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Pyrihová E, King MS, King AC, Toleco MR, van der Giezen M, Kunji ERS. A mitochondrial carrier transports glycolytic intermediates to link cytosolic and mitochondrial glycolysis in the human gut parasite Blastocystis. eLife 2024; 13:RP94187. [PMID: 38780415 PMCID: PMC11115451 DOI: 10.7554/elife.94187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Stramenopiles form a clade of diverse eukaryotic organisms, including multicellular algae, the fish and plant pathogenic oomycetes, such as the potato blight Phytophthora, and the human intestinal protozoan Blastocystis. In most eukaryotes, glycolysis is a strictly cytosolic metabolic pathway that converts glucose to pyruvate, resulting in the production of NADH and ATP (Adenosine triphosphate). In contrast, stramenopiles have a branched glycolysis in which the enzymes of the pay-off phase are located in both the cytosol and the mitochondrial matrix. Here, we identify a mitochondrial carrier in Blastocystis that can transport glycolytic intermediates, such as dihydroxyacetone phosphate and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate, across the mitochondrial inner membrane, linking the cytosolic and mitochondrial branches of glycolysis. Comparative analyses with the phylogenetically related human mitochondrial oxoglutarate carrier (SLC25A11) and dicarboxylate carrier (SLC25A10) show that the glycolytic intermediate carrier has lost its ability to transport the canonical substrates malate and oxoglutarate. Blastocystis lacks several key components of oxidative phosphorylation required for the generation of mitochondrial ATP, such as complexes III and IV, ATP synthase, and ADP/ATP carriers. The presence of the glycolytic pay-off phase in the mitochondrial matrix generates ATP, which powers energy-requiring processes, such as macromolecular synthesis, as well as NADH, used by mitochondrial complex I to generate a proton motive force to drive the import of proteins and molecules. Given its unique substrate specificity and central role in carbon and energy metabolism, the carrier for glycolytic intermediates identified here represents a specific drug and pesticide target against stramenopile pathogens, which are of great economic importance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Pyrihová
- Medical Research Council Mitochondrial Biology Unit, The Keith Peters BuildingCambridgeUnited Kingdom
- University of Stavanger, Department of Chemistry, Bioscience, and Environmental EngineeringStavangerNorway
| | - Martin S King
- Medical Research Council Mitochondrial Biology Unit, The Keith Peters BuildingCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Alannah C King
- Medical Research Council Mitochondrial Biology Unit, The Keith Peters BuildingCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - M Rey Toleco
- University of Stavanger, Department of Chemistry, Bioscience, and Environmental EngineeringStavangerNorway
| | - Mark van der Giezen
- University of Stavanger, Department of Chemistry, Bioscience, and Environmental EngineeringStavangerNorway
- Research Department Stavanger University HospitalStavangerNorway
| | - Edmund RS Kunji
- Medical Research Council Mitochondrial Biology Unit, The Keith Peters BuildingCambridgeUnited Kingdom
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2
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Onuț-Brännström I, Stairs CW, Campos KIA, Thorén MH, Ettema TJG, Keeling PJ, Bass D, Burki F. A Mitosome With Distinct Metabolism in the Uncultured Protist Parasite Paramikrocytos canceri (Rhizaria, Ascetosporea). Genome Biol Evol 2023; 15:7039708. [PMID: 36790104 PMCID: PMC9998036 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evad022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Ascetosporea are endoparasites of marine invertebrates that include economically important pathogens of aquaculture species. Owing to their often-minuscule cell sizes, strict intracellular lifestyle, lack of cultured representatives and minimal availability of molecular data, these unicellular parasites remain poorly studied. Here, we sequenced and assembled the genome and transcriptome of Paramikrocytos canceri, an endoparasite isolated from the European edible crab Cancer pagurus. Using bioinformatic predictions, we show that P. canceri likely possesses a mitochondrion-related organelle (MRO) with highly reduced metabolism, resembling the mitosomes of other parasites but with key differences. Like other mitosomes, this MRO is predicted to have reduced metabolic capacity and lack an organellar genome and function in iron-sulfur cluster (ISC) pathway-mediated Fe-S cluster biosynthesis. However, the MRO in P. canceri is uniquely predicted to produce ATP via a partial glycolytic pathway and synthesize phospholipids de novo through the CDP-DAG pathway. Heterologous gene expression confirmed that proteins from the ISC and CDP-DAG pathways retain mitochondrial targeting sequences that are recognized by yeast mitochondria. This represents a unique combination of metabolic pathways in an MRO, including the first reported case of a mitosome-like organelle able to synthesize phospholipids de novo. Some of these phospholipids, such as phosphatidylserine, are vital in other protist endoparasites that invade their host through apoptotic mimicry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioana Onuț-Brännström
- Department of Organismal Biology, Program in Systematic Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Courtney W Stairs
- Microbiology Research Group, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | | | - Markus Hiltunen Thorén
- Department of Organismal Biology, Program in Systematic Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Thijs J G Ettema
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Patrick J Keeling
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - David Bass
- International Centre of Excellence for Aquatic Animal Health, Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), Weymouth, United Kingdom.,Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom.,Sustainable Aquaculture Futures, Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Fabien Burki
- Department of Organismal Biology, Program in Systematic Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.,Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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3
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Neofunctionalization of Glycolytic Enzymes: An Evolutionary Route to Plant Parasitism in the Oomycete Phytophthora nicotianae. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10020281. [PMID: 35208735 PMCID: PMC8879444 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10020281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Oomycetes, of the genus Phytophthora, comprise of some of the most devastating plant pathogens. Parasitism of Phytophthora results from evolution from an autotrophic ancestor and adaptation to a wide range of environments, involving metabolic adaptation. Sequence mining showed that Phytophthora spp. display an unusual repertoire of glycolytic enzymes, made of multigene families and enzyme replacements. To investigate the impact of these gene duplications on the biology of Phytophthora and, eventually, identify novel functions associated to gene expansion, we focused our study on the first glycolytic step on P. nicotianae, a broad host range pathogen. We reveal that this step is committed by a set of three glucokinase types that differ by their structure, enzymatic properties, and evolutionary histories. In addition, they are expressed differentially during the P. nicotianae life cycle, including plant infection. Last, we show that there is a strong association between the expression of a glucokinase member in planta and extent of plant infection. Together, these results suggest that metabolic adaptation is a component of the processes underlying evolution of parasitism in Phytophthora, which may possibly involve the neofunctionalization of metabolic enzymes.
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4
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Zhang K, Zhang J, Ding N, Zellmer L, Zhao Y, Liu S, Liao DJ. ACTB and GAPDH appear at multiple SDS-PAGE positions, thus not suitable as reference genes for determining protein loading in techniques like Western blotting. Open Life Sci 2021; 16:1278-1292. [PMID: 34966852 PMCID: PMC8669867 DOI: 10.1515/biol-2021-0130] [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: 08/02/2021] [Revised: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
We performed polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of human proteins with sodium dodecyl sulfate, isolated proteins at multiple positions, and then used liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to determine the protein identities. Although beta-actin (ACTB) and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) are 41.7 and 36 kDa proteins, respectively, LC-MS/MS identified their peptides at all the positions studied. The National Center for Biotechnology Information (USA) database lists only one ACTB mRNA but five GAPDH mRNAs and one noncoding RNA. The five GAPDH mRNAs encode three protein isoforms, while our bioinformatics analysis identified a 17.6 kDa isoform encoded by the noncoding RNA. All LC-MS/MS-identified GAPDH peptides at all positions studied are unique, but some of the identified ACTB peptides are shared by ACTC1, ACTBL2, POTEF, POTEE, POTEI, and POTEJ. ACTC1 and ACTBL2 belong to the ACT family with significant similarities to ACTB in protein sequence, whereas the four POTEs are ACTB-containing chimeric genes with the C-terminus of their proteins highly similar to the ACTB. These data lead us to conclude that GAPDH and ACTB are poor reference genes for determining the protein loading in such techniques as Western blotting, a leading role these two genes have been playing for decades in biomedical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keyin Zhang
- Department of Pathology, School of Clinical Medicine, Guizhou Medical University , Guiyang 550004 , Guizhou Province , People’s Republic of China
| | - Ju Zhang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University , Beijing 100015 , People’s Republic of China
| | - Nan Ding
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University , Beijing 100015 , People’s Republic of China
| | - Lucas Zellmer
- Department of Medicine, Hennepin County Medical Center , 730 South 8th St. , Minneapolis , MN 55415 , United States of America
| | - Yan Zhao
- Key Lab of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases of the Ministry of Education of China in Guizhou Medical University , Guiyang 550004 , Guizhou Province , People’s Republic of China
| | - Siqi Liu
- Beijing Genomic Institute, Building 11 of Beishan Industrial Zone, Tantian District , Shengzhen 518083 , Guangdong Province , People’s Republic of China
| | - Dezhong Joshua Liao
- Department of Pathology, School of Clinical Medicine, Guizhou Medical University , Guiyang 550004 , Guizhou Province , People’s Republic of China
- Key Lab of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases of the Ministry of Education of China in Guizhou Medical University , Guiyang 550004 , Guizhou Province , People’s Republic of China
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Guizhou Medical University Hospital , Guiyang 550004 , Guizhou Province , People’s Republic of China
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5
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Rojas-Pirela M, Andrade-Alviárez D, Rojas V, Kemmerling U, Cáceres AJ, Michels PA, Concepción JL, Quiñones W. Phosphoglycerate kinase: structural aspects and functions, with special emphasis on the enzyme from Kinetoplastea. Open Biol 2020; 10:200302. [PMID: 33234025 PMCID: PMC7729029 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.200302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK) is a glycolytic enzyme that is well conserved among the three domains of life. PGK is usually a monomeric enzyme of about 45 kDa that catalyses one of the two ATP-producing reactions in the glycolytic pathway, through the conversion of 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate (1,3BPGA) to 3-phosphoglycerate (3PGA). It also participates in gluconeogenesis, catalysing the opposite reaction to produce 1,3BPGA and ADP. Like most other glycolytic enzymes, PGK has also been catalogued as a moonlighting protein, due to its involvement in different functions not associated with energy metabolism, which include pathogenesis, interaction with nucleic acids, tumorigenesis progression, cell death and viral replication. In this review, we have highlighted the overall aspects of this enzyme, such as its structure, reaction kinetics, activity regulation and possible moonlighting functions in different protistan organisms, especially both free-living and parasitic Kinetoplastea. Our analysis of the genomes of different kinetoplastids revealed the presence of open-reading frames (ORFs) for multiple PGK isoforms in several species. Some of these ORFs code for unusually large PGKs. The products appear to contain additional structural domains fused to the PGK domain. A striking aspect is that some of these PGK isoforms are predicted to be catalytically inactive enzymes or ‘dead’ enzymes. The roles of PGKs in kinetoplastid parasites are analysed, and the apparent significance of the PGK gene duplication that gave rise to the different isoforms and their expression in Trypanosoma cruzi is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maura Rojas-Pirela
- Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaiso, Valparaiso 2373223, Chile
| | - Diego Andrade-Alviárez
- Laboratorio de Enzimología de Parásitos, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida 5101, Venezuela
| | - Verónica Rojas
- Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaiso, Valparaiso 2373223, Chile
| | - Ulrike Kemmerling
- Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad de Chile, Facultad de Medicina, Santiago de Chile 8380453, Santigo de Chile
| | - Ana J Cáceres
- Laboratorio de Enzimología de Parásitos, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida 5101, Venezuela
| | - Paul A Michels
- Centre for Immunity, Infection and Evolution, The King's Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK.,Centre for Translational and Chemical Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, The King's Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Juan Luis Concepción
- Laboratorio de Enzimología de Parásitos, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida 5101, Venezuela
| | - Wilfredo Quiñones
- Laboratorio de Enzimología de Parásitos, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida 5101, Venezuela
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Gray MW, Burger G, Derelle R, Klimeš V, Leger MM, Sarrasin M, Vlček Č, Roger AJ, Eliáš M, Lang BF. The draft nuclear genome sequence and predicted mitochondrial proteome of Andalucia godoyi, a protist with the most gene-rich and bacteria-like mitochondrial genome. BMC Biol 2020; 18:22. [PMID: 32122349 PMCID: PMC7050145 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-020-0741-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2019] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Comparative analyses have indicated that the mitochondrion of the last eukaryotic common ancestor likely possessed all the key core structures and functions that are widely conserved throughout the domain Eucarya. To date, such studies have largely focused on animals, fungi, and land plants (primarily multicellular eukaryotes); relatively few mitochondrial proteomes from protists (primarily unicellular eukaryotic microbes) have been examined. To gauge the full extent of mitochondrial structural and functional complexity and to identify potential evolutionary trends in mitochondrial proteomes, more comprehensive explorations of phylogenetically diverse mitochondrial proteomes are required. In this regard, a key group is the jakobids, a clade of protists belonging to the eukaryotic supergroup Discoba, distinguished by having the most gene-rich and most bacteria-like mitochondrial genomes discovered to date. Results In this study, we assembled the draft nuclear genome sequence for the jakobid Andalucia godoyi and used a comprehensive in silico approach to infer the nucleus-encoded portion of the mitochondrial proteome of this protist, identifying 864 candidate mitochondrial proteins. The A. godoyi mitochondrial proteome has a complexity that parallels that of other eukaryotes, while exhibiting an unusually large number of ancestral features that have been lost particularly in opisthokont (animal and fungal) mitochondria. Notably, we find no evidence that the A. godoyi nuclear genome has or had a gene encoding a single-subunit, T3/T7 bacteriophage-like RNA polymerase, which functions as the mitochondrial transcriptase in all eukaryotes except the jakobids. Conclusions As genome and mitochondrial proteome data have become more widely available, a strikingly punctuate phylogenetic distribution of different mitochondrial components has been revealed, emphasizing that the pathways of mitochondrial proteome evolution are likely complex and lineage-specific. Unraveling this complexity will require comprehensive comparative analyses of mitochondrial proteomes from a phylogenetically broad range of eukaryotes, especially protists. The systematic in silico approach described here offers a valuable adjunct to direct proteomic analysis (e.g., via mass spectrometry), particularly in cases where the latter approach is constrained by sample limitation or other practical considerations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael W Gray
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Centre for Comparative Genomics and Evolutionary Bioinformatics, Sir Charles Tupper Medical Building, Dalhousie University, 5850 College Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 4R2, Canada.
| | - Gertraud Burger
- Département de Biochimie and Robert-Cedergren Center for Bioinformatics and Genomics, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Romain Derelle
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Vladimír Klimeš
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Michelle M Leger
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Centre for Comparative Genomics and Evolutionary Bioinformatics, Sir Charles Tupper Medical Building, Dalhousie University, 5850 College Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 4R2, Canada.,Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Matt Sarrasin
- Département de Biochimie and Robert-Cedergren Center for Bioinformatics and Genomics, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Čestmír Vlček
- Current address: Institute of Molecular Genetics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Andrew J Roger
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Centre for Comparative Genomics and Evolutionary Bioinformatics, Sir Charles Tupper Medical Building, Dalhousie University, 5850 College Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Marek Eliáš
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - B Franz Lang
- Département de Biochimie and Robert-Cedergren Center for Bioinformatics and Genomics, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
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7
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Río Bártulos C, Rogers MB, Williams TA, Gentekaki E, Brinkmann H, Cerff R, Liaud MF, Hehl AB, Yarlett NR, Gruber A, Kroth PG, van der Giezen M. Mitochondrial Glycolysis in a Major Lineage of Eukaryotes. Genome Biol Evol 2018; 10:2310-2325. [PMID: 30060189 PMCID: PMC6198282 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evy164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The establishment of the mitochondrion is seen as a transformational step in the origin of eukaryotes. With the mitochondrion came bioenergetic freedom to explore novel evolutionary space leading to the eukaryotic radiation known today. The tight integration of the bacterial endosymbiont with its archaeal host was accompanied by a massive endosymbiotic gene transfer resulting in a small mitochondrial genome which is just a ghost of the original incoming bacterial genome. This endosymbiotic gene transfer resulted in the loss of many genes, both from the bacterial symbiont as well the archaeal host. Loss of genes encoding redundant functions resulted in a replacement of the bulk of the host’s metabolism for those originating from the endosymbiont. Glycolysis is one such metabolic pathway in which the original archaeal enzymes have been replaced by bacterial enzymes from the endosymbiont. Glycolysis is a major catabolic pathway that provides cellular energy from the breakdown of glucose. The glycolytic pathway of eukaryotes appears to be bacterial in origin, and in well-studied model eukaryotes it takes place in the cytosol. In contrast, here we demonstrate that the latter stages of glycolysis take place in the mitochondria of stramenopiles, a diverse and ecologically important lineage of eukaryotes. Although our work is based on a limited sample of stramenopiles, it leaves open the possibility that the mitochondrial targeting of glycolytic enzymes in stramenopiles might represent the ancestral state for eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Río Bártulos
- Institut für Genetik, Technische Universität Braunschweig.,Fachbereich Biologie, Universität Konstanz, Germany
| | - Matthew B Rogers
- Biosciences, University of Exeter, United Kingdom.,Rangos Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, Children's Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Tom A Williams
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Eleni Gentekaki
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada.,School of Science and Human Gut Microbiome for Health Research Unit, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, Thailand
| | - Henner Brinkmann
- Département de Biochimie, Université de Montréal C.P. 6128, Montréal, Quebec, Canada.,Leibniz-Institut DSMZ-Deutsche Sammlung von Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen GmbH, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Rüdiger Cerff
- Institut für Genetik, Technische Universität Braunschweig
| | | | - Adrian B Hehl
- Institute of Parasitology, University of Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Nigel R Yarlett
- Department of Chemistry and Physical Sciences, Pace University
| | - Ansgar Gruber
- Fachbereich Biologie, Universität Konstanz, Germany.,Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada.,Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
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8
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Abrahamian M, Kagda M, Ah-Fong AMV, Judelson HS. Rethinking the evolution of eukaryotic metabolism: novel cellular partitioning of enzymes in stramenopiles links serine biosynthesis to glycolysis in mitochondria. BMC Evol Biol 2017; 17:241. [PMID: 29202688 PMCID: PMC5715807 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-017-1087-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2017] [Accepted: 11/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background An important feature of eukaryotic evolution is metabolic compartmentalization, in which certain pathways are restricted to the cytosol or specific organelles. Glycolysis in eukaryotes is described as a cytosolic process. The universality of this canon has been challenged by recent genome data that suggest that some glycolytic enzymes made by stramenopiles bear mitochondrial targeting peptides. Results Mining of oomycete, diatom, and brown algal genomes indicates that stramenopiles encode two forms of enzymes for the second half of glycolysis, one with and the other without mitochondrial targeting peptides. The predicted mitochondrial targeting was confirmed by using fluorescent tags to localize phosphoglycerate kinase, phosphoglycerate mutase, and pyruvate kinase in Phytophthora infestans, the oomycete that causes potato blight. A genome-wide search for other enzymes with atypical mitochondrial locations identified phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase, phosphoserine aminotransferase, and phosphoserine phosphatase, which form a pathway for generating serine from the glycolytic intermediate 3-phosphoglycerate. Fluorescent tags confirmed the delivery of these serine biosynthetic enzymes to P. infestans mitochondria. A cytosolic form of this serine biosynthetic pathway, which occurs in most eukaryotes, is missing from oomycetes and most other stramenopiles. The glycolysis and serine metabolism pathways of oomycetes appear to be mosaics of enzymes with different ancestries. While some of the noncanonical oomycete mitochondrial enzymes have the closest affinity in phylogenetic analyses with proteins from other stramenopiles, others cluster with bacterial, plant, or animal proteins. The genes encoding the mitochondrial phosphoglycerate kinase and serine-forming enzymes are physically linked on oomycete chromosomes, which suggests a shared origin. Conclusions Stramenopile metabolism appears to have been shaped through the acquisition of genes by descent and lateral or endosymbiotic gene transfer, along with the targeting of the proteins to locations that are novel compared to other eukaryotes. Colocalization of the glycolytic and serine biosynthesis enzymes in mitochondria is apparently necessary since they share a common intermediate. The results indicate that descriptions of metabolism in textbooks do not cover the full diversity of eukaryotic biology. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12862-017-1087-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melania Abrahamian
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
| | - Meenakshi Kagda
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
| | - Audrey M V Ah-Fong
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
| | - Howard S Judelson
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA.
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9
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Abstract
The eukaryotic microbes called oomycetes include many important saprophytes and pathogens, with the latter exhibiting necrotrophy, biotrophy, or obligate biotrophy. Understanding oomycete metabolism is fundamental to understanding these lifestyles. Genome mining and biochemical studies have shown that oomycetes, which belong to the kingdom Stramenopila, secrete suites of carbohydrate- and protein-degrading enzymes adapted to their environmental niches and produce unusual lipids and energy storage compounds. Despite having limited secondary metabolism, many oomycetes make chemicals for communicating within their species or with their hosts. Horizontal and endosymbiotic gene transfer events have diversified oomycete metabolism, resulting in biochemical pathways that often depart from standard textbook descriptions by amalgamating enzymes from multiple sources. Gene fusions and duplications have further shaped the composition and expression of the enzymes. Current research is helping us learn how oomycetes interact with host and environment, understand eukaryotic diversity and evolution, and identify targets for drugs and crop protection chemicals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Howard S Judelson
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, University of California, Riverside, California 92521;
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10
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Gawryluk RMR, Kamikawa R, Stairs CW, Silberman JD, Brown MW, Roger AJ. The Earliest Stages of Mitochondrial Adaptation to Low Oxygen Revealed in a Novel Rhizarian. Curr Biol 2016; 26:2729-2738. [PMID: 27666965 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.08.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2016] [Revised: 07/21/2016] [Accepted: 08/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Mitochondria exist on a functional and evolutionary continuum that includes anaerobic mitochondrion-related organelles (MROs), such as hydrogenosomes. Hydrogenosomes lack many classical mitochondrial features, including conspicuous cristae, mtDNA, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and ATP synthesis powered by an electron transport chain (ETC); instead, they produce ATP anaerobically, liberating H2 and CO2 gas in the process. However, our understanding of the evolutionary transformation from aerobic mitochondria to various MRO types remains incomplete. Here we describe a novel MRO from a cercomonad (Brevimastigomonas motovehiculus n. sp.; Rhizaria). We have sequenced its 30,608-bp mtDNA and characterized organelle function through a combination of transcriptomic, genomic, and cell biological approaches. B. motovehiculus MROs are metabolically versatile, retaining mitochondrial metabolic pathways, such as a TCA cycle and ETC-driven ATP synthesis, but also possessing hydrogenosomal-type pyruvate metabolism and substrate-level phosphorylation. Notably, the B. motovehiculus ETC is degenerate and appears to be losing cytochrome-based electron transport (complexes III and IV). Furthermore, the F1Fo ATP synthase (complex V) is unique, with the highly conserved Atpα subunit fragmented into four separate pieces. The B. motovehiculus MRO appears to be in the process of losing aerobic metabolic capacities. Our findings shed light on the transition between organelle types, specifically the early stages of mitochondrial adaptation to anaerobiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan M R Gawryluk
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada; Centre for Comparative Genomics and Evolutionary Bioinformatics, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Ryoma Kamikawa
- Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan; Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Courtney W Stairs
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada; Centre for Comparative Genomics and Evolutionary Bioinformatics, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Jeffrey D Silberman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
| | - Matthew W Brown
- Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA; Institute for Genomics, Biocomputing and Biotechnology, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA
| | - Andrew J Roger
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada; Centre for Comparative Genomics and Evolutionary Bioinformatics, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada; Program in Integrated Microbial Biodiversity, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada.
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N-Terminal Presequence-Independent Import of Phosphofructokinase into Hydrogenosomes of Trichomonas vaginalis. EUKARYOTIC CELL 2015; 14:1264-75. [PMID: 26475173 DOI: 10.1128/ec.00104-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2015] [Accepted: 10/08/2015] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Mitochondrial evolution entailed the origin of protein import machinery that allows nuclear-encoded proteins to be targeted to the organelle, as well as the origin of cleavable N-terminal targeting sequences (NTS) that allow efficient sorting and import of matrix proteins. In hydrogenosomes and mitosomes, reduced forms of mitochondria with reduced proteomes, NTS-independent targeting of matrix proteins is known. Here, we studied the cellular localization of two glycolytic enzymes in the anaerobic pathogen Trichomonas vaginalis: PPi-dependent phosphofructokinase (TvPPi-PFK), which is the main glycolytic PFK activity of the protist, and ATP-dependent PFK (TvATP-PFK), the function of which is less clear. TvPPi-PFK was detected predominantly in the cytosol, as expected, while all four TvATP-PFK paralogues were imported into T. vaginalis hydrogenosomes, although none of them possesses an NTS. The heterologous expression of TvATP-PFK in Saccharomyces cerevisiae revealed an intrinsic capability of the protein to be recognized and imported into yeast mitochondria, whereas yeast ATP-PFK resides in the cytosol. TvATP-PFK consists of only a catalytic domain, similarly to "short" bacterial enzymes, while ScATP-PFK includes an N-terminal extension, a catalytic domain, and a C-terminal regulatory domain. Expression of the catalytic domain of ScATP-PFK and short Escherichia coli ATP-PFK in T. vaginalis resulted in their partial delivery to hydrogenosomes. These results indicate that TvATP-PFK and the homologous ATP-PFKs possess internal structural targeting information that is recognized by the hydrogenosomal import machinery. From an evolutionary perspective, the predisposition of ancient ATP-PFK to be recognized and imported into hydrogenosomes might be a relict from the early phases of organelle evolution.
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Brown RWB, Collingridge PW, Gull K, Rigden DJ, Ginger ML. Evidence for loss of a partial flagellar glycolytic pathway during trypanosomatid evolution. PLoS One 2014; 9:e103026. [PMID: 25050549 PMCID: PMC4106842 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0103026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2014] [Accepted: 06/27/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Classically viewed as a cytosolic pathway, glycolysis is increasingly recognized as a metabolic pathway exhibiting surprisingly wide-ranging variations in compartmentalization within eukaryotic cells. Trypanosomatid parasites provide an extreme view of glycolytic enzyme compartmentalization as several glycolytic enzymes are found exclusively in peroxisomes. Here, we characterize Trypanosoma brucei flagellar proteins resembling glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK): we show the latter associates with the axoneme and the former is a novel paraflagellar rod component. The paraflagellar rod is an essential extra-axonemal structure in trypanosomes and related protists, providing a platform into which metabolic activities can be built. Yet, bioinformatics interrogation and structural modelling indicate neither the trypanosome PGK-like nor the GAPDH-like protein is catalytically active. Orthologs are present in a free-living ancestor of the trypanosomatids, Bodo saltans: the PGK-like protein from B. saltans also lacks key catalytic residues, but its GAPDH-like protein is predicted to be catalytically competent. We discuss the likelihood that the trypanosome GAPDH-like and PGK-like proteins constitute molecular evidence for evolutionary loss of a flagellar glycolytic pathway, either as a consequence of niche adaptation or the re-localization of glycolytic enzymes to peroxisomes and the extensive changes to glycolytic flux regulation that accompanied this re-localization. Evidence indicating loss of localized ATP provision via glycolytic enzymes therefore provides a novel contribution to an emerging theme of hidden diversity with respect to compartmentalization of the ubiquitous glycolytic pathway in eukaryotes. A possibility that trypanosome GAPDH-like protein additionally represents a degenerate example of a moonlighting protein is also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert W. B. Brown
- Faculty of Health and Medicine, Division of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | | | - Keith Gull
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel J. Rigden
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Michael L. Ginger
- Faculty of Health and Medicine, Division of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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