1
|
Cea-Sánchez S, Martín-Villanueva S, Gutiérrez G, Cánovas D, Corrochano LM. VE-1 regulation of MAPK signaling controls sexual development in Neurospora crassa. mBio 2024; 15:e0226424. [PMID: 39283084 PMCID: PMC11481897 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02264-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2024] [Accepted: 08/07/2024] [Indexed: 10/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Sexual reproduction in fungi allows genetic recombination and increases genetic diversity, allowing adaptation and survival. The velvet complex is a fungal-specific protein assembly that regulates development, pathogenesis, and secondary metabolism in response to environmental cues, such as light. In Neurospora crassa, this complex comprises VE-1, VE-2, and LAE-1. Deletion of ve-1 or ve-2, but not lae-1, leads to increased conidiation (asexual spore formation) and reduced sexual development. Mutants lacking ve-1 and/or ve-2 are female sterile and male fertile, indicating that a VE-1/VE-2 complex regulates the development of female structures. During sexual development, we observed differential regulation of 2,117 genes in dark and 4,364 genes in light between the wild type and the ∆ve-1 strain. The pheromone response and cell wall integrity pathways were downregulated in the ∆ve-1 mutant, especially in light. Additionally, we found reduced levels of both total and phosphorylated MAK-1 and MAK-2 kinases. In vitro experiments demonstrated the binding of VE-1 and VE-2 to the promoters of mak-1 and mak-2, suggesting a direct regulatory role of VE-1/VE-2 in the transcriptional control of MAPK genes to regulate sexual development. Deletion of the photosensor gene white-collar 1 prevented the light-dependent inhibition of sexual development in the ∆ve-1 mutant by increasing transcription of the pheromone response and cell wall integrity pathway genes to the levels in the dark. Our results support the proposal that the regulation of the MAP kinase pathways by the VE-1/VE-2 complex is a key element in transcriptional regulation that occurs during sexual development. IMPORTANCE Sexual reproduction generates new gene combinations and novel phenotypic traits and facilitates evolution. Induction of sexual development in fungi is often regulated by environmental conditions, such as the presence of light and nutrients. The velvet protein complex coordinates internal cues and environmental signals to regulate development. We have found that VE-1, a component of the velvet complex, regulates transcription during sexual development in the fungus Neurospora crassa. VE-1 regulates the transcription of many genes, including those involved in mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways that are essential in the regulation of sexual development, and regulates the activity of the MAPK pathway. Our findings provide valuable insights into how fungi respond to environmental signals and integrate them into their reproductive processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sara Cea-Sánchez
- Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain
| | - Sara Martín-Villanueva
- Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain
- Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla, Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío/CSIC/Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain
| | - Gabriel Gutiérrez
- Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain
| | - David Cánovas
- Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain
| | - Luis M. Corrochano
- Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Liu K, Wang X, Qi Y, Li Y, Shi Y, Ren Y, Wang A, Cheng P, Wang B. Effector Protein Serine Carboxypeptidase FgSCP Is Essential for Full Virulence in Fusarium graminearum and Is Involved in Modulating Plant Immune Responses. PHYTOPATHOLOGY 2024; 114:2131-2142. [PMID: 38831556 DOI: 10.1094/phyto-02-24-0068-r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
Fusarium head blight caused by Fusarium graminearum is a significant pathogen affecting wheat crops. During the infection process, effector proteins are secreted to modulate plant immunity and promote infection. The toxin deoxynivalenol is produced in infected wheat grains, posing a threat to human and animal health. Serine carboxypeptidases (SCPs) belong to the α/β hydrolase family of proteases and are widely distributed in plant and fungal vacuoles, as well as animal lysosomes. Research on SCPs mainly focuses on the isolation, purification, and production of a small number of fungi. The role of SCPs in plant secretion, growth and development, and stress resistance has also been extensively studied. However, their functions in F. graminearum, a fungal pathogen, remain relatively unknown. In this study, the biological functions of the FgSCP gene in F. graminearum were investigated. The study revealed that mutations in FgSCP affected the nutritional growth, sexual reproduction, and stress tolerance of F. graminearum. Furthermore, the deletion of FgSCP resulted in reduced pathogenicity and hindered the biosynthesis of deoxynivalenol. The upregulation of FgSCP expression 3 days after infection indicated its involvement in host invasion, possibly acting as a "smokescreen" to deceive the host and suppress the expression of host defensive genes. Subsequently, we confirmed the secretion ability of FgSCP and its ability to inhibit the cell death induced by INF1 in Nicotiana benthamiana cells, indicating its potential role as an effector protein in suppressing plant immune responses and promoting infection. In summary, we have identified FgSCP as an essential effector protein in F. graminearum, playing critical roles in growth, virulence, secondary metabolism, and host invasion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kouhan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Xintong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Yuzhe Qi
- Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences (Northeast Agricultural Research of China), Changchun, Jilin 136100, China
| | - Ying Li
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Yifeng Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Yanyan Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Aolin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Peng Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Baotong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Cissé OH, Ma L, Kovacs JA. Retracing the evolution of Pneumocystis species, with a focus on the human pathogen Pneumocystis jirovecii. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2024; 88:e0020222. [PMID: 38587383 PMCID: PMC11332345 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00202-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/09/2024] Open
Abstract
SUMMARYEvery human being is presumed to be infected by the fungus Pneumocystis jirovecii at least once in his or her lifetime. This fungus belongs to a large group of species that appear to exclusively infect mammals, with P. jirovecii being the only one known to cause disease in humans. The mystery of P. jirovecii origin and speciation is just beginning to unravel. Here, we provide a review of the major steps of P. jirovecii evolution. The Pneumocystis genus likely originated from soil or plant-associated organisms during the period of Cretaceous ~165 million years ago and successfully shifted to mammals. The transition coincided with a substantial loss of genes, many of which are related to the synthesis of nutrients that can be scavenged from hosts or cell wall components that could be targeted by the mammalian immune system. Following the transition, the Pneumocystis genus cospeciated with mammals. Each species specialized at infecting its own host. Host specialization is presumably built at least partially upon surface glycoproteins, whose protogene was acquired prior to the genus formation. P. jirovecii appeared at ~65 million years ago, overlapping with the emergence of the first primates. P. jirovecii and its sister species P. macacae, which infects macaques nowadays, may have had overlapping host ranges in the distant past. Clues from molecular clocks suggest that P. jirovecii did not cospeciate with humans. Molecular evidence suggests that Pneumocystis speciation involved chromosomal rearrangements and the mounting of genetic barriers that inhibit gene flow among species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ousmane H. Cissé
- Critical Care Medicine Department, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Liang Ma
- Critical Care Medicine Department, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Joseph A. Kovacs
- Critical Care Medicine Department, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Zhang YD, Ji XB, Zong J, Dai XF, Klosterman SJ, Subbarao KV, Zhang DD, Chen JY. Functional analysis of the mating type genes in Verticillium dahliae. BMC Biol 2024; 22:108. [PMID: 38714997 PMCID: PMC11077750 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-024-01900-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Populations of the plant pathogenic fungus Verticillium dahliae display a complex and rich genetic diversity, yet the existence of sexual reproduction in the fungus remains contested. As pivotal genes, MAT genes play a crucial role in regulating cell differentiation, morphological development, and mating of compatible cells. However, the functions of the two mating type genes in V. dahliae, VdMAT1-1-1, and VdMAT1-2-1, remain poorly understood. RESULTS In this study, we confirmed that the MAT loci in V. dahliae are highly conserved, including both VdMAT1-1-1 and VdMAT1-2-1 which share high collinearity. The conserved core transcription factor encoded by the two MAT loci may facilitate the regulation of pheromone precursor and pheromone receptor genes by directly binding to their promoter regions. Additionally, peptide activity assays demonstrated that the signal peptide of the pheromone VdPpg1 possessed secretory activity, while VdPpg2, lacked a predicted signal peptide. Chemotactic growth assays revealed that V. dahliae senses and grows towards the pheromones FO-a and FO-α of Fusarium oxysporum, as well as towards VdPpg2 of V. dahliae, but not in response to VdPpg1. The findings herein also revealed that VdMAT1-1-1 and VdMAT1-2-1 regulate vegetative growth, carbon source utilization, and resistance to stressors in V. dahliae, while negatively regulating virulence. CONCLUSIONS These findings underscore the potential roles of VdMAT1-1-1 and VdMAT1-2-1 in sexual reproduction and confirm their involvement in various asexual processes of V. dahliae, offering novel insights into the functions of mating type genes in this species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ya-Duo Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Xiao-Bin Ji
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Juan Zong
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Xiao-Feng Dai
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Steven J Klosterman
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Salinas, CA, USA
| | - Krishna V Subbarao
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, Davis, c/o United States Agricultural Research Station, Salinas, CA, USA.
| | - Dan-Dan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, China.
- Western Agricultural Research Center, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changji, 831100, China.
| | - Jie-Yin Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, China.
- Western Agricultural Research Center, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changji, 831100, China.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Niu G, Yang Q, Liao Y, Sun D, Tang Z, Wang G, Xu M, Wang C, Kang J. Advances in Understanding Fusarium graminearum: Genes Involved in the Regulation of Sexual Development, Pathogenesis, and Deoxynivalenol Biosynthesis. Genes (Basel) 2024; 15:475. [PMID: 38674409 PMCID: PMC11050156 DOI: 10.3390/genes15040475] [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: 03/06/2024] [Revised: 04/07/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The wheat head blight disease caused by Fusarium graminearum is a major concern for food security and the health of both humans and animals. As a pathogenic microorganism, F. graminearum produces virulence factors during infection to increase pathogenicity, including various macromolecular and small molecular compounds. Among these virulence factors, secreted proteins and deoxynivalenol (DON) are important weapons for the expansion and colonization of F. graminearum. Besides the presence of virulence factors, sexual reproduction is also crucial for the infection process of F. graminearum and is indispensable for the emergence and spread of wheat head blight. Over the last ten years, there have been notable breakthroughs in researching the virulence factors and sexual reproduction of F. graminearum. This review aims to analyze the research progress of sexual reproduction, secreted proteins, and DON of F. graminearum, emphasizing the regulation of sexual reproduction and DON synthesis. We also discuss the application of new gene engineering technologies in the prevention and control of wheat head blight.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gang Niu
- College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China; (G.N.); (Q.Y.); (Y.L.); (D.S.); (Z.T.); (G.W.); (M.X.)
| | - Qing Yang
- College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China; (G.N.); (Q.Y.); (Y.L.); (D.S.); (Z.T.); (G.W.); (M.X.)
| | - Yihui Liao
- College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China; (G.N.); (Q.Y.); (Y.L.); (D.S.); (Z.T.); (G.W.); (M.X.)
| | - Daiyuan Sun
- College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China; (G.N.); (Q.Y.); (Y.L.); (D.S.); (Z.T.); (G.W.); (M.X.)
| | - Zhe Tang
- College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China; (G.N.); (Q.Y.); (Y.L.); (D.S.); (Z.T.); (G.W.); (M.X.)
| | - Guanghui Wang
- College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China; (G.N.); (Q.Y.); (Y.L.); (D.S.); (Z.T.); (G.W.); (M.X.)
| | - Ming Xu
- College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China; (G.N.); (Q.Y.); (Y.L.); (D.S.); (Z.T.); (G.W.); (M.X.)
| | - Chenfang Wang
- College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China; (G.N.); (Q.Y.); (Y.L.); (D.S.); (Z.T.); (G.W.); (M.X.)
- Institute of Plant Protection, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China
| | - Jiangang Kang
- College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China; (G.N.); (Q.Y.); (Y.L.); (D.S.); (Z.T.); (G.W.); (M.X.)
- College of Plant Protection, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Wilken PM, Lane FA, Steenkamp ET, Wingfield MJ, Wingfield BD. Unidirectional mating-type switching is underpinned by a conserved MAT1 locus architecture. Fungal Genet Biol 2024; 170:103859. [PMID: 38114017 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2023.103859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Unidirectional mating-type switching is a form of homothallic reproduction known only in a small number of filamentous ascomycetes. Their ascospores can give rise to either self-sterile isolates that require compatible partners for subsequent sexual reproduction, or self-fertile individuals capable of completing this process in isolation. The limited studies previously conducted in these fungi suggest that the differences in mating specificity are determined by the architecture of the MAT1 locus. In self-fertile isolates that have not undergone unidirectional mating-type switching, the locus contains both MAT1-1 and MAT1-2 mating-type genes, typical of primary homothallism. In the self-sterile isolates produced after a switching event, the MAT1-2 genes are lacking from the locus, likely due to a recombination-mediated deletion of the MAT1-2 gene information. To determine whether these arrangements of the MAT1 locus support unidirectional mating-type switching in the Ceratocystidaceae, the largest known fungal assemblage capable of this reproduction strategy, a combination of genetic and genomic approaches were used. The MAT1 locus was annotated in representative species of Ceratocystis, Endoconidiophora, and Davidsoniella. In all cases, MAT1-2 genes interrupted the MAT1-1-1 gene in self-fertile isolates. The MAT1-2 genes were flanked by two copies of a direct repeat that accurately predicted the boundaries of the deletion event that would yield the MAT1 locus of self-sterile isolates. Although the relative position of the MAT1-2 gene region differed among species, it always disrupted the MAT1-1-1 gene and/or its expression in the self-fertile MAT1 locus. Following switching, this gene and/or its expression was restored in the self-sterile arrangement of the locus. This mirrors what has been reported in other species capable of unidirectional mating-type switching, providing the strongest support for a conserved MAT1 locus structure that is associated with this process. This study contributes to our understanding of the evolution of unidirectional mating-type switching.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- P Markus Wilken
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Pretoria 0028, South Africa.
| | - Frances A Lane
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Pretoria 0028, South Africa
| | - Emma T Steenkamp
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Pretoria 0028, South Africa
| | - Michael J Wingfield
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Pretoria 0028, South Africa
| | - Brenda D Wingfield
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Pretoria 0028, South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Kita K, Uchida M, Arie T, Teraoka T, Kaku H, Kanda Y, Mori M, Arazoe T, Kamakura T. The MAT1 locus is required for microconidia-mediated sexual fertility in the rice blast fungus. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2024; 371:fnae004. [PMID: 38305094 DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnae004] [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: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Rice blast fungus (Pyricularia oryzae) is a heterothallic ascomycete that causes the most destructive disease in cultivated rice worldwide. This fungus reproduces sexually and asexually, and its mating type is determined by the MAT1 locus, MAT1-1 or MAT1-2. Interestingly, most rice-infecting field isolates show a loss of female fertility, but the MAT1 locus is highly conserved in female-sterile isolates. In this study, we performed a functional analysis of MAT1 using the CRISPR/Cas9 system in female- and male-fertile isolates and female-sterile (male-fertile) isolates. Consistent with a previous report, MAT1 was essential for sexual reproduction but not for asexual reproduction. Meanwhile, deletion mutants of MAT1-1-1, MAT1-1-2, and MAT1-1-3 exhibited phenotypes different from those of other previously described isolates, suggesting that the function of MAT1-1 genes and/or their target genes in sexual reproduction differs among strains or isolates. The MAT1 genes, excluding MAT1-2-6, retained their functions even in female-sterile isolates, and deletion mutants lead to loss or reduction of male fertility. Although MAT1 deletion did not affect microconidia (spermatia) production, microconidia derived from the mutants could not induce perithecia formation. These results indicated that MAT1 is required for microconidia-mediated male fertility in addition to female fertility in P. oryzae .
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kohtetsu Kita
- Department of Applied Biological Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science, 2641 Yamazaki, Noda, Chiba 2788510, Japan
| | - Momotaka Uchida
- Department of Applied Biological Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science, 2641 Yamazaki, Noda, Chiba 2788510, Japan
| | - Tsutomu Arie
- United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT), 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu, Tokyo 1830054, Japan
| | - Tohru Teraoka
- United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT), 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu, Tokyo 1830054, Japan
| | - Hisatoshi Kaku
- JICA Tsukuba Center, Japan International Coorporation Agency, 3-6 Koyadai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 3050074, Japan
- Division of Plant Molecular Regulation Research, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, NARO (NIAS), 2-1-2 Kan-nondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 3058602, Japan
| | - Yasukazu Kanda
- Division of Plant Molecular Regulation Research, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, NARO (NIAS), 2-1-2 Kan-nondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 3058602, Japan
| | - Masaki Mori
- Division of Plant Molecular Regulation Research, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, NARO (NIAS), 2-1-2 Kan-nondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 3058602, Japan
| | - Takayuki Arazoe
- Department of Applied Biological Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science, 2641 Yamazaki, Noda, Chiba 2788510, Japan
| | - Takashi Kamakura
- Department of Applied Biological Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science, 2641 Yamazaki, Noda, Chiba 2788510, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Lachance MA, Burke C, Nygard K, Courchesne M, Timoshenko AV. Yeast sexes: mating types do not determine the sexes in Metschnikowia species. FEMS Yeast Res 2024; 24:foae014. [PMID: 38632043 PMCID: PMC11078162 DOI: 10.1093/femsyr/foae014] [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: 03/18/2024] [Revised: 04/06/2024] [Accepted: 04/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Although filamentous Ascomycetes may produce structures that are interpreted as male and female gametangia, ascomycetous yeasts are generally not considered to possess male and female sexes. In haplontic yeasts of the genus Metschnikowia, the sexual cycle begins with the fusion of two morphologically identical cells of complementary mating types. Soon after conjugation, a protuberance emerges from one of the conjugants, eventually maturing into an ascus. The originating cell can be regarded as an ascus mother cell, hence as female. We tested the hypothesis that the sexes, female or male, are determined by the mating types. There were good reasons to hypothesize further that mating type α cells are male. In a conceptually simple experiment, we observed the early stages of the mating reaction of mating types differentially labeled with fluorescent concanavalin A conjugates. Three large-spored Metschnikowia species, M. amazonensis, M. continentalis, and M. matae, were examined. In all three, the sexes were found to be independent of mating type, cautioning that the two terms should not be used interchangeably.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marc-André Lachance
- Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - Christopher Burke
- Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5B7, Canada
- Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery, 5204 24th St, Vernon, BC V1T 8×2, Canada
| | - Karen Nygard
- Biotron Experimental Climate Change Research Centre, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - Marc Courchesne
- Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5B7, Canada
- Biotron Experimental Climate Change Research Centre, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5B7, Canada
| | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Taliadoros D, Feurtey A, Wyatt N, Barrès B, Gladieux P, Friesen TL, Stukenbrock EH. Emergence and spread of the barley net blotch pathogen coincided with crop domestication and cultivation history. PLoS Genet 2024; 20:e1010884. [PMID: 38285729 PMCID: PMC10852282 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Fungal pathogens cause devastating disease in crops. Understanding the evolutionary origin of pathogens is essential to the prediction of future disease emergence and the potential of pathogens to disperse. The fungus Pyrenophora teres f. teres causes net form net blotch (NFNB), an economically significant disease of barley. In this study, we have used 104 P. teres f. teres genomes from four continents to explore the population structure and demographic history of the fungal pathogen. We showed that P. teres f. teres is structured into populations that tend to be geographically restricted to different regions. Using Multiple Sequentially Markovian Coalescent and machine learning approaches we demonstrated that the demographic history of the pathogen correlates with the history of barley, highlighting the importance of human migration and trade in spreading the pathogen. Exploring signatures of natural selection, we identified several population-specific selective sweeps that colocalized with genomic regions enriched in putative virulence genes, and loci previously identified as determinants of virulence specificities by quantitative trait locus analyses. This reflects rapid adaptation to local hosts and environmental conditions of P. teres f. teres as it spread with barley. Our research highlights how human activities can contribute to the spread of pathogens that significantly impact the productivity of field crops.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Demetris Taliadoros
- Environmental Genomics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
- Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Alice Feurtey
- Environmental Genomics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
- Plant Pathology, D-USYS, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Nathan Wyatt
- Cereal Crops Research Unit, Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center, USDA-ARS, Fargo, North Dakota, United States of America
- Sugar Beet and Potato Research Unit, Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center, USDA-ARS, Fargo, North Dakota, United States of America
| | - Benoit Barrès
- Université de Lyon, Anses, INRAE, USC CASPER, Lyon, France
| | - Pierre Gladieux
- PHIM Plant Health Institute, Univ Montpellier, INRAE, CIRAD, Institut Agro, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Timothy L. Friesen
- Cereal Crops Research Unit, Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center, USDA-ARS, Fargo, North Dakota, United States of America
| | - Eva H. Stukenbrock
- Environmental Genomics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
- Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Pham NQ, Duong TA, Wingfield BD, Barnes I, Durán A, Wingfield MJ. Characterisation of the mating-type loci in species of Elsinoe causing scab diseases. Fungal Biol 2023; 127:1484-1490. [PMID: 38097322 DOI: 10.1016/j.funbio.2023.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
The genus Elsinoe includes many aggressive plant pathogens that infect various economically important agricultural, horticultural and forestry plants. Significant diseases include citrus scab caused by E. fawcettii and E. australis, grapevine spot anthracnose by E. ampelina, and the emerging Eucalyptus scab and shoot malformation disease caused by the recently described E. necatrix. Despite their importance as plant pathogens, little is known regarding the biology of many Elsinoe spp. To gain insights into the reproductive biology of these fungi, we characterized the mating-type loci of seven species using whole genome sequence data. Results showed that the MAT1 locus organization and its flanking genes is relatively conserved in most cases. All seven species manifested a typical heterothallic mating system characterized by having either the MAT1-1 or MAT1-2 idiomorph present in an isolate. These idiomorphs were defined by the MAT1-1-1 or the MAT1-2-1 gene, respectively. A unique MAT1-1 idiomorph containing a truncated MAT1-2-1 gene, and a MAT1-1-1 gene, was identified in E. necatrix and E. fawcettii genomes. Additionally, two idiomorph-specific proteins were found in the MAT1-1 and MAT1-2 idiomorphs of E. australis. Universal mating-type markers confirmed heterothallism across 21 Elsinoe spp., are poised to advance future studies regarding the biology of these fungi.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- N Q Pham
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa.
| | - T A Duong
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
| | - B D Wingfield
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
| | - I Barnes
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
| | - A Durán
- Plant Health Program, Research and Development, Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings Ltd. (APRIL), Pangkalan Kerinci, 28300, Riau, Indonesia
| | - M J Wingfield
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Ding M, Cao S, Xu D, Xia A, Wang Z, Wang W, Duan K, Wu C, Wang Q, Liang J, Wang D, Liu H, Xu JR, Jiang C. A non-pheromone GPCR is essential for meiosis and ascosporogenesis in the wheat scab fungus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2313034120. [PMID: 37812726 PMCID: PMC10589705 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2313034120] [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: 07/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Meiosis is essential for generating genetic diversity and sexual spores, but the regulation of meiosis and ascosporogenesis is not clear in filamentous fungi, in which dikaryotic and diploid cells formed inside fruiting bodies are not free living and independent of pheromones or pheromone receptors. In this study, Gia1, a non-pheromone GPCR (G protein-coupled receptor) with sexual-specific expression in Fusarium graminearum, is found to be essential for ascosporogenesis. The gia1 mutant was normal in perithecium development, crozier formation, and karyogamy but failed to undergo meiosis, which could be partially rescued by a dominant active mutation in GPA1 and activation of the Gpmk1 pathway. GIA1 orthologs have conserved functions in regulating meiosis and ascosporogenesis in Sordariomycetes. GIA1 has a paralog, GIP1, in F. graminearum and other Hypocreales species which is essential for perithecium formation. GIP1 differed from GIA1 in expression profiles and downstream signaling during sexual reproduction. Whereas the C-terminal tail and IR3 were important for intracellular signaling, the N-terminal region and EL3 of Gia1 were responsible for recognizing its ligand, which is likely a protein enriched in developing perithecia, particularly in the gia1 mutant. Taken together, these results showed that GIA1 encodes a non-pheromone GPCR that regulates the entry into meiosis and ascosporogenesis via the downstream Gpmk1 MAP kinase pathway in F. graminearum and other filamentous ascomycetes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mingyu Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, Shaanxi712100, China
| | - Shulin Cao
- Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, Jiangsu210014, China
| | - Daiying Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, Shaanxi712100, China
| | - Aliang Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, Shaanxi712100, China
| | - Zeyi Wang
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN47907
| | - Wanshan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, Shaanxi712100, China
| | - Kaili Duan
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, Shaanxi712100, China
| | - Chenyu Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, Shaanxi712100, China
| | - Qinhu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, Shaanxi712100, China
| | - Jie Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, Shaanxi712100, China
| | - Diwen Wang
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN47907
| | - Huiquan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, Shaanxi712100, China
| | - Jin-Rong Xu
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN47907
| | - Cong Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, Shaanxi712100, China
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Liu K, Wang X, Li Y, Shi Y, Ren Y, Wang A, Zhao B, Cheng P, Wang B. Protein Disulfide Isomerase FgEps1 Is a Secreted Virulence Factor in Fusarium graminearum. J Fungi (Basel) 2023; 9:1009. [PMID: 37888265 PMCID: PMC10607971 DOI: 10.3390/jof9101009] [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: 09/19/2023] [Revised: 10/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) is a member of the thioredoxin (Trx) superfamily with important functions in cellular stability, ion uptake, and cellular differentiation. While PDI has been extensively studied in humans and animals, its role in fungi remains relatively unknown. In this study, the biological functions of FgEps1, a disulfide bond isomerase in the fungal pathogen Fusarium graminearum, were investigated. It was found that FgEps1 mutation affected nutritional growth, asexual and sexual reproduction, and stress tolerance. Additionally, its deletion resulted in reduced pathogenicity and impaired DON toxin biosynthesis. The involvement of FgEps1 in host infection was also confirmed, as its expression was detected during the infection period. Further investigation using a yeast signal peptide secretion system and transient expression in Nicotiana benthamiana showed that FgEps1 suppressed the immune response of plants and promoted infection. These findings suggest that virulence factor FgEps1 plays a crucial role in growth, development, virulence, secondary metabolism, and host infection in F. graminearum.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Peng Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China; (K.L.); (X.W.); (Y.L.); (Y.S.); (Y.R.); (A.W.); (B.Z.)
| | - Baotong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China; (K.L.); (X.W.); (Y.L.); (Y.S.); (Y.R.); (A.W.); (B.Z.)
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Travers-Cook TJ, Jokela J, Buser CC. The evolutionary ecology of fungal killer phenotypes. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231108. [PMID: 37583325 PMCID: PMC10427833 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1108] [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: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Ecological interactions influence evolutionary dynamics by selecting upon fitness variation within species. Antagonistic interactions often promote genetic and species diversity, despite the inherently suppressive effect they can have on the species experiencing them. A central aim of evolutionary ecology is to understand how diversity is maintained in systems experiencing antagonism. In this review, we address how certain single-celled and dimorphic fungi have evolved allelopathic killer phenotypes that engage in antagonistic interactions. We discuss the evolutionary pathways to the production of lethal toxins, the functions of killer phenotypes and the consequences of competition for toxin producers, their competitors and toxin-encoding endosymbionts. Killer phenotypes are powerful models because many appear to have evolved independently, enabling across-phylogeny comparisons of the origins, functions and consequences of allelopathic antagonism. Killer phenotypes can eliminate host competitors and influence evolutionary dynamics, yet the evolutionary ecology of killer phenotypes remains largely unknown. We discuss what is known and what remains to be ascertained about killer phenotype ecology and evolution, while bringing their model system properties to the reader's attention.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J. Travers-Cook
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Jukka Jokela
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Claudia C. Buser
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Li C, Tao L, Guan G, Guan Z, Perry AM, Hu T, Bing J, Xu M, Nobile CJ, Huang G. Atmospheric humidity regulates same-sex mating in Candida albicans through the trehalose and osmotic signaling pathways. SCIENCE CHINA. LIFE SCIENCES 2023; 66:1915-1929. [PMID: 37118508 PMCID: PMC10631464 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-023-2309-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 04/30/2023]
Abstract
Sexual reproduction is prevalent in eukaryotic organisms and plays a critical role in the evolution of new traits and in the generation of genetic diversity. Environmental factors often have a direct impact on the occurrence and frequency of sexual reproduction in fungi. The regulatory effects of atmospheric relative humidity (RH) on sexual reproduction and pathogenesis in plant fungal pathogens and in soil fungi have been extensively investigated. However, the knowledge of how RH regulates the lifecycles of human fungal pathogens is limited. In this study, we report that low atmospheric RH promotes the development of mating projections and same-sex (homothallic) mating in the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans. Low RH causes water loss in C. albicans cells, which results in osmotic stress and the generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and trehalose. The water transporting aquaporin Aqy1, and the G-protein coupled receptor Gpr1 function as cell surface sensors of changes in atmospheric humidity. Perturbation of the trehalose metabolic pathway by inactivating trehalose synthase or trehalase promotes same-sex mating in C. albicans by increasing osmotic or ROS stresses, respectively. Intracellular trehalose and ROS signal the Hog1-osmotic and Hsf1-Hsp90 signaling pathways to regulate the mating response. We, therefore, propose that the cell surface sensors Aqy1 and Gpr1, intracellular trehalose and ROS, and the Hog1-osmotic and Hsf1-Hsp90 signaling pathways function coordinately to regulate sexual mating in response to low atmospheric RH conditions in C. albicans.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chao Li
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity and State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Li Tao
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity and State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Guobo Guan
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity and State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Zhangyue Guan
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity and State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Austin M Perry
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Merced, Merced, CA, 95343, USA
- Quantitative and Systems Biology Graduate Program, University of California, Merced, Merced, CA, 95343, USA
| | - Tianren Hu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity and State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Jian Bing
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity and State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Ming Xu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity and State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Clarissa J Nobile
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Merced, Merced, CA, 95343, USA
- Health Sciences Research Institute, University of California, Merced, Merced, CA, 95343, USA
| | - Guanghua Huang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity and State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China.
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Industrial Microorganisms, Shanghai, 200438, China.
- Shanghai Huashen Institute of Microbes and Infections, Shanghai, 200052, China.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
MacCready JS, Roggenkamp EM, Gdanetz K, Chilvers MI. Elucidating the Obligate Nature and Biological Capacity of an Invasive Fungal Corn Pathogen. MOLECULAR PLANT-MICROBE INTERACTIONS : MPMI 2023; 36:411-424. [PMID: 36853195 DOI: 10.1094/mpmi-10-22-0213-r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Tar spot is a devasting corn disease caused by the obligate fungal pathogen Phyllachora maydis. Since its initial identification in the United States in 2015, P. maydis has become an increasing threat to corn production. Despite this, P. maydis has remained largely understudied at the molecular level, due to difficulties surrounding its obligate lifestyle. Here, we generated a significantly improved P. maydis nuclear and mitochondrial genome, using a combination of long- and short-read technologies, and also provide the first transcriptomic analysis of primary tar spot lesions. Our results show that P. maydis is deficient in inorganic nitrogen utilization, is likely heterothallic, and encodes for significantly more protein-coding genes, including secreted enzymes and effectors, than previous determined. Furthermore, our expression analysis suggests that, following primary tar spot lesion formation, P. maydis might reroute carbon flux away from DNA replication and cell division pathways and towards pathways previously implicated in having significant roles in pathogenicity, such as autophagy and secretion. Together, our results identified several highly expressed unique secreted factors that likely contribute to host recognition and subsequent infection, greatly increasing our knowledge of the biological capacity of P. maydis, which have much broader implications for mitigating tar spot of corn. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joshua S MacCready
- Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, U.S.A
| | - Emily M Roggenkamp
- Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, U.S.A
| | - Kristi Gdanetz
- Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, U.S.A
| | - Martin I Chilvers
- Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, U.S.A
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Bayram ÖS, Bayram Ö. An Anatomy of Fungal Eye: Fungal Photoreceptors and Signalling Mechanisms. J Fungi (Basel) 2023; 9:jof9050591. [PMID: 37233302 DOI: 10.3390/jof9050591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2023] [Revised: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Organisms have developed different features to capture or sense sunlight. Vertebrates have evolved specialized organs (eyes) which contain a variety of photosensor cells that help them to see the light to aid orientation. Opsins are major photoreceptors found in the vertebrate eye. Fungi, with more than five million estimated members, represent an important clade of living organisms which have important functions for the sustainability of life on our planet. Light signalling regulates a range of developmental and metabolic processes including asexual sporulation, sexual fruit body formation, pigment and carotenoid production and even production of secondary metabolites. Fungi have adopted three groups of photoreceptors: (I) blue light receptors, White Collars, vivid, cryptochromes, blue F proteins and DNA photolyases, (II) red light sensors, phytochromes and (III) green light sensors and microbial rhodopsins. Most mechanistic data were elucidated on the roles of the White Collar Complex (WCC) and the phytochromes in the fungal kingdom. The WCC acts as both photoreceptor and transcription factor by binding to target genes, whereas the phytochrome initiates a cascade of signalling by using mitogen-activated protein kinases to elicit its cellular responses. Although the mechanism of photoreception has been studied in great detail, fungal photoreception has not been compared with vertebrate vision. Therefore, this review will mainly focus on mechanistic findings derived from two model organisms, namely Aspergillus nidulans and Neurospora crassa and comparison of some mechanisms with vertebrate vision. Our focus will be on the way light signalling is translated into changes in gene expression, which influences morphogenesis and metabolism in fungi.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Özgür Bayram
- Biology Department, Maynooth University, W23 F2K8 Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
González B, Aldea M, Cullen PJ. Chaperone-Dependent Degradation of Cdc42 Promotes Cell Polarity and Shields the Protein from Aggregation. Mol Cell Biol 2023; 43:200-222. [PMID: 37114947 PMCID: PMC10184603 DOI: 10.1080/10985549.2023.2198171] [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: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Rho GTPases are global regulators of cell polarity and signaling. By exploring the turnover regulation of the yeast Rho GTPase Cdc42p, we identified new regulatory features surrounding the stability of the protein. We specifically show that Cdc42p is degraded at 37 °C by chaperones through lysine residues located in the C-terminus of the protein. Cdc42p turnover at 37 °C occurred by the 26S proteasome in an ESCRT-dependent manner in the lysosome/vacuole. By analyzing versions of Cdc42p that were defective for turnover, we show that turnover at 37 °C promoted cell polarity but was defective for sensitivity to mating pheromone, presumably mediated through a Cdc42p-dependent MAP kinase pathway. We also identified one residue (K16) in the P-loop of the protein that was critical for Cdc42p stability. Accumulation of Cdc42pK16R in some contexts led to the formation of protein aggregates, which were enriched in aging mother cells and cells undergoing proteostatic stress. Our study uncovers new aspects of protein turnover regulation of a Rho-type GTPase that may extend to other systems. Moreover, residues identified here that mediate Cdc42p turnover correlate with several human diseases, which may suggest that turnover regulation of Cdc42p is important to aspects of human health.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz González
- Department of Biological Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Martí Aldea
- Molecular Biology Institute of Barcelona (IBMB), CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Paul J. Cullen
- Department of Biological Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, New York, USA
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Guan G, Tao L, Li C, Xu M, Liu L, Bennett RJ, Huang G. Glucose depletion enables Candida albicans mating independently of the epigenetic white-opaque switch. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2067. [PMID: 37045865 PMCID: PMC10097730 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37755-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The human fungal pathogen Candida albicans can switch stochastically and heritably between a "white" phase and an "opaque" phase. Opaque cells are the mating-competent form of the species, whereas white cells are thought to be essentially "sterile". Here, we report that glucose depletion, a common nutrient stress, enables C. albicans white cells to undergo efficient sexual mating. The relative expression levels of pheromone-sensing and mating-associated genes (including STE2/3, MFA1, MFα1, FIG1, FUS1, and CEK1/2) are increased under glucose depletion conditions, while expression of mating repressors TEC1 and DIG1 is decreased. Cph1 and Tec1, factors that act downstream of the pheromone MAPK pathway, play opposite roles in regulating white cell mating as TEC1 deletion or CPH1 overexpression promotes white cell mating. Moreover, inactivation of the Cph1 repressor Dig1 increases white cell mating ~4000 fold in glucose-depleted medium relative to that in the presence of glucose. Our findings reveal that the white-to-opaque epigenetic switch may not be a prerequisite for sexual mating in C. albicans in nature.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Guobo Guan
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity and State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Li Tao
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity and State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Chao Li
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity and State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Ming Xu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity and State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Ling Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Richard J Bennett
- Molecular Microbiology and Immunology Department, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02912, USA
| | - Guanghua Huang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity and State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China.
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Industrial Microorganisms, Shanghai, 200438, China.
- Shanghai Huashen Institute of Microbes and Infections, Shanghai, 200052, China.
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Zhang MZ, Xu JP, Callac P, Chen MY, Wu Q, Wach M, Mata G, Zhao RL. Insight into the evolutionary and domesticated history of the most widely cultivated mushroom Agaricus bisporus via mitogenome sequences of 361 global strains. BMC Genomics 2023; 24:182. [PMID: 37020265 PMCID: PMC10077685 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09257-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Agaricus bisporus is the most widely cultivated edible mushroom in the world with a only around three hundred years known history of cultivation. Therefore, it represents an ideal organism not only to investigate the natural evolutionary history but also the understanding on the evolution going back to the early era of domestication. In this study, we generated the mitochondrial genome sequences of 352 A. bisporus strains and 9 strains from 4 closely related species around the world. The population mitogenomic study revealed all A. bisporus strains can be divided into seven clades, and all domesticated cultivars present only in two of those clades. The molecular dating analysis showed this species origin in Europe on 4.6 Ma and we proposed the main dispersal routes. The detailed mitogenome structure studies showed that the insertion of the plasmid-derived dpo gene caused a long fragment (MIR) inversion, and the distributions of the fragments of dpo gene were strictly in correspondence with these seven clades. Our studies also showed A. bisporus population contains 30 intron distribution patterns (IDPs), while all cultivars contain only two IDPs, which clearly exhibit intron loss compared to the others. Either the loss occurred before or after domestication, that could suggest that the change facilitates their adaptation to the cultivated environment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ming-Zhe Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No3 1St Beichen West Road, Beijing, 100101, Chaoyang District, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Huairou District, Beijing, 101408, China
| | - Jian-Ping Xu
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | | | - Mei-Yuan Chen
- Edible Fungi Institute of Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Fuzhou, 350014, China
| | - Qi Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No3 1St Beichen West Road, Beijing, 100101, Chaoyang District, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Huairou District, Beijing, 101408, China
| | - Mark Wach
- Sylvan BioSciences, Kittanning, PA, 16201, USA
| | - Gerardo Mata
- Instituto de Ecología A.C. Carretera Antigua a Coatepec, 351, El Haya, 91073, Veracruz, CPXalapa, Mexico
| | - Rui-Lin Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No3 1St Beichen West Road, Beijing, 100101, Chaoyang District, China.
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Huairou District, Beijing, 101408, China.
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Miao P, Mao X, Chen S, Abubakar YS, Li Y, Zheng W, Zhou J, Wang Z, Zheng H. The mitotic exit mediated by small GTPase Tem1 is essential for the pathogenicity of Fusarium graminearum. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011255. [PMID: 36928713 PMCID: PMC10047555 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The mitotic exit is a key step in cell cycle, but the mechanism of mitotic exit network in the wheat head blight fungus Fusarium graminearum remains unclear. F. graminearum infects wheat spikelets and colonizes the entire head by growing through the rachis node at the bottom of each spikelet. In this study, we found that a small GTPase FgTem1 plays an important role in F. graminearum pathogenicity and functions in regulating the formation of infection structures and invasive hyphal growth on wheat spikelets and wheat coleoptiles, but plays only little roles in vegetative growth and conidiation of the phytopathogen. FgTem1 localizes to both the inner nuclear periphery and the spindle pole bodies, and negatively regulates mitotic exit in F. graminearum. Furthermore, the regulatory mechanisms of FgTem1 have been further investigated by high-throughput co-immunoprecipitation and genetic strategies. The septins FgCdc10 and FgCdc11 were demonstrated to interact with the dominant negative form of FgTem1, and FgCdc11 was found to regulate the localization of FgTem1. The cell cycle arrest protein FgBub2-FgBfa1 complex was shown to act as the GTPase-activating protein (GAP) for FgTem1. We further demonstrated that a direct interaction exists between FgBub2 and FgBfa1 which crucially promotes conidiation, pathogenicity and DON production, and negatively regulates septum formation and nuclear division in F. graminearum. Deletions of FgBUB2 and FgBFA1 genes caused fewer perithecia and immature asci formations, and dramatically down-regulated trichothecene biosynthesis (TRI) gene expressions. Double deletion of FgBUB2/FgBFA1 genes showed that FgBUB2 and FgBFA1 have little functional redundancy in F. graminearum. In summary, we systemically demonstrated that FgTem1 and its GAP FgBub2-FgBfa1 complex are required for fungal development and pathogenicity in F. graminearum.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pengfei Miao
- Fujian Key Laboratory on Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Marine Biodiversity, Fuzhou Institute of Oceanography, College of Geography and Oceanography, Minjiang University, Fuzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Xuzhao Mao
- Fujian Key Laboratory on Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Marine Biodiversity, Fuzhou Institute of Oceanography, College of Geography and Oceanography, Minjiang University, Fuzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Shuang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yakubu Saddeeq Abubakar
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
| | - Yulong Li
- Fujian Key Laboratory on Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Marine Biodiversity, Fuzhou Institute of Oceanography, College of Geography and Oceanography, Minjiang University, Fuzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Wenhui Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Jie Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Zonghua Wang
- Fujian Key Laboratory on Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Marine Biodiversity, Fuzhou Institute of Oceanography, College of Geography and Oceanography, Minjiang University, Fuzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Huawei Zheng
- Fujian Key Laboratory on Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Marine Biodiversity, Fuzhou Institute of Oceanography, College of Geography and Oceanography, Minjiang University, Fuzhou, China
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Yadav V, Sun S, Heitman J. On the evolution of variation in sexual reproduction through the prism of eukaryotic microbes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2219120120. [PMID: 36867686 PMCID: PMC10013875 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2219120120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Almost all eukaryotes undergo sexual reproduction to generate diversity and select for fitness in their population pools. Interestingly, the systems by which sex is defined are highly diverse and can even differ between evolutionarily closely related species. While the most commonly known form of sex determination involves males and females in animals, eukaryotic microbes can have as many as thousands of different mating types for the same species. Furthermore, some species have found alternatives to sexual reproduction and prefer to grow clonally and yet undergo infrequent facultative sexual reproduction. These organisms are mainly invertebrates and microbes, but several examples are also present among vertebrates suggesting that alternative modes of sexual reproduction evolved multiple times throughout evolution. In this review, we summarize the sex-determination modes and variants of sexual reproduction found across the eukaryotic tree of life and suggest that eukaryotic microbes provide unique opportunities to study these processes in detail. We propose that understanding variations in modes of sexual reproduction can serve as a foundation to study the evolution of sex and why and how it evolved in the first place.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vikas Yadav
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC27710
| | - Sheng Sun
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC27710
| | - Joseph Heitman
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC27710
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Park MJ, Kim E, Jeong YS, Son MY, Jang Y, Ka KH. Determination and Analysis of Hyper-Variable A Mating Types in Wild Strains of Lentinula edodes in Korea. MYCOBIOLOGY 2023; 51:26-35. [PMID: 36846627 PMCID: PMC9946336 DOI: 10.1080/12298093.2022.2161157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The diversity of A mating type in wild strains of Lentinula edodes was extensively analyzed to characterize and utilize them for developing new cultivars. One hundred twenty-three A mating type alleles, including 67 newly discovered alleles, were identified from 106 wild strains collected for the past four decades in Korea. Based on previous studies and current findings, a total of 130 A mating type alleles have been found, 124 of which were discovered from wild strains, indicating the hyper-variability of A mating type alleles of L. edodes. About half of the A mating type alleles in wild strains were found in more than two strains, whereas the other half of the alleles were found in only one strain. About 90% of A mating type combinations in dikaryotic wild strains showed a single occurrence. Geographically, diverse A mating type alleles were intensively located in the central region of the Korean peninsula, whereas only allele A17 was observed throughout Korea. We also found the conservation of the TCCCAC motif in addition to the previously reported motifs, including ATTGT, ACAAT, and GCGGAG, in the intergenic regions of A mating loci. Sequence comparison among some alleles indicated that accumulated mutation and recombination would contribute to the diversification of A mating type alleles in L. edodes. Our data support the rapid evolution of A mating locus in L. edodes, and would help to understand the characteristics of A mating loci of wild strains in Korea and help to utilize them for developing new cultivars.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mi-Jeong Park
- Forest Microbiology Division, Department of Forest Bio-Resources, National Institute of Forest Science, Suwon, Korea
| | - Eunjin Kim
- Forest Microbiology Division, Department of Forest Bio-Resources, National Institute of Forest Science, Suwon, Korea
| | - Yeun Sug Jeong
- Forest Microbiology Division, Department of Forest Bio-Resources, National Institute of Forest Science, Suwon, Korea
| | - Mi-Young Son
- Forest Microbiology Division, Department of Forest Bio-Resources, National Institute of Forest Science, Suwon, Korea
| | - Yeongseon Jang
- Forest Microbiology Division, Department of Forest Bio-Resources, National Institute of Forest Science, Suwon, Korea
| | - Kang-Hyeon Ka
- Forest Microbiology Division, Department of Forest Bio-Resources, National Institute of Forest Science, Suwon, Korea
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Regulatory basis for reproductive flexibility in a meningitis-causing fungal pathogen. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7938. [PMID: 36566249 PMCID: PMC9790007 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35549-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Pathogenic fungi of the genus Cryptococcus can undergo two sexual cycles, involving either bisexual diploidization (after fusion of haploid cells of different mating type) or unisexual diploidization (by autodiploidization of a single cell). Here, we construct a gene-deletion library for 111 transcription factor genes in Cryptococcus deneoformans, and explore the roles of these regulatory networks in the two reproductive modes. We show that transcription factors crucial for bisexual syngamy induce the expression of known mating determinants as well as other conserved genes of unknown function. Deletion of one of these genes, which we term FMP1, leads to defects in bisexual reproduction in C. deneoformans, its sister species Cryptococcus neoformans, and the ascomycete Neurospora crassa. Furthermore, we show that a recently evolved regulatory cascade mediates pre-meiotic unisexual autodiploidization, supporting that this reproductive process is a recent evolutionary innovation. Our findings indicate that genetic circuits with different evolutionary ages govern hallmark events distinguishing unisexual and bisexual reproduction in Cryptococcus.
Collapse
|
24
|
Thomas PW, Thomas HW. Mycorrhizal fungi and invertebrates: Impacts on Tuber melanosporum ascospore dispersal and lifecycle by isopod mycophagy. FOOD WEBS 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fooweb.2022.e00260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
|
25
|
Orellana-Torrejon C, Vidal T, Gazeau G, Boixel AL, Gélisse S, Lageyre J, Saint-Jean S, Suffert F. Multiple scenarios for sexual crosses in the fungal pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici on wheat residues: Potential consequences for virulence gene transmission. Fungal Genet Biol 2022; 163:103744. [PMID: 36209959 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2022.103744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Little is known about the impact of host immunity on sexual reproduction in fungal pathogens. In particular, it is unclear whether crossing requires both sexual partners to infect living plant tissues. We addressed this issue in a three-year experiment investigating different scenarios of Zymoseptoria tritici crosses according to the virulence ('vir') or avirulence ('avr') of the parents against a qualitative resistance gene. Co-inoculations ('vir × vir', 'avr × vir', 'avr × avr') and single inoculations were performed on a wheat cultivar carrying the Stb16q resistance gene (Cellule) and a susceptible cultivar (Apache), in the greenhouse. We assessed the intensity of asexual reproduction by scoring disease severity, and the intensity of sexual reproduction by counting the ascospores discharged from wheat residues. As expected, disease severity was more intense on Cellule for 'vir × vir' co-inoculations than for 'avr × vir' co-inoculations, with no disease for 'avr × avr'. However, all types of co-inoculation yielded sexual offspring, whether or not the parental strains caused plant symptoms. Parenthood was confirmed by genotyping (SSR markers), and the occurrence of crosses between (co-)inoculated and exogenous strains (other strains from the experiment, or from far away) was determined. We showed that symptomatic asexual infection was not required for a strain to participate in sexual reproduction, and deduced from this result that avirulent strains could be maintained asymptomatically "on" or "in" leaf tissues of plants carrying the corresponding resistant gene for long enough to reproduce sexually. In two of the three years, the intensity of sexual reproduction did not differ between the three types of co-inoculation in Cellule, suggesting that crosses involving avirulent strains are not anecdotal. We discuss the possible mechanisms explaining the maintenance of avirulence in Z. tritici populations and the potential impact of particular resistance deployments such as cultivar mixtures for limiting resistance breakdown.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Orellana-Torrejon
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, UR BIOGER, 91120 Palaiseau, France; Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, UMR ECOSYS, 91120 Palaiseau, France
| | - Tiphaine Vidal
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, UR BIOGER, 91120 Palaiseau, France
| | - Gwilherm Gazeau
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, UR BIOGER, 91120 Palaiseau, France
| | - Anne-Lise Boixel
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, UR BIOGER, 91120 Palaiseau, France
| | - Sandrine Gélisse
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, UR BIOGER, 91120 Palaiseau, France
| | - Jérôme Lageyre
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, UMR ECOSYS, 91120 Palaiseau, France
| | - Sébastien Saint-Jean
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, UMR ECOSYS, 91120 Palaiseau, France
| | - Frédéric Suffert
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, UR BIOGER, 91120 Palaiseau, France.
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Li X, Zhang ZY, Chen WH, Liang JD, Liang ZQ, Han YF. Keratinophyton chongqingense sp. nov. and Keratinophyton sichuanense sp. nov., from soil in China. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2022; 72. [DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.005468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Keratinophyton is a genus of well-known keratinophilic fungi found in various terrestrial habitats. During a survey of keratinolytic fungi in China, a total of 12 isolates of Keratinophyton species, representing eight taxa, were obtained from the soil. Two of these isolates were described as new species based on their morphological characteristics and molecular analyses of the internal transcribed spacer region and the rRNA gene of the nuclear large subunit. Descriptions and illustrations of these two novel species, which are named Keratinophyton chongqingense sp. nov. and Keratinophyton sichuanense sp. nov., are provided herein.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xin Li
- Institute of Fungus Resources, Department of Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, Guizhou, PR China
| | - Zhi-Yuan Zhang
- College of Ecological Environmental Engineering, Guizhou Minzu University, Guiyang 550025, PR China
- Institute of Fungus Resources, Department of Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, Guizhou, PR China
| | - Wan-Hao Chen
- Center for Mycomedicine Research, Basic Medical School, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, Guizhou 550025, PR China
| | - Jian-Dong Liang
- Center for Mycomedicine Research, Basic Medical School, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, Guizhou 550025, PR China
| | - Zong-Qi Liang
- Institute of Fungus Resources, Department of Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, Guizhou, PR China
| | - Yan-Feng Han
- Institute of Fungus Resources, Department of Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, Guizhou, PR China
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Li J, Wingfield MJ, Barnes I, Chen S. Calonectria in the age of genes and genomes: Towards understanding an important but relatively unknown group of pathogens. MOLECULAR PLANT PATHOLOGY 2022; 23:1060-1072. [PMID: 35338559 PMCID: PMC9190971 DOI: 10.1111/mpp.13209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2021] [Revised: 02/26/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The genus Calonectria includes many aggressive plant pathogens causing diseases on various agricultural crops as well as forestry and ornamental tree species. Some species have been accidentally introduced into new environments via international trade of putatively asymptomatic plant germplasm or contaminated soil, resulting in significant economic losses. This review provides an overview of the taxonomy, population biology, and pathology of Calonectria species, specifically emerging from contemporary studies that have relied on DNA-based technologies. The growing importance of genomics in future research is highlighted. A life cycle is proposed for Calonectria species, aimed at improving our ability to manage diseases caused by these pathogens.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- JieQiong Li
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology InstituteUniversity of PretoriaPretoriaSouth Africa
- Research Institute of Fast‐growing Trees/China Eucalypt Research Centre, Chinese Academy of ForestryZhanjiangChina
| | - Michael J. Wingfield
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology InstituteUniversity of PretoriaPretoriaSouth Africa
| | - Irene Barnes
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology InstituteUniversity of PretoriaPretoriaSouth Africa
| | - ShuaiFei Chen
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology InstituteUniversity of PretoriaPretoriaSouth Africa
- Research Institute of Fast‐growing Trees/China Eucalypt Research Centre, Chinese Academy of ForestryZhanjiangChina
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Smirnov AF, Leoke DY, Trukhina AV. Natural and Experimental Sex Reversal in Birds and Other Groups of Vertebrates, with the Exception of Mammals. RUSS J GENET+ 2022. [DOI: 10.1134/s1022795422060114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
|
29
|
Passer AR, Clancey SA, Shea T, David-Palma M, Averette AF, Boekhout T, Porcel BM, Nowrousian M, Cuomo CA, Sun S, Heitman J, Coelho MA. Obligate sexual reproduction of a homothallic fungus closely related to the Cryptococcus pathogenic species complex. eLife 2022; 11:e79114. [PMID: 35713948 PMCID: PMC9296135 DOI: 10.7554/elife.79114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Fungi are enigmatic organisms that flourish in soil, on decaying plants, or during infection of animals or plants. Growing in myriad forms, from single-celled yeast to multicellular molds and mushrooms, fungi have also evolved a variety of strategies to reproduce. Normally, fungi reproduce in one of two ways: either they reproduce asexually, with one individual producing a new individual identical to itself, or they reproduce sexually, with two individuals of different 'mating types' contributing to produce a new individual. However, individuals of some species exhibit 'homothallism' or self-fertility: these individuals can produce reproductive cells that are universally compatible, and therefore can reproduce sexually with themselves or with any other cell in the population. Homothallism has evolved multiple times throughout the fungal kingdom, suggesting it confers advantage when population numbers are low or mates are hard to find. Yet some homothallic fungi been overlooked compared to heterothallic species, whose mating types have been well characterised. Understanding the genetic basis of homothallism and how it evolved in different species can provide insights into pathogenic species that cause fungal disease. With that in mind, Passer, Clancey et al. explored the genetic basis of homothallism in Cryptococcus depauperatus, a close relative of C. neoformans, a species that causes fungal infections in humans. A combination of genetic sequencing techniques and experiments were applied to analyse, compare, and manipulate C. depauperatus' genome to see how this species evolved self-fertility. Passer, Clancey et al. showed that C. depauperatus evolved the ability to reproduce sexually by itself via a unique evolutionary pathway. The result is a form of homothallism never reported in fungi before. C. depauperatus lost some of the genes that control mating in other species of fungi, and acquired genes from the opposing mating types of a heterothallic ancestor to become self-fertile. Passer, Clancey et al. also found that, unlike other Cryptococcus species that switch between asexual and sexual reproduction, C. depauperatus grows only as long, branching filaments called hyphae, a sexual form. The species reproduces sexually with itself throughout its life cycle and is unable to produce a yeast (asexual) form, in contrast to other closely related species. This work offers new insights into how different modes of sexual reproduction have evolved in fungi. It also provides another interesting case of how genome plasticity and evolutionary pressures can produce similar outcomes, homothallism, via different evolutionary paths. Lastly, assembling the complete genome of C. depauperatus will foster comparative studies between pathogenic and non-pathogenic Cryptococcus species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Ryan Passer
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical CenterDurhamUnited States
| | - Shelly Applen Clancey
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical CenterDurhamUnited States
| | - Terrance Shea
- Broad Institute of MIT and HarvardCambridgeUnited States
| | - Márcia David-Palma
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical CenterDurhamUnited States
| | - Anna Floyd Averette
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical CenterDurhamUnited States
| | - Teun Boekhout
- Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity InstituteUtrechtNetherlands
- Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of AmsterdamAmsterdamNetherlands
| | - Betina M Porcel
- Génomique Métabolique, CNRS, University Evry, Université Paris-SaclayEvryFrance
| | - Minou Nowrousian
- Lehrstuhl für Molekulare und Zelluläre Botanik, Ruhr-Universität BochumBochumGermany
| | | | - Sheng Sun
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical CenterDurhamUnited States
| | - Joseph Heitman
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical CenterDurhamUnited States
| | - Marco A Coelho
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical CenterDurhamUnited States
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Mating-Type Switching in Budding Yeasts, from Flip/Flop Inversion to Cassette Mechanisms. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2022; 86:e0000721. [PMID: 35195440 PMCID: PMC8941940 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00007-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Mating-type switching is a natural but unusual genetic control process that regulates cell identity in ascomycete yeasts. It involves physically replacing one small piece of genomic DNA by another, resulting in replacement of the master regulatory genes in the mating pathway and hence a switch of cell type and mating behavior. In this review, we concentrate on recent progress that has been made on understanding the origins and evolution of mating-type switching systems in budding yeasts (subphylum Saccharomycotina). Because of the unusual nature and the complexity of the mechanism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, mating-type switching was assumed until recently to have originated only once or twice during yeast evolution. However, comparative genomics analysis now shows that switching mechanisms arose many times independently-at least 11 times in budding yeasts and once in fission yeasts-a dramatic example of convergent evolution. Most of these lineages switch mating types by a flip/flop mechanism that inverts a section of a chromosome and is simpler than the well-characterized 3-locus cassette mechanism (MAT/HML/HMR) used by S. cerevisiae. Mating-type switching (secondary homothallism) is one of the two possible mechanisms by which a yeast species can become self-fertile. The other mechanism (primary homothallism) has also emerged independently in multiple evolutionary lineages of budding yeasts, indicating that homothallism has been favored strongly by natural selection. Recent work shows that HO endonuclease, which makes the double-strand DNA break that initiates switching at the S. cerevisiae MAT locus, evolved from an unusual mobile genetic element that originally targeted a glycolytic gene, FBA1.
Collapse
|
31
|
Liu Q, Qu S, He G, Wei J, Dong C. Mating-Type Genes Play an Important Role in Fruiting Body Development in Morchella sextelata. J Fungi (Basel) 2022; 8:jof8060564. [PMID: 35736047 PMCID: PMC9225556 DOI: 10.3390/jof8060564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Revised: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
True morels (Morchella spp.) are edible mushrooms that are commercially important worldwide due to their rich nutrition and unique appearance. In recent years, outdoor cultivation has been achieved and expanded on a large scale in China. However, the mechanisms of fruiting body development in morels are poorly understood. In this study, the role of mating-type genes in fruiting body development was researched. Fruiting bodies cultivated with different mating-type strains showed no difference in appearance, but the ascus and ascospores were slightly malformed in fruiting bodies obtained from the MAT1-1 strains. The transcript levels of mating-type genes and their target genes revealed that the regulatory mechanisms were conserved in ascomycetes fungi. The silencing of mat1-2-1 by RNA interference verified the direct regulatory effect of mat1-2-1 on its target genes at the asexual stage. When cultivated with the spawn of single mating-type strains of MAT1-1 or MAT1-2, only one corresponding mating-type gene was detected in the mycelial and conidial samples, but both mat1-1-1 and mat1-2-1 were detected in the samples of primordium, pileus, and stipe. An understanding of the mating-type genes’ role in fruiting body development in M. sextelata may help to understand the life cycle and facilitate artificial cultivation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qizheng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; (Q.L.); (S.Q.)
| | - Shan Qu
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; (Q.L.); (S.Q.)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Guoqiang He
- Beijing Agricultural Technology Extension Station, Beijing 100029, China; (G.H.); (J.W.)
| | - Jinkang Wei
- Beijing Agricultural Technology Extension Station, Beijing 100029, China; (G.H.); (J.W.)
| | - Caihong Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; (Q.L.); (S.Q.)
- Correspondence:
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
A Velvet Transcription Factor Specifically Activates Mating through a Novel Mating-Responsive Protein in the Human Fungal Pathogen Cryptococcus deneoformans. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0265321. [PMID: 35471092 PMCID: PMC9241590 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02653-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual reproduction facilitates infection by the production of both a lineage advantage and infectious sexual spores in the ubiquitous human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus deneoformans. However, the regulatory determinants specific for initiating mating remain poorly understood. Here, we identified a velvet family regulator, Cva1, that strongly promotes sexual reproduction in C. deneoformans. This regulation was determined to be specific, based on a comprehensive phenotypic analysis of cva1Δ under 26 distinct in vitro and in vivo growth conditions. We further revealed that Cva1 plays a critical role in the initiation of early mating events, including sexual cell-cell fusion, but is not important for the late sexual development stages or meiosis. Thus, Cva1 specifically contributes to mating activation. Importantly, a novel mating-responsive protein, Cfs1, serves as the key target of Cva1 during mating, since its absence nearly blocks cell-cell fusion in C. deneoformans and its sister species C. neoformans. Together, our findings provide insight into how C. deneoformans ensures the regulatory specificity of mating. IMPORTANCE The human fungal pathogen C. deneoformans is a model organism for studying fungal sexual reproduction, which is considered to be important to infection. However, the specific regulatory determinants for activation of sexual reproduction remain poorly understood. In this study, by combining transcriptomic and comprehensive phenotypic analysis, we identified a velvet family regulator Cva1 that specifically and critically elicits early mating events, including sexual cell-cell fusion. Significantly, Cva1 induces mating through the novel mating-responsive protein Cfs1, which is essential for cell-cell fusion in C. deneoformans and its sister species C. neoformans. Considering that Cva1 and Cfs1 are highly conserved in species belonging to Cryptococcaeceae, they may play conserved and specific roles in the initiation of sexual reproduction in this important fungal clade, which includes multiple human fungal pathogens.
Collapse
|
33
|
Li T, Kim D, Lee J. NADPH Oxidase Gene, FgNoxD, Plays a Critical Role in Development and Virulence in Fusarium graminearum. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:822682. [PMID: 35308369 PMCID: PMC8928025 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.822682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
NADPH oxidase is an enzyme that generates reactive oxygen species from oxygen and NADPH and is highly conserved in eukaryotes. In Fusarium graminearum, a series of different Nox enzymes have been identified. NoxA is involved in sexual development and ascospore production and, like NoxB, also contributes to pathogenicity. Both NoxA and NoxB are regulated by the subunit NoxR, whereas NoxC is usually self-regulated by EF-hand motifs found on the enzyme. In this study, we characterized another NADPH oxidase in F. graminearum, FgNoxD. In the FgNoxD deletion mutant, vegetative growth and conidia production were reduced, while sexual development was totally abolished. The FgNoxD deletion mutant also showed reduced resistance to cell wall perturbing agents; cell membrane inhibitors; and osmotic, fungicide, cold, and extracellular oxidative stress, when compared to the wild type. Moreover, in comparison to the wild type, the FgNoxD deletion mutant exhibited reduced virulence against the host plant. The FgNoxD deletion mutant produced less deoxynivalenol than the wild type, and the Tri5 and Tri6 gene expression was also downregulated. In conclusion, our findings show that FgNoxD is involved in the survival against various stresses, conidiation, sexual development, and virulence, highlighting this enzyme as a new target to control the disease caused by F. graminearum.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Taiying Li
- Department of Applied Biology, Dong-A University, Busan, South Korea
| | - Dohyun Kim
- Department of Applied Biology, Dong-A University, Busan, South Korea
| | - Jungkwan Lee
- Department of Applied Biology, Dong-A University, Busan, South Korea
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Fierro F, Vaca I, Castillo NI, García-Rico RO, Chávez R. Penicillium chrysogenum, a Vintage Model with a Cutting-Edge Profile in Biotechnology. Microorganisms 2022; 10:573. [PMID: 35336148 PMCID: PMC8954384 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10030573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Revised: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The discovery of penicillin entailed a decisive breakthrough in medicine. No other medical advance has ever had the same impact in the clinical practise. The fungus Penicillium chrysogenum (reclassified as P. rubens) has been used for industrial production of penicillin ever since the forties of the past century; industrial biotechnology developed hand in hand with it, and currently P. chrysogenum is a thoroughly studied model for secondary metabolite production and regulation. In addition to its role as penicillin producer, recent synthetic biology advances have put P. chrysogenum on the path to become a cell factory for the production of metabolites with biotechnological interest. In this review, we tell the history of P. chrysogenum, from the discovery of penicillin and the first isolation of strains with high production capacity to the most recent research advances with the fungus. We will describe how classical strain improvement programs achieved the goal of increasing production and how the development of different molecular tools allowed further improvements. The discovery of the penicillin gene cluster, the origin of the penicillin genes, the regulation of penicillin production, and a compilation of other P. chrysogenum secondary metabolites will also be covered and updated in this work.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Fierro
- Departamento de Biotecnología, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Unidad Iztapalapa, Ciudad de México 09340, Mexico
| | - Inmaculada Vaca
- Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 7800003, Chile;
| | - Nancy I. Castillo
- Grupo de Investigación en Ciencias Biológicas y Químicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Antonio Nariño, Bogotá 110231, Colombia;
| | - Ramón Ovidio García-Rico
- Grupo de Investigación GIMBIO, Departamento De Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad de Pamplona, Pamplona 543050, Colombia;
| | - Renato Chávez
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago 9170020, Chile;
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Long L, Liu Z, Deng C, Li C, Wu L, Hou B, Lin Q. Genomic Sequence and Transcriptome Analysis of the Medicinal Fungus Keithomyces neogunnii. Genome Biol Evol 2022; 14:evac033. [PMID: 35201278 PMCID: PMC8907406 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evac033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The filamentous fungus Keithomyces neogunnii can infect the larvae of Lepidoptera (Hepialus sp.) and form an insect-fungi complex, which is utilized as an important traditional Chinese medicine. As a valuable medicinal fungus, K. neogunnii produces diverse bioactive substances (e.g., polysaccharide, vitamins, cordycepic acid, and adenosine) under cultivation conditions. Herein, we report the first high-quality genome of the K. neogunnii single-spore isolate Cg7.2a using single-molecule real-time sequencing technology in combination with Illumina sequencing. The assembled genome was 32.6 Mb in size, containing 8,641 predicted genes and having a GC content of 52.16%. RNA sequencing analysis revealed the maximum number of differentially expressed genes in the fungus during the stroma formation stage compared with those during the mycelium stage. These data are valuable to enhance our understanding of the biology, development, evolution, and physiological metabolism of K. neogunnii.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Liangkun Long
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Centre for Efficient Processing and Utilisation of Forest Resources, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, China
- Jiangsu Key Lab for the Chemistry & Utilisation of Agricultural and Forest Biomass, Nanjing, China
| | - Zhen Liu
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Centre for Efficient Processing and Utilisation of Forest Resources, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, China
| | - Chunying Deng
- Guizhou Institute of Biology, Guizhou Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, China
| | - Chuanhua Li
- Key Laboratory of Applied Mycological Resources and Utilisation, Ministry of Agriculture, National Engineering Research Centre of Edible Fungi, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genetics and Breeding, Institute of Edible Fungi, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China
| | - Liangliang Wu
- Nanjing Institute for the Comprehensive Utilisation of Wild Plants, China
| | - Beiwei Hou
- Nanjing Institute for the Comprehensive Utilisation of Wild Plants, China
| | - Qunying Lin
- Nanjing Institute for the Comprehensive Utilisation of Wild Plants, China
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Aylward J, Havenga M, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ, Dreyer LL, Roets F, Steenkamp ET. Novel mating-type-associated genes and gene fragments in the genomes of Mycosphaerellaceae and Teratosphaeriaceae fungi. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2022; 171:107456. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Revised: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
|
37
|
Sun S, Roth C, Floyd Averette A, Magwene PM, Heitman J. Epistatic genetic interactions govern morphogenesis during sexual reproduction and infection in a global human fungal pathogen. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2122293119. [PMID: 35169080 PMCID: PMC8872808 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2122293119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cellular development is orchestrated by evolutionarily conserved signaling pathways, which are often pleiotropic and involve intra- and interpathway epistatic interactions that form intricate, complex regulatory networks. Cryptococcus species are a group of closely related human fungal pathogens that grow as yeasts yet transition to hyphae during sexual reproduction. Additionally, during infection they can form large, polyploid titan cells that evade immunity and develop drug resistance. Multiple known signaling pathways regulate cellular development, yet how these are coordinated and interact with genetic variation is less well understood. Here, we conducted quantitative trait locus (QTL) analyses of a mapping population generated by sexual reproduction of two parents, only one of which is unisexually fertile. We observed transgressive segregation of the unisexual phenotype among progeny, as well as a large-cell phenotype under mating-inducing conditions. These large-cell progeny were found to produce titan cells both in vitro and in infected animals. Two major QTLs and corresponding quantitative trait genes (QTGs) were identified: RIC8 (encoding a guanine-exchange factor) and CNC06490 (encoding a putative Rho-GTPase activator), both involved in G protein signaling. The two QTGs interact epistatically with each other and with the mating-type locus in phenotypic determination. These findings provide insights into the complex genetics of morphogenesis during unisexual reproduction and pathogenic titan cell formation and illustrate how QTL analysis can be applied to identify epistasis between genes. This study shows that phenotypic outcomes are influenced by the genetic background upon which mutations arise, implicating dynamic, complex genotype-to-phenotype landscapes in fungal pathogens and beyond.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sheng Sun
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710
| | - Cullen Roth
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708
| | - Anna Floyd Averette
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710
| | - Paul M Magwene
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708
| | - Joseph Heitman
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710;
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Life Cycle and Phylogeography of True Truffles. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13010145. [PMID: 35052485 PMCID: PMC8775154 DOI: 10.3390/genes13010145] [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: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
True truffle (Tuber spp.) is one group of ascomycetes with great economic importance. During the last 30 years, numerous fine-scale population genetics studies were conducted on different truffle species, aiming to answer several key questions regarding their life cycles; these questions are important for their cultivation. It is now evident that truffles are heterothallic, but with a prevalent haploid lifestyle. Strains forming ectomycorrhizas and germinating ascospores act as maternal and paternal partners respectively. At the same time, a number of large-scale studies were carried out, highlighting the influences of the last glaciation and river isolations on the genetic structure of truffles. A retreat to southern refugia during glaciation, and a northward expansion post glaciation, were revealed in all studied European truffles. The Mediterranean Sea, acting as a barrier, has led to the existence of several refugia in different peninsulas for a single species. Similarly, large rivers in southwestern China act as physical barriers to gene flow for truffles in this region. Further studies can pay special attention to population genetics of species with a wide distribution range, such as T. himalayense, and the correlation between truffle genetic structure and the community composition of truffle-associated bacteria.
Collapse
|
39
|
Ahmed SA, Engel T, Zoll J, Godschalk PCR, Klaasen R, Moreno L, van der Lee H, Verweij PE, de Hoog S. Meanderella rijsii, a new opportunist in the fungal order Pleosporales. Microbes Infect 2022; 24:104932. [PMID: 35032673 DOI: 10.1016/j.micinf.2022.104932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Revised: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis is an implantation disease caused by melanized fungi and affect both immunocompetent as well as immunocompromised individuals. Diagnosis and treatment require proper isolation and accurate identification of the causative pathogen. We isolated a novel fungus from a case of subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis in an immunocompetent patient. The 56-year-old patient suffered from a slowly progressive swelling on the metatarsophalangeal join of the left food. The isolated fungus lacked sporulation and sequences of the ribosomal operon did not match with any known species. In a multi-locus phylogenetic analysis involving five markers, the fungus formed a unique lineage in the order Pleosporales, family Trematosphaeriaceae. A new genus, Meanderella and a new species, M. rijsii are here proposed to accommodate the clinical isolate. Whole genome analysis of M. rijsii revealed a number of genes that can be linked to pathogenicity and virulence. Further studies are however needed to understand the role of each gene in the pathogenic process and to determine the origin of pathogenicity in the family of Trematosphaeriaceae.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah A Ahmed
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Medical Center and Radboudumc - CWZ Center of Expertise for Mycology, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Foundation Atlas of Clinical Fungi, Hilversum, the Netherlands.
| | - Tobias Engel
- Laboratory for Medical Microbiology and Public Health, Hengelo, the Netherlands
| | - Jan Zoll
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Medical Center and Radboudumc - CWZ Center of Expertise for Mycology, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Peggy C R Godschalk
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Medical Immunology, Meander Medical Center, Amersfoort, the Netherlands
| | - Ruth Klaasen
- Department of Rheumatology, Meander Medical Center, Amersfoort, the Netherlands
| | | | - Henrich van der Lee
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Medical Center and Radboudumc - CWZ Center of Expertise for Mycology, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Paul E Verweij
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Medical Center and Radboudumc - CWZ Center of Expertise for Mycology, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Sybren de Hoog
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Medical Center and Radboudumc - CWZ Center of Expertise for Mycology, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Foundation Atlas of Clinical Fungi, Hilversum, the Netherlands; Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education of Guizhou & Guizhou Talent Base for Microbiology and Human Health, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Candida albicans MTLa2 regulates the mating response through both the a-factor and α-factor sensing pathways. Fungal Genet Biol 2022; 159:103664. [PMID: 35026387 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2022.103664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Revised: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The diploid fungal pathogen Candida albicans has three configurations at the mating type locus (MTL): heterozygous (a/α) and homozygous (a/a or α/α). C. albicans MTL locus encodes four transcriptional regulators (MTLa1, a2, α1, and α2). The conserved a1/α2 heterodimer controls not only mating competency but also white-opaque heritable phenotypic switching. However, the regulatory roles of MTLa2 and α1 are more complex and remain to be investigated. MTLa/a cells often express a cell type-specific genes and mate as the a-type partner, whereas MTLα/α cells express α-specific genes and mate as the α-type partner. In this study, we report that the MTLa2 regulator controls the formation of mating projections through both the a- and α-pheromone-sensing pathways and thus results in the bi-mater feature of "α cells" of C. albicans. Ectopic expression of MTLa2 in opaque α cells activates the expression of not only MFA1 and STE3 (a-pheromone receptor) but also MFα1 and STE2 (α-pheromone receptor). Inactivation of either the MFa-Ste3 or MFα-Ste2 pheromone-sensing pathway cannot block the MTLa2-induced development of mating projections. However, the case is different in MTLα1-ectopically expressed opaque a cells. Inactivation of the MFα-Ste2 but not the MFa-Ste3 pheromone-sensing pathway blocks MTLα1-induced development of mating projections. Therefore, MTLa2 and MTLα1 exhibit distinct regulatory features that control the mating response in C. albicans. These findings shed new light on the regulatory mechanism of bi-mating behaviors and sexual reproduction in C. albicans.
Collapse
|
41
|
Lan N, Ye S, Hu C, Chen Z, Huang J, Xue W, Li S, Sun X. Coordinated Regulation of Protoperithecium Development by MAP Kinases MAK-1 and MAK-2 in Neurospora crassa. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:769615. [PMID: 34899653 PMCID: PMC8662359 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.769615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathways function as signaling hubs that are integral for many essential cellular processes, including sexual development. The molecular mechanisms and cross-talk between PR and CWI MAP kinase pathways have been extensively studied during asexual development. However, if these can be extended to sexual development remains elusive. By analyzing genome-wide transcriptional responses to deletion of each of two MAP kinase coding genes mak-2 (PR-MAP kinase pathway) and mak-1 (CWI-MAP kinase pathway) in Neurospora crassa during protoperithecium formation, 430 genes co-regulated by the MAK-1 and MAK-2 proteins were found, functionally enriched at integral components of membrane and oxidoreductase. These genes include 13 functionally known genes participating in sexual development (app, poi-2, stk-17, fsd-1, vsd-8, and NCU03863) and melanin synthesis (per-1, pkh-1, pkh-2, mld-1, scy-1, trn-2, and trn-1), as well as a set of functionally unknown genes. Phenotypic analysis of deletion mutants for the functionally unknown genes revealed that 12 genes were essential for female fertility. Among them, single-gene deletion mutants for NCU07743 (named as pfd-1), NCU02250 (oli), and NCU05948 (named as pfd-2) displayed similar protoperithecium development defects as the Δmak-1 and Δmak-2 mutants, failing to form protoperithecium. Western blotting analysis showed that both phosphorylated and total MAK-1 proteins were virtually abolished in the Δnrc-1, Δmek-2, and Δmak-2 mutants, suggesting that the posttranscriptional regulation of MAK-1 is dependent on the PR-MAP kinase pathway during the protoperithecium development. Taken together, this study revealed the regulatory roles and cross-talk between PR and CWI-MAP kinase pathways during protoperithecium development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nan Lan
- Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shuting Ye
- Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Chengcheng Hu
- Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhiling Chen
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Jun Huang
- Shandong Jinniu Group Company, Ltd., Jinan, China
| | - Wei Xue
- Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shaojie Li
- Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xianyun Sun
- Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Villanueva P, Vásquez G, Gil-Durán C, Oliva V, Díaz A, Henríquez M, Álvarez E, Laich F, Chávez R, Vaca I. Description of the First Four Species of the Genus Pseudogymnoascus From Antarctica. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:713189. [PMID: 34867840 PMCID: PMC8640180 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.713189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The genus Pseudogymnoascus represents a diverse group of fungi widely distributed in different cold regions on Earth. Our current knowledge of the species of Pseudogymnoascus is still very limited. Currently, there are only 15 accepted species of Pseudogymnoascus that have been isolated from different environments in the Northern Hemisphere. In contrast, species of Pseudogymnoascus from the Southern Hemisphere have not yet been described. In this work, we characterized four fungal strains obtained from Antarctic marine sponges. Based on multilocus phylogenetic analyses and morphological characterizations we determined that these strains are new species, for which the names Pseudogymnoascus antarcticus sp. nov., Pseudogymnoascus australis sp. nov., Pseudogymnoascus griseus sp. nov., and Pseudogymnoascus lanuginosus sp. nov. are proposed. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that the new species form distinct lineages separated from other species of Pseudogymnoascus with strong support. The new species do not form sexual structures and differ from the currently known species mainly in the shape and size of their conidia, the presence of chains of arthroconidia, and the appearance of their colonies. This is the first report of new species of Pseudogymnoascus not only from Antarctica but also from the Southern Hemisphere.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Villanueva
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Ghislaine Vásquez
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Carlos Gil-Durán
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Vicente Oliva
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Anaí Díaz
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Marlene Henríquez
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Eduardo Álvarez
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICBM), Mycology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Federico Laich
- Departamento de Protección Vegetal, Instituto Canario de Investigaciones Agrarias, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Islas Canarias, Spain
| | - Renato Chávez
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH), Santiago, Chile
| | - Inmaculada Vaca
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Nagel JH, Wingfield MJ, Slippers B. Next-generation sequencing provides important insights into the biology and evolution of the Botryosphaeriaceae. FUNGAL BIOL REV 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fbr.2021.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
|
44
|
Kontogiannatos D, Koutrotsios G, Xekalaki S, Zervakis GI. Biomass and Cordycepin Production by the Medicinal Mushroom Cordyceps militaris-A Review of Various Aspects and Recent Trends towards the Exploitation of a Valuable Fungus. J Fungi (Basel) 2021; 7:jof7110986. [PMID: 34829273 PMCID: PMC8621325 DOI: 10.3390/jof7110986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2021] [Revised: 11/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cordyceps militaris is an entomopathogenic ascomycete with similar pharmacological importance to that of the wild caterpillar fungus Ophiocordyceps sinensis. C. militaris has attracted significant research and commercial interest due to its content in bioactive compounds beneficial to human health and the relative ease of cultivation under laboratory conditions. However, room for improvement exists in the commercial-scale cultivation of C. militaris and concerns issues principally related to appropriate strain selection, genetic degeneration of cultures, and substrate optimization. In particular, culture degeneration-usually expressed by abnormal fruit body formation and reduced sporulation-results in important economic losses and is holding back investors and potential growers (mainly in Western countries) from further developing this highly promising sector. In the present review, the main factors that influence the generation of biomass and metabolites (with emphasis on cordycepin biosynthesis) by C. militaris are presented and evaluated in conjunction with the use of a wide range of supplements or additives towards the enhancement of fungal productivity in large-scale cultivation processes. Moreover, physiological and genetic factors that increase or reduce the manifestation of strain degeneration in C. militaris are outlined. Finally, methodologies for developing protocols to be used in C. militaris functional biology studies are discussed.
Collapse
|
45
|
Xu J. Is Natural Population of Candida tropicalis Sexual, Parasexual, and/or Asexual? Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 11:751676. [PMID: 34760719 PMCID: PMC8573272 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.751676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Candida tropicalis is one of the most common opportunistic yeast pathogens of humans, especially prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions. This yeast has broad ecological distributions, can be found in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, including being associated with a diversity of trees, animals, and humans. Evolutionary theory predicts that organisms thriving in diverse ecological niches likely have efficient mechanisms to generate genetic diversity in nature. Indeed, abundant genetic variations have been reported in natural populations (both environmental and clinical) of C. tropicalis. However, at present, our understanding on how genetic diversity is generated in natural C. tropicalis population remains controversial. In this paper, I review the current understanding on the potential modes of reproduction in C. tropicalis. I describe expectations of the three modes of reproduction (sexual, parasexual, and asexual) and compare them with the observed genotypic variations in natural populations. Though sexual and parasexual reproduction cannot be excluded, the analyses suggest asexual reproduction alone could explain all the observations reported so far. The results here have implications for understanding the evolution and epidemiology of C. tropicalis and other related human fungal pathogens.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jianping Xu
- Institute of Bast Fiber Crops and Center of Southern Economic Crops, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changsha, China.,Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Brun S, Kuo HC, Jeffree CE, Thomson DD, Read N. Courtship Ritual of Male and Female Nuclei during Fertilization in Neurospora crassa. Microbiol Spectr 2021; 9:e0033521. [PMID: 34612669 PMCID: PMC8509652 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00335-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual reproduction is a key process influencing the evolution and adaptation of animals, plants, and many eukaryotic microorganisms, such as fungi. However, the sequential cell biology of fertilization and the associated nuclear dynamics after plasmogamy are poorly understood in filamentous fungi. Using histone-fluorescent parental isolates, we tracked male and female nuclei during fertilization in the model ascomycete Neurospora crassa using live-cell imaging. This study unravels the behavior of trichogyne resident female nuclei and the extraordinary manner in which male nuclei migrate up the trichogyne to the protoperithecium. Our observations raise new fundamental questions about the modus operandi of nucleus movements during sexual reproduction, male and female nuclear identity, guidance of nuclei within the trichogyne and, unexpectedly, the avoidance of "polyspermy" in fungi. The spatiotemporal dynamics of male nuclei within the trichogyne following plasmogamy are also described, where the speed and the deformation of male nuclei are of the most dramatic observed to date in a living organism. IMPORTANCE Using live-cell fluorescence imaging, for the first time we have observed live male and female nuclei during sexual reproduction in the model fungus Neurospora crassa. This study reveals the specific behavior of resident female nuclei within the trichogyne (the female organ) after fertilization and the extraordinary manner in which male nuclei migrate across the trichogyne toward their final destination, the protoperithecium, where karyogamy takes place. Importantly, the speed and deformation of male nuclei were found to be among the most dramatic ever observed in a living organism. Furthermore, we observed that entry of male nuclei into protoperithecia may block the entry of other male nuclei, suggesting that a process analogous to polyspermy avoidance could exist in fungi. Our live-cell imaging approach opens new opportunities for novel research on cell-signaling during sexual reproduction in fungi and, on a broader scale, nuclear dynamics in eukaryotes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sylvain Brun
- Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire des Energies de Demain, CNRS UMR 8236, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Hsiao-Che Kuo
- Fungal Cell Biology Group, Institute of Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Chris E. Jeffree
- Fungal Cell Biology Group, Institute of Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Darren D. Thomson
- Manchester Fungal Infection Group, Division of Infection, Immunity, and Respiratory Medicine, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Nick Read
- Manchester Fungal Infection Group, Division of Infection, Immunity, and Respiratory Medicine, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Fungal Cell Biology Group, Institute of Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Fouché G, Michel T, Lalève A, Wang NX, Young DH, Meunier B, Debieu D, Fillinger S, Walker AS. Directed evolution predicts cytochrome b G37V target site modification as probable adaptive mechanism towards the QiI fungicide fenpicoxamid in Zymoseptoria tritici. Environ Microbiol 2021; 24:1117-1132. [PMID: 34490974 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Revised: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Acquired resistance is a threat to antifungal efficacy in medicine and agriculture. The diversity of possible resistance mechanisms and highly adaptive traits of pathogens make it difficult to predict evolutionary outcomes of treatments. We used directed evolution as an approach to assess the resistance risk to the new fungicide fenpicoxamid in the wheat pathogenic fungus Zymoseptoria tritici. Fenpicoxamid inhibits complex III of the respiratory chain at the ubiquinone reduction site (Qi site) of the mitochondrially encoded cytochrome b, a different site than the widely used strobilurins which inhibit the same complex at the ubiquinol oxidation site (Qo site). We identified the G37V change within the cytochrome b Qi site as the most likely resistance mechanism to be selected in Z. tritici. This change triggered high fenpicoxamid resistance and halved the enzymatic activity of cytochrome b, despite no significant penalty for in vitro growth. We identified negative cross-resistance between isolates harbouring G37V or G143A, a Qo site change previously selected by strobilurins. Double mutants were less resistant to both QiIs and quinone outside inhibitors compared to single mutants. This work is a proof of concept that experimental evolution can be used to predict adaptation to fungicides and provides new perspectives for the management of QiIs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Fouché
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, UMR BIOGER, Thiverval-Grignon, 78850, France.,Corteva Agriscience, 9330 Zionsville Road, Indianapolis, IN, 46268, USA
| | - Thomas Michel
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette, 91198, France
| | - Anaïs Lalève
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, UMR BIOGER, Thiverval-Grignon, 78850, France
| | - Nick X Wang
- Corteva Agriscience, 9330 Zionsville Road, Indianapolis, IN, 46268, USA
| | - David H Young
- Corteva Agriscience, 9330 Zionsville Road, Indianapolis, IN, 46268, USA
| | - Brigitte Meunier
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette, 91198, France
| | - Danièle Debieu
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, UMR BIOGER, Thiverval-Grignon, 78850, France
| | - Sabine Fillinger
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, UMR BIOGER, Thiverval-Grignon, 78850, France
| | - Anne-Sophie Walker
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, UMR BIOGER, Thiverval-Grignon, 78850, France
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Lücking R, Leavitt SD, Hawksworth DL. Species in lichen-forming fungi: balancing between conceptual and practical considerations, and between phenotype and phylogenomics. FUNGAL DIVERS 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s13225-021-00477-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
AbstractLichens are symbiotic associations resulting from interactions among fungi (primary and secondary mycobionts), algae and/or cyanobacteria (primary and secondary photobionts), and specific elements of the bacterial microbiome associated with the lichen thallus. The question of what is a species, both concerning the lichen as a whole and its main fungal component, the primary mycobiont, has faced many challenges throughout history and has reached new dimensions with the advent of molecular phylogenetics and phylogenomics. In this paper, we briefly revise the definition of lichens and the scientific and vernacular naming conventions, concluding that the scientific, Latinized name usually associated with lichens invariably refers to the primary mycobiont, whereas the vernacular name encompasses the entire lichen. Although the same lichen mycobiont may produce different phenotypes when associating with different photobionts or growing in axenic culture, this discrete variation does not warrant the application of different scientific names, but must follow the principle "one fungus = one name". Instead, broadly agreed informal designations should be used for such discrete morphologies, such as chloromorph and cyanomorph for lichens formed by the same mycobiont but with either green algae or cyanobacteria. The taxonomic recognition of species in lichen-forming fungi is not different from other fungi and conceptual and nomenclatural approaches follow the same principles. We identify a number of current challenges and provide recommendations to address these. Species delimitation in lichen-forming fungi should not be tailored to particular species concepts but instead be derived from empirical evidence, applying one or several of the following principles in what we call the LPR approach: lineage (L) coherence vs. divergence (phylogenetic component), phenotype (P) coherence vs. divergence (morphological component), and/or reproductive (R) compatibility vs. isolation (biological component). Species hypotheses can be established based on either L or P, then using either P or L (plus R) to corroborate them. The reliability of species hypotheses depends not only on the nature and number of characters but also on the context: the closer the relationship and/or similarity between species, the higher the number of characters and/or specimens that should be analyzed to provide reliable delimitations. Alpha taxonomy should follow scientific evidence and an evolutionary framework but should also offer alternative practical solutions, as long as these are scientifically defendable. Taxa that are delimited phylogenetically but not readily identifiable in the field, or are genuinely cryptic, should not be rejected due to the inaccessibility of proper tools. Instead, they can be provisionally treated as undifferentiated complexes for purposes that do not require precise determinations. The application of infraspecific (gamma) taxonomy should be restricted to cases where there is a biological rationale, i.e., lineages of a species complex that show limited phylogenetic divergence but no evidence of reproductive isolation. Gamma taxonomy should not be used to denote discrete phenotypical variation or ecotypes not warranting the distinction at species level. We revise the species pair concept in lichen-forming fungi, which recognizes sexually and asexually reproducing morphs with the same underlying phenotype as different species. We conclude that in most cases this concept does not hold, but the actual situation is complex and not necessarily correlated with reproductive strategy. In cases where no molecular data are available or where single or multi-marker approaches do not provide resolution, we recommend maintaining species pairs until molecular or phylogenomic data are available. This recommendation is based on the example of the species pair Usnea aurantiacoatra vs. U. antarctica, which can only be resolved with phylogenomic approaches, such as microsatellites or RADseq. Overall, we consider that species delimitation in lichen-forming fungi has advanced dramatically over the past three decades, resulting in a solid framework, but that empirical evidence is still missing for many taxa. Therefore, while phylogenomic approaches focusing on particular examples will be increasingly employed to resolve difficult species complexes, broad screening using single barcoding markers will aid in placing as many taxa as possible into a molecular matrix. We provide a practical protocol how to assess and formally treat taxonomic novelties. While this paper focuses on lichen fungi, many of the aspects discussed herein apply generally to fungal taxonomy. The new combination Arthonia minor (Lücking) Lücking comb. et stat. nov. (Bas.: Arthonia cyanea f. minor Lücking) is proposed.
Collapse
|
49
|
Abstract
Quorum sensing (QS) is one of the most studied cell-cell communication mechanisms in fungi. Research in the last 20 years has explored various fungal QS systems that are involved in a wide range of biological processes, especially eukaryote- or fungus-specific behaviors, mirroring the significant contribution of QS regulation to fungal biology and evolution. Based on recent progress, we summarize in this review fungal QS regulation, with an emphasis on its functional role in behaviors unique to fungi or eukaryotes. We suggest that using fungi as genetically amenable eukaryotic model systems to address why and how QS regulation is integrated into eukaryotic reproductive strategies and molecular or cellular processes could be an important direction for QS research. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Microbiology, Volume 75 is October 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiuyun Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; .,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China
| | - Hao Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; .,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China
| | - Weixin Ke
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; .,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China
| | - Linqi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; .,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Abstract
True morels (Morchella spp., Morchellaceae, Ascomycota) are widely regarded as a highly prized delicacy and are of great economic and scientific value. Recently, the rapid development of cultivation technology and expansion of areas for artificial morel cultivation have propelled morel research into a hot topic. Many studies have been conducted in various aspects of morel biology, but despite this, cultivation sites still frequently report failure to fruit or only low production of fruiting bodies. Key problems include the gap between cultivation practices and basic knowledge of morel biology. In this review, in an effort to highlight the mating systems, evolution, and life cycle of morels, we summarize the current state of knowledge of morel sexual reproduction, the structure and evolution of mating-type genes, the sexual process itself, and the influence of mating-type genes on the asexual stages and conidium production. Understanding of these processes is critical for improving technology for the cultivation of morels and for scaling up their commercial production. Morel species may well be good candidates as model species for improving sexual development research in ascomycetes in the future.
Collapse
|