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Deng J, Huang S, Kan Y, Song Y, Zhao X, Li N, Yao X, Luo Z, Zhang Y. A transcription factor-mediated regulatory network controls fungal pathogen colonization of insect body cavities. mBio 2024; 15:e0350423. [PMID: 38747587 PMCID: PMC11237471 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.03504-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Successful host tissue colonization is crucial for fungal pathogens to cause mycosis and complete the infection cycle, in which fungal cells undergo a series of morphological transition-included cellular events to combat with hosts. However, many transcription factors (TFs) and their mediated networks regulating fungal pathogen colonization of host tissue are not well characterized. Here, a TF (BbHCR1)-mediated regulatory network was identified in an insect pathogenic fungus, Beauveria bassiana, that controlled insect hemocoel colonization. BbHCR1 was highly expressed in fungal cells after reaching insect hemocoel and controlled the yeast (in vivo blastospores)-to-hyphal morphological switch, evasion of immune defense response, and fungal virulence. Comparative analysis of RNA sequencing and chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing identified a core set of BbHCR1 target genes during hemocoel colonization, in which abaA and brlA were targeted to limit the rapid switch from blastospores to hyphae and fungal virulence. Two targets encoding hypothetical proteins, HP1 and HP2, were activated and repressed by BbHCR1, respectively, which acted as a virulence factor and repressor, respectively, suggesting that BbHCR1 activated virulence factors but repressed virulence repressors during the colonization of insect hemocoel. BbHCR1 tuned the expression of two dominant hemocoel colonization-involved metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters, which linked its regulatory role in evasion of immune response. Those functions of BbHCR1 were found to be collaboratively regulated by Fus3- and Hog1-MAP kinases via phosphorylation. These findings have drawn a regulatory network in which Fus3- and Hog1-MAP kinases phosphorylate BbHCR1, which in turn controls the colonization of insect body cavities by regulating fungal morphological transition and virulence-implicated genes.IMPORTANCEFungal pathogens adopt a series of tactics for successful colonization in host tissues, which include morphological transition and the generation of toxic and immunosuppressive molecules. However, many transcription factors (TFs) and their linked pathways that regulate tissue colonization are not well characterized. Here, we identified a TF (BbHCR1)-mediated regulatory network that controls the insect fungal pathogen, Beauveria bassiana, colonization of insect hemocoel. During these processes, BbHCR1 targeted the fungal central development pathway for the control of yeast (blastospores)-to-hyphae morphological transition, activated virulence factors, repressed virulence repressors, and tuned the expression of two dominant hemocoel colonization-involved immunosuppressive and immunostimulatory metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters. The BbHCR1 regulatory function was governed by Fus3- and Hog1-MAP kinases. These findings led to a new regulatory network composed of Fus3- and Hog1-MAP kinases and BbHCR1 that control insect body cavity colonization by regulating fungal morphological transition and virulence-implicated genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Deng
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biosafety and Green Production of Upper Yangtze River (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Beibei Culture Collection of Chongqing Agricultural Microbiology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Shuaishuai Huang
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biosafety and Green Production of Upper Yangtze River (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Beibei Culture Collection of Chongqing Agricultural Microbiology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Eco-Environmental Protection of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, School of Ecology and Environment, Tibet University, Tibet, China
| | - Yanze Kan
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biosafety and Green Production of Upper Yangtze River (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Beibei Culture Collection of Chongqing Agricultural Microbiology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yue Song
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biosafety and Green Production of Upper Yangtze River (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Beibei Culture Collection of Chongqing Agricultural Microbiology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Xin Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biosafety and Green Production of Upper Yangtze River (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Beibei Culture Collection of Chongqing Agricultural Microbiology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Ning Li
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biosafety and Green Production of Upper Yangtze River (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Beibei Culture Collection of Chongqing Agricultural Microbiology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Xuewen Yao
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biosafety and Green Production of Upper Yangtze River (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Beibei Culture Collection of Chongqing Agricultural Microbiology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Zhibing Luo
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biosafety and Green Production of Upper Yangtze River (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Beibei Culture Collection of Chongqing Agricultural Microbiology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yongjun Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biosafety and Green Production of Upper Yangtze River (Ministry of Education), College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Beibei Culture Collection of Chongqing Agricultural Microbiology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
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Zhao X, Fan Y, Zhang L, Zhang W, Xiang M, Kang S, Wang S, Liu X. Multiple Roles of the Low-Affinity Calcium Uptake System in Drechslerella dactyloides, a Nematode-Trapping Fungus That Forms Constricting Rings. J Fungi (Basel) 2023; 9:975. [PMID: 37888231 PMCID: PMC10607529 DOI: 10.3390/jof9100975] [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: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: the low-affinity calcium uptake system (LACS) has been shown to play a crucial role in the conidiation and formation of adhesive nets and knobs by nematode-trapping fungi (NTF), but its involvement in the formation of constricting rings (CRs), mechanical traps to capture free-living nematodes, remains unexplored. (2) Methods: we investigated the function of two LACS genes (DdaFIG_1 and DdaFIG_2) in Drechslerella dactyloides, an NTF that forms CRs. We generated single (DdaFIG_1Ri and DdaFIG_2Ri) and double (DdaFIG_1,2Ri) knockdown mutants via the use of RNA interference (RNAi). (3) Results: suppression of these genes significantly affected conidiation, trap formation, vegetative growth, and response to diverse abiotic stresses. The number of CRs formed by DdaFIG_1Ri, DdaFIG_2Ri, and DdaFIG_1,2Ri decreased to 58.5%, 59.1%, and 38.9% of the wild-type (WT) level, respectively. The ring cell inflation rate also decreased to 73.6%, 60.6%, and 48.8% of the WT level, respectively. (4) Conclusions: the LACS plays multiple critical roles in diverse NTF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaozhou Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology of the Ministry of Education, Department of Microbiology, College of Life Science, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Yani Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Liao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology of the Ministry of Education, Department of Microbiology, College of Life Science, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Weiwei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Meichun Xiang
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Seogchan Kang
- Department of Plant Pathology & Environmental Microbiology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA;
| | - Shunxian Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology of the Ministry of Education, Department of Microbiology, College of Life Science, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Xingzhong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology of the Ministry of Education, Department of Microbiology, College of Life Science, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
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Stevanović KS, Čepkenović B, Križak S, Živić MŽ, Todorović NV. Osmotically Activated Anion Current of Phycomyces Blakesleeanus-Filamentous Fungi Counterpart to Vertebrate Volume Regulated Anion Current. J Fungi (Basel) 2023; 9:637. [PMID: 37367573 DOI: 10.3390/jof9060637] [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: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 05/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies of ion currents in filamentous fungi are a prerequisite for forming a complete understanding of their physiology. Cytoplasmic droplets (CDs), obtained from sporangiophores of Phycomyces blakesleeanus, are a model system that enables the characterization of ion currents in the native membrane, including the currents mediated by the channels not yet molecularly identified. Osmotically activated anionic current with outward rectification (ORIC) is a dominant current in the membrane of cytoplasmic droplets under the conditions of hypoosmotic stimulation. We have previously reported remarkable functional similarities of ORIC with the vertebrate volume regulated anionic current (VRAC), such as dose-dependent activation by osmotic difference, ion selectivity sequence, and time and voltage dependent profile of the current. Using the patch clamp method on the CD membrane, we further resolve VRAC-like ORIC characteristics in this paper. We examine the inhibition by extracellular ATP and carbenoxolone, the permeation of glutamate in presence of chloride, selectivity for nitrates, and activation by GTP, and we show its single channel behavior in excised membrane. We propose that ORIC is a functional counterpart of vertebrate VRAC in filamentous fungi, possibly with a similar essential role in anion efflux during cell volume regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarina S Stevanović
- Faculty of Biology, Institute of Physiology and Biochemistry, University of Belgrade, Studentski Trg 16, 11158 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Bogdana Čepkenović
- Faculty of Biology, Institute of Physiology and Biochemistry, University of Belgrade, Studentski Trg 16, 11158 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Strahinja Križak
- Institute of Multidisciplinary Research, University of Belgrade, Kneza Višeslava 1, 11030 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Miroslav Ž Živić
- Faculty of Biology, Institute of Physiology and Biochemistry, University of Belgrade, Studentski Trg 16, 11158 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Nataša V Todorović
- Institute of Biological Research "Siniša Stanković", National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Bulevar Despota Stefana 142, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
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Zhao X, Fan Y, Zhang W, Xiang M, Kang S, Wang S, Liu X. DhFIG_2, a gene of nematode-trapping fungus Dactylellina haptotyla that encodes a component of the low-affinity calcium uptake system, is required for conidiation and knob-trap formation. Fungal Genet Biol 2023; 166:103782. [PMID: 36849068 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2023.103782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2022] [Revised: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023]
Abstract
Calcium ion (Ca2+) is a universal second messenger involved in regulating diverse processes in animals, plants, and fungi. The low-affinity calcium uptake system (LACS) participates in acquiring Ca2+ from extracellular environments under high extracellular Ca2+ concentration. Unlike most fungi, which encode only one protein (FIG1) for LACS, nematode-trapping fungi (NTF) encode two related proteins. AoFIG_2, the NTF-specific LACS component encoded by adhesive network-trap forming Arthrobotrys oligospora, was shown to be required for conidiation and trap formation. We characterized the role of DhFIG_2, an AoFIG_2 ortholog encoded by knob-trap forming Dactylellina haptotyla, in growth and development to expand our understanding of the role of LACS in NTF. Because repeated attempts to disrupt DhFIG_2 failed, knocking down the expression of DhFIG_2 via RNA interference (RNAi) was used to study its function. RNAi of DhFIG_2 significantly decreased its expression, severely reduced conidiation and trap formation, and affected vegetative growth and stress responses, suggesting that this component of LACS is crucial for trap formation and conidiation in NTF. Our study demonstrated the utility of RNAi assisted by ATMT for studying gene function in D. haptotyla.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaozhou Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology of the Ministry of Education, Department of Microbiology, College of Life Science, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Yani Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Weiwei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Meichun Xiang
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Seogchan Kang
- Department of Plant Pathology & Environmental Microbiology, The Pennsylvania State University, PA 16802, USA
| | - Shunxian Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology of the Ministry of Education, Department of Microbiology, College of Life Science, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China.
| | - Xingzhong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology of the Ministry of Education, Department of Microbiology, College of Life Science, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China; State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
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5
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Song PP, Wang Y, Hou YP, Mao XW, Liu ZL, Wei M, Yu JP, Wang B, Qian YY, Yan L, Xu S, Jiang YQ, Zhou DQ, Yin M, Dou J. Crucial role of Ca 2+ /CN signalling pathway in the antifungal activity of disenecioyl-cis-khellactone against Botrytis cinerea. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2022; 78:4649-4659. [PMID: 35866518 DOI: 10.1002/ps.7085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Botrytis cinerea causes grey mould and is one of the most destructive fungal pathogens affecting important fruit and vegetable crops. In preliminary studies, we found that disenecioyl-cis-khellactone (DK) had strong antifungal activity against several fungi species including B. cinerea [half maximal effective concentration (EC50 ) = 11.0 μg mL-1 ]. In this study, we aimed to further evaluate the antifungal activity of DK against B. cinerea and determine the role of calcium ion/calcineurin (Ca2+ /CN) signalling pathway on its antifungal effect. RESULTS DK was effective against B. cinerea in both in vitro and in vivo assays. Exogenous Ca2+ reduced the antifungal activity of DK. The combination of DK and cyclosporine A (CsA) did not exhibit an additive effect against B. cinerea. In contrast to CsA, DK reduced the intracellular Ca2+ concentration in B. cinerea. DK bound to calcineurin A (cnA) and up-regulated the expression of PMC1 and PMR1 genes. Moreover, DK sensitivity of △bccnA significantly decreased compared with that of Bc05.10 strain. CONCLUSION DK is a promising lead compound for developing fungicides against B. cinerea. The Ca2+ /CN signalling pathway plays a crucial role in the DK antifungal activity, and cnA is one of the targets of DK against B. cinerea. DK directly reacts with cnA, which up-regulates the transcription of Ca2+ /CN-dependent target genes PMC1 and PMR1, decreasing the intracellular Ca2+ concentration and disturbing the intracellular Ca2+ balance, leading to cell death. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping-Ping Song
- Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for the Research and Utilization of Plant Resources, Nanjing, China
| | - Yu Wang
- Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for the Research and Utilization of Plant Resources, Nanjing, China
| | - Yi-Ping Hou
- College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xue-Wei Mao
- College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Zong-Liang Liu
- Yantai University, School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology and Drug Evaluation (Yantai University), Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Centre of Advanced Drug Delivery System and Biotech Drugs in Universities of Shandong, Yantai, China
| | - Min Wei
- Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for the Research and Utilization of Plant Resources, Nanjing, China
| | - Jin-Ping Yu
- Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for the Research and Utilization of Plant Resources, Nanjing, China
| | - Bi Wang
- Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for the Research and Utilization of Plant Resources, Nanjing, China
| | - Yi-Yun Qian
- Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for the Research and Utilization of Plant Resources, Nanjing, China
| | - Lu Yan
- Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for the Research and Utilization of Plant Resources, Nanjing, China
| | - Shu Xu
- Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for the Research and Utilization of Plant Resources, Nanjing, China
| | - Yan-Qin Jiang
- Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for the Research and Utilization of Plant Resources, Nanjing, China
| | - Dong-Qin Zhou
- Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for the Research and Utilization of Plant Resources, Nanjing, China
| | - Min Yin
- Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for the Research and Utilization of Plant Resources, Nanjing, China
| | - Jian Dou
- Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for the Research and Utilization of Plant Resources, Nanjing, China
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Yang Y, Xie P, Li Y, Bi Y, Prusky DB. Updating Insights into the Regulatory Mechanisms of Calcineurin-Activated Transcription Factor Crz1 in Pathogenic Fungi. J Fungi (Basel) 2022; 8:jof8101082. [PMID: 36294647 PMCID: PMC9604740 DOI: 10.3390/jof8101082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Revised: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Ca2+, as a second messenger in cells, enables organisms to adapt to different environmental stresses by rapidly sensing and responding to external stimuli. In recent years, the Ca2+ mediated calcium signaling pathway has been studied systematically in various mammals and fungi, indicating that the pathway is conserved among organisms. The pathway consists mainly of complex Ca2+ channel proteins, calcium pumps, Ca2+ transporters and many related proteins. Crz1, a transcription factor downstream of the calcium signaling pathway, participates in regulating cell survival, ion homeostasis, infection structure development, cell wall integrity and virulence. This review briefly summarizes the Ca2+ mediated calcium signaling pathway and regulatory roles in plant pathogenic fungi. Based on discussing the structure and localization of transcription factor Crz1, we focus on the regulatory role of Crz1 on growth and development, stress response, pathogenicity of pathogenic fungi and its regulatory mechanisms. Furthermore, we explore the cross-talk between Crz1 and other signaling pathways. Combined with the important role and pathogenic mechanism of Crz1 in fungi, the new strategies in which Crz1 may be used as a target to explore disease control in practice are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yangyang Yang
- College of Food Science and Engineering, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
| | - Pengdong Xie
- College of Food Science and Engineering, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
| | - Yongcai Li
- College of Food Science and Engineering, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
- Correspondence:
| | - Yang Bi
- College of Food Science and Engineering, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
| | - Dov B. Prusky
- Department of Postharvest Science, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, Rishon LeZion 7505101, Israel
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7
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Wu C, Guo Z, Zhang M, Chen H, Peng M, Abubakar YS, Zheng H, Yun Y, Zheng W, Wang Z, Zhou J. Golgi-localized calcium/manganese transporters FgGdt1 and FgPmr1 regulate fungal development and virulence by maintaining Ca 2+ and Mn 2+ homeostasis in Fusarium graminearum. Environ Microbiol 2022; 24:4623-4640. [PMID: 35837846 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Calcium and manganese transporters play important roles in regulating Ca2+ and Mn2+ homeostasis in cells, which is necessary for the normal physiological activities of eukaryotes. Gdt1 and Pmr1 function as calcium/manganese transporters in the Golgi apparatus. However, the functions of Gdt1 and Pmr1 have not been previously characterized in the plant pathogenic fungus Fusarium graminearum. Here, we identified and characterized the biological functions of FgGdt1 and FgPmr1 in F. graminearum. Our study shows that FgGdt1 and FgPmr1 are both localized to the cis- and medial-Golgi. Disruption of FgGdt1 or FgPmr1 in F. graminearum caused serious defects in vegetative growth, conidiation, sexual development and significantly decreased virulence in wheat but increased deoxynivalenol (DON) production. Importantly, FgGdt1 is involved in Ca2+ and Mn2+ homeostasis and the severe phenotypic defects of the ΔFggdt1 mutant were largely due to loss of FgGdt1 function in Mn2+ transportation. FgGdt1-mCherry colocalizes with FgPmr1-GFP at the Golgi, and FgGDT1 exerts its biological function upstream of FgPMR1. Taken together, our results collectively demonstrate that the cis- and medial-Golgi-localized proteins FgGdt1 and FgPmr1 regulate Ca2+ and Mn2+ homeostasis of the Golgi apparatus, and this function is important in modulating the growth, development, DON biosynthesis and pathogenicity of F. graminearum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Congxian Wu
- Fujian Universities Key Laboratory for Plant-Microbe Interaction, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Zhongkun Guo
- Fujian Universities Key Laboratory for Plant-Microbe Interaction, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Meiru Zhang
- Fujian Universities Key Laboratory for Plant-Microbe Interaction, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Huilin Chen
- Fujian Universities Key Laboratory for Plant-Microbe Interaction, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Minghui Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yakubu Saddeeq Abubakar
- Fujian Universities Key Laboratory for Plant-Microbe Interaction, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.,Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
| | - Huawei Zheng
- Institute of Oceanography, College of Geography and Oceanography, Minjiang University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yingzi Yun
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Wenhui Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Zonghua Wang
- Fujian Universities Key Laboratory for Plant-Microbe Interaction, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.,State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.,Institute of Oceanography, College of Geography and Oceanography, Minjiang University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Jie Zhou
- Fujian Universities Key Laboratory for Plant-Microbe Interaction, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
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8
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Kurian SM, Lichius A, Read ND. Ca2+ Signalling Differentially Regulates Germ-Tube Formation and Cell Fusion in Fusarium oxysporum. J Fungi (Basel) 2022; 8:jof8010090. [PMID: 35050029 PMCID: PMC8780837 DOI: 10.3390/jof8010090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2021] [Revised: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Fusarium oxysporum is an important plant pathogen and an emerging opportunistic human pathogen. Germination of conidial spores and their fusion via conidial anastomosis tubes (CATs) are significant events during colony establishment in culture and on host plants and, hence, very likely on human epithelia. CAT fusion exhibited by conidial germlings of Fusarium species has been postulated to facilitate mitotic recombination, leading to heterokaryon formation and strains with varied genotypes and potentially increased virulence. Ca2+ signalling is key to many of the important physiological processes in filamentous fungi. Here, we tested pharmacological agents with defined modes of action in modulation of the mammalian Ca2+ signalling machinery for their effect on germination and CAT-mediated cell fusion in F. oxysporum. We found various drug-specific and dose-dependent effects. Inhibition of calcineurin by FK506 or cyclosporin A, as well as chelation of extracellular Ca2+ by BAPTA, exclusively inhibit CAT induction but not germ-tube formation. On the other hand, inhibition of Ca2+ channels by verapamil, calmodulin inhibition by calmidazolium, and inhibition of mitochondrial calcium uniporters by RU360 inhibited both CAT induction and germ-tube formation. Thapsigargin, an inhibitor of mammalian sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase (SERCA), partially inhibited CAT induction but had no effect on germ-tube formation. These results provide initial evidence for morphologically defining roles of Ca2+-signalling components in the early developmental stages of F. oxysporum colony establishment—most notably, the indication that calcium ions act as self-signalling molecules in this process. Our findings contribute an important first step towards the identification of Ca2+ inhibitors with fungas-specific effects that could be exploited for the treatment of infected plants and humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Smija M. Kurian
- Manchester Fungal Infection Group, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9NT, UK;
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
- Correspondence:
| | - Alexander Lichius
- Department of Microbiology, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria;
| | - Nick D. Read
- Manchester Fungal Infection Group, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9NT, UK;
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Wilson AM, Wilken PM, Wingfield MJ, Wingfield BD. Genetic Networks That Govern Sexual Reproduction in the Pezizomycotina. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2021; 85:e0002021. [PMID: 34585983 PMCID: PMC8485983 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00020-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Sexual development in filamentous fungi is a complex process that relies on the precise control of and interaction between a variety of genetic networks and pathways. The mating-type (MAT) genes are the master regulators of this process and typically act as transcription factors, which control the expression of genes involved at all stages of the sexual cycle. In many fungi, the sexual cycle typically begins when the mating pheromones of one mating type are recognized by a compatible partner, followed by physical interaction and fertilization. Subsequently, highly specialized sexual structures are formed, within which the sexual spores develop after rounds of meiosis and mitosis. These spores are then released and germinate, forming new individuals that initiate new cycles of growth. This review provides an overview of the known genetic networks and pathways that are involved in each major stage of the sexual cycle in filamentous ascomycete fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andi M. Wilson
- Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics, and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
| | - P. Markus Wilken
- Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics, and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
| | - Michael J. Wingfield
- Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics, and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
| | - Brenda D. Wingfield
- Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics, and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
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10
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Lange M, Peiter E. Calcium Transport Proteins in Fungi: The Phylogenetic Diversity of Their Relevance for Growth, Virulence, and Stress Resistance. Front Microbiol 2020; 10:3100. [PMID: 32047484 PMCID: PMC6997533 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.03100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The key players of calcium (Ca2+) homeostasis and Ca2+ signal generation, which are Ca2+ channels, Ca2+/H+ antiporters, and Ca2+-ATPases, are present in all fungi. Their coordinated action maintains a low Ca2+ baseline, allows a fast increase in free Ca2+ concentration upon a stimulus, and terminates this Ca2+ elevation by an exponential decrease – hence forming a Ca2+ signal. In this respect, the Ca2+ signaling machinery is conserved in different fungi. However, does the similarity of the genetic inventory that shapes the Ca2+ peak imply that if “you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all” in terms of physiological relevance? Individual studies have focused mostly on a single species, and mechanisms elucidated in few model organisms are usually extrapolated to other species. This mini-review focuses on the physiological relevance of the machinery that maintains Ca2+ homeostasis for growth, virulence, and stress responses. It reveals common and divergent functions of homologous proteins in different fungal species. In conclusion, for the physiological role of these Ca2+ transport proteins, “seen one,” in many cases, does not mean: “seen them all.”
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Lange
- Plant Nutrition Laboratory, Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences III, Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Edgar Peiter
- Plant Nutrition Laboratory, Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences III, Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
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11
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Li B, Dong X, Zhao R, Kou R, Zheng X, Zhang H. The t-SNARE protein FgPep12, associated with FgVam7, is essential for ascospore discharge and plant infection by trafficking Ca2+ ATPase FgNeo1 between Golgi and endosome/vacuole in Fusarium graminearum. PLoS Pathog 2019; 15:e1007754. [PMID: 31067272 PMCID: PMC6527245 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2018] [Revised: 05/20/2019] [Accepted: 04/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment receptors (SNAREs) play a crucial role in the development and virulence through mediation of membrane fusion and vesicle trafficking in pathogens. Our previous studies reported that the SNARE protein FgVam7 and its binding proteins FgVps39/41 are involved in vesicle trafficking and are important for vegetative growth, asexual/sexual development, deoxynivalenol production and virulence in the Fusarium head blight fungus Fusarium graminearum. Here, we identified and characterized another FgVam7 binding protein in F. graminearum, FgPep12, an ortholog of yeast t-SNARE Pep12 with both the SNARE and TM domains being essential for its localization and function. Deletion of FgPep12 caused defects in vegetative growth, conidiogenesis, deoxynivalenol production and virulence. Cytological observation revealed that FgPep12 localizes to the Golgi apparatus, late endosomes and vacuoles, and is necessary for transport from the vacuole to prevacuolar compartment. Further investigation revealed that both FgPep12 and FgVam7 are essential for ascospore discharge through interaction with and trafficking of the Ca2+ ATPase FgNeo1 between the Golgi and endosomal/vacuolar system. FgNeo1 has similar biological roles to FgPep12 and is required for ascospore discharge in F. graminearum. Together, these results provide solid evidence to help unravel the mechanisms underlying the manipulation of ascospore discharge and plant infection by SNARE proteins in F. graminearum. SNARE proteins which mediate fusion of transport vesicles with the correct target membrane, are essential components of vesicle trafficking machinery. Together with the cognate effectors, SNAREs coordinate the dynamics of trafficking pathway and determines the cargo proteins destination. Here, we found that SNARE protein FgPep12 is important for fungal development and virulence through its involvement in vesicle trafficking between the Golgi and endosomal/vacuolar system. We further provide multiple lines of evidence showing that SNARE proteins modulate development and ascospore discharge in pathogenic fungi. FgPep12, associated with FgVam7, is required for the trafficking of the Ca2+ ATPase FgNeo1 between the Golgi and endosomal/vacuolar system, thus controlling growth, asexual development, ascospore discharge and plant infection in F. graminearum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bing Li
- Department of Plant Pathology, College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, and Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests, Ministry of Education, Nanjing, China
| | - Xin Dong
- Department of Plant Pathology, College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, and Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests, Ministry of Education, Nanjing, China
| | - Rui Zhao
- College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Rongchuan Kou
- College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiaobo Zheng
- Department of Plant Pathology, College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, and Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests, Ministry of Education, Nanjing, China
| | - Haifeng Zhang
- Department of Plant Pathology, College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, and Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests, Ministry of Education, Nanjing, China
- * E-mail:
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12
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It's All in the Genes: The Regulatory Pathways of Sexual Reproduction in Filamentous Ascomycetes. Genes (Basel) 2019; 10:genes10050330. [PMID: 31052334 PMCID: PMC6562746 DOI: 10.3390/genes10050330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Revised: 04/17/2019] [Accepted: 04/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual reproduction in filamentous ascomycete fungi results in the production of highly specialized sexual tissues, which arise from relatively simple, vegetative mycelia. This conversion takes place after the recognition of and response to a variety of exogenous and endogenous cues, and relies on very strictly regulated gene, protein, and metabolite pathways. This makes studying sexual development in fungi an interesting tool in which to study gene-gene, gene-protein, and protein-metabolite interactions. This review provides an overview of some of the most important genes involved in this process; from those involved in the conversion of mycelia into sexually-competent tissue, to those involved in the development of the ascomata, the asci, and ultimately, the ascospores.
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Role of Low-Affinity Calcium System Member Fig1 Homologous Proteins in Conidiation and Trap-Formation of Nematode-trapping Fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora. Sci Rep 2019; 9:4440. [PMID: 30872626 PMCID: PMC6418195 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-40493-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2018] [Accepted: 11/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Arthrobotrys oligospora is a typical nematode-trapping fungus capturing free-living nematodes by adhesive networks. Component of the low-affinity calcium uptake system (LACS) has been documented to involve in growth and sexual development of filamentous fungi. Bioassay showed incapacity of trap formation in A. oligospora on Water Agar plate containing 1 mM ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid (EGTA) due to Ca2+ absorbing block. The functions of homologous proteins (AoFIG_1 and AoFIG_2) of LACS were examined on conidiation and trap formation of A. oligospora. Compared with wild type, ΔAoFIG_1 (AOL_s00007g566) resulted in 90% of trap reduction, while ΔAoFIG_2 (AOL_s00004g576) reduced vegetative growth rate up to 44% and had no trap and conidia formed. The results suggest that LACS transmembrane protein fig1 homologs play vital roles in the trap-formation and is involved in conidiation and mycelium growth of A. oligospora. Our findings expand fig1 role to include development of complex trap device and conidiation.
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Lopez-Moya F, Suarez-Fernandez M, Lopez-Llorca LV. Molecular Mechanisms of Chitosan Interactions with Fungi and Plants. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:E332. [PMID: 30650540 PMCID: PMC6359256 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20020332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2018] [Revised: 01/07/2019] [Accepted: 01/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Chitosan is a versatile compound with multiple biotechnological applications. This polymer inhibits clinically important human fungal pathogens under the same carbon and nitrogen status as in blood. Chitosan permeabilises their high-fluidity plasma membrane and increases production of intracellular oxygen species (ROS). Conversely, chitosan is compatible with mammalian cell lines as well as with biocontrol fungi (BCF). BCF resistant to chitosan have low-fluidity membranes and high glucan/chitin ratios in their cell walls. Recent studies illustrate molecular and physiological basis of chitosan-root interactions. Chitosan induces auxin accumulation in Arabidopsis roots. This polymer causes overexpression of tryptophan-dependent auxin biosynthesis pathway. It also blocks auxin translocation in roots. Chitosan is a plant defense modulator. Endophytes and fungal pathogens evade plant immunity converting chitin into chitosan. LysM effectors shield chitin and protect fungal cell walls from plant chitinases. These enzymes together with fungal chitin deacetylases, chitosanases and effectors play determinant roles during fungal colonization of plants. This review describes chitosan mode of action (cell and gene targets) in fungi and plants. This knowledge will help to develop chitosan for agrobiotechnological and medical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Lopez-Moya
- Department of Marine Sciences and Applied Biology, Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Multidisciplinary Institute for Environmental Studies (MIES) Ramon Margalef, University of Alicante, 03080 Alicante, Spain.
| | - Marta Suarez-Fernandez
- Department of Marine Sciences and Applied Biology, Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Multidisciplinary Institute for Environmental Studies (MIES) Ramon Margalef, University of Alicante, 03080 Alicante, Spain.
| | - Luis Vicente Lopez-Llorca
- Department of Marine Sciences and Applied Biology, Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Multidisciplinary Institute for Environmental Studies (MIES) Ramon Margalef, University of Alicante, 03080 Alicante, Spain.
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15
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Qian H, Chen Q, Zhang S, Lu L. The Claudin Family Protein FigA Mediates Ca 2+ Homeostasis in Response to Extracellular Stimuli in Aspergillus nidulans and Aspergillus fumigatus. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:977. [PMID: 29867880 PMCID: PMC5962676 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.00977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2017] [Accepted: 04/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The claudin family protein Fig1 is a unique fungal protein that is involved in pheromone-induced calcium influx and membrane fusion during the mating of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans. Whether and how Fig1 regulates Ca2+ homeostasis in response to extracellular stimuli is poorly understood. Previously, we found Aspergillus nidulans FigA, a homolog of Fig1 in S. cerevisiae, similar to the high-affinity calcium uptake system, is required for normal growth under low-Ca2+ minimal medium. In this study, using the calcium-sensitive photoprotein aequorin to monitor cytosolic free calcium concentration ([Ca2+]c) in living cells, we found that the FigA dysfunction decreases the transient [Ca2+]c induced by a high extracellular calcium stress. Furthermore, FigA acts synergistically with CchA (a high-affinity Ca2+ channel) to coordinate cytoplasmic Ca2+ influx in response to an extracellular Ca2+ stimulus. Moreover, FigA mediates ER stress-induced transient [Ca2+]c in the presence or absence of extracellular calcium. Most importantly, these [Ca2+]c responses mediated by FigA are closely related to its conserved claudin superfamily motif, which is also required for hyphal growth and asexual development in A. nidulans. Finally, the function of FigA in Aspergillus fumigatus, the most common airborne human fungal pathogen was studied. The result showed that the two FigA homologous in A. nidulans and A. fumigatus have a large degree of functional homology not only in asexual development but also in regulating transient [Ca2+]c. Our study expands the knowledge of claudin family protein FigA in Ca2+ homeostasis in response to extracellular stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Qian
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Microbes and Functional Genomics, Jiangsu Engineering and Technology Research Center for Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Qiuyi Chen
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Microbes and Functional Genomics, Jiangsu Engineering and Technology Research Center for Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Shizhu Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Microbes and Functional Genomics, Jiangsu Engineering and Technology Research Center for Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Ling Lu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Microbes and Functional Genomics, Jiangsu Engineering and Technology Research Center for Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
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16
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Kim HS, Kim JE, Son H, Frailey D, Cirino R, Lee YW, Duncan R, Czymmek KJ, Kang S. Roles of three Fusarium graminearum membrane Ca 2+ channels in the formation of Ca 2+ signatures, growth, development, pathogenicity and mycotoxin production. Fungal Genet Biol 2017; 111:30-46. [PMID: 29175365 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2017.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2017] [Revised: 11/11/2017] [Accepted: 11/15/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Similar to animals and plants, external stimuli cause dynamic spatial and temporal changes of cytoplasmic Ca2+ in fungi. Such changes are referred as the Ca2+ signature and control cellular responses by modulating the activity or location of diverse Ca2+-binding proteins (CBPs) and also indirectly affecting proteins that interact with CBPs. To understand the mechanism underpinning Ca2+ signaling, therefore, characterization of how Ca2+ moves to and from the cytoplasm to create Ca2+ signatures under different conditions is fundamental. Three genes encoding plasma membrane Ca2+ channels in a Fusarium graminearum strain that expresses a fluorescent protein-based Ca2+ indicator in the cytoplasm were mutagenized to investigate their roles in the generation of Ca2+ signatures under different growth conditions and genetic backgrounds. The genes disrupted include CCH1 and MID1, which encode a high affinity Ca2+ uptake system, and FIG1, encoding a low affinity Ca2+ channel. Resulting mutants were also analyzed for growth, development, pathogenicity and mycotoxin production to determine how loss of each of the genes alters these traits. To investigate whether individual genes influence the function and expression of other genes, phenotypes and Ca2+ signatures of their double and triple mutants, as well as their expression patterns, were analyzed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hye-Seon Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA; Delaware Biotechnology Institute, Newark, DE 19711, USA
| | - Jung-Eun Kim
- Department of Plant Pathology & Environmental Microbiology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Hokyoung Son
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Daniel Frailey
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Robert Cirino
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Yin-Won Lee
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Randall Duncan
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Kirk J Czymmek
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA; Delaware Biotechnology Institute, Newark, DE 19711, USA
| | - Seogchan Kang
- Department of Plant Pathology & Environmental Microbiology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
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17
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Ren XX, Wang Y, Liu Y, Tan Y, Ren C, Ge Y, Liu Z. Comparative transcriptome analysis of the calcium signaling and expression analysis of sodium/calcium exchanger in Aspergillus cristatus. J Basic Microbiol 2017; 58:76-87. [PMID: 29152764 DOI: 10.1002/jobm.201700277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2017] [Revised: 07/20/2017] [Accepted: 09/19/2017] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Aspergillus cristatus develops into various stages under different Na concentrations: the sexual stage in 0.5 M NaCl and asexual development stage in 3 M NaCl. In order to explore whether the Ca2+ signaling pathway in A. cristatus responded to the changes in the salt stress, we analyzed the gene expression levels in A. cristatus respectively cultured in 0.5 M NaCl and 3 M NaCl. According to the BLAST analysis results, we identified 25 Ca2+ -signaling proteins in A. cristatus. The expression levels of most genes involved in the Ca2+ -signaling pathway in A. cristatus cultured in different salt concentrations showed significant differences, indicating that the Ca2+ signaling pathway was involved in the response to the changes in the salt stress. In yeasts, only calcium ion influx proteins were reported to be involved in the response to the changes in the salt stress. So far, the protein for the exchanger of calcium/sodium ions has not been reported. Therefore, we obtained the sodium/calcium exchanger (termed NCX) proteins from the KEGG Database. The ncx gene of A. cristatus was cloned and characterized. The full length of ncx gene is 3055 bp, including a 2994-bp open reading frame encoding 994 amino acids. The expression levels of ncx in the sexual development stage and asexual development stage were respectively ∼8.94 times and ∼2.57 times of that in the hyphal formation stage. Therefore, we suggested that ncx gene was up-regulated to resist the sodium stress. The study results provide the basis for further exploring the Ca2+ -signaling mechanism and ion exchanger mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiu-Xiu Ren
- College of Agriculture, Guizhou University, Guiyang, PR China.,College of Ecological Engineering, Guizhou University of Engineering Science, Bijie, PR China
| | - Yuchen Wang
- Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guiyang, PR China
| | - YongXiang Liu
- Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guiyang, PR China
| | - Yumei Tan
- Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guiyang, PR China
| | - Chunguang Ren
- Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guiyang, PR China
| | - Yongyi Ge
- Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guiyang, PR China
| | - Zuoyi Liu
- Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guiyang, PR China
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18
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Trail F, Wang Z, Stefanko K, Cubba C, Townsend JP. The ancestral levels of transcription and the evolution of sexual phenotypes in filamentous fungi. PLoS Genet 2017; 13:e1006867. [PMID: 28704372 PMCID: PMC5509106 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2017] [Accepted: 06/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Changes in gene expression have been hypothesized to play an important role in the evolution of divergent morphologies. To test this hypothesis in a model system, we examined differences in fruiting body morphology of five filamentous fungi in the Sordariomycetes, culturing them in a common garden environment and profiling genome-wide gene expression at five developmental stages. We reconstructed ancestral gene expression phenotypes, identifying genes with the largest evolved increases in gene expression across development. Conducting knockouts and performing phenotypic analysis in two divergent species typically demonstrated altered fruiting body development in the species that had evolved increased expression. Our evolutionary approach to finding relevant genes proved far more efficient than other gene deletion studies targeting whole genomes or gene families. Combining gene expression measurements with knockout phenotypes facilitated the refinement of Bayesian networks of the genes underlying fruiting body development, regulation of which is one of the least understood processes of multicellular development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frances Trail
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States of America
- Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States of America
| | - Zheng Wang
- Department of Biostatistics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States of America
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States of America
| | - Kayla Stefanko
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States of America
| | - Caitlyn Cubba
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States of America
| | - Jeffrey P. Townsend
- Department of Biostatistics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States of America
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States of America
- Program in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States of America
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Characterization of the Tetraspan Junctional Complex (4JC) superfamily. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2016; 1859:402-414. [PMID: 27916633 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2016.11.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2016] [Revised: 11/22/2016] [Accepted: 11/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Connexins or innexins form gap junctions, while claudins and occludins form tight junctions. In this study, statistical data, derived using novel software, indicate that these four junctional protein families and eleven other families of channel and channel auxiliary proteins are related by common descent and comprise the Tetraspan (4 TMS) Junctional Complex (4JC) Superfamily. These proteins all share similar 4 transmembrane α-helical (TMS) topologies. Evidence is presented that they arose via an intragenic duplication event, whereby a 2 TMS-encoding genetic element duplicated tandemly to give 4 TMS proteins. In cases where high resolution structural data were available, the conclusion of homology was supported by conducting structural comparisons. Phylogenetic trees reveal the probable relationships of these 15 families to each other. Long homologues containing fusions to other recognizable domains as well as internally duplicated or fused domains are reported. Large "fusion" proteins containing 4JC domains proved to fall predominantly into family-specific patterns as follows: (1) the 4JC domain was N-terminal; (2) the 4JC domain was C-terminal; (3) the 4JC domain was duplicated or occasionally triplicated and (4) mixed fusion types were present. Our observations provide insight into the evolutionary origins and subfunctions of these proteins as well as guides concerning their structural and functional relationships.
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Gupta P, Chanda R, Rai N, Kataria VK, Kumar N. Antihypertensive, Amlodipine Besilate Inhibits Growth and Biofilm of Human Fungal Pathogen Candida. Assay Drug Dev Technol 2016; 14:291-297. [DOI: 10.1089/adt.2016.714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Payal Gupta
- Department of Biotechnology, Graphic Era University, Dehradun, India
| | - Reshmi Chanda
- Department of Microbiology, Shri Guru Ram Rai Institute of Medical and Health Sciences, Dehradun, India
| | - Nishant Rai
- Department of Biotechnology, Graphic Era University, Dehradun, India
| | - Vijay K. Kataria
- Department of Microbiology, Shri Guru Ram Rai Institute of Medical and Health Sciences, Dehradun, India
| | - Navin Kumar
- Department of Biotechnology, Graphic Era University, Dehradun, India
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21
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Lopez-Moya F, Kowbel D, Nueda MJ, Palma-Guerrero J, Glass NL, Lopez-Llorca LV. Neurospora crassa transcriptomics reveals oxidative stress and plasma membrane homeostasis biology genes as key targets in response to chitosan. MOLECULAR BIOSYSTEMS 2016; 12:391-403. [PMID: 26694141 PMCID: PMC4729629 DOI: 10.1039/c5mb00649j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Chitosan is a natural polymer with antimicrobial activity. Chitosan causes plasma membrane permeabilization and induction of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in Neurospora crassa. We have determined the transcriptional profile of N. crassa to chitosan and identified the main gene targets involved in the cellular response to this compound. Global network analyses showed membrane, transport and oxidoreductase activity as key nodes affected by chitosan. Activation of oxidative metabolism indicates the importance of ROS and cell energy together with plasma membrane homeostasis in N. crassa response to chitosan. Deletion strain analysis of chitosan susceptibility pointed NCU03639 encoding a class 3 lipase, involved in plasma membrane repair by lipid replacement, and NCU04537 a MFS monosaccharide transporter related to assimilation of simple sugars, as main gene targets of chitosan. NCU10521, a glutathione S-transferase-4 involved in the generation of reducing power for scavenging intracellular ROS is also a determinant chitosan gene target. Ca(2+) increased tolerance to chitosan in N. crassa. Growth of NCU10610 (fig 1 domain) and SYT1 (a synaptotagmin) deletion strains was significantly increased by Ca(2+) in the presence of chitosan. Both genes play a determinant role in N. crassa membrane homeostasis. Our results are of paramount importance for developing chitosan as an antifungal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Lopez-Moya
- Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Multidisciplinary Institute for Environmental Studies (MIES) Ramon Margalef, Department of Marine Sciences and Applied Biology, University of Alicante, E-03080 Alicante, Spain.
| | - David Kowbel
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley CA, 94720-3120 USA.
| | - Maria José Nueda
- Statistics and Operation Research Department, University of Alicante, E-03080 Alicante, Spain.
| | - Javier Palma-Guerrero
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley CA, 94720-3120 USA.
| | - N Louise Glass
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley CA, 94720-3120 USA.
| | - Luis Vicente Lopez-Llorca
- Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Multidisciplinary Institute for Environmental Studies (MIES) Ramon Margalef, Department of Marine Sciences and Applied Biology, University of Alicante, E-03080 Alicante, Spain.
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Muñoz A, Bertuzzi M, Bettgenhaeuser J, Iakobachvili N, Bignell EM, Read ND. Different Stress-Induced Calcium Signatures Are Reported by Aequorin-Mediated Calcium Measurements in Living Cells of Aspergillus fumigatus. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0138008. [PMID: 26402916 PMCID: PMC4581630 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0138008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2015] [Accepted: 08/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Aspergillus fumigatus is an inhaled fungal pathogen of human lungs, the developmental growth of which is reliant upon Ca2+-mediated signalling. Ca2+ signalling has regulatory significance in all eukaryotic cells but how A. fumigatus uses intracellular Ca2+ signals to respond to stresses imposed by the mammalian lung is poorly understood. In this work, A. fumigatus strains derived from the clinical isolate CEA10, and a non-homologous recombination mutant ΔakuBKU80, were engineered to express the bioluminescent Ca2+-reporter aequorin. An aequorin-mediated method for routine Ca2+ measurements during the early stages of colony initiation was successfully developed and dynamic changes in cytosolic free calcium ([Ca2+]c) in response to extracellular stimuli were measured. The response to extracellular challenges (hypo- and hyper-osmotic shock, mechanical perturbation, high extracellular Ca2+, oxidative stress or exposure to human serum) that the fungus might be exposed to during infection, were analysed in living conidial germlings. The 'signatures' of the transient [Ca2+]c responses to extracellular stimuli were found to be dose- and age-dependent. Moreover, Ca2+-signatures associated with each physico-chemical treatment were found to be unique, suggesting the involvement of heterogeneous combinations of Ca2+-signalling components in each stress response. Concordant with the involvement of Ca2+-calmodulin complexes in these Ca2+-mediated responses, the calmodulin inhibitor trifluoperazine (TFP) induced changes in the Ca2+-signatures to all the challenges. The Ca2+-chelator BAPTA potently inhibited the initial responses to most stressors in accordance with a critical role for extracellular Ca2+ in initiating the stress responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Muñoz
- Manchester Fungal Infection Group, Institute of Inflammation and Repair, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Fungal Cell Biology Group, Institute of Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Margherita Bertuzzi
- Manchester Fungal Infection Group, Institute of Inflammation and Repair, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jan Bettgenhaeuser
- Fungal Cell Biology Group, Institute of Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Nino Iakobachvili
- Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Elaine M. Bignell
- Manchester Fungal Infection Group, Institute of Inflammation and Repair, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (NDR); (EMB)
| | - Nick D. Read
- Manchester Fungal Infection Group, Institute of Inflammation and Repair, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Fungal Cell Biology Group, Institute of Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (NDR); (EMB)
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Identification and characterization of LFD-2, a predicted fringe protein required for membrane integrity during cell fusion in neurospora crassa. EUKARYOTIC CELL 2015; 14:265-77. [PMID: 25595444 DOI: 10.1128/ec.00233-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The molecular mechanisms of membrane merger during somatic cell fusion in eukaryotic species are poorly understood. In the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa, somatic cell fusion occurs between genetically identical germinated asexual spores (germlings) and between hyphae to form the interconnected network characteristic of a filamentous fungal colony. In N. crassa, two proteins have been identified to function at the step of membrane fusion during somatic cell fusion: PRM1 and LFD-1. The absence of either one of these two proteins results in an increase of germling pairs arrested during cell fusion with tightly appressed plasma membranes and an increase in the frequency of cell lysis of adhered germlings. The level of cell lysis in ΔPrm1 or Δlfd-1 germlings is dependent on the extracellular calcium concentration. An available transcriptional profile data set was used to identify genes encoding predicted transmembrane proteins that showed reduced expression levels in germlings cultured in the absence of extracellular calcium. From these analyses, we identified a mutant (lfd-2, for late fusion defect-2) that showed a calcium-dependent cell lysis phenotype. lfd-2 encodes a protein with a Fringe domain and showed endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi membrane localization. The deletion of an additional gene predicted to encode a low-affinity calcium transporter, fig1, also resulted in a strain that showed a calcium-dependent cell lysis phenotype. Genetic analyses showed that LFD-2 and FIG1 likely function in separate pathways to regulate aspects of membrane merger and repair during cell fusion.
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Gonçalves AP, Monteiro J, Lucchi C, Kowbel DJ, Cordeiro JM, Correia-de-Sá P, Rigden DJ, Glass NL, Videira A. Extracellular calcium triggers unique transcriptional programs and modulates staurosporine-induced cell death in Neurospora crassa. MICROBIAL CELL 2014; 1:289-302. [PMID: 28357255 PMCID: PMC5349132 DOI: 10.15698/mic2014.09.165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Alterations in the intracellular levels of calcium are a common response to cell death stimuli in animals and fungi and, particularly, in the Neurospora crassa response to staurosporine. We highlight the importance of the extracellular availability of Ca2+ for this response. Limitation of the ion in the culture medium further sensitizes cells to the drug and results in increased accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Conversely, an approximately 30-fold excess of external Ca2+ leads to increased drug tolerance and lower ROS generation. In line with this, distinct staurosporine-induced cytosolic Ca2+ signaling profiles were observed in the absence or presence of excessive external Ca2+. High-throughput RNA sequencing revealed that different concentrations of extracellular Ca2+ define distinct transcriptional programs. Our transcriptional profiling also pointed to two putative novel Ca2+-binding proteins, encoded by the NCU08524 and NCU06607 genes, and provides a reference dataset for future investigations on the role of Ca2+ in fungal biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- A P Gonçalves
- ICBAS-Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal. ; IBMC-Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular - Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre 823, 4150-180 Porto, Portugal
| | - João Monteiro
- IBMC-Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular - Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre 823, 4150-180 Porto, Portugal
| | - Chiara Lucchi
- IBMC-Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular - Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre 823, 4150-180 Porto, Portugal
| | - David J Kowbel
- Plant and Microbial Biology Department, The University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - J M Cordeiro
- ICBAS-Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal. ; UMIB-Unidade Multidisciplinar de Investigação Biomédica, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Paulo Correia-de-Sá
- ICBAS-Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal. ; UMIB-Unidade Multidisciplinar de Investigação Biomédica, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Daniel J Rigden
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7ZB, United Kingdom
| | - N L Glass
- Plant and Microbial Biology Department, The University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Arnaldo Videira
- ICBAS-Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal. ; IBMC-Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular - Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre 823, 4150-180 Porto, Portugal
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27
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de Castro PA, Chiaratto J, Winkelströter LK, Bom VLP, Ramalho LNZ, Goldman MHS, Brown NA, Goldman GH. The involvement of the Mid1/Cch1/Yvc1 calcium channels in Aspergillus fumigatus virulence. PLoS One 2014; 9:e103957. [PMID: 25083783 PMCID: PMC4118995 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0103957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2014] [Accepted: 07/03/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Aspergillus fumigatus is a major opportunistic pathogen and allergen of mammals. Calcium homeostasis and signaling is essential for numerous biological processes and also influences A. fumigatus pathogenicity. The presented study characterized the function of the A. fumigatus homologues of three Saccharomyces cerevisiae calcium channels, voltage-gated Cch1, stretch-activated Mid1 and vacuolar Yvc1. The A. fumigatus calcium channels cchA, midA and yvcA were regulated at transcriptional level by increased calcium levels. The YvcA::GFP fusion protein localized to the vacuoles. Both ΔcchA and ΔmidA mutant strains showed reduced radial growth rate in nutrient-poor minimal media. Interestingly, this growth defect in the ΔcchA strain was rescued by the exogenous addition of CaCl2. The ΔcchA, ΔmidA, and ΔcchA ΔmidA strains were also sensitive to the oxidative stress inducer, paraquat. Restriction of external Ca2+ through the addition of the Ca2+-chelator EGTA impacted upon the growth of the ΔcchA and ΔmidA strains. All the A. fumigatus ΔcchA, ΔmidA, and ΔyvcA strains demonstrated attenuated virulence in a neutropenic murine model of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. Infection with the parental strain resulted in a 100% mortality rate at 15 days post-infection, while the mortality rate of the ΔcchA, ΔmidA, and ΔyvcA strains after 15 days post-infection was only 25%. Collectively, this investigation strongly indicates that CchA, MidA, and YvcA play a role in A. fumigatus calcium homeostasis and virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrícia Alves de Castro
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Jéssica Chiaratto
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Lizziane K. Winkelströter
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Vinícius Leite Pedro Bom
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | | | - Maria Helena S. Goldman
- Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Neil Andrew Brown
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Gustavo H. Goldman
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
- National Laboratory of Science and Technology of Bioethanol (CTBE), Campinas, Brazil
- * E-mail:
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Gonçalves AP, Cordeiro JM, Monteiro J, Muñoz A, Correia-de-Sá P, Read ND, Videira A. Activation of a TRP-like channel and intracellular Ca2+ dynamics during phospholipase-C-mediated cell death. J Cell Sci 2014; 127:3817-29. [PMID: 25037570 PMCID: PMC4150065 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.152058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The model organism Neurospora crassa undergoes programmed cell death when exposed to staurosporine. Here, we show that staurosporine causes defined changes in cytosolic free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]c) dynamics and a distinct Ca2+ signature that involves Ca2+ influx from the external medium and internal Ca2+ stores. We investigated the molecular basis of this Ca2+ response by using [Ca2+]c measurements combined with pharmacological and genetic approaches. Phospholipase C was identified as a pivotal player during cell death, because modulation of the phospholipase C signaling pathway and deletion of PLC-2, which we show to be involved in hyphal development, results in an inability to trigger the characteristic staurosporine-induced Ca2+ signature. Using Δcch-1, Δfig-1 and Δyvc-1 mutants and a range of inhibitors, we show that extracellular Ca2+ entry does not occur through the hitherto described high- and low-affinity Ca2+ uptake systems, but through the opening of plasma membrane channels with properties resembling the transient receptor potential (TRP) family. Partial blockage of the response to staurosporine after inhibition of a putative inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) receptor suggests that Ca2+ release from internal stores following IP3 formation combines with the extracellular Ca2+ influx.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Pedro Gonçalves
- IBMC-Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular - Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre 823, 4150-180 Porto, Portugal ICBAS-Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - J Miguel Cordeiro
- ICBAS-Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - João Monteiro
- IBMC-Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular - Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre 823, 4150-180 Porto, Portugal
| | - Alberto Muñoz
- Manchester Fungal Infection Group, Institute of Inflammation and Repair, CTF Building, Grafton Street, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9NT, UK
| | - Paulo Correia-de-Sá
- ICBAS-Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Nick D Read
- Manchester Fungal Infection Group, Institute of Inflammation and Repair, CTF Building, Grafton Street, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9NT, UK
| | - Arnaldo Videira
- IBMC-Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular - Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre 823, 4150-180 Porto, Portugal ICBAS-Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
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Hu S, Zhou X, Gu X, Cao S, Wang C, Xu JR. The cAMP-PKA pathway regulates growth, sexual and asexual differentiation, and pathogenesis in Fusarium graminearum. MOLECULAR PLANT-MICROBE INTERACTIONS : MPMI 2014; 27:557-66. [PMID: 24450772 DOI: 10.1094/mpmi-10-13-0306-r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Like many other filamentous ascomycetes, Fusarium graminearum contains two genes named CPK1 and CPK2 that encode the catalytic subunits of cyclic AMP (cAMP)-dependent protein kinase A (PKA). To determine the role of cAMP signaling in pathogenesis and development in F. graminearum, we functionally characterized these two genes. In addition, we generated and characterized the cpk1 cpk2 double and fac1 adenylate cyclase gene deletion mutants. The cpk1 mutant was significantly reduced in vegetative growth, conidiation, and deoxynivalenol production but it had increased tolerance to elevated temperatures. It was defective in the production of penetration branches on plant surfaces, colonization of wheat rachises, and spreading in flowering wheat heads. Deletion of CPK1 had no effect on perithecium development but the cpk1 mutant was defective in ascospore maturation and releasing. In contrast, the cpk2 mutant had no detectable phenotypes, suggesting that CPK2 contributes minimally to PKA activities in F. graminearum. Nevertheless, the cpk1 cpk2 double mutant had more severe defects in vegetative growth and rarely produced morphologically abnormal conidia. The double mutant, unlike the cpk1 or cpk2 mutant, was nonpathogenic and failed to form perithecia on self-mating plates. Therefore, CPK1 and CPK2 must have overlapping functions in vegetative growth, differentiation, and plant infection in F. graminearum. The fac1 mutant was also nonpathogenic and had growth defects similar to those of the cpk1 cpk2 mutant. However, deletion of FAC1 had no effect on conidium morphology. These results indicated that CPK1 is the major PKA catalytic subunit gene and that the cAMP-PKA pathway plays critical roles in hyphal growth, conidiation, ascosporogenesis, and plant infection in F. graminearum.
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30
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Palma-Guerrero J, Leeder AC, Welch J, Glass NL. Identification and characterization of LFD1, a novel protein involved in membrane merger during cell fusion in Neurospora crassa. Mol Microbiol 2014; 92:164-82. [PMID: 24673848 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.12545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/04/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Despite its essential role in development, molecular mechanisms of membrane merger during cell-cell fusion in most eukaryotic organisms remain elusive. In the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa, cell fusion occurs during asexual spore germination, where genetically identical germlings show chemotropic interactions and cell-cell fusion. Fusion of germlings and hyphae is required for the formation of the interconnected mycelial network characteristic of filamentous fungi. Previously, a multipass membrane protein, PRM1, was characterized and acts at the step of bilayer fusion in N. crassa. Here we describe the identification and characterization of lfd-1, encoding a single pass transmembrane protein, which is also involved in membrane merger. lfd-1 was identified by a targeted analysis of a transcriptional profile of a transcription factor mutant (Δpp-1) defective in germling fusion. The Δlfd-1 mutant shows a similar, but less severe, membrane merger defect as a ΔPrm1 mutant. By genetic analyses, we show that LFD1 and PRM1 act independently, but share a redundant function. The cell fusion frequency of both Δlfd-1 and ΔPrm1 mutants was sensitive to extracellular calcium concentration and was associated with an increase in cell lysis, which was suppressed by a calcium-dependent mechanism involving a homologue to synaptotagmin.
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31
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FigA, a putative homolog of low-affinity calcium system member Fig1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is involved in growth and asexual and sexual development in Aspergillus nidulans. EUKARYOTIC CELL 2013; 13:295-303. [PMID: 24376003 DOI: 10.1128/ec.00257-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Calcium-mediated signaling pathways are widely employed in eukaryotes and are implicated in the regulation of diverse biological processes. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, at least two different calcium uptake systems have been identified: the high-affinity calcium influx system (HACS) and the low-affinity calcium influx system (LACS). Compared to the HACS, the LACS in fungi is not well known. In this study, FigA, a homolog of the LACS member Fig1 from S. cerevisiae, was functionally characterized in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans. Loss of figA resulted in retardant hyphal growth and a sharp reduction of conidial production. Most importantly, FigA is essential for the homothallic mating (self-fertilization) process; further, FigA is required for heterothallic mating (outcrossing) in the absence of HACS midA. Interestingly, in a figA deletion mutant, adding extracellular Ca(2+) rescued the hyphal growth defects but could not restore asexual and sexual reproduction. Furthermore, quantitative PCR results revealed that figA deletion sharply decreased the expression of brlA and nsdD, which are known as key regulators during asexual and sexual development, respectively. In addition, green fluorescent protein (GFP) tagging at the C terminus of FigA (FigA::GFP) showed that FigA localized to the center of the septum in mature hyphal cells, to the location between vesicles and metulae, and between the junctions of metulae and phialides in conidiophores. Thus, our findings suggest that FigA, apart from being a member of a calcium uptake system in A. nidulans, may play multiple unexplored roles during hyphal growth and asexual and sexual development.
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Alber J, Jiang L, Geyer J. CaRch1p does not functionally interact with the high-affinity Ca(2+) influx system (HACS) of Candida albicans. Yeast 2013; 30:449-57. [PMID: 24123457 DOI: 10.1002/yea.2981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2013] [Revised: 09/06/2013] [Accepted: 09/16/2013] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The plasma membrane protein CaRch1p of Candida albicans, homologous to the human solute carrier protein SLC10A7, is involved in the regulation of calcium homeostasis. C. albicans cells lacking CaRCH1 are hypersensitive to high extracellular Ca(2+) concentrations and show increased tolerance to ketoconazole (KCZ). We assume a higher basal Ca(2+) influx in the rch1/rch1 mutant strain at low extracellular Ca(2+) concentrations, which is not detrimental to C. albicans cells but may be sufficient to activate calcineurin, finally resulting in an increased tolerance to KCZ. However, at 8 µg/ml KCZ plus 3 mm Ca(2+) the rch1/rch1 mutant and the wild-type strains showed identical growth. By further increasing the Ca(2+) concentration to 30 mm, this phenotype was completely reversed and the rch1/rch1 mutant strain became extremely sensitive to 8 µg/ml KCZ, probably due to synergistic toxic effects of Ca(2+) and KCZ under these conditions. Furthermore, we aimed to clarify whether CaRch1p interacts with the Cch1p component of the voltage-gated calcium influx channel Cch1p/Mid1p in C. albicans cells. As disruption of the two alleles of CCH1 in the rch1/rch1 mutant strain did not alter its hypersensitivity to high extracellular Ca(2+) , and as this phenotype was completely abolished by low amounts of Mg(2+) in the rch1/rch1 mutant as well as in the cch1/cch1 rch1/rch1 double mutant, we conclude that CaRch1p is a functional component of the low-affinity calcium uptake system (LACS) system and does not functionally interact with Cch1p.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joerg Alber
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Germany
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Yu J, Son H, Park AR, Lee SH, Choi GJ, Kim JC, Lee YW. Functional characterization of sucrose non-fermenting 1 protein kinase complex genes in the Ascomycete Fusarium graminearum. Curr Genet 2013; 60:35-47. [PMID: 24057127 DOI: 10.1007/s00294-013-0409-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2013] [Revised: 09/10/2013] [Accepted: 09/13/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Sucrose non-fermenting 1 (SNF1) protein kinase complex is a heterotrimer that functions in energy homeostasis in eukaryotes by regulating transcription of glucose-repressible genes. Our previous study revealed that SNF1 of the homothallic ascomycete fungus Fusarium graminearum plays important roles in vegetative growth, sexual development, and virulence. In this study, we further identified the components of the SNF1 complex in F. graminearum and characterized their functions. We found that the SNF1 complex in F. graminearum consists of one alpha subunit (FgSNF1), one beta subunit (FgGAL83), and one gamma subunit (FgSNF4). Deletion of Fggal83 and Fgsnf4 resulted in alleviated phenotype changes in vegetative growth and sexual development as compared to those of the Fgsnf1 deletion mutant. However, all of the single, double, and triple deletion mutants among Fgsnf1, Fggal83, and Fgsnf4 had similar levels of decreased virulence. In addition, there was no synergistic effect of the mutant (single, double, or triple deletions of SNF1 complex component genes) phenotypes except for sucrose utilization. In this study, we revealed that FgSNF1 is mainly required for SNF1 complex functions, and the other two SNF1 complex components have adjunctive roles with FgSNF1 in sexual development and vegetative growth but have a major role in virulence in F. graminearum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jungheon Yu
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology and Center for Fungal Pathogenesis, Seoul National University, Seoul, 151-921, Republic of Korea
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Son H, Lee J, Lee YW. A novel gene, GEA1, is required for ascus cell-wall development in the ascomycete fungus Fusarium graminearum. Microbiology (Reading) 2013; 159:1077-1085. [DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.064287-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Hokyoung Son
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology and Center for Fungal Pathogenesis, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-921, Republic of Korea
| | - Jungkwan Lee
- Department of Applied Biology, Dong-A University, Busan 604-714, Republic of Korea
| | - Yin-Won Lee
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology and Center for Fungal Pathogenesis, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-921, Republic of Korea
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Cch1 and Mid1 are functionally required for vegetative growth under low-calcium conditions in the phytopathogenic ascomycete Botrytis cinerea. EUKARYOTIC CELL 2013; 12:712-24. [PMID: 23475703 DOI: 10.1128/ec.00338-12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
In the filamentous phytopathogen Botrytis cinerea, the Ca(2+)/calcineurin signaling cascade has been shown to play an important role in fungal growth, differentiation, and virulence. This study deals with the functional characterization of two components of this pathway, the putative calcium channel proteins Cch1 and Mid1. The cch1 and mid1 genes were deleted, and single and double knockout mutants were analyzed during different stages of the fungal life cycle. Our data indicate that Cch1 and Mid1 are functionally required for vegetative growth under conditions of low extracellular calcium, since the growth of both deletion mutants is strongly impaired when they are exposed to the Ca(2+)-chelating agents EGTA and 1,2-bis(o-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (BAPTA). The impact of external Ca(2+) was investigated by supplementing with CaCl(2) and the ionophore A23187, both of which resulted in elevated growth for all mutants. However, deletion of either gene had no impact on germination, sporulation, hyphal morphology, or virulence. By use of the aequorin reporter system to measure intracellular calcium levels, no differences between the mutant strains and the wild type were obtained. Localization studies revealed a subcellular distribution of the Mid1-green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion protein in network-like filaments, probably the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes, indicating that Mid1 is not a plasma membrane-located calcium channel in B. cinerea.
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