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Wang X, Li S, Pang S, Liu Q, Song Y. Regulation of AreA on lipid biosynthesis under different nitrogen sources and C/N ratios in the model oleaginous fungus Mucor circinelloides. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Biol Lipids 2024; 1869:159537. [PMID: 39032627 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbalip.2024.159537] [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: 01/17/2024] [Revised: 06/03/2024] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
Mucor circinelloides has been exploited as model filamentous fungi for studies of genetic manipulation of lipogenesis. It is widely recognized that lipid accumulation is increased when there is a lack of nitrogen source in oleaginous microorganism. Nitrogen metabolism in filamentous fungi is a complex process that can be regulated by the global nitrogen regulator AreA. In this study, we cultivated the areA-knockout and -overexpression strains obtained in our previous study, using 20 different nitrogen sources. It emerged that the disruption of AreA in M. circinelloides reduced its sensitivity to nitrogen availability, resulting in increased lipid synthesis. Specially, the areA-knockout strain was unable to fully utilize many nitrogen sources but the ammonium and glutamate. We continued to investigate lipid production at different molar C/N ratios using glucose as sole carbon source and ammonium sulfate as sole nitrogen source, of which the high C/N ratios activate high lipid accumulation. By comparing the experimental results with transcriptional analysis, we were able to identify the optimal process conditions suitable for lipid accumulation and potential targets for future metabolic engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuwen Wang
- Colin Ratledge Center for Microbial Lipids, School of Agricultural Engineering and Food Science, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255000, Shandong, China
| | - Shaoqi Li
- Colin Ratledge Center for Microbial Lipids, School of Agricultural Engineering and Food Science, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255000, Shandong, China
| | - Shuxian Pang
- Colin Ratledge Center for Microbial Lipids, School of Agricultural Engineering and Food Science, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255000, Shandong, China
| | - Qing Liu
- Colin Ratledge Center for Microbial Lipids, School of Agricultural Engineering and Food Science, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255000, Shandong, China
| | - Yuanda Song
- Colin Ratledge Center for Microbial Lipids, School of Agricultural Engineering and Food Science, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255000, Shandong, China.
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2
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Hernández Rodríguez A, Díaz Pacheco A, Martínez Tolibia SE, Melendez Xicohtencatl Y, Granados Balbuena SY, López y López VE. Bioprocess of Gibberellic Acid by Fusarium fujikuroi: The Challenge of Regulation, Raw Materials, and Product Yields. J Fungi (Basel) 2024; 10:418. [PMID: 38921404 PMCID: PMC11205084 DOI: 10.3390/jof10060418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2024] [Revised: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Gibberellic acid (GA3) is a tetracyclic diterpenoid carboxylic acid synthesized by the secondary metabolism of Fusarium fujikuroi. This phytohormone is widely studied due to the advantages it offers as a plant growth regulator, such as growth stimulation, senescence delay, flowering induction, increased fruit size, and defense against abiotic or biotic stress, which improve the quality and yield of crops. Therefore, GA3 has been considered as an innovative strategy to improve agricultural production. However, the yields obtained at large scale are insufficient for the current market demand. This low productivity is attributed to the lack of adequate parameters to optimize the fermentation process, as well as the complexity of its regulation. Therefore, this article describes the latest advances for potentializing the GA3 production process, including an analysis of its origins from crops, the benefits of its application, the related biosynthetic metabolism, the maximum yields achieved from production processes, and their association with genetic engineering techniques for GA3 producers. This work provides a new perspective on the critical points of the production process, in order to overcome the limits surrounding this modern line of bioengineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aranza Hernández Rodríguez
- Centro de Investigación en Biotecnología Aplicada, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Carretera Estatal Santa Inés Tecuexcomax-Tepetitla, Km 1.5, Tepetitla de Lardizábal, Tlaxcala 90700, Mexico; (A.H.R.); (Y.M.X.)
| | - Adrián Díaz Pacheco
- Unidad Profesional Interdisciplinaria de Ingeniería Campus Tlaxcala, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Guillermo Valle, Tlaxcala 90000, Mexico; (A.D.P.); (S.Y.G.B.)
| | | | - Yazmin Melendez Xicohtencatl
- Centro de Investigación en Biotecnología Aplicada, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Carretera Estatal Santa Inés Tecuexcomax-Tepetitla, Km 1.5, Tepetitla de Lardizábal, Tlaxcala 90700, Mexico; (A.H.R.); (Y.M.X.)
| | - Sulem Yali Granados Balbuena
- Unidad Profesional Interdisciplinaria de Ingeniería Campus Tlaxcala, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Guillermo Valle, Tlaxcala 90000, Mexico; (A.D.P.); (S.Y.G.B.)
| | - Víctor Eric López y López
- Centro de Investigación en Biotecnología Aplicada, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Carretera Estatal Santa Inés Tecuexcomax-Tepetitla, Km 1.5, Tepetitla de Lardizábal, Tlaxcala 90700, Mexico; (A.H.R.); (Y.M.X.)
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Kerkaert JD, Huberman LB. Regulation of nutrient utilization in filamentous fungi. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2023; 107:5873-5898. [PMID: 37540250 PMCID: PMC10983054 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-023-12680-4] [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: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
Organisms must accurately sense and respond to nutrients to survive. In filamentous fungi, accurate nutrient sensing is important in the establishment of fungal colonies and in continued, rapid growth for the exploitation of environmental resources. To ensure efficient nutrient utilization, fungi have evolved a combination of activating and repressing genetic networks to tightly regulate metabolic pathways and distinguish between preferred nutrients, which require minimal energy and resources to utilize, and nonpreferred nutrients, which have more energy-intensive catabolic requirements. Genes necessary for the utilization of nonpreferred carbon sources are activated by transcription factors that respond to the presence of the specific nutrient and repressed by transcription factors that respond to the presence of preferred carbohydrates. Utilization of nonpreferred nitrogen sources generally requires two transcription factors. Pathway-specific transcription factors respond to the presence of a specific nonpreferred nitrogen source, while another transcription factor activates genes in the absence of preferred nitrogen sources. In this review, we discuss the roles of transcription factors and upstream regulatory genes that respond to preferred and nonpreferred carbon and nitrogen sources and their roles in regulating carbon and nitrogen catabolism. KEY POINTS: • Interplay of activating and repressing transcriptional networks regulates catabolism. • Nutrient-specific activating transcriptional pathways provide metabolic specificity. • Repressing regulatory systems differentiate nutrients in mixed nutrient environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua D Kerkaert
- Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Lori B Huberman
- Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
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4
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Wang H, Ke X, Jia R, Huang L, Liu Z, Zheng Y. Gibberellic acid overproduction in Fusarium fujikuroi using regulatory modification and transcription analysis. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2023; 107:3071-3084. [PMID: 37014394 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-023-12498-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Revised: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023]
Abstract
Gibberellic acid (GA3), one of the natural diterpenoids produced by Fusarium fujikuroi, serves as an important phytohormone in agriculture for promoting plant growth. Presently, the metabolic engineering strategies for increasing the production of GA3 are progressing slowly, which seriously restricted the advancing of the cost-effective industrial production of GA3. In this study, an industrial strain with high-yield GA3 of F. fujikuroi was constructed by metabolic modification, coupling with transcriptome analysis and promoter engineering. The over-expression of AreA and Lae1, two positive factors in the regulatory network, generated an initial producing strain with GA3 production of 2.78 g L-1. Compared with a large abundance of transcript enrichments in the GA3 synthetic gene cluster discovered by the comparative transcriptome analysis, geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate synthase 2 (Ggs2), and cytochrome P450-3 genes, two key genes that respectively participated in the initial and final step of biosynthesis, were identified to be downregulated when the highest GA3 productivity was obtained. Employing with a nitrogen-responsive bidirectional promoter, the two rate-limiting genes were dynamically upregulated, and therefore, the production of GA3 was increased to 3.02 g L-1. Furthermore, the top 20 upregulated genes were characterized in GA3 over-production, and their distributions in chromosomes suggested potential genomic regions with a high transcriptional level for further strain development. The construction of a GA3 high-yield-producing strain was successfully achieved, and insights into the enriched functional transcripts provided novel strain development targets of F. fujikuroi, offering an efficient microbial development platform for industrial GA3 production. KEY POINTS: • Global regulatory modification was achieved in F. fujikuroi for GA3 overproduction. • Comparative transcriptome analysis revealed bottlenecks in GA specific-pathway. • A dynamically nitrogen-regulated bidirectional promoter was cloned and employed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haonan Wang
- National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Biomanufacturing of Choral Chemicals, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China
| | - Xia Ke
- National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Biomanufacturing of Choral Chemicals, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China
| | - Rui Jia
- National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Biomanufacturing of Choral Chemicals, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China
| | - Lianggang Huang
- National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Biomanufacturing of Choral Chemicals, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhiqiang Liu
- National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Biomanufacturing of Choral Chemicals, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China.
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China.
| | - Yuguo Zheng
- National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Biomanufacturing of Choral Chemicals, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China
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5
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Atanasoff‐Kardjalieff AK, Seidl B, Steinert K, Daniliuc CG, Schuhmacher R, Humpf H, Kalinina S, Studt‐Reinhold L. Biosynthesis of the Isocoumarin Derivatives Fusamarins is Mediated by the PKS8 Gene Cluster in Fusarium. Chembiochem 2023; 24:e202200342. [PMID: 36137261 PMCID: PMC10947347 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202200342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Fusarium mangiferae causes the mango malformation disease (MMD) on young mango trees and seedlings resulting in economically significant crop losses. In addition, F. mangiferae produces a vast array of secondary metabolites (SMs), including mycotoxins that may contaminate the harvest. Their production is tightly regulated at the transcriptional level. Here, we show that lack of the H3 K9-specific histone methyltransferase, FmKmt1, influences the expression of the F. mangiferae polyketide synthase (PKS) 8 (FmPKS8), a so far cryptic PKS. By a combination of reverse genetics, untargeted metabolomics, bioinformatics and chemical analyses including structural elucidation, we determined the FmPKS8 biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) and linked its activity to the production of fusamarins (FMN), which can be structurally classified as dihydroisocoumarins. Functional characterization of the four FMN cluster genes shed light on the biosynthetic pathway. Cytotoxicity assays revealed moderate toxicities with IC50 values between 1 and 50 μM depending on the compound.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna K. Atanasoff‐Kardjalieff
- Institute of Microbial GeneticsDepartment of Applied Genetics and Cell BiologyUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaKonrad-Lorenz Strasse 243430Tulln an der DonauAustria
| | - Bernhard Seidl
- Institute of Bioanalytics and Agro-MetabolomicsDepartment of Agrobiotechnology (IFA-Tulln)University of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaKonrad-Lorenz Strasse 203430Tulln an der DonauAustria
| | - Katharina Steinert
- Institute of Food ChemistryWestfälische Wilhelms-Universität MünsterCorrensstraße 4548149MünsterGermany
| | - Constantin G. Daniliuc
- Organisch-Chemisches InstitutWestfälische Wilhelms-Universität MünsterCorrensstraße 4048149MünsterGermany
| | - Rainer Schuhmacher
- Institute of Bioanalytics and Agro-MetabolomicsDepartment of Agrobiotechnology (IFA-Tulln)University of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaKonrad-Lorenz Strasse 203430Tulln an der DonauAustria
| | - Hans‐Ulrich Humpf
- Institute of Food ChemistryWestfälische Wilhelms-Universität MünsterCorrensstraße 4548149MünsterGermany
| | - Svetlana Kalinina
- Institute of Food ChemistryWestfälische Wilhelms-Universität MünsterCorrensstraße 4548149MünsterGermany
| | - Lena Studt‐Reinhold
- Institute of Microbial GeneticsDepartment of Applied Genetics and Cell BiologyUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaKonrad-Lorenz Strasse 243430Tulln an der DonauAustria
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6
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Zhang K, Zhou W, Wang W, Zhao S, Lin C, Ru X, Guan J, Cong H, Yang Q. Area Gene Regulates the Synthesis of β-Glucan with Antioxidant Activity in the Aureobasidium pullulans. Foods 2023; 12:foods12030660. [PMID: 36766189 PMCID: PMC9914807 DOI: 10.3390/foods12030660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability of the fungus to regulate metabolism on various nitrogen sources makes it survive and metabolize in different environments. The biomass and the β-glucan yield of Aureobasidium pullulans are closely associated with the nitrogen source. This study found the only GATA nitrogen source activation regulating factor Area in HIT-LCY3. In order to testify the Area function, we amplified its conserved domain to build a silencing vector and used the RNAi to obtain the Area silent strain, and then explored its effect on the phenotype of A. pullulans and the yield of β-glucan. We found that the biomass and β-glucan yield of the silent strain decreased significantly after culturing with different nitrogen sources, in particular when using sodium nitrate and glutamate as the source. However, the β-glucan yield increased significantly after overexpression of Area, reaching 5.2 g/L when glutamine was the nitrogen source. In addition, the strain morphology changed as well under different nitrogen sources. At last, we investigated the antioxidant activity in vitro of β-glucan and found that it has a significant clearance effect on OH·, DPPH·, and ABTS·, being best with ABTS. Therefore, this study believed that the Area gene has a certain regulation function on the synthesis of β-glucan with antioxidant activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Zhang
- School of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150006, China
| | - Wei Zhou
- School of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150006, China
| | - Wan Wang
- School of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150006, China
| | - Shanshan Zhao
- School of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150006, China
| | - Congyu Lin
- National Engineering Research Center of Cereal Fermentation and Food Biomanufacturing, School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Xin Ru
- School of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150006, China
| | - Jiaqi Guan
- School of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150006, China
| | - Hua Cong
- School of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150006, China
| | - Qian Yang
- School of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150006, China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resources and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
- Correspondence:
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7
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Wang W, Liang X, Li Y, Wang P, Keller NP. Genetic Regulation of Mycotoxin Biosynthesis. J Fungi (Basel) 2022; 9:jof9010021. [PMID: 36675842 PMCID: PMC9861139 DOI: 10.3390/jof9010021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Mycotoxin contamination in food poses health hazards to humans. Current methods of controlling mycotoxins still have limitations and more effective approaches are needed. During the past decades of years, variable environmental factors have been tested for their influence on mycotoxin production leading to elucidation of a complex regulatory network involved in mycotoxin biosynthesis. These regulators are putative targets for screening molecules that could inhibit mycotoxin synthesis. Here, we summarize the regulatory mechanisms of hierarchical regulators, including pathway-specific regulators, global regulators and epigenetic regulators, on the production of the most critical mycotoxins (aflatoxins, patulin, citrinin, trichothecenes and fumonisins). Future studies on regulation of mycotoxins will provide valuable knowledge for exploring novel methods to inhibit mycotoxin biosynthesis in a more efficient way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjie Wang
- School of Food Science and Biotechnology, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou 310018, China
- Institute of Food Biotechnology, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou 310018, China
- Correspondence: (W.W.); (N.P.K.)
| | - Xinle Liang
- School of Food Science and Biotechnology, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou 310018, China
- Institute of Food Biotechnology, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Yudong Li
- School of Food Science and Biotechnology, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou 310018, China
- Institute of Food Biotechnology, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Pinmei Wang
- Ocean College, Zhejiang University, Zhoushan 316021, China
| | - Nancy P. Keller
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
- Correspondence: (W.W.); (N.P.K.)
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8
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Li YW, Yang CL, Peng H, Nie ZK, Shi TQ, Huang H. RETRACTED ARTICLE: Mutagenesis combined with fermentation optimization to enhance gibberellic acid GA3 yield in Fusarium fujikuroi. BIORESOUR BIOPROCESS 2022; 9:106. [PMID: 38647889 PMCID: PMC10991607 DOI: 10.1186/s40643-022-00595-3] [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: 07/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Gibberellic acid (GA3) is a plant growth hormone that plays an important role in the production of crops, fruits, and vegetables with a wide market share. Due to intrinsic advantages, liquid fermentation of Fusarium fujikuroi has become the sole method for industrial GA3 production, but the broader application of GA3 is hindered by low titer. In this study, we combined atmospheric and room-temperature plasma (ARTP) with ketoconazole-based screening to obtain the mutant strain 3-6-1 with high yield of GA3. Subsequently, the medium composition and fermentation parameters were systematically optimized to increase the titer of GA3, resulting in a 2.5-fold increase compared with the titer obtained under the initial conditions. Finally, considering that the strain is prone to substrate inhibition and glucose repression, a new strategy of fed-batch fermentation was adopted to increase the titer of GA3 to 575.13 mg/L, which was 13.86% higher than the control. The strategy of random mutagenesis combined with selection and fermentation optimization developed in this study provides a basis for subsequent research on the industrial production of GA3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya-Wen Li
- School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, 2 Xuelin Road, Qixia District, Nanjing, 210023, People's Republic of China
| | - Cai-Ling Yang
- School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, 2 Xuelin Road, Qixia District, Nanjing, 210023, People's Republic of China
| | - Hui Peng
- College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, No. 30 South Puzhu Road, Nanjing, 211816, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhi-Kui Nie
- Jiangxi New Reyphon Biochemical Co., Ltd., Salt and Chemical Industry, Xingan, China
| | - Tian-Qiong Shi
- School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, 2 Xuelin Road, Qixia District, Nanjing, 210023, People's Republic of China.
| | - He Huang
- School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, 2 Xuelin Road, Qixia District, Nanjing, 210023, People's Republic of China
- College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, No. 30 South Puzhu Road, Nanjing, 211816, People's Republic of China
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Schüller A, Studt-Reinhold L, Strauss J. How to Completely Squeeze a Fungus-Advanced Genome Mining Tools for Novel Bioactive Substances. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:1837. [PMID: 36145585 PMCID: PMC9505985 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14091837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Fungal species have the capability of producing an overwhelming diversity of bioactive substances that can have beneficial but also detrimental effects on human health. These so-called secondary metabolites naturally serve as antimicrobial "weapon systems", signaling molecules or developmental effectors for fungi and hence are produced only under very specific environmental conditions or stages in their life cycle. However, as these complex conditions are difficult or even impossible to mimic in laboratory settings, only a small fraction of the true chemical diversity of fungi is known so far. This also implies that a large space for potentially new pharmaceuticals remains unexplored. We here present an overview on current developments in advanced methods that can be used to explore this chemical space. We focus on genetic and genomic methods, how to detect genes that harbor the blueprints for the production of these compounds (i.e., biosynthetic gene clusters, BGCs), and ways to activate these silent chromosomal regions. We provide an in-depth view of the chromatin-level regulation of BGCs and of the potential to use the CRISPR/Cas technology as an activation tool.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Joseph Strauss
- Institute of Microbial Genetics, Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, A-3430 Tulln/Donau, Austria
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10
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Recent advances in metabolic regulation and bioengineering of gibberellic acid biosynthesis in Fusarium fujikuroi. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2022; 38:131. [PMID: 35689127 DOI: 10.1007/s11274-022-03324-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The plant growth hormone gibberellic acid (GA3), as one of the representative secondary metabolites, is widely used in agriculture, horticulture and brewing industry. GA3 is detected in both plants and several fungi with the ability to stimulate plant growth. Currently, the main mode of industrial production of GA3 is depended on the microbial fermentation via long-period submerged fermentation using Fusarium fujikuroi as the only producing strain, qualified for its natural productivity. However, the demand of large-sale industrialization of GA3 was still restricted by the low productivity. The biosynthetic route of GA3 in F. fujikuroi is now well-defined. Furthermore, the multi-level regulation mechanisms involved in the whole network of GA3 production have also been gradually unveiled by the past two decades based on the identification and characterization of several global regulators and their mutual functions. Combined with the quick development of genetic manipulation techniques, the rational modification of producing strain F. fujikuroi development become practical for higher productivity achievement. Herein, we review the latest advances in the molecular regulation of GA3 biosynthesis in F. fujikuroi and conclude a comprehensive network involving nitrogen depression, global regulator, histone modification and G protein signaling pathway. Correspondingly, the bioengineering strategies covering conventional random mutation, genetic manipulating platform development, metabolic edition and fermentation optimization were also systematically proposed.
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Atanasoff-Kardjalieff AK, Studt L. Secondary Metabolite Gene Regulation in Mycotoxigenic Fusarium Species: A Focus on Chromatin. Toxins (Basel) 2022; 14:96. [PMID: 35202124 PMCID: PMC8880415 DOI: 10.3390/toxins14020096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Fusarium is a species-rich group of mycotoxigenic plant pathogens that ranks as one of the most economically important fungal genera in the world. During growth and infection, they are able to produce a vast spectrum of low-molecular-weight compounds, so-called secondary metabolites (SMs). SMs often comprise toxic compounds (i.e., mycotoxins) that contaminate precious food and feed sources and cause adverse health effects in humans and livestock. In this context, understanding the regulation of their biosynthesis is crucial for the development of cropping strategies that aim at minimizing mycotoxin contamination in the field. Nevertheless, currently, only a fraction of SMs have been identified, and even fewer are considered for regular monitoring by regulatory authorities. Limitations to exploit their full chemical potential arise from the fact that the genes involved in their biosynthesis are often silent under standard laboratory conditions and only induced upon specific stimuli mimicking natural conditions in which biosynthesis of the respective SM becomes advantageous for the producer. This implies a complex regulatory network. Several components of these gene networks have been studied in the past, thereby greatly advancing the understanding of SM gene regulation and mycotoxin biosynthesis in general. This review aims at summarizing the latest advances in SM research in these notorious plant pathogens with a focus on chromatin structure.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lena Studt
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Institute of Microbial Genetics, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), 3430 Tulln an der Donau, Austria;
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The signaling pathways involved in metabolic regulation and stress responses of the yeast-like fungi Aureobasidium spp. Biotechnol Adv 2021; 55:107898. [PMID: 34974157 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2021.107898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Aureobasidium spp. can use a wide range of substrates and are widely distributed in different environments, suggesting that they can sense and response to various extracellular signals and be adapted to different environments. It is true that their pullulan, lipid and liamocin biosynthesis and cell growth are regulated by the cAMP-PKA signaling pathway; Polymalate (PMA) and pullulan biosynthesis is controlled by the Ca2+ and TORC1 signaling pathways; the HOG1 signaling pathway determines high osmotic tolerance and high pullulan and liamocin biosynthesis; the Snf1/Mig1 pathway controls glucose repression on pullulan and liamocin biosynthesis; DHN-melanin biosynthesis and stress resistance are regulated by the CWI signaling pathway and TORC1 signaling pathway. In addition, the HSF1 pathway may control cell growth of some novel strains of A. melanogenum at 37 °C. However, the detailed molecular mechanisms of high temperature growth and thermotolerance of some novel strains of A. melanogenum and glucose derepression in A. melanogenum TN3-1 are still unclear.
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Kang XX, Wang QQ, Chi Z, Liu GL, Hu Z, Chi ZM. The GATA type transcriptional factors regulate pullulan biosynthesis in Aureobasidium melanogenum P16. Int J Biol Macromol 2021; 192:161-168. [PMID: 34597699 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.09.149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2021] [Revised: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Aureobasidium melanogenum P16, the high pullulan producer, had only one GATA type transcriptional activator AreA and one GATA type transcriptional repressor AreB. It was found that 2.4 g/L of (NH4)2SO4 had obvious nitrogen repression on pullulan biosynthesis by A. melanogenum P16. Removal of the AreB gene could make the disruptant DA6 produce 34.8 g/L pullulan while the P16 strain only produced 28.8 g/L pullulan at the efficient nitrogen condition. Further both removal of the native AreA gene and overexpression of the mutated AreAS628-S678 gene with non-phosphorylatable residues could render the transformant DEA12 to produce 39.8 g/L pullulan. The transcriptional levels of most of the genes related to pullulan biosynthesis in the transformant DEA12 were greatly enhanced. The mutated AreAS628-S678 was localized in the nuclei of the transformant DEA12 while the native AreA was distributed in the cytoplasm in A. melanogenum P16. This meant that nitrogen repression on pullulan biosynthesis in the transformant DEA12 was indeed significantly relieved. This was the first time to report that the GATA type transcriptional factors of nitrogen catabolite repression system could regulate pullulan biosynthesis in Aureobasidium spp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin-Xin Kang
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Yushan Road, No. 5, Qingdao, China
| | - Qin-Qing Wang
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Yushan Road, No. 5, Qingdao, China
| | - Zhe Chi
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Yushan Road, No. 5, Qingdao, China; Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, 266003 Qingdao, China
| | - Guang-Lei Liu
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Yushan Road, No. 5, Qingdao, China; Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, 266003 Qingdao, China
| | - Zhong Hu
- Department of Biology, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, China
| | - Zhen-Ming Chi
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Yushan Road, No. 5, Qingdao, China; Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, 266003 Qingdao, China.
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Chen Y, Cao Y, Gai Y, Ma H, Zhu Z, Chung KR, Li H. Genome-Wide Identification and Functional Characterization of GATA Transcription Factor Gene Family in Alternaria alternata. J Fungi (Basel) 2021; 7:jof7121013. [PMID: 34946995 PMCID: PMC8706292 DOI: 10.3390/jof7121013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Revised: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In the present study, we identified six GATA transcription factors (AaAreA, AaAreB, AaLreA, AaLreB, AaNsdD, and AaSreA) and characterized their functions in response to environmental stress and virulence in the tangerine pathotype of Alternaria alternata. The targeted gene knockout of each of the GATA-coding genes decreased the growth to varying degrees. The mutation of AaAreA, AaAreB, AaLreB, or AaNsdD decreased the conidiation. All the GATA transcription factors were found to be required for tolerance to cumyl hydroperoxide and tert-butyl-hydroperoxide (oxidants) and Congo red (a cell-wall-destructing agent). Pathogenicity assays assessed on detached citrus leaves revealed that mutations of AaAreA, AaLreA, AaLreB, or AaNsdD significantly decreased the fungal virulence. A comparative transcriptome analysis between the ∆AreA mutant and the wild-type strain revealed that the inactivation of AaAreA led to alterations in the expression of genes involved in a number of biological processes, including oxidoreductase activity, amino acid metabolism, and secondary metabolite biogenesis. Taken together, our findings revealed that GATA-coding genes play diverse roles in response to environmental stress and are important regulators involved in fungal development, conidiation, ROS detoxification, as well as pathogenesis. This study, for the first time, systemically underlines the critical role of GATA transcription factors in response to environmental stress and virulence in A. alternata.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanan Chen
- The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, The Key Laboratory of Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; (Y.C.); (Y.C.); (Y.G.); (H.M.); (Z.Z.)
| | - Yingzi Cao
- The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, The Key Laboratory of Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; (Y.C.); (Y.C.); (Y.G.); (H.M.); (Z.Z.)
| | - Yunpeng Gai
- The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, The Key Laboratory of Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; (Y.C.); (Y.C.); (Y.G.); (H.M.); (Z.Z.)
| | - Haijie Ma
- The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, The Key Laboratory of Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; (Y.C.); (Y.C.); (Y.G.); (H.M.); (Z.Z.)
- School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Zhejiang Agriculture & Forestry University, Hangzhou 311300, China
| | - Zengrong Zhu
- The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, The Key Laboratory of Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; (Y.C.); (Y.C.); (Y.G.); (H.M.); (Z.Z.)
- Hainan Institute, Zhejiang University, Sanya 572000, China
| | - Kuang-Ren Chung
- Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung 40227, Taiwan;
| | - Hongye Li
- The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, The Key Laboratory of Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; (Y.C.); (Y.C.); (Y.G.); (H.M.); (Z.Z.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-13634190823
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MaNmrA, a Negative Transcription Regulator in Nitrogen Catabolite Repression Pathway, Contributes to Nutrient Utilization, Stress Resistance, and Virulence in Entomopathogenic Fungus Metarhizium acridum. BIOLOGY 2021; 10:biology10111167. [PMID: 34827160 PMCID: PMC8615229 DOI: 10.3390/biology10111167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary Nutrient metabolism is closely related to the growth, development, and pathogenicity of pathogenic fungi. The nitrogen catabolite repression (NCR) pathway is a well-known fungal nitrogen source regulation path, in which NmrA plays an important regulatory role. Here, we reported a negative regulatory protein MaNmrA, the NmrA homologous protein, in the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium acridum, and found that it played important roles in carbon and nitrogen metabolism, growth, stress tolerance, and virulence of M. acridum. Our work will provide a theoretical basis for further exploring the functions of NCR pathway related genes in entomopathogenic fungi. Abstract The NCR pathway plays an important regulatory role in the nitrogen metabolism of filamentous fungi. NmrA, a central negative regulatory protein in the NCR pathway and a key factor in sensing to the carbon metabolism, plays important roles in pathogenic fungal nutrition metabolism. In this study, we characterized the functions of MaNmrA in the insect pathogenic fungus M. acridum. Multiple sequence alignments found that the conserved domain (NAD/NADP binding domain) of MaNmrA was highly conservative with its homologues proteins. Deletion of MaNmrA improved the utilization of multiple carbon sources (such as glucose, mannose, sucrose, and trehalose) and non-preferred nitrogen sources (such as NaNO3 and urea), significantly delayed the conidial germination rate and reduced the conidial yield. The MaNmrA-disruption strain (ΔMaNmrA) significantly decreased tolerances to UV-B and heat-shock, and it also increased the sensitivity to the hypertonic substance sorbitol, oxygen stress substance H2O2, and cell wall destroyer calcofluor white, indicating that loss of MaNmrA affected cell wall integrity, tolerances to hypertonic and oxidative stress. Bioassays demonstrated that disruption of MaNmrA decreased the virulence in both topical inoculation and intrahemocoel injection tests. Further studies revealed that the appressorium formation, turgor pressure, and colonization in hemolymph were significantly reduced in the absence of MaNmrA. Our work will deepen the functional cognition of MaNmrA and make a contribution to the study of its homologous proteins.
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John E, Singh KB, Oliver RP, Tan K. Transcription factor control of virulence in phytopathogenic fungi. MOLECULAR PLANT PATHOLOGY 2021; 22:858-881. [PMID: 33973705 PMCID: PMC8232033 DOI: 10.1111/mpp.13056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Revised: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Plant-pathogenic fungi are a significant threat to economic and food security worldwide. Novel protection strategies are required and therefore it is critical we understand the mechanisms by which these pathogens cause disease. Virulence factors and pathogenicity genes have been identified, but in many cases their roles remain elusive. It is becoming increasingly clear that gene regulation is vital to enable plant infection and transcription factors play an essential role. Efforts to determine their regulatory functions in plant-pathogenic fungi have expanded since the annotation of fungal genomes revealed the ubiquity of transcription factors from a broad range of families. This review establishes the significance of transcription factors as regulatory elements in plant-pathogenic fungi and provides a systematic overview of those that have been functionally characterized. Detailed analysis is provided on regulators from well-characterized families controlling various aspects of fungal metabolism, development, stress tolerance, and the production of virulence factors such as effectors and secondary metabolites. This covers conserved transcription factors with either specialized or nonspecialized roles, as well as recently identified regulators targeting key virulence pathways. Fundamental knowledge of transcription factor regulation in plant-pathogenic fungi provides avenues to identify novel virulence factors and improve our understanding of the regulatory networks linked to pathogen evolution, while transcription factors can themselves be specifically targeted for disease control. Areas requiring further insight regarding the molecular mechanisms and/or specific classes of transcription factors are identified, and direction for future investigation is presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan John
- Centre for Crop and Disease ManagementCurtin UniversityBentleyWestern AustraliaAustralia
- School of Molecular and Life SciencesCurtin UniversityBentleyWestern AustraliaAustralia
| | - Karam B. Singh
- Agriculture and FoodCommonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research OrganisationFloreatWestern AustraliaAustralia
| | - Richard P. Oliver
- School of Molecular and Life SciencesCurtin UniversityBentleyWestern AustraliaAustralia
| | - Kar‐Chun Tan
- Centre for Crop and Disease ManagementCurtin UniversityBentleyWestern AustraliaAustralia
- School of Molecular and Life SciencesCurtin UniversityBentleyWestern AustraliaAustralia
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Li C, Zhang Q, Xia Y, Jin K. MaAreB, a GATA Transcription Factor, Is Involved in Nitrogen Source Utilization, Stress Tolerances and Virulence in Metarhizium acridum. J Fungi (Basel) 2021; 7:jof7070512. [PMID: 34198996 PMCID: PMC8305397 DOI: 10.3390/jof7070512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The nitrogen catabolite repression (NCR) pathway is involved in nitrogen utilization, in which the global GATA transcription factor AreA plays an indispensable role and has been reported in many fungi. However, relatively few studies are focused on AreB, another GATA transcription factor in the NCR pathway and the functions of AreB are largely unknown in entomopathogenic fungi. Here, we characterized MaAreB in the model entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium acridum. Sequence arrangement found that MaAreB had a conserved GATA zinc finger DNA binding domain and a leucine zipper domain. Disruption of MaAreB affected the nitrogen utilization and led to decelerated conidial germination and hyphal growth, decreased conidial yield, and lower tolerances to UV-B irradiation and heat-shock. Furthermore, the MaAreB mutant (ΔMaAreB) exhibited increased sensitivity to CFW (Calcofluor white), decreased cell wall contents (chitin and β-1,3-glucan) and reduced expression levels of some genes related to cell wall integrity, indicating that disruption of MaAreB affected the cell wall integrity. Bioassays showed that the virulence of the ΔMaAreB strain was decreased in topical inoculation but not in intra-hemocoel injection. Consistently, deletion of MaAreB severely impaired the appressorium formation and reduced the turgor pressure of appressorium. These results revealed that MaAreB regulated fungal nitrogen utilization, cell wall integrity and biological control potential, which would contribute to the functional characterization of AreB homologous proteins in other insect fungal pathogens, and even filamentous fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaochuang Li
- Genetic Engineering Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, China; (C.L.); (Q.Z.)
- Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Fungal Insecticide, Chongqing 401331, China
- Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation Technologies Under Chongqing Municipal Education Commission, Chongqing 401331, China
| | - Qipei Zhang
- Genetic Engineering Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, China; (C.L.); (Q.Z.)
- Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Fungal Insecticide, Chongqing 401331, China
- Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation Technologies Under Chongqing Municipal Education Commission, Chongqing 401331, China
| | - Yuxian Xia
- Genetic Engineering Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, China; (C.L.); (Q.Z.)
- Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Fungal Insecticide, Chongqing 401331, China
- Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation Technologies Under Chongqing Municipal Education Commission, Chongqing 401331, China
- Correspondence: (Y.X.); (K.J.); Tel.: +86-23-65120990 (Y.X.)
| | - Kai Jin
- Genetic Engineering Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, China; (C.L.); (Q.Z.)
- Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Fungal Insecticide, Chongqing 401331, China
- Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation Technologies Under Chongqing Municipal Education Commission, Chongqing 401331, China
- Correspondence: (Y.X.); (K.J.); Tel.: +86-23-65120990 (Y.X.)
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Jian Y, Liu Z, Wang H, Chen Y, Yin Y, Zhao Y, Ma Z. Interplay of two transcription factors for recruitment of the chromatin remodeling complex modulates fungal nitrosative stress response. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2576. [PMID: 33958593 PMCID: PMC8102577 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22831-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Nitric oxide (NO) is a diffusible signaling molecule that modulates animal and plant immune responses. In addition, reactive nitrogen species derived from NO can display antimicrobial activities by reacting with microbial cellular components, leading to nitrosative stress (NS) in pathogens. Here, we identify FgAreB as a regulator of the NS response in Fusarium graminearum, a fungal pathogen of cereal crops. FgAreB serves as a pioneer transcription factor for recruitment of the chromatin-remodeling complex SWI/SNF at the promoters of genes involved in the NS response, thus promoting their transcription. FgAreB plays important roles in fungal infection and growth. Furthermore, we show that a transcription repressor (FgIxr1) competes with the SWI/SNF complex for FgAreB binding, and negatively regulates the NS response. NS, in turn, promotes the degradation of FgIxr1, thus enhancing the recruitment of the SWI/SNF complex by FgAreB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunqing Jian
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zunyong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Haixia Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yun Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yanni Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Youfu Zhao
- Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Zhonghua Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
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Jiang C, Lv G, Ge J, He B, Zhang Z, Hu Z, Zeng B. Genome-wide identification of the GATA transcription factor family and their expression patterns under temperature and salt stress in Aspergillus oryzae. AMB Express 2021; 11:56. [PMID: 33876331 PMCID: PMC8055810 DOI: 10.1186/s13568-021-01212-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
GATA transcription factors (TFs) are involved in the regulation of growth processes and various environmental stresses. Although GATA TFs involved in abiotic stress in plants and some fungi have been analyzed, information regarding GATA TFs in Aspergillusoryzae is extremely poor. In this study, we identified and functionally characterized seven GATA proteins from A.oryzae 3.042 genome, including a novel AoSnf5 GATA TF with 20-residue between the Cys-X2-Cys motifs which was found in Aspergillus GATA TFs for the first time. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that these seven A. oryzae GATA TFs could be classified into six subgroups. Analysis of conserved motifs demonstrated that Aspergillus GATA TFs with similar motif compositions clustered in one subgroup, suggesting that they might possess similar genetic functions, further confirming the accuracy of the phylogenetic relationship. Furthermore, the expression patterns of seven A.oryzae GATA TFs under temperature and salt stresses indicated that A. oryzae GATA TFs were mainly responsive to high temperature and high salt stress. The protein–protein interaction network of A.oryzae GATA TFs revealed certain potentially interacting proteins. The comprehensive analysis of A. oryzae GATA TFs will be beneficial for understanding their biological function and evolutionary features and provide an important starting point to further understand the role of GATA TFs in the regulation of distinct environmental conditions in A.oryzae.
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Hedden P. The Current Status of Research on Gibberellin Biosynthesis. PLANT & CELL PHYSIOLOGY 2020; 61:1832-1849. [PMID: 32652020 PMCID: PMC7758035 DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pcaa092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 137] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 06/21/2020] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Gibberellins are produced by all vascular plants and several fungal and bacterial species that associate with plants as pathogens or symbionts. In the 60 years since the first experiments on the biosynthesis of gibberellic acid in the fungus Fusarium fujikuroi, research on gibberellin biosynthesis has advanced to provide detailed information on the pathways, biosynthetic enzymes and their genes in all three kingdoms, in which the production of the hormones evolved independently. Gibberellins function as hormones in plants, affecting growth and differentiation in organs in which their concentration is very tightly regulated. Current research in plants is focused particularly on the regulation of gibberellin biosynthesis and inactivation by developmental and environmental cues, and there is now considerable information on the molecular mechanisms involved in these processes. There have also been recent advances in understanding gibberellin transport and distribution and their relevance to plant development. This review describes our current understanding of gibberellin metabolism and its regulation, highlighting the more recent advances in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Hedden
- Laboratory of Growth Regulators, Palack� University & Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Šlechtitelů 27, 78371 Olomouc, Czech Republic
- Rothamsted Research, West Common, Harpenden, Hertfordshire AL5 2JQ, UK
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Rice-induced secondary metabolite gene expression in Aspergillus nidulans. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 47:1109-1116. [DOI: 10.1007/s10295-020-02328-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Activation of silent biosynthetic gene clusters in fungi remains a challenge for discovery of new useful natural products. In this work, we identify a group of silent secondary metabolite gene clusters in Aspergillus nidulans that are induced by rice (Oryza sativa). Using reverse phase HPLC purification on extracts of rice, we identified the plant hormone gibberellic acid as one compound present in rice extracts that induced these silent genes. Additionally, select secondary metabolite (SM) genes activated by rice were tested for responses to several plant hormones which produced distinctly different transcriptomic profiles in A. nidulans. These observations support the idea that phytohormones play an important role in regulating fungal SM biosynthesis while additionally serving as a source of natural product chemical libraries to screen for useful compounds.
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Zhang C, Wang G, Deng W, Li T. Distribution, evolution and expression of GATA-TFs provide new insights into their functions in light response and fruiting body development of Tolypocladium guangdongense. PeerJ 2020; 8:e9784. [PMID: 32923181 PMCID: PMC7457929 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Fungal GATA-type transcription factors (GATA-TFs) are a class of transcriptional regulators involved in various biological processes. However, their functions are rarely analyzed systematically, especially in edible or medicinal fungi, such as Tolypocladium guangdongense, which has various medicinal and food safety properties with a broad range of potential applications in healthcare products and the pharmaceutical industry. Methods GATA-TFs in T. guangdongense (TgGATAs) were identified using InterProScan. The type, distribution, and gene structure of TgGATAs were analyzed by genome-wide analyses. A phylogenetic tree was constructed to analyze their evolutionary relationships using the neighbor-joining (NJ) method. To explore the functions of GATA-TFs, conserved domains were analyzed using MEME, and cis-elements were predicted using the PlantCARE database. In addition, the expression patterns of TgGATAs under different light conditions and developmental stages were studied using qPCR. Results Seven TgGATAs were identified. They were randomly distributed on four chromosomes and contained one to four exons. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that GATA-TFs in each subgroup are highly conserved, especially for GATA1 to GATA5. Intron distribution analyses suggested that GATA1 and GATA3 possessed the most conserved gene structures. Light treatments induced the expression levels of TgGATA1 and TgGATA5-7, but the expression levels varied depending on the duration of illumination. The predicted protein structures indicate that TgGATA1 and TgGATA2 possess typical light-responsive domains and may function as photoreceptors to regulate downstream biological processes. TgGATA3 and TgGATA5 may be involved in nitrogen metabolism and siderophore biosynthesis, respectively. TgGATA6 and TgGATA7 possess unique Zn finger loop sequences, suggesting that they may have special functions. Furthermore, gene expression analysis indicated that TgGATA1 (WC1) was notably involved in mycelial color transformation, while other genes were involved in fruiting body development to some extent. These results provide valuable information to further explore the mechanisms through which TgGATAs are regulated during fruiting body development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenghua Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Gangzheng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wangqiu Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Taihui Li
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
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Tang C, Li T, Klosterman SJ, Tian C, Wang Y. The bZIP transcription factor VdAtf1 regulates virulence by mediating nitrogen metabolism in Verticillium dahliae. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2020; 226:1461-1479. [PMID: 32040203 DOI: 10.1111/nph.16481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2019] [Accepted: 02/03/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The fungus Verticillium dahliae causes vascular wilt disease on hundreds of plant species. Homologs of the bZIP transcription factor Atf1 are required for virulence in most pathogenic fungi, but the molecular basis for their involvement is largely unknown. We performed targeted gene deletion, expression analysis, biochemistry and pathogenicity assays to demonstrate that VdAtf1 governs pathogenesis via the regulation of nitrosative resistance and nitrogen metabolism in V. dahliae. VdAtf1 controls pathogenesis via the regulation of nitric oxide (NO) resistance and inorganic nitrogen metabolism rather than oxidative resistance and is important for penetration peg formation in V. dahliae. VdAtf1 affects ammonium and nitrate assimilation in response to various nitrogen sources. VdAtf1 may be involved in regulating the expression of VdNut1. VdAtf1 responds to NO stress by strengthening the fungal cell wall, and by causing over-accumulation of methylglyoxal and glycerol, which in turn impacts NO detoxification. We also verified that the VdAtf1 ortholog in Fusarium graminearum mediates nitrogen metabolism, suggesting conservation of this function in related plant pathogenic fungi. Our findings revealed new functions of VdAtf1 in pathogenesis, response to nitrosative stress and nitrogen metabolism in V. dahliae. The results provide novel insights into the regulatory mechanisms of the transcription factor VdAtf1 in virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Tang
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Forest Pest Control, College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Tianyu Li
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Forest Pest Control, College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Steven J Klosterman
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Crop Improvement and Protection Research Unit, Salinas, CA, 93905, USA
| | - Chengming Tian
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Forest Pest Control, College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Yonglin Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Forest Pest Control, College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
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Cen YK, Lin JG, Wang YL, Wang JY, Liu ZQ, Zheng YG. The Gibberellin Producer Fusarium fujikuroi: Methods and Technologies in the Current Toolkit. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2020; 8:232. [PMID: 32292777 PMCID: PMC7118215 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.00232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2019] [Accepted: 03/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years, there has been a noticeable increase in research interests on the Fusarium species, which includes prevalent plant pathogens and human pathogens, common microbial food contaminants and industrial microbes. Taken the advantage of gibberellin synthesis, Fusarium fujikuroi succeed in being a prevalent plant pathogen. At the meanwhile, F. fujikuroi was utilized for industrial production of gibberellins, a group of extensively applied phytohormone. F. fujikuroi has been known for its outstanding performance in gibberellin production for almost 100 years. Research activities relate to this species has lasted for a very long period. The slow development in biological investigation of F. fujikuroi is largely due to the lack of efficient research technologies and molecular tools. During the past decade, technologies to analyze the molecular basis of host-pathogen interactions and metabolic regulations have been developed rapidly, especially on the aspects of genetic manipulation. At the meanwhile, the industrial fermentation technologies kept sustained development. In this article, we reviewed the currently available research tools/methods for F. fujikuroi research, focusing on the topics about genetic engineering and gibberellin production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Ke Cen
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
- Engineering Research Center of Bioconversion and Biopurification of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jian-Guang Lin
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
- Engineering Research Center of Bioconversion and Biopurification of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
| | - You-Liang Wang
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
- Engineering Research Center of Bioconversion and Biopurification of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jun-You Wang
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
- Engineering Research Center of Bioconversion and Biopurification of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhi-Qiang Liu
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
- Engineering Research Center of Bioconversion and Biopurification of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yu-Guo Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
- Engineering Research Center of Bioconversion and Biopurification of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
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25
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Chudzicka-Ormaniec P, Macios M, Koper M, Weedall GD, Caddick MX, Weglenski P, Dzikowska A. The role of the GATA transcription factor AreB in regulation of nitrogen and carbon metabolism in Aspergillus nidulans. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2020; 366:5426211. [PMID: 30939206 PMCID: PMC6494665 DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnz066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2018] [Accepted: 04/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In Aspergillus nidulans, nitrogen and carbon metabolism are under the control of wide-domain regulatory systems, including nitrogen metabolite repression, carbon catabolite repression and the nutrient starvation response. Transcriptomic analysis of the wild type strain grown under different combinations of carbon and nitrogen regimes was performed, to identify differentially regulated genes. Carbon metabolism predominates as the most important regulatory signal but for many genes, both carbon and nitrogen metabolisms coordinate regulation. To identify mechanisms coordinating nitrogen and carbon metabolism, we tested the role of AreB, previously identified as a regulator of genes involved in nitrogen metabolism. Deletion of areB has significant phenotypic effects on the utilization of specific carbon sources, confirming its role in the regulation of carbon metabolism. AreB was shown to regulate the expression of areA, tamA, creA, xprG and cpcA regulatory genes suggesting areB has a range of indirect, regulatory effects. Different isoforms of AreB are produced as a result of differential splicing and use of two promoters which are differentially regulated by carbon and nitrogen conditions. These isoforms are likely to be functionally distinct and thus contributing to the modulation of AreB activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrycja Chudzicka-Ormaniec
- Institute of Genetics and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, ul. Pawińskiego 5A, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Maria Macios
- Institute of Genetics and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, ul. Pawińskiego 5A, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Michał Koper
- Institute of Genetics and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, ul. Pawińskiego 5A, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Gareth D Weedall
- Institute of Integrative Biology, The University of Liverpool, Biosciences Building, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK.,School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, James Parsons Building, Byrom Street, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK
| | - Mark X Caddick
- Institute of Integrative Biology, The University of Liverpool, Biosciences Building, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Piotr Weglenski
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, ul. Żwirki i Wigury 93, 02-089 Warsaw, Poland.,Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Pawińskiego 5A, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Dzikowska
- Institute of Genetics and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, ul. Pawińskiego 5A, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland.,Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Pawińskiego 5A, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
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26
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Regulation of Morphology, Aflatoxin Production, and Virulence of Aspergillus flavus by the Major Nitrogen Regulatory Gene areA. Toxins (Basel) 2019; 11:toxins11120718. [PMID: 31835504 PMCID: PMC6950533 DOI: 10.3390/toxins11120718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2019] [Revised: 11/24/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Aspergillus flavus is a renowned plant, animal and human pathogen. areA is a global nitrogen regulatory gene of the GATA transcription factor family, shown to be the major nitrogen regulator. In this study, we identified areA in A. flavus and studied its function. The AreA protein contained a signatory zinc finger domain, which is extremely conserved across fungal species. Gene deletion (ΔareA) and over-expression (OE::areA) strains were constructed by homologous recombination to elucidate the role of areA in A. flavus. The ΔareA strain was unable to efficiently utilize secondary nitrogen sources for growth of A. flavus, and it had poorly developed conidiophores, when observed on complete medium, resulting in the production of significantly less conidia than the wild-type strain (WT). Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) production was reduced in ΔareA compared with the WT strain in most conditions tested, and ΔareA had impaired virulence in peanut seeds. areA also played important roles in the sensitivity of A. flavus to osmotic, cell wall and oxidative stresses. Hence, areA was found to be important for the growth, aflatoxin production and pathogenicity of A. flavus. This work sheds light on the function of areA in the regulation of the nitrogen metabolism of A. flavus, and consequently aims at providing new ways for controlling the crossover pathogen, A. flavus.
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27
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Wang Z, Ma T, Huang Y, Wang J, Chen Y, Kistler HC, Ma Z, Yin Y. A fungal ABC transporter FgAtm1 regulates iron homeostasis via the transcription factor cascade FgAreA-HapX. PLoS Pathog 2019; 15:e1007791. [PMID: 31545842 PMCID: PMC6788720 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2018] [Revised: 10/11/2019] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Iron homeostasis is important for growth, reproduction and other metabolic processes in all eukaryotes. However, the functions of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters in iron homeostasis are largely unknown. Here, we found that one ABC transporter (named FgAtm1) is involved in regulating iron homeostasis, by screening sensitivity to iron stress for 60 ABC transporter mutants of Fusarium graminearum, a devastating fungal pathogen of small grain cereal crops worldwide. The lack of FgAtm1 reduces the activity of cytosolic Fe-S proteins nitrite reductase and xanthine dehydrogenase, which causes high expression of FgHapX via activating transcription factor FgAreA. FgHapX represses transcription of genes for iron-consuming proteins directly but activates genes for iron acquisition proteins by suppressing another iron regulator FgSreA. In addition, the transcriptional activity of FgHapX is regulated by the monothiol glutaredoxin FgGrx4. Furthermore, the phosphorylation of FgHapX, mediated by the Ser/Thr kinase FgYak1, is required for its functions in iron homeostasis. Taken together, this study uncovers a novel regulatory mechanism of iron homeostasis mediated by an ABC transporter in an important pathogenic fungus. Essential element iron plays important roles in many cellular processes in all organisms. The function of an ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter Atm1 in iron homeostasis has been characterized in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Our study found that FgAtm1 regulates iron homeostasis via the transcription factor cascade FgAreA-HapX in F. graminearum and the function of FgHapX is dependent on its interaction with FgGrx4 and phosphorylation by the Ser/Thr kinase FgYak1. This study reveals a novel regulatory mechanism of iron homeostasis in an important plant pathogenic fungus, and advances our understanding in iron homeostasis and functions of ABC transporters in eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhihui Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Biotechnology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Tianling Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Biotechnology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yunyan Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Biotechnology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jing Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Biotechnology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yun Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Biotechnology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - H. Corby Kistler
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, St. Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Zhonghua Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Biotechnology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- * E-mail: (ZM); (YY)
| | - Yanni Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Biotechnology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- * E-mail: (ZM); (YY)
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28
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Collemare J, Seidl MF. Chromatin-dependent regulation of secondary metabolite biosynthesis in fungi: is the picture complete? FEMS Microbiol Rev 2019; 43:591-607. [PMID: 31301226 PMCID: PMC8038932 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuz018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Fungal secondary metabolites are small molecules that exhibit diverse biological activities exploited in medicine, industry and agriculture. Their biosynthesis is governed by co-expressed genes that often co-localize in gene clusters. Most of these secondary metabolite gene clusters are inactive under laboratory conditions, which is due to a tight transcriptional regulation. Modifications of chromatin, the complex of DNA and histone proteins influencing DNA accessibility, play an important role in this regulation. However, tinkering with well-characterised chemical and genetic modifications that affect chromatin alters the expression of only few biosynthetic gene clusters, and thus the regulation of the vast majority of biosynthetic pathways remains enigmatic. In the past, attempts to activate silent gene clusters in fungi mainly focused on histone acetylation and methylation, while in other eukaryotes many other post-translational modifications are involved in transcription regulation. Thus, how chromatin regulates the expression of gene clusters remains a largely unexplored research field. In this review, we argue that focusing on only few well-characterised chromatin modifications is significantly hampering our understanding of the chromatin-based regulation of biosynthetic gene clusters. Research on underexplored chromatin modifications and on the interplay between different modifications is timely to fully explore the largely untapped reservoir of fungal secondary metabolites.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael F Seidl
- Corresponding author: Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, the Netherlands. E-mail: ; Present address: Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, the Netherlands
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29
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Nielsen MR, Sondergaard TE, Giese H, Sørensen JL. Advances in linking polyketides and non-ribosomal peptides to their biosynthetic gene clusters in Fusarium. Curr Genet 2019; 65:1263-1280. [DOI: 10.1007/s00294-019-00998-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2019] [Revised: 05/20/2019] [Accepted: 05/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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30
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A unique Zn(II) 2-Cys 6-type protein, KpeA, is involved in secondary metabolism and conidiation in Aspergillus oryzae. Fungal Genet Biol 2019; 127:35-44. [PMID: 30790620 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2019.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2018] [Revised: 01/31/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Aspergillus oryzae is an important microorganism in the bio- and food industries; therefore, understanding the mechanism underlying its secondary metabolism regulation is important for ensuring its safe use. Here, we screened a novel Zn(II)2-Cys6-type protein-encoding gene, AO090003001186, designated as kpeA (kojic acid production enhancement A), from an A. oryzae disruption mutant library of transcriptional regulators. kpeA is highly conserved among filamentous fungi and encodes a protein with Zn(II)2-Cys6 motif located in the middle of the sequence. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that KpeA was classified into a distal group compared to other fungal Zn(II)2-Cys6-type transcriptional regulators. A Cys to Ala substitution mutant of KpeA showed identical phenotype to the kpeA disruption strain, confirming that KpeA is novel type Zn(II)2-Cys6 binding protein. Colonies of the kpeA disruption strain (ΔkpeA) had longer aerial hyphae and showed decreased conidia production. Microscopic analysis suggested that the reduced vesicle size and conidial head formation in ΔkpeA strain account for the decreased conidia production. Transcriptional levels of brlA and downstream abaA and wetA were decreased in ΔkpeA strain. Moreover, ΔkpeA strain produced 6-fold more kojic acid than the control strains, and the expression of kojR and kojA was increased in ΔkpeA strain. Therefore, KpeA is a novel Zn(II)2-Cys6-type protein likely involved in conidiation and kojic acid production at the transcriptional level.
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31
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Schumacher DI, Lütkenhaus R, Altegoer F, Teichert I, Kück U, Nowrousian M. The transcription factor PRO44 and the histone chaperone ASF1 regulate distinct aspects of multicellular development in the filamentous fungus Sordaria macrospora. BMC Genet 2018; 19:112. [PMID: 30545291 PMCID: PMC6293562 DOI: 10.1186/s12863-018-0702-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2018] [Accepted: 11/28/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Fungal fruiting bodies are complex three-dimensional structures that are formed to protect and disperse the sexual spores. Their morphogenesis requires the concerted action of numerous genes; however, at the molecular level, the spatio-temporal sequence of events leading to the mature fruiting body is largely unknown. In previous studies, the transcription factor gene pro44 and the histone chaperone gene asf1 were shown to be essential for fruiting body formation in the ascomycete Sordaria macrospora. Both PRO44 and ASF1 are predicted to act on the regulation of gene expression in the nucleus, and mutants in both genes are blocked at the same stage of development. Thus, we hypothesized that PRO44 and ASF1 might be involved in similar aspects of transcriptional regulation. In this study, we characterized their roles in fruiting body development in more detail. Results The PRO44 protein forms homodimers, localizes to the nucleus, and is strongly expressed in the outer layers of the developing young fruiting body. Analysis of single and double mutants of asf1 and three other chromatin modifier genes, cac2, crc1, and rtt106, showed that only asf1 is essential for fruiting body formation whereas cac2 and rtt106 might have redundant functions in this process. RNA-seq analysis revealed distinct roles for asf1 and pro44 in sexual development, with asf1 acting as a suppressor of weakly expressed genes during morphogenesis. This is most likely not due to global mislocalization of nucleosomes as micrococcal nuclease-sequencing did not reveal differences in nucleosome spacing and positioning around transcriptional start sites between Δasf1 and the wild type. However, bisulfite sequencing revealed a decrease in DNA methylation in Δasf1, which might be a reason for the observed changes in gene expression. Transcriptome analysis of gene expression in young fruiting bodies showed that pro44 is required for correct expression of genes involved in extracellular metabolism. Deletion of the putative transcription factor gene asm2, which is downregulated in young fruiting bodies of Δpro44, results in defects during ascospore maturation. Conclusions In summary, the results indicate distinct roles for the transcription factor PRO44 and the histone chaperone ASF1 in the regulation of sexual development in fungi. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12863-018-0702-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ramona Lütkenhaus
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780, Bochum, Germany
| | - Florian Altegoer
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780, Bochum, Germany.,LOEWE-Zentrum für Synthetische Mikrobiologie & Department of Chemistry, Philipps University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Ines Teichert
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780, Bochum, Germany
| | - Ulrich Kück
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780, Bochum, Germany
| | - Minou Nowrousian
- Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780, Bochum, Germany.
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Transcription Factors Controlling Primary and Secondary Metabolism in Filamentous Fungi: The β-Lactam Paradigm. FERMENTATION-BASEL 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/fermentation4020047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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33
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Abstract
Small-molecule signaling is one major mode of communication within the polymicrobial consortium of soil and rhizosphere. While microbial secondary metabolite (SM) production and responses of individual species have been studied extensively, little is known about potentially conserved roles of SM signals in multilayered symbiotic or antagonistic relationships. Here, we characterize the SM-mediated interaction between the plant-pathogenic bacterium Ralstonia solanacearum and the two plant-pathogenic fungi Fusarium fujikuroi and Botrytis cinerea We show that cellular differentiation and SM biosynthesis in F. fujikuroi are induced by the bacterially produced lipopeptide ralsolamycin (synonym ralstonin A). In particular, fungal bikaverin production is induced and preferentially accumulates in fungal survival spores (chlamydospores) only when exposed to supernatants of ralsolamycin-producing strains of R. solanacearum Although inactivation of bikaverin biosynthesis moderately increases chlamydospore invasion by R. solanacearum, we show that other metabolites such as beauvericin are also induced by ralsolamycin and contribute to suppression of R. solanacearum growth in vitro Based on our findings that bikaverin antagonizes R. solanacearum and that ralsolamycin induces bikaverin biosynthesis in F. fujikuroi, we asked whether other bikaverin-producing fungi show similar responses to ralsolamycin. Examining a strain of B. cinerea that horizontally acquired the bikaverin gene cluster from Fusarium, we found that ralsolamycin induced bikaverin biosynthesis in this fungus. Our results suggest that conservation of microbial SM responses across distantly related fungi may arise from horizontal transfer of protective gene clusters that are activated by conserved regulatory cues, e.g., a bacterial lipopeptide, providing consistent fitness advantages in dynamic polymicrobial networks.IMPORTANCE Bacteria and fungi are ubiquitous neighbors in many environments, including the rhizosphere. Many of these organisms are notorious as economically devastating plant pathogens, but little is known about how they communicate chemically with each other. Here, we uncover a conserved antagonistic communication between the widespread bacterial wilt pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum and plant-pathogenic fungi from disparate genera, Fusarium and Botrytis Exposure of Fusarium fujikuroi to the bacterial lipopeptide ralsolamycin resulted in production of the antibacterial metabolite bikaverin specifically in fungal tissues invaded by Ralstonia Remarkably, ralsolamycin induction of bikaverin was conserved in a Botrytis cinerea isolate carrying a horizontally transferred bikaverin gene cluster. These results indicate that horizontally transferred gene clusters may carry regulatory prompts that contribute to conserved fitness functions in polymicrobial environments.
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Janevska S, Tudzynski B. Secondary metabolism in Fusarium fujikuroi: strategies to unravel the function of biosynthetic pathways. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2017; 102:615-630. [PMID: 29204899 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-017-8679-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2017] [Revised: 11/24/2017] [Accepted: 11/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
The fungus Fusarium fujikuroi causes bakanae disease of rice due to its ability to produce the plant hormones, the gibberellins. The fungus is also known for producing harmful mycotoxins (e.g., fusaric acid and fusarins) and pigments (e.g., bikaverin and fusarubins). However, for a long time, most of these well-known products could not be linked to biosynthetic gene clusters. Recent genome sequencing has revealed altogether 47 putative gene clusters. Most of them were orphan clusters for which the encoded natural product(s) were unknown. In this review, we describe the current status of our research on identification and functional characterizations of novel secondary metabolite gene clusters. We present several examples where linking known metabolites to the respective biosynthetic genes has been achieved and describe recent strategies and methods to access new natural products, e.g., by genetic manipulation of pathway-specific or global transcritption factors. In addition, we demonstrate that deletion and over-expression of histone-modifying genes is a powerful tool to activate silent gene clusters and to discover their products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Slavica Janevska
- Institute of Biology and Biotechnology of Plants, University Münster, Schlossplatz 8, 48143, Munster, Germany
| | - Bettina Tudzynski
- Institute of Biology and Biotechnology of Plants, University Münster, Schlossplatz 8, 48143, Munster, Germany.
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35
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Niehaus EM, Rindermann L, Janevska S, Münsterkötter M, Güldener U, Tudzynski B. Analysis of the global regulator Lae1 uncovers a connection between Lae1 and the histone acetyltransferase HAT1 in Fusarium fujikuroi. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2017; 102:279-295. [PMID: 29080998 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-017-8590-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2017] [Revised: 10/17/2017] [Accepted: 10/18/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The fungus Fusarium fujikuroi causes "bakanae" disease of rice due to its ability to produce gibberellins (GAs), a family of plant hormones. Recent genome sequencing revealed the genetic capacity for the biosynthesis of 46 additional secondary metabolites besides the industrially produced GAs. Among them are the pigments bikaverin and fusarubins, as well as mycotoxins, such as fumonisins, fusarin C, beauvericin, and fusaric acid. However, half of the potential secondary metabolite gene clusters are silent. In recent years, it has been shown that the fungal specific velvet complex is involved in global regulation of secondary metabolism in several filamentous fungi. We have previously shown that deletion of the three components of the F. fujikuroi velvet complex, vel1, vel2, and lae1, almost totally abolished biosynthesis of GAs, fumonisins and fusarin C. Here, we present a deeper insight into the genome-wide regulatory impact of Lae1 on secondary metabolism. Over-expression of lae1 resulted in de-repression of GA biosynthetic genes under otherwise repressing high nitrogen conditions demonstrating that the nitrogen repression is overcome. In addition, over-expression of one of five tested histone acetyltransferase genes, HAT1, was capable of returning GA gene expression and GA production to the GA-deficient Δlae1 mutant. Deletion and over-expression of HAT1 in the wild type resulted in downregulation and upregulation of GA gene expression, respectively, indicating that HAT1 together with Lae1 plays an essential role in the regulation of GA biosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva-Maria Niehaus
- Institute for Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Westfälische Wilhelms University Münster, Schlossplatz 8, 48143, Münster, Germany.,Institute of Food Chemistry, Westfälische Wilhelms University Münster, Corrensstr. 45, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Lena Rindermann
- Institute for Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Westfälische Wilhelms University Münster, Schlossplatz 8, 48143, Münster, Germany
| | - Slavica Janevska
- Institute for Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Westfälische Wilhelms University Münster, Schlossplatz 8, 48143, Münster, Germany
| | - Martin Münsterkötter
- Institute of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Germany Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, 85764, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Ulrich Güldener
- Chair of Genome-oriented Bioinformatics, TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, 85354, Freising, Germany
| | - Bettina Tudzynski
- Institute for Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Westfälische Wilhelms University Münster, Schlossplatz 8, 48143, Münster, Germany.
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Niehaus EM, Kim HK, Münsterkötter M, Janevska S, Arndt B, Kalinina SA, Houterman PM, Ahn IP, Alberti I, Tonti S, Kim DW, Sieber CMK, Humpf HU, Yun SH, Güldener U, Tudzynski B. Comparative genomics of geographically distant Fusarium fujikuroi isolates revealed two distinct pathotypes correlating with secondary metabolite profiles. PLoS Pathog 2017; 13:e1006670. [PMID: 29073267 PMCID: PMC5675463 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2017] [Revised: 11/07/2017] [Accepted: 09/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Fusarium fujikuroi causes bakanae ("foolish seedling") disease of rice which is characterized by hyper-elongation of seedlings resulting from production of gibberellic acids (GAs) by the fungus. This plant pathogen is also known for production of harmful mycotoxins, such as fusarins, fusaric acid, apicidin F and beauvericin. Recently, we generated the first de novo genome sequence of F. fujikuroi strain IMI 58289 combined with extensive transcriptional, epigenetic, proteomic and chemical product analyses. GA production was shown to provide a selective advantage during infection of the preferred host plant rice. Here, we provide genome sequences of eight additional F. fujikuroi isolates from distant geographic regions. The isolates differ in the size of chromosomes, most likely due to variability of subtelomeric regions, the type of asexual spores (microconidia and/or macroconidia), and the number and expression of secondary metabolite gene clusters. Whilst most of the isolates caused the typical bakanae symptoms, one isolate, B14, caused stunting and early withering of infected seedlings. In contrast to the other isolates, B14 produced no GAs but high amounts of fumonisins during infection on rice. Furthermore, it differed from the other isolates by the presence of three additional polyketide synthase (PKS) genes (PKS40, PKS43, PKS51) and the absence of the F. fujikuroi-specific apicidin F (NRPS31) gene cluster. Analysis of additional field isolates confirmed the strong correlation between the pathotype (bakanae or stunting/withering), and the ability to produce either GAs or fumonisins. Deletion of the fumonisin and fusaric acid-specific PKS genes in B14 reduced the stunting/withering symptoms, whereas deletion of the PKS51 gene resulted in elevated symptom development. Phylogenetic analyses revealed two subclades of F. fujikuroi strains according to their pathotype and secondary metabolite profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva-Maria Niehaus
- Institute of Biology and Biotechnology of Plants, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of Fungi, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Hee-Kyoung Kim
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Soonchunhyang University, Asan, Republic of Korea
| | - Martin Münsterkötter
- Institute of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Slavica Janevska
- Institute of Biology and Biotechnology of Plants, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of Fungi, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Birgit Arndt
- Institute of Food Chemistry, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Corrensstraße 45, Münster, Germany
| | - Svetlana A. Kalinina
- Institute of Food Chemistry, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Corrensstraße 45, Münster, Germany
| | - Petra M. Houterman
- University of Amsterdam, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, Plant Pathology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Il-Pyung Ahn
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Wanju, Republic of Korea
| | - Ilaria Alberti
- CREA-CIN Sede di Rovigo, Viale Giovanni Amendola, 82, 45100 Rovigo, Italy
| | - Stefano Tonti
- CREA-SCS Sede di Bologna, Via di Corticella, 133, 40128 Bologna, Italy
| | - Da-Woon Kim
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Soonchunhyang University, Asan, Republic of Korea
| | - Christian M. K. Sieber
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, University of California, Walnut Creek, Berkeley, California
| | - Hans-Ulrich Humpf
- Institute of Food Chemistry, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Corrensstraße 45, Münster, Germany
| | - Sung-Hwan Yun
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Soonchunhyang University, Asan, Republic of Korea
- * E-mail: (BT); (UG); (SY)
| | - Ulrich Güldener
- Institute of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Neuherberg, Germany
- Chair of Genome-oriented Bioinformatics, TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
- * E-mail: (BT); (UG); (SY)
| | - Bettina Tudzynski
- Institute of Biology and Biotechnology of Plants, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of Fungi, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
- * E-mail: (BT); (UG); (SY)
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A GATA-type transcription factor AcAREB for nitrogen metabolism is involved in regulation of cephalosporin biosynthesis in Acremonium chrysogenum. SCIENCE CHINA-LIFE SCIENCES 2017; 60:958-967. [DOI: 10.1007/s11427-017-9118-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2017] [Accepted: 05/11/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Niehaus EM, Schumacher J, Burkhardt I, Rabe P, Spitzer E, Münsterkötter M, Güldener U, Sieber CMK, Dickschat JS, Tudzynski B. The GATA-Type Transcription Factor Csm1 Regulates Conidiation and Secondary Metabolism in Fusarium fujikuroi. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:1175. [PMID: 28694801 PMCID: PMC5483468 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.01175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2017] [Accepted: 06/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
GATA-type transcription factors (TFs) such as the nitrogen regulators AreA and AreB, or the light-responsive TFs WC-1 and WC-2, play global roles in fungal growth and development. The conserved GATA TF NsdD is known as an activator of sexual development and key repressor of conidiation in Aspergillus nidulans, and as light-regulated repressor of macroconidia formation in Botrytis cinerea. In the present study, we functionally characterized the NsdD ortholog in Fusarium fujikuroi, named Csm1. Deletion of this gene resulted in elevated microconidia formation in the wild-type (WT) and restoration of conidiation in the non-sporulating velvet mutant Δvel1 demonstrating that Csm1 also plays a role as repressor of conidiation in F. fujikuroi. Furthermore, biosynthesis of the PKS-derived red pigments, bikaverin and fusarubins, is de-regulated under otherwise repressing conditions. Cross-species complementation of the Δcsm1 mutant with the B. cinerea ortholog LTF1 led to full restoration of WT-like growth, conidiation and pigment formation. In contrast, the F. fujikuroi CSM1 rescued only the defects in growth, the tolerance to H2O2 and virulence, but did not restore the light-dependent differentiation when expressed in the B. cinerea Δltf1 mutant. Microarray analysis comparing the expression profiles of the F. fujikuroi WT and the Δcsm1 mutant under different nitrogen conditions revealed a strong impact of this GATA TF on 19 of the 47 gene clusters in the genome of F. fujikuroi. One of the up-regulated silent gene clusters is the one containing the sesquiterpene cyclase-encoding key gene STC1. Heterologous expression of STC1 in Escherichia coli enabled us to identify the product as the volatile bioactive compound (-)-germacrene D.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva-Maria Niehaus
- Institut für Biologie und Biotechnologie der Pflanzen, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität MünsterMünster, Germany
| | - Julia Schumacher
- Institut für Biologie und Biotechnologie der Pflanzen, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität MünsterMünster, Germany
| | - Immo Burkhardt
- Kekulé-Institut für Organische Chemie und Biochemie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität BonnBonn, Germany
| | - Patrick Rabe
- Kekulé-Institut für Organische Chemie und Biochemie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität BonnBonn, Germany
| | - Eduard Spitzer
- Institut für Biologie und Biotechnologie der Pflanzen, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität MünsterMünster, Germany
| | - Martin Münsterkötter
- Institute of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Helmholtz Zentrum MünchenNeuherberg, Germany
| | - Ulrich Güldener
- Department of Genome-Oriented Bioinformatics, Wissenschaftszentrum Weihenstephan, Technische Universität MünchenFreising, Germany
| | | | - Jeroen S Dickschat
- Kekulé-Institut für Organische Chemie und Biochemie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität BonnBonn, Germany
| | - Bettina Tudzynski
- Institut für Biologie und Biotechnologie der Pflanzen, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität MünsterMünster, Germany
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Pfannmüller A, Leufken J, Studt L, Michielse CB, Sieber CMK, Güldener U, Hawat S, Hippler M, Fufezan C, Tudzynski B. Comparative transcriptome and proteome analysis reveals a global impact of the nitrogen regulators AreA and AreB on secondary metabolism in Fusarium fujikuroi. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0176194. [PMID: 28441411 PMCID: PMC5404775 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0176194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2017] [Accepted: 04/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The biosynthesis of multiple secondary metabolites in the phytopathogenic ascomycete Fusarium fujikuroi is strongly affected by nitrogen availability. Here, we present the first genome-wide transcriptome and proteome analysis that compared the wild type and deletion mutants of the two major nitrogen regulators AreA and AreB. We show that AreB acts not simply as an antagonist of AreA counteracting the expression of AreA target genes as suggested based on the yeast model. Both GATA transcription factors affect a large and diverse set of common as well as specific target genes and proteins, acting as activators and repressors. We demonstrate that AreA and AreB are not only involved in fungal nitrogen metabolism, but also in the control of several complex cellular processes like carbon metabolism, transport and secondary metabolism. We show that both GATA transcription factors can be considered as master regulators of secondary metabolism as they affect the expression of more than half of the 47 putative secondary metabolite clusters identified in the genome of F. fujikuroi. While AreA acts as a positive regulator of many clusters under nitrogen-limiting conditions, AreB is able to activate and repress gene clusters (e.g. bikaverin) under nitrogen limitation and sufficiency. In addition, ChIP analyses revealed that loss of AreA or AreB causes histone modifications at some of the regulated gene clusters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Pfannmüller
- Institute of Biology and Biotechnology of Plants, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of Fungi, Westfälische Wilhelms-University Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Johannes Leufken
- Institute of Biology and Biotechnology of Plants, Computational Biology, Westfälische Wilhelms-University Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Lena Studt
- Institute of Biology and Biotechnology of Plants, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of Fungi, Westfälische Wilhelms-University Münster, Münster, Germany
- Division of Microbial Genetics and Pathogen Interaction, Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Campus-Tulln, BOKU-University of Natural Resources and Life Science, Vienna, Austria
| | - Caroline B. Michielse
- Institute of Biology and Biotechnology of Plants, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of Fungi, Westfälische Wilhelms-University Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Christian M. K. Sieber
- Institute of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Ulrich Güldener
- Institute of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Neuherberg, Germany
- Department of Genome-oriented Bioinformatics, Wissenschaftszentrum Weihenstephan, Technische Universität München, Freising, Germany
| | - Susan Hawat
- Institute of Biology and Biotechnology of Plants, Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Westfälische Wilhelms-University Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Michael Hippler
- Institute of Biology and Biotechnology of Plants, Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Westfälische Wilhelms-University Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Christian Fufezan
- Institute of Biology and Biotechnology of Plants, Computational Biology, Westfälische Wilhelms-University Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Bettina Tudzynski
- Institute of Biology and Biotechnology of Plants, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of Fungi, Westfälische Wilhelms-University Münster, Münster, Germany
- * E-mail:
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Pfannmüller A, Boysen JM, Tudzynski B. Nitrate Assimilation in Fusarium fujikuroi Is Controlled by Multiple Levels of Regulation. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:381. [PMID: 28352253 PMCID: PMC5348485 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.00381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2016] [Accepted: 02/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Secondary metabolite production of the phytopathogenic ascomycete fungus Fusarium fujikuroi is greatly influenced by the availability of nitrogen. While favored nitrogen sources such as glutamine and ammonium are used preferentially, the uptake and utilization of nitrate is subject to a regulatory mechanism called nitrogen metabolite repression (NMR). In Aspergillus nidulans, the transcriptional control of the nitrate assimilatory system is carried out by the synergistic action of the nitrate-specific transcription factor NirA and the major nitrogen-responsive regulator AreA. In this study, we identified the main components of the nitrate assimilation system in F. fujikuroi and studied the role of each of them regarding the regulation of the remaining components. We analyzed mutants with deletions of the nitrate-specific activator NirA, the nitrate reductase (NR), the nitrite reductase (NiR) and the nitrate transporter NrtA. We show that NirA controls the transcription of the nitrate assimilatory genes NIAD, NIIA, and NRTA in the presence of nitrate, and that the global nitrogen regulator AreA is obligatory for expression of most, but not all NirA target genes (NIAD). By transforming a NirA-GFP fusion construct into the ΔNIAD, ΔNRTA, and ΔAREA mutant backgrounds we revealed that NirA was dispersed in the cytosol when grown in the presence of glutamine, but rapidly sorted to the nucleus when nitrate was added. Interestingly, the rapid and nitrate-induced nuclear translocation of NirA was observed also in the ΔAREA and ΔNRTA mutants, but not in ΔNIAD, suggesting that the fungus is able to directly sense nitrate in an AreA- and NrtA-independent, but NR-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Pfannmüller
- Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of Fungi, Department of Biology, Institute of Biology and Biotechnology of Plants, University of Münster Münster, Germany
| | - Jana M Boysen
- Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of Fungi, Department of Biology, Institute of Biology and Biotechnology of Plants, University of Münster Münster, Germany
| | - Bettina Tudzynski
- Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of Fungi, Department of Biology, Institute of Biology and Biotechnology of Plants, University of Münster Münster, Germany
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41
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Bi F, Ment D, Luria N, Meng X, Prusky D. Mutation of AREA affects growth, sporulation, nitrogen regulation, and pathogenicity in Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. Fungal Genet Biol 2016; 99:29-39. [PMID: 28027951 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2016.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2016] [Revised: 12/09/2016] [Accepted: 12/16/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The GATA transcription factor AreA is a global nitrogen regulator that restricts the utilization of complex and poor nitrogen sources in the presence of good nitrogen sources in microorganisms. In this study, we report the biological function of an AreA homolog (the CgareA gene) in the fruit postharvest pathogen Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. Targeted gene deletion mutants of areA exhibited significant reductions in vegetative growth, increases in conidia production, and slight decreases in conidial germination rates. Quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis revealed that the expression of AreA was highly induced under nitrogen-limiting conditions. Moreover, compared to wild-type and complemented strains, nitrogen metabolism-related genes were misregulated in ΔareA mutant strains. Pathogenicity assays indicated that the virulence of ΔareA mutant strains were affected by the nitrogen content, but not the carbon content, of fruit hosts. Taken together, our results indicate that CgareA plays a critical role in fungal development, conidia production, regulation of nitrogen metabolism and virulence in Colletotrichum gloeosporioides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fangcheng Bi
- Institute of Fruit Tree Research, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China; Key Laboratory of South Subtropical Fruit Biology and Genetic Resource Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture, Guangzhou 510640, China; Key Laboratory of Tropical and Subtropical Fruit Tree Research, Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510640, China; Department of Postharvest Science of Fresh Produce, Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel
| | - Dana Ment
- Department of Postharvest Science of Fresh Produce, Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel
| | - Neta Luria
- Department of Postharvest Science of Fresh Produce, Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel
| | - Xiangchun Meng
- Institute of Fruit Tree Research, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China; Key Laboratory of South Subtropical Fruit Biology and Genetic Resource Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture, Guangzhou 510640, China; Key Laboratory of Tropical and Subtropical Fruit Tree Research, Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510640, China.
| | - Dov Prusky
- Department of Postharvest Science of Fresh Produce, Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel.
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Macheleidt J, Mattern DJ, Fischer J, Netzker T, Weber J, Schroeckh V, Valiante V, Brakhage AA. Regulation and Role of Fungal Secondary Metabolites. Annu Rev Genet 2016; 50:371-392. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-genet-120215-035203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 219] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Juliane Macheleidt
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Hans Knöll Institute (HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany; , , , , , ,
| | - Derek J. Mattern
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Hans Knöll Institute (HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany; , , , , , ,
- Institute for Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07737 Jena, Germany
| | - Juliane Fischer
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Hans Knöll Institute (HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany; , , , , , ,
- Institute for Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07737 Jena, Germany
| | - Tina Netzker
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Hans Knöll Institute (HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany; , , , , , ,
- Institute for Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07737 Jena, Germany
| | - Jakob Weber
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Hans Knöll Institute (HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany; , , , , , ,
- Institute for Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07737 Jena, Germany
| | - Volker Schroeckh
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Hans Knöll Institute (HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany; , , , , , ,
| | - Vito Valiante
- Research Group Biobricks of Microbial Natural Product Syntheses, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany;
| | - Axel A. Brakhage
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Hans Knöll Institute (HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany; , , , , , ,
- Institute for Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07737 Jena, Germany
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Rösler SM, Sieber CMK, Humpf HU, Tudzynski B. Interplay between pathway-specific and global regulation of the fumonisin gene cluster in the rice pathogen Fusarium fujikuroi. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2016; 100:5869-82. [PMID: 26966024 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-016-7426-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2015] [Revised: 02/17/2016] [Accepted: 02/26/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The rice pathogenic fungus Fusarium fujikuroi is known to produce a large variety of secondary metabolites. Besides the gibberellins, causing the bakanae effect in infected rice seedlings, the fungus produces several mycotoxins and pigments. Among the 47 putative secondary metabolite gene clusters identified in the genome of F. fujikuroi, the fumonisin gene cluster (FUM) shows very high homology to the FUM cluster of the main fumonisin producer Fusarium verticillioides, a pathogen of maize. Despite the high level of cluster gene conservation, total fumonisin FB1 and FB2 levels (FBx) produced by F. fujikuroi were only 1-10 % compared to F. verticillioides under inducing conditions. Nitrogen repression was found to be relevant for wild-type strains of both species. However, addition of germinated maize kernels activated the FBx production only in F. verticillioides, reflecting the different host specificity of both wild-type strains. Over-expression of the pathway-specific transcription factor Fum21 in F. fujikuroi strongly activated the FUM cluster genes leading to 1000-fold elevated FBx levels. To gain further insights into the nitrogen metabolite repression of FBx biosynthesis, we studied the impact of the global nitrogen regulators AreA and AreB and demonstrated that both GATA-type transcription factors are essential for full activation of the FUM gene cluster. Loss of one of them obstructs the pathway-specific transcription factor Fum21 to fully activate expression of FUM cluster genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M Rösler
- Institute of Food Chemistry, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Corrensstraße 45, 48149, Münster, Germany.,Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Schlossplatz 8, 48143, Münster, Germany
| | - Christian M K Sieber
- Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Institute of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, 85764, Neuherberg, Germany.,DOE Joint Genome Institute, 2800 Mitchell Drive, Walnut Creek, CA, 94598, USA
| | - Hans-Ulrich Humpf
- Institute of Food Chemistry, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Corrensstraße 45, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Bettina Tudzynski
- Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Schlossplatz 8, 48143, Münster, Germany.
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Studt L, Janevska S, Niehaus EM, Burkhardt I, Arndt B, Sieber CMK, Humpf HU, Dickschat JS, Tudzynski B. Two separate key enzymes and two pathway-specific transcription factors are involved in fusaric acid biosynthesis in Fusarium fujikuroi. Environ Microbiol 2016; 18:936-56. [PMID: 26662839 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.13150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2015] [Revised: 11/18/2015] [Accepted: 11/23/2015] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Fusaric acid (FSA) is a mycotoxin produced by several fusaria, including the rice pathogen Fusarium fujikuroi. Genes involved in FSA biosynthesis were previously identified as a cluster containing a polyketide synthase (PKS)-encoding (FUB1) and four additional genes (FUB2-FUB5). However, the biosynthetic steps leading to FSA as well as the origin of the nitrogen atom, which is incorporated into the polyketide backbone, remained unknown. In this study, seven additional cluster genes (FUB6-FUB12) were identified via manipulation of the global regulator FfSge1. The extended FUB gene cluster encodes two Zn(II)2 Cys6 transcription factors: Fub10 positively regulates expression of all FUB genes, whereas Fub12 is involved in the formation of the two FSA derivatives, i.e. dehydrofusaric acid and fusarinolic acid, serving as a detoxification mechanism. The major facilitator superfamily transporter Fub11 functions in the export of FSA out of the cell and is essential when FSA levels become critical. Next to Fub1, a second key enzyme was identified, the non-canonical non-ribosomal peptide synthetase Fub8. Chemical analyses of generated mutant strains allowed for the identification of a triketide as PKS product and the proposition of an FSA biosynthetic pathway, thereby unravelling the unique formation of a hybrid metabolite consisting of this triketide and an amino acid moiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lena Studt
- Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Westfälische Wilhelms-University, Schlossplatz 8, 48143, Münster, Germany
| | - Slavica Janevska
- Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Westfälische Wilhelms-University, Schlossplatz 8, 48143, Münster, Germany
| | - Eva-Maria Niehaus
- Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Westfälische Wilhelms-University, Schlossplatz 8, 48143, Münster, Germany
| | - Immo Burkhardt
- Kekulé Institute for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University Bonn, 53121, Bonn, Germany
| | - Birgit Arndt
- Institute of Food Chemistry, Westfälische Wilhelms-University, Corrensstr. 45, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Christian M K Sieber
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, DOE Joint Genome Institute, 2800 Mitchell Drive, Walnut Creek, CA, 94598, USA
| | - Hans-Ulrich Humpf
- Institute of Food Chemistry, Westfälische Wilhelms-University, Corrensstr. 45, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Jeroen S Dickschat
- Kekulé Institute for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University Bonn, 53121, Bonn, Germany
| | - Bettina Tudzynski
- Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Westfälische Wilhelms-University, Schlossplatz 8, 48143, Münster, Germany
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45
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Tsavkelova EA. The biosynthesis of gibberellic acids by the transformants of orchid-associated Fusarium oxysporum. Mycol Prog 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s11557-015-1156-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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Pfannmüller A, Wagner D, Sieber C, Schönig B, Boeckstaens M, Marini AM, Tudzynski B. The General Amino Acid Permease FfGap1 of Fusarium fujikuroi Is Sorted to the Vacuole in a Nitrogen-Dependent, but Npr1 Kinase-Independent Manner. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0125487. [PMID: 25909858 PMCID: PMC4409335 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0125487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2014] [Accepted: 03/14/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The rice pathogenic fungus Fusarium fujikuroi is well known for the production of a broad spectrum of secondary metabolites (SMs) such as gibberellic acids (GAs), mycotoxins and pigments. The biosynthesis of most of these SMs strictly depends on nitrogen availability and of the activity of permeases of nitrogen sources, e.g. the ammonium and amino acid permeases. One of the three ammonium permeases, MepB, was recently shown to act not only as a transporter but also as a nitrogen sensor affecting the production of nitrogen-repressed SMs. Here we describe the identification of a general amino acid permease, FfGap1, among the 99 putative amino acid permeases (AAPs) in the genome of F. fujikuroi. FfGap1 is able to fully restore growth of the yeast gap1∆ mutant on several amino acids including citrulline and tryptophane. In S. cerevisiae, Gap1 activity is regulated by shuttling between the plasma membrane (nitrogen limiting conditions) and the vacuole (nitrogen sufficiency), which we also show for FfGap1. In yeast, the Npr1 serine/threonine kinase stabilizes the Gap1 position at the plasma membrane. Here, we identified and characterized three NPR1-homologous genes, encoding the putative protein kinases FfNpr1-1, FfNpr1-2 and FfNpr1-3 with significant similarity to yeast Npr1. Complementation of the yeast npr1Δ mutant with each of the three F. fujikuroi NPR1 homologues, resulted in partial restoration of ammonium, arginine and proline uptake by FfNPR1-1 while none of the three kinases affect growth on different nitrogen sources and nitrogen-dependent sorting of FfGap1 in F. fujikuroi. However, exchange of the putative ubiquitin-target lysine 9 (K9A) and 15 (K15A) residues of FfGap1 resulted in extended localization to the plasma membrane and increased protein stability independently of nitrogen availability. These data suggest a similar regulation of FfGap1 by nitrogen-dependent ubiquitination, but differences regarding the role of Fusarium Npr1 homologues compared to yeast.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Pfannmüller
- Institut für Biologie und Biotechnologie der Pflanzen, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Dominik Wagner
- Institut für Biologie und Biotechnologie der Pflanzen, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Christian Sieber
- Institute of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Birgit Schönig
- Institut für Biologie und Biotechnologie der Pflanzen, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Mélanie Boeckstaens
- Laboratoire de Biologie du Transport Membranaire, Institut de Biologie et de Médecine Moléculaires, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Gosselies, Belgium
| | - Anna Maria Marini
- Laboratoire de Biologie du Transport Membranaire, Institut de Biologie et de Médecine Moléculaires, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Gosselies, Belgium
| | - Bettina Tudzynski
- Institut für Biologie und Biotechnologie der Pflanzen, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
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Ment D, Alkan N, Luria N, Bi FC, Reuveni E, Fluhr R, Prusky D. A Role of AREB in the Regulation of PACC-Dependent Acid-Expressed-Genes and Pathogenicity of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. MOLECULAR PLANT-MICROBE INTERACTIONS : MPMI 2015; 28:154-66. [PMID: 25317668 DOI: 10.1094/mpmi-09-14-0252-r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Gene expression regulation by pH in filamentous fungi and yeasts is controlled by the PACC/RIM101 transcription factor. In Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, PACC is known to act as positive regulator of alkaline-expressed genes, and this regulation was shown to contribute to fungal pathogenicity. PACC is also a negative regulator of acid-expressed genes, however; the mechanism of downregulation of acid-expressed genes by PACC and their contribution to C. gloeosporioides pathogenicity is not well understood. RNA sequencing data analysis was employed to demonstrate that PACC transcription factor binding sites (TFBS) are significantly overrepresented in the promoter of PACC-upregulated, alkaline-expressed genes. In contrast, they are not overrepresented in the PACC-downregulated, acid-expressed genes. Instead, acid-expressed genes showed overrepresentation of AREB GATA TFBS in C. gloeosporioides and in homologs of five other ascomycetes genomes. The areB promoter contains PACC TFBS; its transcript was upregulated at pH 7 and repressed in ΔpacC. Furthermore, acid-expressed genes were found to be constitutively upregulated in ΔareB during alkalizing conditions. The areB mutants showed significantly reduced ammonia secretion and pathogenicity on tomato fruit. Present results indicate that PACC activates areB expression, thereby conditionally repressing acid-expressed genes and contributing critically to C. gloeosporioides pathogenicity.
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Tudzynski B. Nitrogen regulation of fungal secondary metabolism in fungi. Front Microbiol 2014; 5:656. [PMID: 25506342 PMCID: PMC4246892 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2014.00656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 170] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2014] [Accepted: 11/13/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Fungi occupy diverse environments where they are constantly challenged by stressors such as extreme pH, temperature, UV exposure, and nutrient deprivation. Nitrogen is an essential requirement for growth, and the ability to metabolize a wide variety of nitrogen sources enables fungi to colonize different environmental niches and survive nutrient limitations. Favored nitrogen sources, particularly ammonium and glutamine, are used preferentially, while the expression of genes required for the use of various secondary nitrogen sources is subject to a regulatory mechanism called nitrogen metabolite repression. Studies on gene regulation in response to nitrogen availability were carried out first in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Aspergillus nidulans, and Neurospora crassa. These studies revealed that fungi respond to changes in nitrogen availability with physiological and morphological alterations and activation of differentiation processes. In all fungal species studied, the major GATA transcription factor AreA and its co-repressor Nmr are central players of the nitrogen regulatory network. In addition to growth and development, the quality and quantity of nitrogen also affects the formation of a broad range of secondary metabolites (SMs). Recent studies, mainly on species of the genus Fusarium, revealed that AreA does not only regulate a large set of nitrogen catabolic genes, but can also be involved in regulating production of SMs. Furthermore, several other regulators, e.g., a second GATA transcription factor, AreB, that was proposed to negatively control nitrogen catabolic genes by competing with AreA for binding to GATA elements, was shown to act as activator of some nitrogen-repressed as well as nitrogen-induced SM gene clusters. This review highlights our latest understanding of canonical (AreA-dependent) and non-canonical nitrogen regulation mechanisms by which fungi may regulate biosynthesis of certain SMs in response to nitrogen availability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bettina Tudzynski
- Institute of Biology and Biotechnology of Plants, Westfaelische Wilhelms-University Muenster Muenster, Germany
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