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Kulkarni M, Hardwick JM. Programmed Cell Death in Unicellular Versus Multicellular Organisms. Annu Rev Genet 2023; 57:435-459. [PMID: 37722687 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-genet-033123-095833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/20/2023]
Abstract
Programmed cell death (self-induced) is intrinsic to all cellular life forms, including unicellular organisms. However, cell death research has focused on animal models to understand cancer, degenerative disorders, and developmental processes. Recently delineated suicidal death mechanisms in bacteria and fungi have revealed ancient origins of animal cell death that are intertwined with immune mechanisms, allaying earlier doubts that self-inflicted cell death pathways exist in microorganisms. Approximately 20 mammalian death pathways have been partially characterized over the last 35 years. By contrast, more than 100 death mechanisms have been identified in bacteria and a few fungi in recent years. However, cell death is nearly unstudied in most human pathogenic microbes that cause major public health burdens. Here, we consider how the current understanding of programmed cell death arose through animal studies and how recently uncovered microbial cell death mechanisms in fungi and bacteria resemble and differ from mechanisms of mammalian cell death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madhura Kulkarni
- W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA; ,
| | - J Marie Hardwick
- W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA; ,
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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Yeast cell death pathway requiring AP-3 vesicle trafficking leads to vacuole/lysosome membrane permeabilization. Cell Rep 2022; 39:110647. [PMID: 35417721 PMCID: PMC9074372 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Unicellular eukaryotes have been suggested as undergoing self-inflicted destruction. However, molecular details are sparse compared with the mechanisms of programmed/regulated cell death known for human cells and animal models. Here, we report a molecular cell death pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae leading to vacuole/lysosome membrane permeabilization. Following a transient cell death stimulus, yeast cells die slowly over several hours, consistent with an ongoing molecular dying process. A genome-wide screen for death-promoting factors identified all subunits of the AP-3 complex, a vesicle trafficking adapter known to transport and install newly synthesized proteins on the vacuole/lysosome membrane. To promote cell death, AP-3 requires its Arf1-GTPase-dependent vesicle trafficking function and the kinase Yck3, which is selectively transported to the vacuole membrane by AP-3. Video microscopy revealed a sequence of events where vacuole permeability precedes the loss of plasma membrane integrity. AP-3-dependent death appears to be conserved in the human pathogenic yeast Cryptococcus neoformans. Details about how mammalian cells die have yielded effective cancer therapies. Similarly, details about fungal cell death may explain failed responses to anti-fungal agents and inform next-generation anti-fungal strategies. Stolp et al. describe a potential mechanism of yeast cell death subversion, by inhibiting AP-3 vesicle trafficking to block vacuole/lysosome permeability.
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Alanio A. Dormancy in Cryptococcus neoformans: 60 years of accumulating evidence. J Clin Invest 2021; 130:3353-3360. [PMID: 32484459 DOI: 10.1172/jci136223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Cryptococcus neoformans is an opportunistic yeast that is present worldwide and interacts with various organisms. In humans, it is responsible for cryptococcosis, a deadly invasive fungal infection that represents around 220,000 cases per year worldwide. Starting from the natural history of the disease in humans, there is accumulating evidence on the capacity of this organism to enter dormancy. In response to the harsh host environment, the yeast is able to adapt dramatically and escape the vigilance of the host's immune cells to survive. Indeed, the yeast exposed to the host takes on pleiotropic phenotypes, enabling the generation of populations in heterogeneous states, including dormancy, to eventually survive at low metabolic cost and revive in favorable conditions. The concept of dormancy has been validated in C. neoformans from both epidemiological and genotyping data, and more recently from the biological point of view with the characterization of dormancy through the description of viable but nonculturable cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre Alanio
- Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, Groupe Hospitalier Saint-Louis-Lariboisière-Fernand-Widal, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Paris, France.,Molecular Mycology Unit, CNRS UMR 2000, National Reference Center for Invasive Mycoses and Antifungals (NRCMA), Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.,Université de Paris, Paris, France
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Sokolov SS, Galkina KV, Litvinova EA, Knorre DA, Severin FF. The Role of LAM Genes in the Pheromone-Induced Cell Death of S. cerevisiae Yeast. BIOCHEMISTRY. BIOKHIMIIA 2020; 85:300-309. [PMID: 32564734 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297920030050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2019] [Revised: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Lam1-4 proteins perform non-vesicular transport of sterols from the plasma membrane to the endoplasmic reticulum. Disruption of their function leads to an increase in the content of sterols in the plasma membrane. In mammals, homologs of Lam proteins are responsible for the internalization of plasma cholesterol. The biological role of Lam proteins in yeast remains unclear, since the strains lacking individual LAM genes do not display any pronounced phenotype. Deletion of LAM1 (YSP1) gene inhibits the regulated death of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast cells induced by the mating pheromone. Here, we investigated whether LAM2 also plays a role in the cell death induced by the excess of mating pheromone and assessed genetic interactions between LAM2 and genes responsible for ergosterol biosynthesis. We have shown that LAM2 deletion partially prevents pheromone-induced death of yeast cells of the laboratory strain W303, while deletions of three other LAM genes - LAM1, LAM3, and LAM4 - does not provide any additional rescuing effect. The UPC2-1 mutation in the transcription factor UPC2 gene, which leads to the excessive accumulation of sterols in the cell, promotes cell survival in the presence of the pheromone and shows additivity with the LAM2 deletion. On the contrary, LAM2 deletion stimulates pheromone-induced cell death in the laboratory strain BY4741. We have found that the deletion of ergosterol biosynthesis genes ERG2 and ERG6 reduces the effect of LAM2 deletion. Deletion of LAM2 in the Δerg4 strain lacking the gene of the last step of ergosterol biosynthesis, significantly increased the proportion of dead cells and decreased the growth rate of the yeast suspension culture even in the absence of the pheromone. We suggest that the absence of the effect of LAM2 deletion in the Δerg6 and Δerg2 strains indicates the inability of Lam2p to transport some ergosterol biosynthesis intermediates, such as lanosterol. Taken together, our data suggest that the role of Lam proteins in the regulated death of yeast cells caused by the mating pheromone is due to their effect on the plasma membrane sterol composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- S S Sokolov
- Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia.
| | - K V Galkina
- Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - E A Litvinova
- Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Biology, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - D A Knorre
- Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia
- Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - F F Severin
- Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia
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Sun X, Wang M, Zhang F, Kong X. Inhibition of NET-1 suppresses proliferation and promotes apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Exp Ther Med 2019; 17:2334-2340. [PMID: 30867719 DOI: 10.3892/etm.2019.7211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2017] [Accepted: 07/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study aimed to elucidate the underlying mechanism of neuroepithelial cell transforming 1 (NET-1), a member of the Ras homolog gene family, in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). To determine the association between the expression of NET-1 and the proliferation and migration of MHCC97-H cells, the cells were transfected with NET-1 small interfering (si)RNA and si negative control. Following transfection with NET-1 siRNA, the proliferation rate of MHCC97-H cells decreased significantly and the percentage of apoptotic cells increased. The HCC cell line MHCC97-H was used in the present study as it exhibited an increased expression level of NET-1 compared with the MHCC97-L cell line. Expression levels of apoptosis-associated proteins including apoptosis regulator Bax (Bax), cyclinD1, apoptosis regulator Bcl-2 (Bcl-2) and caspase-3 were determined. Expression levels of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and protein kinase B (AKT) and their phosphorylated forms were also measured by western blotting. Following NET-1 knockdown, the expression of Bax and cyclinD1 decreased, the expression of Bcl-2 and caspase-3 increased, and the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway was inhibited. The results of the present study suggest that inhibition of NET-1 can suppress the progression of HCC by targeting the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. NET-1 expression level in HCC cells increased compared with normal liver cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangjun Sun
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Linyi People's Hospital, Linyi, Shandong 276003, P.R. China
| | - Mingchun Wang
- Department of Surgery, Linyi People's Hospital, Linyi, Shandong 276003, P.R. China
| | - Fenghua Zhang
- Department of Surgery, Linyi People's Hospital, Linyi, Shandong 276003, P.R. China
| | - Xiao Kong
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Linyi People's Hospital, Linyi, Shandong 276003, P.R. China
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Kulkarni M, Stolp ZD, Hardwick JM. Targeting intrinsic cell death pathways to control fungal pathogens. Biochem Pharmacol 2019; 162:71-78. [PMID: 30660496 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2019.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2018] [Accepted: 01/11/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Fungal pathogens pose an increasing threat to public health. Limited clinical drug regimens and emerging drug-resistant isolates challenge infection control. The global burden of human fungal pathogens is estimated at 1 billion infections and 1.5 million deaths annually. In addition, plant fungal pathogens increasingly threaten global food resources. Novel strategies are needed to combat emerging fungal diseases and pan-resistant fungi. An untapped mechanistically novel approach is to pharmacologically activate the intrinsic cell death pathways encoded by pathogenic fungi. This strategy is analogous to new anti-cancer therapeutics now entering the clinic. Here we summarize the best understood examples of cell death mechanisms encoded by pathogenic fungi, contrast these to mammalian cell death pathways, and highlight the gaps in knowledge towards identifying potential death effectors as druggable targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madhura Kulkarni
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA
| | - Zachary D Stolp
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA
| | - J Marie Hardwick
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA.
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Teng X, Yau E, Sing C, Hardwick JM. Whi2 signals low leucine availability to halt yeast growth and cell death. FEMS Yeast Res 2018; 18:5083179. [PMID: 30165592 PMCID: PMC6149368 DOI: 10.1093/femsyr/foy095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2018] [Accepted: 08/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Cells are exquisitely tuned to environmental ques. Amino acid availability is rapidly sensed, allowing cells to adjust molecular processes and implement short or long-term metabolic shifts accordingly. How levels of most individual amino acids may be sensed and subsequently signaled to inform cells of their nutrient status is largely unknown. We made the unexpected observation that small changes in the levels of specific amino acids can have a profound effect on yeast cell growth, leading to the identification of yeast Whi2 as a negative regulator of cell growth in low amino acids. Although Whi2 was originally thought to be fungi-specific, Whi2 appears to share a conserved structural domain found in a family of 25 largely uncharacterized human genes encoding the KCTD (potassium channel tetramerization domain) protein family. Insights gained from yeast Whi2 are likely to be revealing about human KCTDs, many of which have been implicated or demonstrated to cause disease when mutated. Here we report new evidence that Whi2 responds to specific amino acids in the medium, particularly low leucine levels. We also discuss the known pathways of amino acid signaling and potential points of regulation by Whi2 in nutrient signaling in yeast and mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinchen Teng
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205-2103, USA
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases and College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, 215123 Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205-2103, USA
| | - Eric Yau
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205-2103, USA
| | - Cierra Sing
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205-2103, USA
| | - J Marie Hardwick
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205-2103, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205-2103, USA
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Abstract
This question of whether fungi undergo apoptosis-like programmed cell death can be separated into two questions. One question is about applying the term "apoptosis" to fungi, and the other is a more challenging question of whether fungi have evolved mechanisms that inflict self-injury. The answers to both questions depend on the definitions applied to "apoptosis" and "programmed cell death." Considering how these and other cell death terms originated and are currently defined for animals, some confusion arises when the terms are applied to fungi. While it is difficult to defend the concept of fungal apoptosis, the more interesting issue is whether fungi will eventually be found to encode programmed or extemporaneous self-destructive processes, as suggested by intriguing new findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Marie Hardwick
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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Shlezinger N, Irmer H, Dhingra S, Beattie SR, Cramer RA, Braus GH, Sharon A, Hohl TM. Response to Comment on "Sterilizing immunity in the lung relies on targeting fungal apoptosis-like programmed cell death". Science 2018; 360:360/6395/eaas9457. [PMID: 29930111 DOI: 10.1126/science.aas9457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2018] [Accepted: 05/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Aouacheria et al question the interpretation of contemporary assays to monitor programmed cell death with apoptosis-like features (A-PCD) in Aspergillus fumigatus Although our study focuses on fungal A-PCD for host immune surveillance and infectious outcomes, the experimental approach incorporates multiple independent A-PCD markers and genetic manipulations based on fungal rather than mammalian orthologs to circumvent the limitations associated with any single approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neta Shlezinger
- Infectious Disease Service, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10075, USA
| | - Henriette Irmer
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Genetics, Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, and Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University of Göttingen, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Sourabh Dhingra
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Sarah R Beattie
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Robert A Cramer
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Gerhard H Braus
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Genetics, Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, and Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University of Göttingen, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Amir Sharon
- Department of Molecular Biology and Ecology of Plants, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.
| | - Tobias M Hohl
- Infectious Disease Service, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10075, USA. .,Immunology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10075, USA
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