Moore
- Southern Regional Research Center, USDA-ARS, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Brian M Mack
- Southern Regional Research Center, USDA-ARS, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Karen L Wendt
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Natural Products Discovery Group, Stephenson Life Sciences Research Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Lina Castano-Duque
- Southern Regional Research Center, USDA-ARS, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Victoria M Anderson
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Natural Products Discovery Group, Stephenson Life Sciences Research Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Robert H Cichewicz
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Natural Products Discovery Group, Stephenson Life Sciences Research Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA
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Gangurde SS, Korani W, Bajaj P, Wang H, Fountain JC, Agarwal G, Pandey MK, Abbas HK, Chang PK, Holbrook CC, Kemerait RC, Varshney RK, Dutta B, Clevenger JP, Guo B. Aspergillus flavus pangenome (AflaPan) uncovers novel aflatoxin and secondary metabolite associated gene clusters. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2024; 24:354. [PMID: 38693487 PMCID: PMC11061970 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-024-04950-8] [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: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Aspergillus flavus is an important agricultural and food safety threat due to its production of carcinogenic aflatoxins. It has high level of genetic diversity that is adapted to various environments. Recently, we reported two reference genomes of A. flavus isolates, AF13 (MAT1-2 and highly aflatoxigenic isolate) and NRRL3357 (MAT1-1 and moderate aflatoxin producer). Where, an insertion of 310 kb in AF13 included an aflatoxin producing gene bZIP transcription factor, named atfC. Observations of significant genomic variants between these isolates of contrasting phenotypes prompted an investigation into variation among other agricultural isolates of A. flavus with the goal of discovering novel genes potentially associated with aflatoxin production regulation. Present study was designed with three main objectives: (1) collection of large number of A. flavus isolates from diverse sources including maize plants and field soils; (2) whole genome sequencing of collected isolates and development of a pangenome; and (3) pangenome-wide association study (Pan-GWAS) to identify novel secondary metabolite cluster genes. RESULTS Pangenome analysis of 346 A. flavus isolates identified a total of 17,855 unique orthologous gene clusters, with mere 41% (7,315) core genes and 59% (10,540) accessory genes indicating accumulation of high genomic diversity during domestication. 5,994 orthologous gene clusters in accessory genome not annotated in either the A. flavus AF13 or NRRL3357 reference genomes. Pan-genome wide association analysis of the genomic variations identified 391 significant associated pan-genes associated with aflatoxin production. Interestingly, most of the significantly associated pan-genes (94%; 369 associations) belonged to accessory genome indicating that genome expansion has resulted in the incorporation of new genes associated with aflatoxin and other secondary metabolites. CONCLUSION In summary, this study provides complete pangenome framework for the species of Aspergillus flavus along with associated genes for pathogen survival and aflatoxin production. The large accessory genome indicated large genome diversity in the species A. flavus, however AflaPan is a closed pangenome represents optimum diversity of species A. flavus. Most importantly, the newly identified aflatoxin producing gene clusters will be a new source for seeking aflatoxin mitigation strategies and needs new attention in research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunil S Gangurde
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Georgia, Tifton, GA, 31793, USA
- Crop Protection and Management Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Tifton, GA, 31793, USA
| | - Walid Korani
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, 35806, USA
| | - Prasad Bajaj
- International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Hyderabad, 502324, Telangana, India
| | - Hui Wang
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Georgia, Tifton, GA, 31793, USA
| | - Jake C Fountain
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Georgia, Griffin, GA, 30223, USA
| | - Gaurav Agarwal
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48823, USA
| | - Manish K Pandey
- International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Hyderabad, 502324, Telangana, India.
| | - Hamed K Abbas
- Biological Control of Pests Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Stoneville, MS, 38776, USA
| | - Perng-Kuang Chang
- Southern Regional Research Center, USDA-ARS, New Orleans, LA, 70124, USA
| | - C Corley Holbrook
- Crop Protection and Management Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Tifton, GA, 31793, USA
| | - Robert C Kemerait
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Georgia, Tifton, GA, 31793, USA
| | - Rajeev K Varshney
- WA State Biotechnology Centre, Centre for Crop and Food innovation, Food Futures Institute, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA, 6150, Australia
| | - Bhabesh Dutta
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Georgia, Tifton, GA, 31793, USA
| | - Josh P Clevenger
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, 35806, USA.
| | - Baozhu Guo
- Crop Protection and Management Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Tifton, GA, 31793, USA.
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Seo HW, Wassano NS, Amir Rawa MS, Nickles GR, Damasio A, Keller NP. A Timeline of Biosynthetic Gene Cluster Discovery in Aspergillus fumigatus: From Characterization to Future Perspectives. J Fungi (Basel) 2024; 10:266. [PMID: 38667937 PMCID: PMC11051388 DOI: 10.3390/jof10040266] [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: 03/08/2024] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
In 1999, the first biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC), synthesizing the virulence factor DHN melanin, was characterized in Aspergillus fumigatus. Since then, 19 additional BGCs have been linked to specific secondary metabolites (SMs) in this species. Here, we provide a comprehensive timeline of A. fumigatus BGC discovery and find that initial advances centered around the commonly expressed SMs where chemical structure informed rationale identification of the producing BGC (e.g., gliotoxin, fumigaclavine, fumitremorgin, pseurotin A, helvolic acid, fumiquinazoline). Further advances followed the transcriptional profiling of a ΔlaeA mutant, which aided in the identification of endocrocin, fumagillin, hexadehydroastechrome, trypacidin, and fumisoquin BGCs. These SMs and their precursors are the commonly produced metabolites in most A. fumigatus studies. Characterization of other BGC/SM pairs required additional efforts, such as induction treatments, including co-culture with bacteria (fumicycline/neosartoricin, fumigermin) or growth under copper starvation (fumivaline, fumicicolin). Finally, four BGC/SM pairs were discovered via overexpression technologies, including the use of heterologous hosts (fumicycline/neosartoricin, fumihopaside, sphingofungin, and sartorypyrone). Initial analysis of the two most studied A. fumigatus isolates, Af293 and A1160, suggested that both harbored ca. 34-36 BGCs. However, an examination of 264 available genomes of A. fumigatus shows up to 20 additional BGCs, with some strains showing considerable variations in BGC number and composition. These new BGCs present a new frontier in the future of secondary metabolism characterization in this important species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hye-Won Seo
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA; (H.-W.S.); (N.S.W.); (M.S.A.R.); (G.R.N.)
| | - Natalia S. Wassano
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA; (H.-W.S.); (N.S.W.); (M.S.A.R.); (G.R.N.)
- Department of Biochemistry and Tissue Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), São Paulo 13083-970, Brazil;
| | - Mira Syahfriena Amir Rawa
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA; (H.-W.S.); (N.S.W.); (M.S.A.R.); (G.R.N.)
| | - Grant R. Nickles
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA; (H.-W.S.); (N.S.W.); (M.S.A.R.); (G.R.N.)
| | - André Damasio
- Department of Biochemistry and Tissue Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), São Paulo 13083-970, Brazil;
| | - Nancy P. Keller
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA; (H.-W.S.); (N.S.W.); (M.S.A.R.); (G.R.N.)
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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Wang Y, Jiao M, Zhao Z, Wang Y, Li T, Wei Y, Li R, Yang F. Insight into the role of niche concept in deciphering the ecological drivers of MPs-associated bacterial communities in mangrove forest. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 249:120995. [PMID: 38071907 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120995] [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: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Myriad inherent and variable environmental features are controlling the assembly and succession of bacterial communities colonizing on mangrove microplastics (MPs). However, the mechanisms governing mangrove MPs-associated bacterial responses to environmental changes still remain unknown. Here, we assessed the dissimilarities of MPs-associated bacterial composition, diversity and functionality as well as quantified the niche variations of each taxon on plastispheres along river-mangrove-ocean and mangrove landward-to-seaward gradients in the Beibu Gulf, China, respectively. The bacterial richness and diversity as well as the niche breadth on mangrove sedimentary MPs dramatically decreased from landward to seaward regions. Characterizing the niche variations linked the difference of ecological drivers of MPs-associated bacterial populations and functions between river-mangrove-ocean (microplastic properties) and mangrove landward-to-seaward plastispheres (sediment physicochemical properties) to the trade-offs between selective stress exerted by inherent plastic substrates and microbial competitive stress imposed by environmental conditions. Notably, Rhodococcus erythropolis was predicted to be the generalist species and closely associated to biogeochemical cycles of mangrove plastispheres. Our work provides a reliable pathway for tackling the hidden mechanisms of environmental factors driving MPs-associated microbe from perspectives of niches and highlights the spatial dynamic variations of mangrove MPs-associated bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yijin Wang
- College of Light Industry and Food Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China; School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Meng Jiao
- School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Zhen Zhao
- College of Light Industry and Food Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Yinghui Wang
- Institute of Green and Low Carbon Technology, Guangxi Institute of Industrial Technology 16 Songxiang Road, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Tiezhu Li
- School of Resources, Environment and Materials, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Yihua Wei
- School of Resources, Environment and Materials, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Ruilong Li
- College of Light Industry and Food Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China.
| | - Fei Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
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8
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Qu S, Chi SD, He ZM. The Development of Aspergillus flavus and Biosynthesis of Aflatoxin B1 are Regulated by the Golgi-Localized Mn 2+ Transporter Pmr1. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2024; 72:1276-1291. [PMID: 38179648 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.3c06964] [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: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
Microorganisms rely on diverse ion transport and trace elements to sustain growth, development, and secondary metabolism. Manganese (Mn2+) is essential for various biological processes and plays a crucial role in the metabolism of human cells, plants, and yeast. In Aspergillus flavus, we confirmed that Pmr1 localized in cis- and medial-Golgi compartments was critical in facilitating Mn2+ transport, fungal growth, development, secondary metabolism, and glycosylation. In comparison to the wild type, the Δpmr1 mutant displayed heightened sensitivity to environmental stress, accompanied by inhibited synthesis of aflatoxin B1, kojic acid, and a substantial reduction in pathogenicity toward peanuts and maize. Interestingly, the addition of exogenous Mn2+ effectively rectified the developmental and secondary metabolic defects in the Δpmr1 mutant. However, Mn2+ supplement failed to restore the growth and development of the Δpmr1Δgdt1 double mutant, which indicated that the Gdt1 compensated for the functional deficiency of pmr1. In addition, our results showed that pmr1 knockout leads to an upregulation of O-glycosyl-N-acetylglucose (O-GlcNAc) and O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT), while Mn2+ supplementation can restore the glycosylation in A. flavus. Collectively, this study indicates that the pmr1 regulates Mn2+ via Golgi and maintains growth and metabolism functions of A. flavus through regulation of the glycosylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Su Qu
- School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Sheng-Da Chi
- School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Zhu-Mei He
- School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
- School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
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9
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Karahoda B, Pfannenstiel BT, Sarikaya-Bayram Ö, Dong Z, Ho Wong K, Fleming AB, Keller NP, Bayram Ö. The KdmB-EcoA-RpdA-SntB (KERS) chromatin regulatory complex controls development, secondary metabolism and pathogenicity in Aspergillus flavus. Fungal Genet Biol 2023; 169:103836. [PMID: 37666447 PMCID: PMC10841535 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2023.103836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
The filamentous fungus Aspergillus flavus is a plant and human pathogen predominantly found in the soil as spores or sclerotia and is capable of producing various secondary metabolites (SM) such as the carcinogenic mycotoxin aflatoxin. Recently, we have discovered a novel nuclear chromatin binding complex (KERS) that contains the JARID1-type histone demethylase KdmB, a putative cohesion acetyl transferase EcoA, a class I type histone deacetylase RpdA and the PHD ring finger reader protein SntB in the model filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans. Here, we show the presence of the KERS complex in A. flavus by immunoprecipitation-coupled mass spectrometry and constructed kdmBΔ and rpdAΔ strains to study their roles in fungal development, SM production and histone post-translational modifications (HPTMs). We found that KdmB and RpdA couple the regulation of SM gene clusters with fungal light-responses and HPTMs. KdmB and RpdA have opposing roles in light-induced asexual conidiation, while both factors are positive regulators of sclerotia development through the nsdC and nsdD pathway. KdmB and RpdA are essential for the productions of aflatoxin (similar to findings for SntB) as well as cyclopiazonic acid, ditryptophenaline and leporin B through controlling the respective SM biosynthetic gene clusters. We further show that both KdmB and RpdA regulate H3K4me3 and H3K9me3 levels, while RpdA also acts on H3K14ac levels in nuclear extracts. Therefore, the chromatin modifiers KdmB and RpdA of the KERS complex are key regulators for fungal development and SM metabolism in A. flavus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Betim Karahoda
- Biology Department, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland
| | - Brandon T Pfannenstiel
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA
| | | | - Zhiqiang Dong
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macau
| | - Koon Ho Wong
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macau; Institute of Translational Medicine, University of Macau, Macau; Ministry of Education Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Macau
| | - Alastair B Fleming
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Nancy P Keller
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA
| | - Özgür Bayram
- Biology Department, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland.
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10
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Song Z, Zhou S, Zhang H, Keller NP, Oakley BR, Liu X, Yin WB. Fungal secondary metabolism is governed by an RNA-binding protein CsdA/RsdA complex. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7351. [PMID: 37963872 PMCID: PMC10645843 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43205-2] [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: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Production of secondary metabolites is controlled by a complicated regulatory network in eukaryotic cells. Several layers of regulators are involved in this process, ranging from pathway-specific regulation, to epigenetic control, to global regulation. Here, we discover that interaction of an RNA-binding protein CsdA with a regulator RsdA coordinates fungal secondary metabolism. Employing a genetic deletion approach and transcriptome analysis as well as metabolomics analysis, we reveal that CsdA and RsdA synergistically regulate fungal secondary metabolism comprehensively. Mechanistically, comprehensive genetic and biochemical studies prove that RsdA and CsdA co-localize in the nucleus and physically interact to achieve their functions. In particular, we demonstrate that CsdA mediates rsdA expression by binding specific motif "GUCGGUAU" of its pre-mRNA at a post-transcriptional level. We thus uncover a mechanism in which RNA-binding protein physically interacts with, and controls the expression level of, the RsdA to coordinate fungal secondary metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zili Song
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, PR China
- Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, PR China
| | - Shuang Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, PR China
| | - Hongjiao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, PR China
- Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, PR China
| | - Nancy P Keller
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Berl R Oakley
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA
| | - Xiao Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, PR China
| | - Wen-Bing Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, PR China.
- Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, PR China.
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11
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Nickles GR, Oestereicher B, Keller NP, Drott M. Mining for a new class of fungal natural products: the evolution, diversity, and distribution of isocyanide synthase biosynthetic gene clusters. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:7220-7235. [PMID: 37427794 PMCID: PMC10415135 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The products of non-canonical isocyanide synthase (ICS) biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) mediate pathogenesis, microbial competition, and metal-homeostasis through metal-associated chemistry. We sought to enable research into this class of compounds by characterizing the biosynthetic potential and evolutionary history of these BGCs across the Fungal Kingdom. We amalgamated a pipeline of tools to predict BGCs based on shared promoter motifs and located 3800 ICS BGCs in 3300 genomes, making ICS BGCs the fifth largest class of specialized metabolites compared to canonical classes found by antiSMASH. ICS BGCs are not evenly distributed across fungi, with evidence of gene-family expansions in several Ascomycete families. We show that the ICS dit1/2 gene cluster family (GCF), which was prior only studied in yeast, is present in ∼30% of all Ascomycetes. The dit variety ICS exhibits greater similarity to bacterial ICS than other fungal ICS, suggesting a potential convergence of the ICS backbone domain. The evolutionary origins of the dit GCF in Ascomycota are ancient and these genes are diversifying in some lineages. Our results create a roadmap for future research into ICS BGCs. We developed a website (https://isocyanides.fungi.wisc.edu/) that facilitates the exploration and downloading of all identified fungal ICS BGCs and GCFs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grant R Nickles
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin—Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | | | - Nancy P Keller
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin—Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin—Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Milton T Drott
- USDA-ARS Cereal Disease Lab (CDL), St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
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12
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Salamzade R, Tran P, Martin C, Manson AL, Gilmore MS, Earl AM, Anantharaman K, Kalan LR. zol & fai: large-scale targeted detection and evolutionary investigation of gene clusters. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.07.544063. [PMID: 37333121 PMCID: PMC10274777 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.07.544063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
Many universally and conditionally important genes are genomically aggregated within clusters. Here, we introduce fai and zol, which together enable large-scale comparative analysis of different types of gene clusters and mobile-genetic elements (MGEs), such as biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) or viruses. Fundamentally, they overcome a current bottleneck to reliably perform comprehensive orthology inference at large scale across broad taxonomic contexts and thousands of genomes. First, fai allows the identification of orthologous or homologous instances of a query gene cluster of interest amongst a database of target genomes. Subsequently, zol enables reliable, context-specific inference of protein-encoding ortholog groups for individual genes across gene cluster instances. In addition, zol performs functional annotation and computes a variety of statistics for each inferred ortholog group. These programs are showcased through application to: (i) longitudinal tracking of a virus in metagenomes, (ii) discovering novel population-genetic insights of two common BGCs in a fungal species, and (iii) uncovering large-scale evolutionary trends of a virulence-associated gene cluster across thousands of genomes from a diverse bacterial genus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rauf Salamzade
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
- Microbiology Doctoral Training Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Patricia Tran
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
- Freshwater and Marine Science Doctoral Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA
| | - Cody Martin
- Microbiology Doctoral Training Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Abigail L. Manson
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Michael S. Gilmore
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School and Mass Eye and Ear, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School and Mass Eye and Ear, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Ashlee M. Earl
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Lindsay R. Kalan
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
- M.G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, David Braley Centre for Antibiotic Discovery, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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13
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Caesar LK, Butun FA, Robey MT, Ayon NJ, Gupta R, Dainko D, Bok JW, Nickles G, Stankey RJ, Johnson D, Mead D, Cank KB, Earp CE, Raja HA, Oberlies NH, Keller NP, Kelleher NL. Correlative metabologenomics of 110 fungi reveals metabolite-gene cluster pairs. Nat Chem Biol 2023; 19:846-854. [PMID: 36879060 PMCID: PMC10313767 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-023-01276-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023]
Abstract
Natural products research increasingly applies -omics technologies to guide molecular discovery. While the combined analysis of genomic and metabolomic datasets has proved valuable for identifying natural products and their biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) in bacteria, this integrated approach lacks application to fungi. Because fungi are hyper-diverse and underexplored for new chemistry and bioactivities, we created a linked genomics-metabolomics dataset for 110 Ascomycetes, and optimized both gene cluster family (GCF) networking parameters and correlation-based scoring for pairing fungal natural products with their BGCs. Using a network of 3,007 GCFs (organized from 7,020 BGCs), we examined 25 known natural products originating from 16 known BGCs and observed statistically significant associations between 21 of these compounds and their validated BGCs. Furthermore, the scalable platform identified the BGC for the pestalamides, demystifying its biogenesis, and revealed more than 200 high-scoring natural product-GCF linkages to direct future discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay K Caesar
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Fatma A Butun
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Matthew T Robey
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Navid J Ayon
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Raveena Gupta
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - David Dainko
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Jin Woo Bok
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Grant Nickles
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | | | | | | | - Kristof B Cank
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA
| | - Cody E Earp
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA
| | - Huzefa A Raja
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA
| | - Nicholas H Oberlies
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA
| | - Nancy P Keller
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Neil L Kelleher
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
- Proteomics Center of Excellence, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
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14
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Drott MT, Park SC, Wang YW, Harrow L, Keller NP, Pringle A. Pangenomics of the death cap mushroom Amanita phalloides, and of Agaricales, reveals dynamic evolution of toxin genes in an invasive range. THE ISME JOURNAL 2023:10.1038/s41396-023-01432-x. [PMID: 37221394 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-023-01432-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2022] [Revised: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
The poisonous European mushroom Amanita phalloides (the "death cap") is invading California. Whether the death caps' toxic secondary metabolites are evolving as it invades is unknown. We developed a bioinformatic pipeline to identify the MSDIN genes underpinning toxicity and probed 88 death cap genomes from an invasive Californian population and from the European range, discovering a previously unsuspected diversity of MSDINs made up of both core and accessory elements. Each death cap individual possesses a unique suite of MSDINs, and toxin genes are significantly differentiated between Californian and European samples. MSDIN genes are maintained by strong natural selection, and chemical profiling confirms MSDIN genes are expressed and result in distinct phenotypes; our chemical profiling also identified a new MSDIN peptide. Toxin genes are physically clustered within genomes. We contextualize our discoveries by probing for MSDINs in genomes from across the order Agaricales, revealing MSDIN diversity originated in independent gene family expansions among genera. We also report the discovery of an MSDIN in an Amanita outside the "lethal Amanitas" clade. Finally, the identification of an MSDIN gene and its associated processing gene (POPB) in Clavaria fumosa suggest the origin of MSDINs is older than previously suspected. The dynamic evolution of MSDINs underscores their potential to mediate ecological interactions, implicating MSDINs in the ongoing invasion. Our data change the understanding of the evolutionary history of poisonous mushrooms, emphasizing striking parallels to convergently evolved animal toxins. Our pipeline provides a roadmap for exploring secondary metabolites in other basidiomycetes and will enable drug prospecting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milton T Drott
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.
- USDA-ARS Cereal Disease Laboratory, St. Paul, MN, USA.
| | - Sung Chul Park
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Yen-Wen Wang
- Departments of Botany and Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Lynn Harrow
- Departments of Botany and Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Nancy P Keller
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.
| | - Anne Pringle
- Departments of Botany and Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.
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15
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Nickles GR, Oestereicher B, Keller NP, Drott MT. Mining for a New Class of Fungal Natural Products: The Evolution, Diversity, and Distribution of Isocyanide Synthase Biosynthetic Gene Clusters. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.17.537281. [PMID: 37131656 PMCID: PMC10153163 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.17.537281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
The products of non-canonical isocyanide synthase (ICS) biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) have notable bioactivities that mediate pathogenesis, microbial competition, and metal-homeostasis through metal-associated chemistry. We sought to enable research into this class of compounds by characterizing the biosynthetic potential and evolutionary history of these BGCs across the Fungal Kingdom. We developed the first genome-mining pipeline to identify ICS BGCs, locating 3,800 ICS BGCs in 3,300 genomes. Genes in these clusters share promoter motifs and are maintained in contiguous groupings by natural selection. ICS BGCs are not evenly distributed across fungi, with evidence of gene-family expansions in several Ascomycete families. We show that the ICS dit1 / 2 gene cluster family (GCF), which was thought to only exist in yeast, is present in ∼30% of all Ascomycetes, including many filamentous fungi. The evolutionary history of the dit GCF is marked by deep divergences and phylogenetic incompatibilities that raise questions about convergent evolution and suggest selection or horizontal gene transfers have shaped the evolution of this cluster in some yeast and dimorphic fungi. Our results create a roadmap for future research into ICS BGCs. We developed a website ( www.isocyanides.fungi.wisc.edu ) that facilitates the exploration, filtering, and downloading of all identified fungal ICS BGCs and GCFs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grant R. Nickles
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin—Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | | | - Nancy P. Keller
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin—Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin—Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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16
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Salamzade R, Cheong JZA, Sandstrom S, Swaney MH, Stubbendieck RM, Starr NL, Currie CR, Singh AM, Kalan LR. Evolutionary investigations of the biosynthetic diversity in the skin microbiome using lsaBGC. Microb Genom 2023; 9. [PMID: 37115189 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacterial secondary metabolites, synthesized by enzymes encoded in biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs), can underlie microbiome homeostasis and serve as commercialized products, which have historically been mined from a select group of taxa. While evolutionary approaches have proven beneficial for prioritizing BGCs for experimental characterization efforts to uncover new natural products, dedicated bioinformatics tools designed for comparative and evolutionary analysis of BGCs within focal taxa are limited. We thus developed lineage specific analysis of BGCs (lsaBGC; https://github.com/Kalan-Lab/lsaBGC) to aid exploration of microdiversity and evolutionary trends across homologous groupings of BGCs, gene cluster families (GCFs), in any bacterial taxa of interest. lsaBGC enables rapid and direct identification of GCFs in genomes, calculates evolutionary statistics and conservation for BGC genes, and builds a framework to allow for base resolution mining of novel variants through metagenomic exploration. Through application of the suite to four genera commonly found in skin microbiomes, we uncover new insights into the evolution and diversity of their BGCs. We show that the BGC of the virulence-associated carotenoid staphyloxanthin in
Staphylococcus aureus
is ubiquitous across the genus
Staphylococcus
. While one GCF encoding the biosynthesis of staphyloxanthin showcases evidence for plasmid-mediated horizontal gene transfer (HGT) between species, another GCF appears to be transmitted vertically amongst a sub-clade of skin-associated
Staphylococcus
. Further, the latter GCF, which is well conserved in
S. aureus
, has been lost in most
Staphylococcus epidermidis
, which is the most common
Staphylococcus
species on human skin and is also regarded as a commensal. We also identify thousands of novel single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) within BGCs from the
Corynebacterium tuberculostearicum
sp. complex, a narrow, multi-species clade that features the most prevalent
Corynebacterium
in healthy skin microbiomes. Although novel SNVs were approximately 10 times as likely to correspond to synonymous changes when located in the top five percentile of conserved sites, lsaBGC identified SNVs that defied this trend and are predicted to underlie amino acid changes within functionally key enzymatic domains. Ultimately, beyond supporting evolutionary investigations of BGCs, lsaBGC also provides important functionalities to aid efforts for the discovery or directed modification of natural products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rauf Salamzade
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
- Microbiology Doctoral Training Program, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - J Z Alex Cheong
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
- Microbiology Doctoral Training Program, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Shelby Sandstrom
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Mary Hannah Swaney
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
- Microbiology Doctoral Training Program, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Reed M Stubbendieck
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Nicole Lane Starr
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Cameron R Currie
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- M.G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, David Braley Centre for Antibiotic Discovery, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Anne Marie Singh
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Lindsay R Kalan
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
- M.G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, David Braley Centre for Antibiotic Discovery, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
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17
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Zhu G, Chao H, Sun M, Jiang Y, Ye M. Toxicity sharing model of earthworm intestinal microbiome reveals shared functional genes are more powerful than species in resisting pesticide stress. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2023; 446:130646. [PMID: 36587599 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.130646] [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: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Earthworm intestinal bacteria and indigenous soil bacteria work closely during various biochemical processes and play a crucial role in maintaining the internal stability of the soil environment. However, the response mechanism of these bacterial communities to external pesticide disturbance is unknown. In this study, soil and earthworm gut contents were metagenomically sequenced after exposure to various concentrations of nitrochlorobenzene (0-1026.7 mg kg-1). A high degree of similarity was found between the microbial community composition and abundance in the worm gut and soil, both of which decreased significantly (P < 0.05) under elevated pesticide stress. The toxicity sharing model (TSM) showed that the toxicity sharing capacity was 97.4-125.7 % and 100.4-130.2 % for Egenes (genes in the worm gut) and Emet(degradation genes in the worm gut) in the earthworm intestinal microbiome, respectively. This indicated that the earthworm intestinal microbiome assisted in relieving the pesticide toxicity of the indigenous soil microbiome. This study showed that the TSM could quantitatively describe the toxic effect of pesticides on the earthworm intestinal microbiome. It provides a new analytical model for investigating the ecological alliance between earthworm intestinal microbiome and indigenous soil microbiome under pesticide stress while contributing a more profound understanding of the potential to use earthworms to mitigate pesticide pollution in soils and develop earthworm-based soil remediation techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guofan Zhu
- National Engineering Laboratort of Soil Nutrients Management, Pollution Control and Remediation Technoligies, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Huizhen Chao
- Soil Ecology Lab, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Mingming Sun
- Soil Ecology Lab, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Yuji Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 210008 Nanjing, China
| | - Mao Ye
- National Engineering Laboratort of Soil Nutrients Management, Pollution Control and Remediation Technoligies, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China.
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18
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Wang Y, Yang M, Ge F, Jiang B, Hu R, Zhou X, Yang Y, Liu M. Lysine Succinylation of VBS Contributes to Sclerotia Development and Aflatoxin Biosynthesis in Aspergillus flavus. Mol Cell Proteomics 2023; 22:100490. [PMID: 36566904 PMCID: PMC9879794 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcpro.2022.100490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Aspergillus flavus is a common saprophytic and pathogenic fungus, and its secondary metabolic pathways are one of the most highly characterized owing to its aflatoxin (AF) metabolite affecting global economic crops and human health. Different natural environments can cause significant variations in AF synthesis. Succinylation was recently identified as one of the most critical regulatory post-translational modifications affecting metabolic pathways. It is primarily reported in human cells and bacteria with few studies on fungi. Proteomic quantification of lysine succinylation (Ksuc) exploring its potential involvement in secondary metabolism regulation (including AF production) has not been performed under natural conditions in A. flavus. In this study, a quantification method was performed based on tandem mass tag labeling and antibody-based affinity enrichment of succinylated peptides via high accuracy nano-liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry to explore the succinylation mechanism affecting the pathogenicity of naturally isolated A. flavus strains with varying toxin production. Altogether, 1240 Ksuc sites in 768 proteins were identified with 1103 sites in 685 proteins quantified. Comparing succinylated protein levels between high and low AF-producing A. flavus strains, bioinformatics analysis indicated that most succinylated proteins located in the AF biosynthetic pathway were downregulated, which directly affected AF synthesis. Versicolorin B synthase is a key catalytic enzyme for heterochrome B synthesis during AF synthesis. Site-directed mutagenesis and biochemical studies revealed that versicolorin B synthase succinylation is an important regulatory mechanism affecting sclerotia development and AF biosynthesis in A. flavus. In summary, our quantitative study of the lysine succinylome in high/low AF-producing strains revealed the role of Ksuc in regulating AF biosynthesis. We revealed novel insights into the metabolism of AF biosynthesis using naturally isolated A. flavus strains and identified a rich source of metabolism-related enzymes regulated by succinylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic Molecular Physics, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences - Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Hubei Optics Valley Laboratory, Wuhan, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Mingkun Yang
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Feng Ge
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Bin Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic Molecular Physics, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences - Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Hubei Optics Valley Laboratory, Wuhan, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Rui Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic Molecular Physics, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences - Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Hubei Optics Valley Laboratory, Wuhan, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Xin Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic Molecular Physics, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences - Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Hubei Optics Valley Laboratory, Wuhan, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yunhuang Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic Molecular Physics, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences - Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Hubei Optics Valley Laboratory, Wuhan, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Maili Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic Molecular Physics, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences - Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Hubei Optics Valley Laboratory, Wuhan, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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19
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Merges D, Dal Grande F, Valim H, Singh G, Schmitt I. Gene abundance linked to climate zone: Parallel evolution of gene content along elevation gradients in lichenized fungi. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1097787. [PMID: 37032854 PMCID: PMC10073550 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1097787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Intraspecific genomic variability affects a species' adaptive potential toward climatic conditions. Variation in gene content across populations and environments may point at genomic adaptations to specific environments. The lichen symbiosis, a stable association of fungal and photobiont partners, offers an excellent system to study environmentally driven gene content variation. Many of these species have remarkable environmental tolerances, and often form populations across different climate zones. Here, we combine comparative and population genomics to assess the presence and absence of genes in high and low elevation genomes of two lichenized fungi of the genus Umbilicaria. Methods The two species have non-overlapping ranges, but occupy similar climatic niches in North America (U. phaea) and Europe (U. pustulata): high elevation populations are located in the cold temperate zone and low elevation populations in the Mediterranean zone. We assessed gene content variation along replicated elevation gradients in each of the two species, based on a total of 2050 individuals across 26 populations. Specifically, we assessed shared orthologs across species within the same climate zone, and tracked, which genes increase or decrease in abundance within populations along elevation. Results In total, we found 16 orthogroups with shared orthologous genes in genomes at low elevation and 13 at high elevation. Coverage analysis revealed one ortholog that is exclusive to genomes at low elevation. Conserved domain search revealed domains common to the protein kinase superfamily. We traced the discovered ortholog in populations along five replicated elevation gradients on both continents and found that the number of this protein kinase gene linearly declined in abundance with increasing elevation, and was absent in the highest populations. Discussion We consider the parallel loss of an ortholog in two species and in two geographic settings a rare find, and a step forward in understanding the genomic underpinnings of climatic tolerances in lichenized fungi. In addition, the tracking of gene content variation provides a widely applicable framework for retrieving biogeographical determinants of gene presence/absence patterns. Our work provides insights into gene content variation of lichenized fungi in relation to climatic gradients, suggesting a new research direction with implications for understanding evolutionary trajectories of complex symbioses in relation to climatic change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominik Merges
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Department of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
- *Correspondence: Dominik Merges,
| | - Francesco Dal Grande
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), Palermo, Italy
| | - Henrique Valim
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Garima Singh
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Imke Schmitt
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Institute of Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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20
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Hatmaker EA, Rangel-Grimaldo M, Raja HA, Pourhadi H, Knowles SL, Fuller K, Adams EM, Lightfoot JD, Bastos RW, Goldman GH, Oberlies NH, Rokas A. Genomic and Phenotypic Trait Variation of the Opportunistic Human Pathogen Aspergillus flavus and Its Close Relatives. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0306922. [PMID: 36318036 PMCID: PMC9769809 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03069-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Fungal diseases affect millions of humans annually, yet fungal pathogens remain understudied. The mold Aspergillus flavus can cause both aspergillosis and fungal keratitis infections, but closely related species are not considered clinically relevant. To study the evolution of A. flavus pathogenicity, we examined genomic and phenotypic traits of two strains of A. flavus and three closely related species, Aspergillus arachidicola (two strains), Aspergillus parasiticus (two strains), and Aspergillus nomiae (one strain). We identified >3,000 orthologous proteins unique to A. flavus, including seven biosynthetic gene clusters present in A. flavus strains and absent in the three nonpathogens. We characterized secondary metabolite production for all seven strains under two clinically relevant conditions, temperature and salt concentration. Temperature impacted metabolite production in all species, whereas salinity did not affect production of any species. Strains of the same species produced different metabolites. Growth under stress conditions revealed additional heterogeneity within species. Using the invertebrate fungal disease model Galleria mellonella, we found virulence of strains of the same species varied widely; A. flavus strains were not more virulent than strains of the nonpathogens. In a murine model of fungal keratitis, we observed significantly lower disease severity and corneal thickness for A. arachidicola compared to other species at 48 h postinfection, but not at 72 h. Our work identifies variations in key phenotypic, chemical, and genomic attributes between A. flavus and its nonpathogenic relatives and reveals extensive strain heterogeneity in virulence that does not correspond to the currently established clinical relevance of these species. IMPORTANCE Aspergillus flavus is a filamentous fungus that causes opportunistic human infections, such as aspergillosis and fungal keratitis, but its close relatives are considered nonpathogenic. To begin understanding how this difference in pathogenicity evolved, we characterized variation in infection-relevant genomic, chemical, and phenotypic traits between strains of A. flavus and its relatives. We found extensive variation (or strain heterogeneity) within the pathogenic A. flavus as well as within its close relatives, suggesting that strain-level differences may play a major role in the ability of these fungi to cause disease. Surprisingly, we also found that the virulence of strains from species not considered to be pathogens was similar to that of A. flavus in both invertebrate and murine models of disease. These results contrast with previous studies on Aspergillus fumigatus, another major pathogen in the genus, for which significant differences in infection-relevant chemical and phenotypic traits are observed between closely related pathogenic and nonpathogenic species.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. Anne Hatmaker
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Evolutionary Studies Initiative, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Manuel Rangel-Grimaldo
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
| | - Huzefa A. Raja
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
| | - Hadi Pourhadi
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
| | - Sonja L. Knowles
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
| | - Kevin Fuller
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Emily M. Adams
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Jorge D. Lightfoot
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Rafael W. Bastos
- Biosciences Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Gustavo H. Goldman
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Nicholas H. Oberlies
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
| | - Antonis Rokas
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Evolutionary Studies Initiative, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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21
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Sweany RR, Breunig M, Opoku J, Clay K, Spatafora JW, Drott MT, Baldwin TT, Fountain JC. Why Do Plant-Pathogenic Fungi Produce Mycotoxins? Potential Roles for Mycotoxins in the Plant Ecosystem. PHYTOPATHOLOGY 2022; 112:2044-2051. [PMID: 35502928 DOI: 10.1094/phyto-02-22-0053-sym] [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: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
For many plant-pathogenic or endophytic fungi, production of mycotoxins, which are toxic to humans, may present a fitness gain. However, associations between mycotoxin production and plant pathogenicity or virulence is inconsistent and difficult due to the complexity of these host-pathogen interactions and the influences of environmental and insect factors. Aflatoxin receives a lot of attention due to its potent toxicity and carcinogenicity but the connection between aflatoxin production and pathogenicity is complicated by the pathogenic ability and prevalence of nonaflatoxigenic isolates in crops. Other toxins directly aid fungi in planta, trichothecenes are important virulence factors, and ergot alkaloids limit herbivory and fungal consumption due to insect toxicity. We review a panel discussion at the American Phytopathological Society's Plant Health 2021 conference, which gathered diverse experts representing different research sectors, career stages, ethnicities, and genders to discuss the diverse roles of mycotoxins in the lifestyles of filamentous fungi of the families Clavicipitaceae, Trichocomaceae (Eurotiales), and Nectriaceae (Hypocreales).
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca R Sweany
- United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) Food and Feed Safety Research Unit, Southern Regional Research Center, New Orleans, LA 70124
| | - Mikaela Breunig
- Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 78824
| | - Joseph Opoku
- USDA-ARS Pest Management and Biological Control Research Unit, U.S. Arid-Land Agricultural Research Center, Tucson, AZ 85701
| | - Keith Clay
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118
| | - Joseph W Spatafora
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97333
| | - Milton T Drott
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706
| | - Thomas T Baldwin
- Department of Plant Pathology, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108
| | - Jake C Fountain
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology, and Plant Pathology, Mississippi State University, MS State, MS 39762
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22
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Yang K, Tian J, Keller NP. Post-translational modifications drive secondary metabolite biosynthesis in Aspergillus: a review. Environ Microbiol 2022; 24:2857-2881. [PMID: 35645150 PMCID: PMC9545273 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2022] [Revised: 04/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Post‐translational modifications (PTMs) are important for protein function and regulate multiple cellular processes and secondary metabolites (SMs) in fungi. Aspergillus species belong to a genus renown for an abundance of bioactive secondary metabolites, many important as toxins, pharmaceuticals and in industrial production. The genes required for secondary metabolites are typically co‐localized in biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs), which often localize in heterochromatic regions of genome and are ‘turned off’ under laboratory condition. Efforts have been made to ‘turn on’ these BGCs by genetic manipulation of histone modifications, which could convert the heterochromatic structure to euchromatin. Additionally, non‐histone PTMs also play critical roles in the regulation of secondary metabolism. In this review, we collate the known roles of epigenetic and PTMs on Aspergillus SM production. We also summarize the proteomics approaches and bioinformatics tools for PTM identification and prediction and provide future perspectives on the emerging roles of PTM on regulation of SM biosynthesis in Aspergillus and other fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kunlong Yang
- School of Life Science, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, 221116, Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China.,Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, 53705, USA
| | - Jun Tian
- School of Life Science, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, 221116, Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Nancy P Keller
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, 53705, USA
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23
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Franco MEE, Wisecaver JH, Arnold AE, Ju YM, Slot JC, Ahrendt S, Moore LP, Eastman KE, Scott K, Konkel Z, Mondo SJ, Kuo A, Hayes RD, Haridas S, Andreopoulos B, Riley R, LaButti K, Pangilinan J, Lipzen A, Amirebrahimi M, Yan J, Adam C, Keymanesh K, Ng V, Louie K, Northen T, Drula E, Henrissat B, Hsieh HM, Youens-Clark K, Lutzoni F, Miadlikowska J, Eastwood DC, Hamelin RC, Grigoriev IV, U'Ren JM. Ecological generalism drives hyperdiversity of secondary metabolite gene clusters in xylarialean endophytes. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 233:1317-1330. [PMID: 34797921 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Although secondary metabolites are typically associated with competitive or pathogenic interactions, the high bioactivity of endophytic fungi in the Xylariales, coupled with their abundance and broad host ranges spanning all lineages of land plants and lichens, suggests that enhanced secondary metabolism might facilitate symbioses with phylogenetically diverse hosts. Here, we examined secondary metabolite gene clusters (SMGCs) across 96 Xylariales genomes in two clades (Xylariaceae s.l. and Hypoxylaceae), including 88 newly sequenced genomes of endophytes and closely related saprotrophs and pathogens. We paired genomic data with extensive metadata on endophyte hosts and substrates, enabling us to examine genomic factors related to the breadth of symbiotic interactions and ecological roles. All genomes contain hyperabundant SMGCs; however, Xylariaceae have increased numbers of gene duplications, horizontal gene transfers (HGTs) and SMGCs. Enhanced metabolic diversity of endophytes is associated with a greater diversity of hosts and increased capacity for lignocellulose decomposition. Our results suggest that, as host and substrate generalists, Xylariaceae endophytes experience greater selection to diversify SMGCs compared with more ecologically specialised Hypoxylaceae species. Overall, our results provide new evidence that SMGCs may facilitate symbiosis with phylogenetically diverse hosts, highlighting the importance of microbial symbioses to drive fungal metabolic diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario E E Franco
- BIO5 Institute and Department of Biosystems Engineering, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - Jennifer H Wisecaver
- Center for Plant Biology and Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | - A Elizabeth Arnold
- School of Plant Sciences and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - Yu-Ming Ju
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Jason C Slot
- Department of Plant Pathology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Steven Ahrendt
- Department of Energy, The Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Lillian P Moore
- BIO5 Institute and Department of Biosystems Engineering, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - Katharine E Eastman
- Center for Plant Biology and Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | - Kelsey Scott
- Department of Plant Pathology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Zachary Konkel
- Department of Plant Pathology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Stephen J Mondo
- Department of Energy, The Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Alan Kuo
- Department of Energy, The Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Richard D Hayes
- Department of Energy, The Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Sajeet Haridas
- Department of Energy, The Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Bill Andreopoulos
- Department of Energy, The Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Robert Riley
- Department of Energy, The Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Kurt LaButti
- Department of Energy, The Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Jasmyn Pangilinan
- Department of Energy, The Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Anna Lipzen
- Department of Energy, The Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Mojgan Amirebrahimi
- Department of Energy, The Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Juying Yan
- Department of Energy, The Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Catherine Adam
- Department of Energy, The Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Keykhosrow Keymanesh
- Department of Energy, The Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Vivian Ng
- Department of Energy, The Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Katherine Louie
- Department of Energy, The Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Trent Northen
- Department of Energy, The Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Elodie Drula
- Architecture et Fonction des Macromolécules Biologiques, CNRS, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, 13288, France
- INRAE, Marseille, 13288, France
| | - Bernard Henrissat
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, DK-2800, Denmark
- Department of Biological Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Huei-Mei Hsieh
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Ken Youens-Clark
- BIO5 Institute and Department of Biosystems Engineering, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | | | | | | | - Richard C Hamelin
- Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Igor V Grigoriev
- Department of Energy, The Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Jana M U'Ren
- BIO5 Institute and Department of Biosystems Engineering, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
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24
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Nickles G, Ludwikoski I, Bok JW, Keller NP. Comprehensive Guide to Extracting and Expressing Fungal Secondary Metabolites with Aspergillus fumigatus as a Case Study. Curr Protoc 2021; 1:e321. [PMID: 34958718 DOI: 10.1002/cpz1.321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Fungal secondary metabolites (SMs) have captured the interest of natural products researchers in academia and industry for decades. In recent years, the high rediscovery rate of previously characterized metabolites is making it increasingly difficult to uncover novel compounds. Additionally, the vast majority of fungal SMs reside in genetically intractable fungi or are silent under normal laboratory conditions in genetically tractable fungi. The fungal natural products community has broadly overcome these barriers by altering the physical growth conditions of the fungus and heterologous/homologous expression of biosynthetic gene cluster regulators or proteins. The protocols described here summarize vital methodologies needed when researching SM production in fungi. We also summarize the growth conditions, genetic backgrounds, and extraction protocols for every published SM in Aspergillus fumigatus, enabling readers to easily replicate the production of previously characterized SMs. Readers will also be equipped with the tools for developing their own strategy for expressing and extracting SMs from their given fungus or a suitable heterologous model system. © 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Making glycerol stocks from spore suspensions Alternate Protocol 1: Creating glycerol stocks from non-sporulating filamentous fungi Basic Protocol 2: Activating spore-suspension glycerol stocks Basic Protocol 3: Extracting secondary metabolites from Aspergillus spp grown on solid medium Alternate Protocol 2: Extracting secondary metabolites from Aspergillus spp using ethyl acetate Alternate Protocol 3: High-volume metabolite extraction using ethyl acetate Alternate Protocol 4: Extracting secondary metabolites from Aspergillus spp in liquid medium Support Protocol: Creating an overlay culture Basic Protocol 4: Extracting DNA from filamentous fungi Basic Protocol 5: Creating a DNA construct with double-joint PCR Alternate Protocol 5: Creating a DNA construct with yeast recombineering Basic Protocol 6: Transformation of Aspergillus spp Basic Protocol 7: Co-culturing fungi and bacteria for extraction of secondary metabolites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grant Nickles
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Isabelle Ludwikoski
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Jin Woo Bok
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Nancy P Keller
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin.,Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
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25
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Chevrette MG, Gavrilidou A, Mantri S, Selem-Mojica N, Ziemert N, Barona-Gómez F. The confluence of big data and evolutionary genome mining for the discovery of natural products. Nat Prod Rep 2021; 38:2024-2040. [PMID: 34787598 DOI: 10.1039/d1np00013f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
This review covers literature between 2003-2021The development and application of genome mining tools has given rise to ever-growing genetic and chemical databases and propelled natural products research into the modern age of Big Data. Likewise, an explosion of evolutionary studies has unveiled genetic patterns of natural products biosynthesis and function that support Darwin's theory of natural selection and other theories of adaptation and diversification. In this review, we aim to highlight how Big Data and evolutionary thinking converge in the study of natural products, and how this has led to an emerging sub-discipline of evolutionary genome mining of natural products. First, we outline general principles to best utilize Big Data in natural products research, addressing key considerations needed to provide evolutionary context. We then highlight successful examples where Big Data and evolutionary analyses have been combined to provide bioinformatic resources and tools for the discovery of novel natural products and their biosynthetic enzymes. Rather than an exhaustive list of evolution-driven discoveries, we highlight examples where Big Data and evolutionary thinking have been embraced for the evolutionary genome mining of natural products. After reviewing the nascent history of this sub-discipline, we discuss the challenges and opportunities of genomic and metabolomic tools with evolutionary foundations and/or implications and provide a future outlook for this emerging and exciting field of natural product research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc G Chevrette
- Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Athina Gavrilidou
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine Tübingen (IMIT), Interfaculty Institute for Biomedical Informatics (IBMI), University of Tübingen, Germany.,German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Shrikant Mantri
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine Tübingen (IMIT), Interfaculty Institute for Biomedical Informatics (IBMI), University of Tübingen, Germany.,German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Tübingen, Germany. .,Computational Biology Laboratory, National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI), Mohali, Punjab, India
| | - Nelly Selem-Mojica
- Laboratorio de Evolución de la Diversidad Metabólica, Unidad de Genómica Avanzada (Langebio), Cinvestav-IPN, Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico.
| | - Nadine Ziemert
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine Tübingen (IMIT), Interfaculty Institute for Biomedical Informatics (IBMI), University of Tübingen, Germany.,German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Francisco Barona-Gómez
- Laboratorio de Evolución de la Diversidad Metabólica, Unidad de Genómica Avanzada (Langebio), Cinvestav-IPN, Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico.
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26
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Meng X, Fang Y, Ding M, Zhang Y, Jia K, Li Z, Collemare J, Liu W. Developing fungal heterologous expression platforms to explore and improve the production of natural products from fungal biodiversity. Biotechnol Adv 2021; 54:107866. [PMID: 34780934 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2021.107866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Revised: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Natural products from fungi represent an important source of biologically active metabolites notably for therapeutic agent development. Genome sequencing revealed that the number of biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) in fungi is much larger than expected. Unfortunately, most of them are silent or barely expressed under laboratory culture conditions. Moreover, many fungi in nature are uncultivable or cannot be genetically manipulated, restricting the extraction and identification of bioactive metabolites from these species. Rapid exploration of the tremendous number of cryptic fungal BGCs necessitates the development of heterologous expression platforms, which will facilitate the efficient production of natural products in fungal cell factories. Host selection, BGC assembly methods, promoters used for heterologous gene expression, metabolic engineering strategies and compartmentalization of biosynthetic pathways are key aspects for consideration to develop such a microbial platform. In the present review, we summarize current progress on the above challenges to promote research effort in the relevant fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangfeng Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, No. 72 Binhai Road, Qingdao 266237, PR China
| | - Yu Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, No. 72 Binhai Road, Qingdao 266237, PR China
| | - Mingyang Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, No. 72 Binhai Road, Qingdao 266237, PR China
| | - Yanyu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, No. 72 Binhai Road, Qingdao 266237, PR China
| | - Kaili Jia
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, No. 72 Binhai Road, Qingdao 266237, PR China
| | - Zhongye Li
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, No. 72 Binhai Road, Qingdao 266237, PR China
| | - Jérôme Collemare
- Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | - Weifeng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, No. 72 Binhai Road, Qingdao 266237, PR China.
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27
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Skerker JM, Pianalto KM, Mondo SJ, Yang K, Arkin AP, Keller NP, Grigoriev IV, Louise Glass NL. Chromosome assembled and annotated genome sequence of Aspergillus flavus NRRL 3357. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2021; 11:6310016. [PMID: 34849826 PMCID: PMC8496237 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkab213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Aspergillus flavus is an opportunistic pathogen of crops, including peanuts and maize, and is the second leading cause of aspergillosis in immunocompromised patients. A. flavus is also a major producer of the mycotoxin, aflatoxin, a potent carcinogen, which results in significant crop losses annually. The A. flavus isolate NRRL 3357 was originally isolated from peanut and has been used as a model organism for understanding the regulation and production of secondary metabolites, such as aflatoxin. A draft genome of NRRL 3357 was previously constructed, enabling the development of molecular tools and for understanding population biology of this particular species. Here, we describe an updated, near complete, telomere-to-telomere assembly and re-annotation of the eight chromosomes of A. flavus NRRL 3357 genome, accomplished via long-read PacBio and Oxford Nanopore technologies combined with Illumina short-read sequencing. A total of 13,715 protein-coding genes were predicted. Using RNA-seq data, a significant improvement was achieved in predicted 5’ and 3’ untranslated regions, which were incorporated into the new gene models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey M Skerker
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Kaila M Pianalto
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Stephen J Mondo
- The U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.,Department of Agricultural Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Kunlong Yang
- Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology and Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Adam P Arkin
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.,Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Nancy P Keller
- Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology and Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Igor V Grigoriev
- The U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.,Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - N Louise Louise Glass
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.,Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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28
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Microevolution in the pansecondary metabolome of Aspergillus flavus and its potential macroevolutionary implications for filamentous fungi. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2021683118. [PMID: 34016748 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2021683118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Fungi produce a wealth of pharmacologically bioactive secondary metabolites (SMs) from biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). It is common practice for drug discovery efforts to treat species' secondary metabolomes as being well represented by a single or a small number of representative genomes. However, this approach misses the possibility that intraspecific population dynamics, such as adaptation to environmental conditions or local microbiomes, may harbor novel BGCs that contribute to the overall niche breadth of species. Using 94 isolates of Aspergillus flavus, a cosmopolitan model fungus, sampled from seven states in the United States, we dereplicate 7,821 BGCs into 92 unique BGCs. We find that more than 25% of pangenomic BGCs show population-specific patterns of presence/absence or protein divergence. Population-specific BGCs make up most of the accessory-genome BGCs, suggesting that different ecological forces that maintain accessory genomes may be partially mediated by population-specific differences in secondary metabolism. We use ultra-high-performance high-resolution mass spectrometry to confirm that these genetic differences in BGCs also result in chemotypic differences in SM production in different populations, which could mediate ecological interactions and be acted on by selection. Thus, our results suggest a paradigm shift that previously unrealized population-level reservoirs of SM diversity may be of significant evolutionary, ecological, and pharmacological importance. Last, we find that several population-specific BGCs from A. flavus are present in Aspergillus parasiticus and Aspergillus minisclerotigenes and discuss how the microevolutionary patterns we uncover inform macroevolutionary inferences and help to align fungal secondary metabolism with existing evolutionary theory.
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