Osmolarity hypersensitivity of hog1 deleted mutants is suppressed by mutation in KSS1 in budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Dissecting the role of mitogen-activated protein kinase Hog1 in yeast flocculation

Living organisms are frequently exposed to multiple biotic and abiotic stress forms during their lifetime. Organisms cope with stress conditions by regulating their gene expression programs. In response to different environmental stress conditions, yeast cells activate different tolerance mechanisms, many of which share common signaling pathways. Flocculation is one of the key mechanisms underlying yeast survival under unfavorable environmental conditions, and the Tup1-Cyc8 corepressor complex is a major regulator of this process. Additionally, yeast cells can utilize different mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways to modulate gene expression during stress conditions. Here, we show that the high osmolarity glycerol (HOG) MAPK pathway is involved in the regulation of yeast flocculation. We observed that the HOG MAPK pathway was constitutively activated in flocculating cells, and found that the interaction between phosphorylated Hog1 and the FLO genes promoter region increased significantly upon sodium chloride exposure. We found that treatment of cells with cantharidin decreased Hog1 phosphorylation, causing a sharp reduction in the expression of FLO genes and the flocculation phenotype. Similarly, deletion of HOG1 in yeast cells reduced flocculation. Altogether, our results suggest a role for HOG MAPK signaling in the regulation of FLO genes and yeast flocculation.

Rapid adaptation of signaling networks in the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae

Background

One fundamental question in biology is how the evolution of eukaryotic signaling networks has taken place. “Loss of function” (lof) mutants from components of the high osmolarity glycerol (HOG) signaling pathway in the filamentous fungus Magnaporthe oryzae are viable, but impaired in osmoregulation.

Results

After long-term cultivation upon high osmolarity, stable individuals with reestablished osmoregulation capacity arise independently from each of the mutants with inactivated HOG pathway. This phenomenon is extremely reproducible and occurs only in osmosensitive mutants related to the HOG pathway – not in other osmosensitive Magnaporthe mutants. The major compatible solute produced by these adapted strains to cope with high osmolarity is glycerol, whereas it is arabitol in the wildtype strain. Genome and transcriptome analysis resulted in candidate genes related to glycerol metabolism, perhaps responsible for an epigenetic induced reestablishment of osmoregulation, since these genes do not show structural variations within the coding or promotor sequences.

Conclusion

This is the first report of a stable adaptation in eukaryotes by producing different metabolites and opens a door for the scientific community since the HOG pathway is worked on intensively in many eukaryotic model organisms.

Reduced TORC1 signaling abolishes mitochondrial dysfunctions and shortened chronological lifespan of Isc1p-deficient cells

The target of rapamycin (TOR) is an important signaling pathway on a hierarchical network of interacting pathways regulating central biological processes, such as cell growth, stress response and aging. Several lines of evidence suggest a functional link between TOR signaling and sphingolipid metabolism. Here, we report that the TORC1-Sch9p pathway is activated in cells lacking Isc1p, the yeast orthologue of mammalian neutral sphingomyelinase 2. The deletion of TOR1 or SCH9 abolishes the premature aging, oxidative stress sensitivity and mitochondrial dysfunctions displayed by isc1Δ cells and this is correlated with the suppression of the autophagic flux defect exhibited by the mutant strain. The protective effect of TOR1 deletion, as opposed to that of SCH9 deletion, is not associated with the attenuation of Hog1p hyperphosphorylation, which was previously implicated in isc1Δ phenotypes. Our data support a model in which Isc1p regulates mitochondrial function and chronological lifespan in yeast through the TORC1-Sch9p pathway although Isc1p and TORC1 also seem to act through independent pathways, as isc1Δtor1Δ phenotypes are intermediate to those displayed by isc1Δ and tor1Δ cells. We also provide evidence that TORC1 downstream effectors, the type 2A protein phosphatase Sit4p and the AGC protein kinase Sch9p, integrate nutrient and stress signals from TORC1 with ceramide signaling derived from Isc1p to regulate mitochondrial function and lifespan in yeast. Overall, our results show that TORC1-Sch9p axis is deregulated in Isc1p-deficient cells, contributing to mitochondrial dysfunction, enhanced oxidative stress sensitivity and premature aging of isc1Δ cells.

Role of the HaHOG1 MAP kinase in response of the conifer root and butt rot pathogen (heterobasidion annosum) to osmotic and oxidative stress [corrected]

The basidiomycete Heterobasidion annosum (Fr.) Bref. s.l. is a filamentous white rot fungus, considered to be the most economically important pathogen of conifer trees. Despite the severity of the tree infection, very little is known about the molecular and biochemical aspects related to adaptation to abiotic stresses. In this study, the osmotic and oxidative tolerance as well as the role of the HaHOG1 Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) gene were investigated. The transcript levels of the yeast orthologues GPD1, HSP78, STL1, GRE2 and the ATPase pumps ENA1, PMR1, PMC1 known to have an important role in osmotolerance were also quantified under salt osmotic conditions. The HaHOG1 gene was used for a heterologous expression and functional study in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Δhog1 strain. Moreover, the phosphorylation level of HaHog1p was studied under salt osmotic and oxidative stress. The result showed that H. annosum displayed a decreased growth when exposed to an increased concentration of osmotic and oxidative stressors. GPD1, HSP78, STL1 and GRE2 showed an induction already at 10 min after exposure to salt stress. Among the ATPase pumps studied, PMC1 was highly induced when the fungus was exposed to 0.2 M CaCl₂ for 60 min. The heterologous expression of the HaHOG1 sequence in yeast confirmed that the gene is able to restore the osmotolerance and oxidative tolerance in the S. cerevisiae hog1Δ mutant strain. The HaHog1p was strongly phosphorylated in the presence of NaCl, KCl, H₂O₂ but not in the presence of CaCl₂ and MgCl₂. The GFP-HaHog1p fusion protein accumulated in the nuclei of the S. cerevisiae hog1Δ cells when exposed to high osmotic conditions but not under oxidative stress. These results provide the first insights about the response of H. annosum to osmotic and oxidative stress and elucidate the role of the HaHOG1 gene in such conditions.