Neddylation and CAND1 independently stimulate SCF ubiquitin ligase activity in Candida albicans

The Ubiquitin-like Proteins of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In this review, we present a comprehensive list of the ubiquitin-like modifiers (Ubls) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a common model organism used to study fundamental cellular processes that are conserved in complex multicellular organisms, such as humans. Ubls are a family of proteins that share structural relationships with ubiquitin, and which modify target proteins and lipids. These modifiers are processed, activated and conjugated to substrates by cognate enzymatic cascades. The attachment of substrates to Ubls alters the various properties of these substrates, such as function, interaction with the environment or turnover, and accordingly regulate key cellular processes, including DNA damage, cell cycle progression, metabolism, stress response, cellular differentiation, and protein homeostasis. Thus, it is not surprising that Ubls serve as tools to study the underlying mechanism involved in cellular health. We summarize current knowledge on the activity and mechanism of action of the S. cerevisiae Rub1, Smt3, Atg8, Atg12, Urm1 and Hub1 modifiers, all of which are highly conserved in organisms from yeast to humans.

More Than Just Cleaning: Ubiquitin-Mediated Proteolysis in Fungal Pathogenesis

Ubiquitin-proteasome mediated protein turnover is an important regulatory mechanism of cellular function in eukaryotes. Extensive studies have linked the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) to human diseases, and an array of proteasome inhibitors have been successfully developed for cancer therapy. Although still an emerging field, research on UPS regulation of fungal development and virulence has been rapidly advancing and has generated considerable excitement in its potential as a target for novel drugs. In this review, we summarize UPS composition and regulatory function in pathogenic fungi, especially in stress responses, host adaption, and fungal pathogenesis. Emphasis will be given to UPS regulation of pathogenic factors that are important for fungal pathogenesis. We also discuss future potential therapeutic strategies for fungal infections based on targeting UPS pathways.

Essential Role of COP9 Signalosome Subunit 5 (Csn5) in Insect Pathogenicity and Asexual Development of Beauveria bassiana

Csn5 is a subunit ofthe COP9/signalosome complex in model fungi. Here, we report heavier accumulation of orthologous Csn5 in the nucleus than in the cytoplasm and its indispensability to insect pathogenicity and virulence-related cellular events of Beauveria bassiana. Deletion of csn5 led to a 68% increase in intracellular ubiquitin accumulation and the dysregulation of 18 genes encoding ubiquitin-activating (E1), -conjugating (E2), and -ligating (E3) enzymes and ubiquitin-specific proteases, suggesting the role of Csn5 in balanced ubiquitination/deubiquitination. Consequently, the deletion mutant displayed abolished insect pathogenicity, marked reductions in conidial hydrophobicity and adherence to the insect cuticle, the abolished secretion of cuticle penetration-required enzymes, blocked haemocoel colonisation, and reduced conidiation capacity despite unaffected biomass accumulation. These phenotypes correlated well with sharply repressed or abolished expressions of key hydrophobin genes required for hydrophobin biosynthesis/assembly and of developmental activator genes essential for aerial conidiation and submerged blastospore production. In the mutant, increased sensitivities to heat shock and oxidative stress also correlated with reduced expression levels of several heat-responsive genes and decreased activities of antioxidant enzymes. Altogether, Csn5-reliant ubiquitination/deubiquitination balance coordinates the expression of those crucial genes and the quality control of functionally important enzymes, which are collectively essential for fungal pathogenicity, virulence-related cellular events, and asexual development.

The role of non-standard translation in Candida albicans pathogenesis

Candida albicans typically resides in the human gastrointestinal tract and mucosal membranes as a commensal organism. To adapt and cope with the host immune system, it has evolved a variety of mechanisms of adaptation such as stress-induced mutagenesis and epigenetic regulation. Niche-specific patterns of gene expression also allow the fungus to fine-tune its response to specific microenvironments in the host and switch from harmless commensal to invasive pathogen. Proteome plasticity produced by CUG ambiguity, on the other hand is emerging as a new layer of complexity in C. albicans adaptation, pathogenesis, and drug resistance. Such proteome plasticity is the result of a genetic code alteration where the leucine CUG codon is translated mainly as serine (97%), but maintains some level of leucine (3%) assignment. In this review, we dissect the link between C. albicans non-standard CUG translation, proteome plasticity, host adaptation and pathogenesis. We discuss published work showing how this pathogen uses the fidelity of protein synthesis to spawn novel virulence traits.

Functional connections between cell cycle and proteostasis in the regulation of Candida albicans morphogenesis

Morphological plasticity is a key virulence trait for many fungal pathogens. For the opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida albicans, transitions among yeast, pseudohyphal, and hyphal forms are critical for virulence, because the morphotypes play distinct roles in the infection process. C. albicans morphogenesis is induced in response to many host-relevant conditions and is regulated by complex signaling pathways and cellular processes. Perturbation of either cell-cycle progression or protein homeostasis induces C. albicans filamentation, demonstrating that these processes play a key role in morphogenetic control. Regulators such as cyclin-dependent kinases, checkpoint proteins, the proteasome, the heat shock protein Hsp90, and the heat shock transcription factor Hsf1 all influence morphogenesis, often through interconnected effects on the cell cycle and proteostasis. This review highlights the major cell-cycle and proteostasis regulators that modulate morphogenesis and discusses how these two processes intersect to regulate this key virulence trait.

The necessity of NEDD8/Rub1 for vitality and its association with mitochondria-derived oxidative stress

Access of molecular oxygen to the respiratory electron transport chain at the mitochondria costs in the generation of reactive oxygen-derived species (ROS). ROS induces progressive damage to macromolecules in all living cells, hence, rapid defense mechanisms to maintain cellular redox homeostasis are vital. NEDD8/Rub1 is a highly conserved ubiquitin-like modifier that has recently been identified as a key regulator of cellular redox homeostasis. In this review, I will present NEDD8/Rub1, its modification cascade of enzymes, substrates and hydrolases. After introduction, I will show that the NEDD8/Rub1 pathway is linked with mitochondria physiology, namely, oxidative stress. In the rest of the review, I will approach the Ascomycota phylum of the kingdom fungi instrumentally, to present existing links between NEDD8/Rub1 vitality and the aerobic lifestyle of model species belonging to three subphyla: Saccharomycotina (S. cerevisiae and C. albicans), Pezizomycotina (A. nidulans and N. crassa), and Taphrinomycotina (S. pombe).

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NEDD8/Rub1 is a key regulator of cellular redox homeostasis.

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Ascomycota species that produce mitochondria-derived ROS during glycolysis require NEDD8/Rub1for viability.

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NEDD8/Rub1 essentiality correlates with the existence of NEDP1 in the organism genome.

NEDDylation negatively regulates ERRβ expression to promote breast cancer tumorigenesis and progression

Estrogen-related receptor beta (ERRβ) is downregulated in breast cancer cells and its overexpression in breast cancer patients is positively correlated with an improved prognosis and prolonged relapse-free survival. Here, we unravelled a molecular mechanism for ERRβ downregulation in breast cancer. We found that ERRβ is a key substrate of the SCF complex and that NEDDylation can activate the Cullin subunits of the SCF complex to target ERRβ for degradation in breast cancer. Consistently, using in vitro and in vivo models, we demonstrated that MLN4924, a specific small molecule inhibitor of NEDDylation, can restore ERRβ expression and culminate in a reduction in cell proliferation and migration of breast cancer cells. We also showed that increased ERRβ expression promotes the upregulation of its target genes, including the tumour suppressors p21^Cip1/Waf1 and E-cadherin, involved in cell proliferation and migration arrest at the gene promoter level. Interestingly, this tumour suppressive role of ERRβ does not depend on the expression of ERα in breast cancer. Moreover, our data revealed that the ERRβ recruits the transcription co-activator p300 to its targeted gene promoters to upregulate their expression. Collectively, our work revealed that restoration of ERRβ expression using the NEDDylation inhibitor MLN4924 can be a novel and effective strategy for breast cancer treatment.

Regulation of Candida albicans Hyphal Morphogenesis by Endogenous Signals

Candida albicans is a human commensal fungus that is able to assume several morphologies, including yeast, hyphal, and pseudohyphal. Under a range of conditions, C. albicans performs a regulated switch to the filamentous morphology, characterized by the emergence of a germ tube from the yeast cell, followed by a mold-like growth of branching hyphae. This transition from yeast to hyphal growth has attracted particular attention, as it has been linked to the virulence of C. albicans as an opportunistic human pathogen. Signal transduction pathways that mediate the induction of the hyphal transcription program upon the imposition of external stimuli have been extensively investigated. However, the hyphal morphogenesis transcription program can also be induced by internal cellular signals, such as inhibition of cell cycle progression, and conversely, the inhibition of hyphal extension can repress hyphal-specific gene expression, suggesting that endogenous cellular signals are able to modulate hyphal gene expression as well. Here we review recent developments in the regulation of the hyphal morphogenesis of C. albicans, with emphasis on endogenous morphogenetic signals.

Regulation of the Candida albicans Hypha-Inducing Transcription Factor Ume6 by the CDK1 Cyclins Cln3 and Hgc1

The ability to switch between proliferation as yeast cells and development into hyphae is a hallmark of Candida albicans. The switch to hyphal morphogenesis depends on external inducing conditions, but its efficiency is augmented in stationary-phase cells. Ume6, a transcription factor that is itself transcriptionally induced under hypha-promoting conditions, is both necessary and sufficient for hyphal morphogenesis. We found that Ume6 is regulated posttranslationally by the cell cycle kinase Cdc28/Cdk1, which reduces Ume6 activity via different mechanisms using different cyclins. Together with the cyclin Hgc1, Cdk1 promotes degradation of Ume6 via the SCFCDC4 ubiquitin ligase. Since HGC1 is a key transcriptional target of Ume6, this results in a negative-feedback loop between Hgc1 and Ume6. In addition, we found that Cln3, a G1 cyclin that is essential for cell cycle progression and yeast proliferation, suppresses hyphal morphogenesis and that Cln3 suppresses Ume6 activity both in the heterologous Saccharomyces cerevisiae system and in C. albicans itself. This activity of Cln3 may provide the basis for the antagonistic relationship between yeast proliferation and hyphal development in C. albicans. IMPORTANCE The yeast to hypha (mold) morphogenetic switch of Candida albicans plays a role in its virulence and constitutes a diagnostic trait for this organism, the most prevalent systemic fungal pathogen in industrialized countries. It has long been known that hyphae are most efficiently induced from stationary cultures. Here, a molecular basis for this observation is provided. The G1 cyclin Cln3, an essential promoter of yeast proliferation, was found to suppress hyphal induction. Suppression of hyphal induction is achieved by inhibition of the activity of the central activator of hyphal morphogenesis, the transcription factor Ume6. Thus, levels of Cln3 control the switch between proliferation of C. albicans as individual yeast cells and development into extended hyphae, a switch that may preface the proliferation/differentiation switch in multicellular organisms.

The Fungus Candida albicans Tolerates Ambiguity at Multiple Codons

The ascomycete Candida albicans is a normal resident of the gastrointestinal tract of humans and other warm-blooded animals. It occurs in a broad range of body sites and has high capacity to survive and proliferate in adverse environments with drastic changes in oxygen, carbon dioxide, pH, osmolarity, nutrients, and temperature. Its biology is unique due to flexible reassignment of the leucine CUG codon to serine and synthesis of statistical proteins. Under standard growth conditions, CUG sites incorporate leucine (3% of the times) and serine (97% of the times) on a proteome wide scale, but leucine incorporation fluctuates in response to environmental stressors and can be artificially increased up to 98%. In order to determine whether such flexibility also exists at other codons, we have constructed several serine tRNAs that decode various non-cognate codons. Expression of these tRNAs had minor effects on fitness, but growth of the mistranslating strains at different temperatures, in medium with different pH and nutrients composition was often enhanced relatively to the wild type (WT) strain, supporting our previous data on adaptive roles of CUG ambiguity in variable growth conditions. Parallel evolution of the recombinant strains (100 generations) followed by full genome resequencing identified various strain specific single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and one SNP in the deneddylase (JAB1) gene in all strains. Since JAB1 is a subunit of the COP9 signalosome complex, which interacts with cullin (Cdc53p) to mediate degradation of a variety of cellular proteins, our data suggest that neddylation plays a key role in tolerance and adaptation to codon ambiguity in C. albicans.

Phosphorylation of the cyclin CaPcl5 modulates both cyclin stability and specific recognition of the substrate

The Candida albicans cyclin CaPcl5 activates the cyclin-dependent kinase Pho85 and induces phosphorylation of the transcription factor CaGcn4, leading to its degradation. The high substrate specificity of the CaPcl5/Pho85 complex provides the opportunity to study the determinants of substrate selectivity of cyclins. Mutational analysis of CaPcl5 suggests that residues in a predicted α-helix at the N-terminal end of the cyclin box, as well as in helix I of the cyclin box, play a role in specific substrate recognition. Similar to Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pcl5, we show here that CaPcl5 induces its own phosphorylation at two adjacent sites in the N-terminal region of the protein and that this phosphorylation causes degradation of the cyclin in vivo via the SCF(CDC4) ubiquitin ligase. Remarkably, however, in vitro studies reveal that this phosphorylation also results in a loss of specific substrate recognition, thereby providing an additional novel mechanism for limiting cyclin activity.