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Hu X, Zhou Y, Liu R, Wang J, Guo L, Huang X, Li J, Yan Y, Liu F, Li X, Tan X, Luo Y, Wang P, Zhou S. Protein disulfide isomerase 1 is required for RodA assembling-based conidial hydrophobicity of Aspergillus fumigatus. Appl Environ Microbiol 2024; 90:e0126023. [PMID: 38501925 PMCID: PMC11022560 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01260-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024] Open
Abstract
The hydrophobic layer of Aspergillus conidia, composed of RodA, plays a crucial role in conidia transfer and immune evasion. It self-assembles into hydrophobic rodlets through intramolecular disulfide bonds. However, the secretory process of RodA and its regulatory elements remain unknown. Since protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) is essential for the secretion of many disulfide-bonded proteins, we investigated whether PDI is also involved in RodA secretion and assembly. By gene knockout and phenotypic analysis, we found that Pdi1, one of the four PDI-related proteins of Aspergillus fumigatus, determines the hydrophobicity and integrity of the rodlet layer of the conidia. Preservation of the thioredoxin-active domain of Pdi1 was sufficient to maintain conidial hydrophobicity, suggesting that Pdi1 mediates RodA assembly through its disulfide isomerase activity. In the absence of Pdi1, the disulfide mismatch of RodA in conidia may prevent its delivery from the inner to the outer layer of the cell wall for rodlet assembly. This was demonstrated using a strain expressing a key cysteine-mutated RodA. The dormant conidia of the Pdi1-deficient strain (Δpdi) elicited an immune response, suggesting that the defective conidia surface in the absence of Pdi1 exposes internal immunogenic sources. In conclusion, Pdi1 ensures the correct folding of RodA in the inner layer of conidia, facilitating its secretion into the outer layer of the cell wall and allowing self-assembly of the hydrophobic layer. This study has identified a regulatory element for conidia rodlet assembly.IMPORTANCEAspergillus fumigatus is the major cause of invasive aspergillosis, which is mainly transmitted by the inhalation of conidia. The spread of conidia is largely dependent on their hydrophobicity, which is primarily attributed to the self-assembly of the hydrophobic protein RodA on the cell wall. However, the mechanisms underlying RodA secretion and transport to the outermost layer of the cell wall are still unclear. Our study identified a critical role for Pdi1, a fungal protein disulfide isomerase found in regulating RodA secretion and assembly. Inhibition of Pdi1 prevents the formation of correct S-S bonds in the inner RodA, creating a barrier to RodA delivery and resulting in a defective hydrophobic layer. Our findings provided insight into the formation of the conidial hydrophobic layer and suggested potential drug targets to inhibit A. fumigatus infections by limiting conidial dispersal and altering their immune inertia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaotao Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Yao Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Renning Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Jing Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Lingyan Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaofei Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Jingyi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Yunfeng Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Feiyun Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Xueying Li
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Xinyu Tan
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Yiqing Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Ping Wang
- Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Shengmin Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
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Whitehead KA, Lynch S, Amin M, Deisenroth T, Liauw CM, Verran J. Effects of Cationic and Anionic Surfaces on the Perpendicular and Lateral Forces and Binding of Aspergillus niger Conidia. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 13:2932. [PMID: 37999286 PMCID: PMC10674310 DOI: 10.3390/nano13222932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
The binding of conidia to surfaces is a prerequisite for biofouling by fungal species. In this study, Aspergillus niger subtypes 1957 and 1988 were used which produced differently shaped conidia (round or spikey respectively). Test surfaces were characterised for their surface topography, wettability, and hardness. Conidial assays included perpendicular and lateral force measurements, as well as attachment, adhesion and retention assays. Anionic surfaces were less rough (Ra 2.4 nm), less wettable (54°) and harder (0.72 GPa) than cationic surfaces (Ra 5.4 nm, 36° and 0.5 GPa, respectively). Perpendicular and lateral force assays demonstrated that both types of conidia adhered with more force to the anionic surfaces and were influenced by surface wettability. Following the binding assays, fewer A. niger 1957 and A. niger 1988 conidia bound to the anionic surface. However, surface wettability affected the density and dispersion of the conidia on the coatings, whilst clustering was affected by their spore shapes. This work demonstrated that anionic surfaces were more repulsive to A. niger 1998 spores than cationic surfaces were, but once attached, the conidia bound more firmly to the anionic surfaces. This work informs on the importance of understanding how conidia become tightly bound to surfaces, which can be used to prevent biofouling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn A. Whitehead
- Microbiology at Interfaces, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester St., Manchester M1 5GD, UK; (M.A.); (C.M.L.)
| | - Stephen Lynch
- Department of Computing and Mathematics, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester St., Manchester M1 5GD, UK;
| | - Mohsin Amin
- Microbiology at Interfaces, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester St., Manchester M1 5GD, UK; (M.A.); (C.M.L.)
| | - Ted Deisenroth
- BASF Corporation (Formerly Ciba Speciality Chemicals Inc.), Tarrytown, NY 10591, USA;
| | - Christopher M. Liauw
- Microbiology at Interfaces, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester St., Manchester M1 5GD, UK; (M.A.); (C.M.L.)
| | - Joanna Verran
- Microbiology at Interfaces, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester St., Manchester M1 5GD, UK; (M.A.); (C.M.L.)
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Zhang JG, Xu SY, Ying SH, Feng MG. Only one of three hydrophobins (Hyd1-3) contributes to conidial hydrophobicity and insect pathogenicity of Metarhizium robertsii. J Invertebr Pathol 2023; 201:108006. [PMID: 37844657 DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2023.108006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
Class I/II hydrophobins constitute a family of small amphiphilic proteins that mediate cell hydrophobicity and adhesion to host or substrata and have pleiotropic effects in filamentous fungi. Here we report that only class I Hyd1 is essential for conidial hydrophobicity and insect pathogenicity among three hydrophobins (Hyd1-3) characterized in Metarhizium robertsii, an insect-pathogenic fungus. Aerial conidiation levels of three Δhyd1 mutants were much more reduced in 5-day-old cultures than in 7-day-old cultures, which were wettable (hydrophilic), but restored to a wild-type level in 15-day-old cultures. The Δhyd1 mutants were compromised in conidial quality, including significant decreases in hydrophobicity (58%), adhesion to insect cuticle (36%), insect pathogenicity via normal cuticle infection (37%), UVB resistance (20%), and heat tolerance (10%). In contrast, none of all examined phenotypes were affected in the null mutants of hyd2 and hyd3. Intriguingly, micromorphology and integrity of hydrophobin rodlet bundles on conidial coat were not affected in all mutant and wild-type strains, but the rodlet bundles were disordered in the absence of hyd1, suggesting a link of the disorder to the decreased hydrophobicity. Therefore, Hyd1 mediates the fungal hydrophobicity and plays an important role in conidial quality control and insect-pathogenic lifecycle. Class I Hyd2 and class II Hyd3 seem functionally redundant in M. robertsii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin-Guan Zhang
- Institute of Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Si-Yuan Xu
- Institute of Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Sheng-Hua Ying
- Institute of Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Ming-Guang Feng
- Institute of Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
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Carreón-Anguiano KG, Gómez-Tah R, Pech-Balan E, Ek-Hernández GE, De los Santos-Briones C, Islas-Flores I, Canto-Canché B. Pseudocercospora fijiensis Conidial Germination Is Dominated by Pathogenicity Factors and Effectors. J Fungi (Basel) 2023; 9:970. [PMID: 37888226 PMCID: PMC10607838 DOI: 10.3390/jof9100970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Conidia play a vital role in the survival and rapid spread of fungi. Many biological processes of conidia, such as adhesion, signal transduction, the regulation of oxidative stress, and autophagy, have been well studied. In contrast, the contribution of pathogenicity factors during the development of conidia in fungal phytopathogens has been poorly investigated. To date, few reports have centered on the pathogenicity functions of fungal phytopathogen conidia. Pseudocercospora fijiensis is a hemibiotrophic fungus and the causal agent of the black Sigatoka disease in bananas and plantains. Here, a conidial transcriptome of P. fijiensis was characterized computationally. Carbohydrates, amino acids, and lipid metabolisms presented the highest number of annotations in Gene Ontology. Common conidial functions were found, but interestingly, pathogenicity factors and effectors were also identified. Upon analysis of the resulting proteins against the Pathogen-Host Interaction (PHI) database, 754 hits were identified. WideEffHunter and EffHunter effector predictors identified 618 effectors, 265 of them were shared with the PHI database. A total of 1107 conidial functions devoted to pathogenesis were found after our analysis. Regarding the conidial effectorome, it was found to comprise 40 canonical and 578 non-canonical effectors. Effectorome characterization revealed that RXLR, LysM, and Y/F/WxC are the largest effector families in the P. fijiensis conidial effectorome. Gene Ontology classification suggests that they are involved in many biological processes and metabolisms, expanding our current knowledge of fungal effectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karla Gisel Carreón-Anguiano
- Unidad de Biotecnología, Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, A.C., Calle 43 No. 130 x 32 y 34, Colonia Chuburná de Hidalgo, Mérida C.P. 97205, Yucatán, Mexico; (K.G.C.-A.); (R.G.-T.); (E.P.-B.); (G.E.E.-H.); (C.D.l.S.-B.)
| | - Rufino Gómez-Tah
- Unidad de Biotecnología, Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, A.C., Calle 43 No. 130 x 32 y 34, Colonia Chuburná de Hidalgo, Mérida C.P. 97205, Yucatán, Mexico; (K.G.C.-A.); (R.G.-T.); (E.P.-B.); (G.E.E.-H.); (C.D.l.S.-B.)
| | - Efren Pech-Balan
- Unidad de Biotecnología, Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, A.C., Calle 43 No. 130 x 32 y 34, Colonia Chuburná de Hidalgo, Mérida C.P. 97205, Yucatán, Mexico; (K.G.C.-A.); (R.G.-T.); (E.P.-B.); (G.E.E.-H.); (C.D.l.S.-B.)
| | - Gemaly Elisama Ek-Hernández
- Unidad de Biotecnología, Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, A.C., Calle 43 No. 130 x 32 y 34, Colonia Chuburná de Hidalgo, Mérida C.P. 97205, Yucatán, Mexico; (K.G.C.-A.); (R.G.-T.); (E.P.-B.); (G.E.E.-H.); (C.D.l.S.-B.)
| | - César De los Santos-Briones
- Unidad de Biotecnología, Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, A.C., Calle 43 No. 130 x 32 y 34, Colonia Chuburná de Hidalgo, Mérida C.P. 97205, Yucatán, Mexico; (K.G.C.-A.); (R.G.-T.); (E.P.-B.); (G.E.E.-H.); (C.D.l.S.-B.)
| | - Ignacio Islas-Flores
- Unidad de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular de Plantas, Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, A.C., Calle 43 No. 130 x 32 y 34, Colonia Chuburná de Hidalgo, Mérida C.P. 97205, Yucatán, Mexico;
| | - Blondy Canto-Canché
- Unidad de Biotecnología, Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, A.C., Calle 43 No. 130 x 32 y 34, Colonia Chuburná de Hidalgo, Mérida C.P. 97205, Yucatán, Mexico; (K.G.C.-A.); (R.G.-T.); (E.P.-B.); (G.E.E.-H.); (C.D.l.S.-B.)
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Son YE, Yu JH, Park HS. Regulators of the Asexual Life Cycle of Aspergillus nidulans. Cells 2023; 12:1544. [PMID: 37296664 PMCID: PMC10253035 DOI: 10.3390/cells12111544] [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: 04/30/2023] [Revised: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The genus Aspergillus, one of the most abundant airborne fungi, is classified into hundreds of species that affect humans, animals, and plants. Among these, Aspergillus nidulans, as a key model organism, has been extensively studied to understand the mechanisms governing growth and development, physiology, and gene regulation in fungi. A. nidulans primarily reproduces by forming millions of asexual spores known as conidia. The asexual life cycle of A. nidulans can be simply divided into growth and asexual development (conidiation). After a certain period of vegetative growth, some vegetative cells (hyphae) develop into specialized asexual structures called conidiophores. Each A. nidulans conidiophore is composed of a foot cell, stalk, vesicle, metulae, phialides, and 12,000 conidia. This vegetative-to-developmental transition requires the activity of various regulators including FLB proteins, BrlA, and AbaA. Asymmetric repetitive mitotic cell division of phialides results in the formation of immature conidia. Subsequent conidial maturation requires multiple regulators such as WetA, VosA, and VelB. Matured conidia maintain cellular integrity and long-term viability against various stresses and desiccation. Under appropriate conditions, the resting conidia germinate and form new colonies, and this process is governed by a myriad of regulators, such as CreA and SocA. To date, a plethora of regulators for each asexual developmental stage have been identified and investigated. This review summarizes our current understanding of the regulators of conidial formation, maturation, dormancy, and germination in A. nidulans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye-Eun Son
- Major in Food Biomaterials, School of Food Science and Biotechnology, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea;
| | - Jae-Hyuk Yu
- Department of Bacteriology, Food Research Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA;
| | - Hee-Soo Park
- Major in Food Biomaterials, School of Food Science and Biotechnology, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea;
- Department of Integrative Biology, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea
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Li X, Liu M, Dong C. Hydrophobin Gene Cmhyd4 Negatively Regulates Fruiting Body Development in Edible Fungi Cordyceps militaris. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24054586. [PMID: 36902017 PMCID: PMC10003708 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24054586] [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: 01/05/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023] Open
Abstract
A deep understanding of the mechanism of fruiting body development is important for mushroom breeding and cultivation. Hydrophobins, small proteins exclusively secreted by fungi, have been proven to regulate the fruiting body development in many macro fungi. In this study, the hydrophobin gene Cmhyd4 was revealed to negatively regulate the fruiting body development in Cordyceps militaris, a famous edible and medicinal mushroom. Neither the overexpression nor the deletion of Cmhyd4 affected the mycelial growth rate, the hydrophobicity of the mycelia and conidia, or the conidial virulence on silkworm pupae. There was also no difference between the micromorphology of the hyphae and conidia in WT and ΔCmhyd4 strains observed by SEM. However, the ΔCmhyd4 strain showed thicker aerial mycelia in darkness and quicker growth rates under abiotic stress than the WT strain. The deletion of Cmhyd4 could promote conidia production and increase the contents of carotenoid and adenosine. The biological efficiency of the fruiting body was remarkably increased in the ΔCmhyd4 strain compared with the WT strain by improving the fruiting body density, not the height. It was indicated that Cmhyd4 played a negative role in fruiting body development. These results revealed that the diverse negative roles and regulatory effects of Cmhyd4 were totally different from those of Cmhyd1 in C. militaris and provided insights into the developmental regulatory mechanism of C. militaris and candidate genes for C. militaris strain breeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- College of Horticulture, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, China
| | - Mengqian Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101408, China
| | - Caihong Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- Correspondence:
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The Colletotrichum siamense Hydrophobin CsHydr1 Interacts with the Lipid Droplet-Coating Protein CsCap20 and Regulates Lipid Metabolism and Virulence. J Fungi (Basel) 2022; 8:jof8090977. [PMID: 36135702 PMCID: PMC9502314 DOI: 10.3390/jof8090977] [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] [Received: 07/31/2022] [Revised: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies of the lipid droplet-coating protein Cap20 in Colletotrichum show that it plays a key role in appressorium development and virulence. In this study, the hydrophobin CsHydr1, which contains a signal peptide of 19 amino acids and a hydrophobic domain (HYDRO), was shown to interact with CsCap20 in Colletotrichum siamense. The CsHydr1 deletion mutant showed slightly enhanced mycelial growth, small conidia, slow spore germination and appressoria formation, cell wall integrity and virulence. Like CsCAP20, CsHydr1 is also localized on the lipid droplet surface of C. siamense. However, when CsCap20 was absent, some CsHydr1 was observed in other parts. Quantitative lipid determination showed that the absence of either CsHydr1 or CsCap20 reduced the content of lipids in mycelia and conidia, while the effect of CsCap20 was more obvious; these results suggest that an interaction protein CsHydr1 of CsCap20 is localized on the lipid droplet surface and involved in lipid metabolism, which affects appressorium formation and virulence in C. siamense.
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Whitehead KA, Deisenroth T, Preuss A, Liauw CM, Verran J. Lateral force removal of fungal spores to demonstrate how surface properties affect fungal spore retention. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. SERIES A, MATHEMATICAL, PHYSICAL, AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES 2022; 380:20210344. [PMID: 35909364 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2021.0344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Microbial biofouling on polymer surfaces can lead to their biodeterioration. This may result in deterioration of the surface, leading to cracking and fracturing. Fungal spores from Aspergillus niger 1957, Aspergillus niger 1988 and Aureobasidium pullulans were tested to determine their strength of attachment on three surfaces, p(γ-MPS-co-MMA), p(γ-MPS-co-LMA) and spin-coated poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMAsc), using lateral force measurements. The results demonstrate that A. niger 1957 and A. niger 1988 spores were most easily removed from the p(γ-MPS-co-MMA) surface, which was the surface with the highest Ra value. The A. niger 1957 and A. pullulans spores were most difficult to remove from the PMMAsc surface, which was the hardest surface. A. niger 1988 spores were the most difficult to remove from p(γ-MPS-co-LMA), the most hydrophobic surface. The results with A. pullulans were difficult to elucidate since the spores bound to all three surfaces and were removed with similar rates of force. The lateral force results demonstrate that spore attachment to a surface is a multi-factorial process, and independent surface and microbial factors influence spore binding. Thus, each environmental scenario needs to be considered on an individual basis, since a solution to one biofouling issue will probably not translate across to other systems. This article is part of the theme issue 'Nanocracks in nature and industry'.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ted Deisenroth
- BASF Corporation (Formerly Ciba Speciality Chemicals Inc.), Tarrytown, NY, USA
| | - Andrea Preuss
- BASF Corporation (Formerly Ciba Speciality Chemicals Inc.), Tarrytown, NY, USA
| | | | - Joanna Verran
- Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester St, Manchester M1 5GD, UK
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Aspergillus Hydrophobins: Physicochemical Properties, Biochemical Properties, and Functions in Solid Polymer Degradation. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10081498. [PMID: 35893556 PMCID: PMC9394342 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10081498] [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: 05/25/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Hydrophobins are small amphipathic proteins conserved in filamentous fungi. In this review, the properties and functions of Aspergillus hydrophobins are comprehensively discussed on the basis of recent findings. Multiple Aspergillus hydrophobins have been identified and categorized in conventional class I and two non-conventional classes. Some Aspergillus hydrophobins can be purified in a water phase without organic solvents. Class I hydrophobins of Aspergilli self-assemble to form amphipathic membranes. At the air–liquid interface, RolA of Aspergillus oryzae self-assembles via four stages, and its self-assembled films consist of two layers, a rodlet membrane facing air and rod-like structures facing liquid. The self-assembly depends mainly on hydrophobin conformation and solution pH. Cys4–Cys5 and Cys7–Cys8 loops, disulfide bonds, and conserved Cys residues of RodA-like hydrophobins are necessary for self-assembly at the interface and for adsorption to solid surfaces. AfRodA helps Aspergillus fumigatus to evade recognition by the host immune system. RodA-like hydrophobins recruit cutinases to promote the hydrolysis of aliphatic polyesters. This mechanism appears to be conserved in Aspergillus and other filamentous fungi, and may be beneficial for their growth. Aspergilli produce various small secreted proteins (SSPs) including hydrophobins, hydrophobic surface–binding proteins, and effector proteins. Aspergilli may use a wide variety of SSPs to decompose solid polymers.
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Ravine TJ, Soltani M, Davis JH, Salter EA, Wierzbicki A. Unusual Boronium Salt Shows Antifungal Activity Comparable to a Commercial Quaternary Ammonium Disinfectant. ChemistrySelect 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/slct.202104344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Terrence J. Ravine
- Department of Biomedical Sciences University of South Alabama 5721 USA Drive North Mobile AL 36688
| | - Mohammad Soltani
- Department of Chemistry University of South Alabama 6040 USA South Drive Mobile AL 36688
| | - James H. Davis
- Department of Chemistry University of South Alabama 6040 USA South Drive Mobile AL 36688
| | - Edward A. Salter
- Department of Chemistry University of South Alabama 6040 USA South Drive Mobile AL 36688
| | - Andrzej Wierzbicki
- Department of Chemistry University of South Alabama 6040 USA South Drive Mobile AL 36688
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Shin YK, Kim DW, Lee SW, Lee MJ, Gi Baek S, Lee T, Yun SH. Functional roles of all five putative hydrophobin genes in growth, development and secondary metabolism in Fusarium graminearum. Fungal Genet Biol 2022; 160:103683. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2022.103683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Revised: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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12
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Adsorption kinetics and self-assembled structures of Aspergillus oryzae hydrophobin RolA on hydrophobic and charged solid surfaces. Appl Environ Microbiol 2022; 88:e0208721. [PMID: 35108098 DOI: 10.1128/aem.02087-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Hydrophobins are small secreted amphipathic proteins ubiquitous among filamentous fungi. Hydrophobin RolA produced by Aspergillus oryzae attaches to solid surfaces, recruits polyesterase CutL1, and thus promotes hydrolysis of polyesters. Because the N-terminal region of RolA is involved in the interaction with CutL1, the orientation of RolA on the solid surface is important. However, the kinetic properties of RolA adsorption to solid surfaces with various chemical properties remain unclear, and RolA structures assembled after the attachment to surfaces are unknown. Using a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), we analyzed the kinetic properties of RolA adsorption to the surfaces of QCM electrodes that had been chemically modified to become hydrophobic or charged. We also observed the assembled RolA structures on the surfaces by atomic force microscopy and performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of RolA adsorption to SAM-modified surfaces. The RolA-surface interaction was considerably affected by the zeta potential of RolA, which was affected by pH. The interactions of RolA with the surface seemed to be involved in the self-assembly of RolA. Three types of self-assembled structures of RolA were observed: spherical, rod-like, and mesh-like. The kinetics of RolA adsorption and the structures formed depended on the amount of RolA adsorbed, chemical properties of the electrode surface, and the pH of the buffer. Adsorption of RolA to solid surfaces seemed to depend mainly on its hydrophobic interaction with the surfaces; this was supported by MD simulations, which suggested that hydrophobic Cys-Cys loops of RolA attached to all SAM-modified surfaces at all pH. IMPORTANCE The adsorption kinetics of hydrophobins to solid surfaces and self-assembled structures formed by hydrophobin molecules have been studied mostly independently. In this report, we combined the kinetic analysis of hydrophobin RolA adsorption onto solid surfaces and observation of RolA self-assembly on these surfaces. Since RolA, whose isoelectric point is close to pH 4.0, showed higher affinity to the solid surfaces at pH 4.0 than at pH 7.0 or 10.0, the affinity of RolA to these surfaces depends mainly on hydrophobic interactions. Our combined analyses suggest that not only the adsorbed amount of RolA but also the chemical properties of the solid surfaces and the zeta potential of RolA affect the self-assembled RolA structures formed on these surfaces.
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13
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Corrêa-Almeida C, Borba-Santos LP, Rollin-Pinheiro R, Barreto-Bergter E, Rozental S, Kurtenbach E. Characterization of Aspergillus nidulans Biofilm Formation and Structure and Their Inhibition by Pea Defensin Psd2. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:795255. [PMID: 35155575 PMCID: PMC8830917 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.795255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Approximately four million people contract fungal infections every year in Brazil, primarily caused by Aspergillus spp. The ability of these fungi to form biofilms in tissues and medical devices complicates treatment and contributes to high rates of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. Psd2 is a pea defensin of 5.4 kDa that possesses good antifungal activity against planktonic cells of representative pathogenic fungi. Its function depends on interactions with membrane and cell wall lipid components such as glucosylceramide and ergosterol. In the present study, we characterized Aspergillus nidulans biofilm formation and determined the effect of Psd2 on A. nidulans biofilms. After 4 hours, A. nidulans conidia adhered to polystyrene surfaces and formed a robust extracellular matrix-producing biofilm at 24 h, increasing thickness until 48 h Psd2 inhibited A. nidulans biofilm formation in a dose-dependent manner. Most notably, at 10 μM Psd2 inhibited 50% of biofilm viability and biomass and 40% of extracellular matrix production. Psd2 significantly decreased the colonized surface area by the biofilm and changed its level of organization, causing a shortening of length and diameter of hyphae and inhibition of conidiophore formation. This activity against A. nidulans biofilm suggests a potential use of Psd2 as a prototype to design new antifungal agents to prevent biofilm formation by A. nidulans and related species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Corrêa-Almeida
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular e Bioquímica de Proteínas, Programa de Biologia Molecular e Estrutural, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Luana P. Borba-Santos
- Laboratório de Biologia Celular de Fungos, Programa de Parasitologia e Biologia Celular, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Rodrigo Rollin-Pinheiro
- Laboratório de Química Biológica de Microrganismos, Departamento de Microbiologia Geral, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Eliana Barreto-Bergter
- Laboratório de Química Biológica de Microrganismos, Departamento de Microbiologia Geral, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Sonia Rozental
- Laboratório de Biologia Celular de Fungos, Programa de Parasitologia e Biologia Celular, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Eleonora Kurtenbach
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular e Bioquímica de Proteínas, Programa de Biologia Molecular e Estrutural, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
- *Correspondence: Eleonora Kurtenbach,
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14
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The N-terminal tail of the hydrophobin SC16 is not required for rodlet formation. Sci Rep 2022; 12:366. [PMID: 35013607 PMCID: PMC8748815 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-04223-6] [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: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Hydrophobins are small proteins that are secreted by fungi, accumulate at interfaces, modify surface hydrophobicity, and self-assemble into large amyloid-like structures. These unusual properties make hydrophobins an attractive target for commercial applications as green emulsifiers and surface modifying agents. Hydrophobins have diverse sequences and tertiary structures, and depending on the hydrophobin, different regions of their structure have been proposed to be required for self-assembly. To provide insight into the assembly process, we determined the first crystal structure of a class I hydrophobin, SC16. Based on the crystal structure, we identified a putative intermolecular contact that may be important for rodlet assembly and was formed in part by the N-terminal tail of SC16. Surprisingly, removal of the N-terminal tail did not influence the self-assembly kinetics of SC16 or the morphology of its rodlets. These results suggest that other regions of this hydrophobin class are required for rodlet formation and indicate that the N-terminal tail of SC16 is amenable to modification so that functionalized hydrophobin assemblies can be created.
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15
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Cai F, Zhao Z, Gao R, Chen P, Ding M, Jiang S, Fu Z, Xu P, Chenthamara K, Shen Q, Bayram Akcapinar G, Druzhinina IS. The pleiotropic functions of intracellular hydrophobins in aerial hyphae and fungal spores. PLoS Genet 2021; 17:e1009924. [PMID: 34788288 PMCID: PMC8635391 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Higher fungi can rapidly produce large numbers of spores suitable for aerial dispersal. The efficiency of the dispersal and spore resilience to abiotic stresses correlate with their hydrophobicity provided by the unique amphiphilic and superior surface-active proteins-hydrophobins (HFBs)-that self-assemble at hydrophobic/hydrophilic interfaces and thus modulate surface properties. Using the HFB-enriched mold Trichoderma (Hypocreales, Ascomycota) and the HFB-free yeast Pichia pastoris (Saccharomycetales, Ascomycota), we revealed that the rapid release of HFBs by aerial hyphae shortly prior to conidiation is associated with their intracellular accumulation in vacuoles and/or lipid-enriched organelles. The occasional internalization of the latter organelles in vacuoles can provide the hydrophobic/hydrophilic interface for the assembly of HFB layers and thus result in the formation of HFB-enriched vesicles and vacuolar multicisternal structures (VMSs) putatively lined up by HFBs. These HFB-enriched vesicles and VMSs can become fused in large tonoplast-like organelles or move to the periplasm for secretion. The tonoplast-like structures can contribute to the maintenance of turgor pressure in aerial hyphae supporting the erection of sporogenic structures (e.g., conidiophores) and provide intracellular force to squeeze out HFB-enriched vesicles and VMSs from the periplasm through the cell wall. We also show that the secretion of HFBs occurs prior to the conidiation and reveal that the even spore coating of HFBs deposited in the extracellular matrix requires microscopic water droplets that can be either guttated by the hyphae or obtained from the environment. Furthermore, we demonstrate that at least one HFB, HFB4 in T. guizhouense, is produced and secreted by wetted spores. We show that this protein possibly controls spore dormancy and contributes to the water sensing mechanism required for the detection of germination conditions. Thus, intracellular HFBs have a range of pleiotropic functions in aerial hyphae and spores and are essential for fungal development and fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Cai
- The Key Laboratory of Plant Immunity, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab of Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- Fungal Genomics Laboratory (FungiG), Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering (ICEBE), TU Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - Zheng Zhao
- Fungal Genomics Laboratory (FungiG), Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Renwei Gao
- Fungal Genomics Laboratory (FungiG), Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Peijie Chen
- Fungal Genomics Laboratory (FungiG), Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Mingyue Ding
- Fungal Genomics Laboratory (FungiG), Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Siqi Jiang
- Fungal Genomics Laboratory (FungiG), Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Zhifei Fu
- Key Laboratory of RNA Biology, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China
| | - Pingyong Xu
- Key Laboratory of RNA Biology, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China
| | - Komal Chenthamara
- Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering (ICEBE), TU Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - Qirong Shen
- The Key Laboratory of Plant Immunity, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab of Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- * E-mail: (QS); (ISD)
| | - Günseli Bayram Akcapinar
- Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering (ICEBE), TU Wien, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Institute of Health Sciences, Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Irina S. Druzhinina
- The Key Laboratory of Plant Immunity, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab of Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- Fungal Genomics Laboratory (FungiG), Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering (ICEBE), TU Wien, Vienna, Austria
- * E-mail: (QS); (ISD)
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16
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Franco-Cano A, Marcos AT, Strauss J, Cánovas D. Evidence for an arginine-dependent route for the synthesis of NO in the model filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans. Environ Microbiol 2021; 23:6924-6939. [PMID: 34448331 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Revised: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Nitric oxide (NO) is a signalling molecule in eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms. NO levels transiently boost upon induction of conidiation in Aspergillus nidulans. Only one pathway for NO synthesis involving nitrate reductase has been reported in filamentous fungi so far, but this does not satisfy all the NO produced in fungal cells. Here we provide evidence for at least one additional biosynthetic pathway in A. nidulans involving l-arginine or an intermediate metabolite as a substrate. Under certain growth conditions, the addition of l-arginine to liquid media elicited a burst of NO that was not dependent on any of the urea cycle genes. The NO levels were controlled by the metabolically available arginine, which was regulated by mobilization from the vacuoles and during development. In vitro assays with protein extracts and amino acid profiling strongly suggested the existence of an arginine-dependent NO pathway analogous to the mammalian NO synthase. Addition of polyamines induced NO synthesis, and mutations in the polyamine synthesis genes puA and spdA reduced the production of NO. In conclusion, here we report an additional pathway for the synthesis of NO in A. nidulans using urea cycle intermediates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Franco-Cano
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
| | - Ana T Marcos
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
| | - Joseph Strauss
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Institute of Microbial Genetics, BOKU University of Natural Resources and Life Science, Campus Tulln, Tulln/Donau, Austria
| | - David Cánovas
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology, University of Seville, Seville, Spain.,Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Institute of Microbial Genetics, BOKU University of Natural Resources and Life Science, Campus Tulln, Tulln/Donau, Austria
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17
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Ahn SO, Lim HD, You SH, Cheong DE, Kim GJ. Soluble Expression and Efficient Purification of Recombinant Class I Hydrophobin DewA. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22157843. [PMID: 34360609 PMCID: PMC8345945 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22157843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Hydrophobins are small proteins (<20 kDa) with an amphipathic tertiary structure that are secreted by various filamentous fungi. Their amphipathic properties provide surfactant-like activity, leading to the formation of robust amphipathic layers at hydrophilic–hydrophobic interfaces, which make them useful for a wide variety of industrial fields spanning protein immobilization to surface functionalization. However, the industrial use of recombinant hydrophobins has been hampered due to low yield from inclusion bodies owing to the complicated process, including an auxiliary refolding step. Herein, we report the soluble expression of a recombinant class I hydrophobin DewA originating from Aspergillus nidulans, and its efficient purification from recombinant Escherichia coli. Soluble expression of the recombinant hydrophobin DewA was achieved by a tagging strategy using a systematically designed expression tag (ramp tag) that was fused to the N-terminus of DewA lacking the innate signal sequence. Highly expressed recombinant hydrophobin DewA in a soluble form was efficiently purified by a modified aqueous two-phase separation technique using isopropyl alcohol. Our approach for expression and purification of the recombinant hydrophobin DewA in E. coli shed light on the industrial production of hydrophobins from prokaryotic hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sang-Oh Ahn
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Chonnam National University, Yongbong-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju 61186, Korea; (S.-O.A.); (D.-E.C.)
| | - Ho-Dong Lim
- Center for Industrialization of Agricultural and Livestock Microorganisms, 241 Cheomdangwahak-ro, Jeongeup-si 56212, Jeollabuk-do, Korea;
| | - Sung-Hwan You
- Biomedical Research Center, Chonnam National University, Convergence Science Building (M2), Suite 301-1 264, Seoyang-ro, Hwasun-eup, Hwasun-gun 58128, Jeollanam-do, Korea;
| | - Dae-Eun Cheong
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Chonnam National University, Yongbong-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju 61186, Korea; (S.-O.A.); (D.-E.C.)
| | - Geun-Joong Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Chonnam National University, Yongbong-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju 61186, Korea; (S.-O.A.); (D.-E.C.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +82-62-530-3403
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18
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Zhao Z, Cai F, Gao R, Ding M, Jiang S, Chen P, Pang G, Chenthamara K, Shen Q, Bayram Akcapinar G, Druzhinina IS. At least three families of hyphosphere small secreted cysteine-rich proteins can optimize surface properties to a moderately hydrophilic state suitable for fungal attachment. Environ Microbiol 2021; 23:5750-5768. [PMID: 33538393 PMCID: PMC8596622 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Revised: 01/25/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The secretomes of filamentous fungi contain a diversity of small secreted cysteine‐rich proteins (SSCPs) that have a variety of properties ranging from toxicity to surface activity. Some SSCPs are recognized by other organisms as indicators of fungal presence, but their function in fungi is not fully understood. We detected a new family of fungal surface‐active SSCPs (saSSCPs), here named hyphosphere proteins (HFSs). An evolutionary analysis of the HFSs in Pezizomycotina revealed a unique pattern of eight single cysteine residues (C‐CXXXC‐C‐C‐C‐C‐C) and a long evolutionary history of multiple gene duplications and ancient interfungal lateral gene transfers, suggesting their functional significance for fungi with different lifestyles. Interestingly, recombinantly produced saSSCPs from three families (HFSs, hydrophobins and cerato‐platanins) showed convergent surface‐modulating activity on glass and on poly(ethylene‐terephthalate), transforming their surfaces to a moderately hydrophilic state, which significantly favoured subsequent hyphal attachment. The addition of purified saSSCPs to the tomato rhizosphere had mixed effects on hyphal attachment to roots, while all tested saSSCPs had an adverse effect on plant growth in vitro. We propose that the exceptionally high diversity of saSSCPs in Trichoderma and other fungi evolved to efficiently condition various surfaces in the hyphosphere to a fungal‐beneficial state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Plant Immunity, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab of Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.,Fungal Genomics Laboratory (FungiG), Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Feng Cai
- Key Laboratory of Plant Immunity, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab of Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.,Fungal Genomics Laboratory (FungiG), Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.,Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering (ICEBE), TU Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - Renwei Gao
- Key Laboratory of Plant Immunity, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab of Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.,Fungal Genomics Laboratory (FungiG), Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Mingyue Ding
- Key Laboratory of Plant Immunity, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab of Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.,Fungal Genomics Laboratory (FungiG), Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Siqi Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Plant Immunity, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab of Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.,Fungal Genomics Laboratory (FungiG), Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Peijie Chen
- Key Laboratory of Plant Immunity, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab of Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.,Fungal Genomics Laboratory (FungiG), Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Guan Pang
- Key Laboratory of Plant Immunity, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab of Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.,Fungal Genomics Laboratory (FungiG), Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Komal Chenthamara
- Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering (ICEBE), TU Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - Qirong Shen
- Key Laboratory of Plant Immunity, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab of Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Günseli Bayram Akcapinar
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Institute of Health Sciences, Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Irina S Druzhinina
- Key Laboratory of Plant Immunity, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab of Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.,Fungal Genomics Laboratory (FungiG), Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.,Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering (ICEBE), TU Wien, Vienna, Austria
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19
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Characterisation and comparative analysis of hydrophobin isolated from Pleurotus floridanus (PfH). Protein Expr Purif 2021; 182:105834. [PMID: 33516827 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2021.105834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Revised: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Hydrophobins are a class of small cysteine rich surface active proteins produced exclusively by filamentous fungi. It forms a nano layer in the cell-water interface, thereby protecting the emerging fungal hyphae from surrounding water. Even though hydrophobins have similar functions in fungi, they share less sequence similarity. In the current study, we made a comparative study of the hydrophobin produced by the mushroom Pleurotus floridanus (PfH). Mushroom P. floridanus was cultured in PD broth. The hydrophobin was purified by foam fractionation and characterized in terms of molecular weight, solubility and glycosylation. In the RP-HPLC analysis, the hydrophobin eluted at a retention time of 45.56 min. The molecular weight of the PfH was found to be 13.52 kDa by MALDI-TOF MS and the LC-MS/MS showed no similar sequence in MASCOT database. The hydrophobin gene of P. floridanus was amplified using custom-designed primers and the BLAST analysis showed 80% sequence similarity with the Vmh2-1 gene of Pleurotus ostreatus. The sequence was translated into protein using ExPASy, secondary and tertiary structure predictions were carried out using Jpred4 and Phyre2. The tertiary structure showed 91.5% similarity with the HYD1 hydrophobin of Schizophyllum commune. A comparative study of PfH with Vmh2-1 and HYD1 was performed using bioinformatics tools. Hydrophobic cluster analysis revealed that three of these proteins have uniformity in terms of amphiphilic and non-amphiphilic α-helices, whereas PfH has a unique proline clustering. Physicochemical analysis by ProtParam revealed that PfH shares similar properties with HYD1 and Vmh2-1, which can be correlated with its function.
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20
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Andreu C, Gómez-Peinado J, Winandy L, Fischer R, Del Olmo ML. Surface display of HFBI and DewA hydrophobins on Saccharomyces cerevisiae modifies tolerance to several adverse conditions and biocatalytic performance. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2021; 105:1505-1518. [PMID: 33484321 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-021-11090-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Hydrophobins are relatively small proteins produced naturally by filamentous fungi with interesting biotechnological and biomedical applications given their self-assembly capacity, efficient adherence to natural and artificial surfaces, and to introduce modifications on the hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity of surfaces. In this work we demonstrate the efficient expression on the S. cerevisiae cell surface of class II HFBI of Trichoderma reesei and class I DewA of Aspergillus nidulans, a hydrophobin not previously exposed, using the Yeast Surface Display a-agglutinin (Aga1-Aga2) system. We show that the resulting modifications affect surface properties, and also yeast cells' resistance to several adverse conditions. The fact that viability of the engineered strains increases under heat and osmotic stress is particularly interesting. Besides, improved biocatalytic activity toward the reduction of ketone 1-phenoxypropan-2-one takes place in the reactions carried out at both 30 °C and 40 °C, within a concentration range between 0.65 and 2.5 mg/mL. These results suggest interesting potential applications for hydrophobin-exposing yeasts. KEY POINTS : • Class I hydrophobin DewA can be efficiently exposed on S. cerevisiae cell surfaces. • Yeast exposure of HFBI and DewA increases osmotic and heat resistance. • Engineered strains show modified biocatalytic behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Andreu
- Departament de Química Orgànica, Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de València, Burjassot, València, Spain
| | - Javier Gómez-Peinado
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Facultat de Ciències Biològiques, Universitat de València, Burjassot, València, Spain
| | - Lex Winandy
- Department of Microbiology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)-South Campus, Fritz-Haber-Weg 4, D-76131, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Reinhard Fischer
- Department of Microbiology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)-South Campus, Fritz-Haber-Weg 4, D-76131, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Marcel Li Del Olmo
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Facultat de Ciències Biològiques, Universitat de València, Burjassot, València, Spain.
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21
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Cai F, Gao R, Zhao Z, Ding M, Jiang S, Yagtu C, Zhu H, Zhang J, Ebner T, Mayrhofer-Reinhartshuber M, Kainz P, Chenthamara K, Akcapinar GB, Shen Q, Druzhinina IS. Evolutionary compromises in fungal fitness: hydrophobins can hinder the adverse dispersal of conidiospores and challenge their survival. THE ISME JOURNAL 2020; 14:2610-2624. [PMID: 32632264 PMCID: PMC7490268 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-020-0709-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2019] [Revised: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 06/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Fungal evolutionary biology is impeded by the scarcity of fossils, irregular life cycles, immortality, and frequent asexual reproduction. Simple and diminutive bodies of fungi develop inside a substrate and have exceptional metabolic and ecological plasticity, which hinders species delimitation. However, the unique fungal traits can shed light on evolutionary forces that shape the environmental adaptations of these taxa. Higher filamentous fungi that disperse through aerial spores produce amphiphilic and highly surface-active proteins called hydrophobins (HFBs), which coat spores and mediate environmental interactions. We exploited a library of HFB-deficient mutants for two cryptic species of mycoparasitic and saprotrophic fungi from the genus Trichoderma (Hypocreales) and estimated fungal development, reproductive potential, and stress resistance. HFB4 and HFB10 were found to be relevant for Trichoderma fitness because they could impact the spore-mediated dispersal processes and control other fitness traits. An analysis in silico revealed purifying selection for all cases except for HFB4 from T. harzianum, which evolved under strong positive selection pressure. Interestingly, the deletion of the hfb4 gene in T. harzianum considerably increased its fitness-related traits. Conversely, the deletion of hfb4 in T. guizhouense led to the characteristic phenotypes associated with relatively low fitness. The net contribution of the hfb4 gene to fitness was found to result from evolutionary tradeoffs between individual traits. Our analysis of HFB-dependent fitness traits has provided an evolutionary snapshot of the selective pressures and speciation process in closely related fungal species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Cai
- The Key Laboratory of Plant Immunity, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab of Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, 210095, Nanjing, China
- Fungal Genomics Laboratory (FungiG), Nanjing Agricultural University, 210095, Nanjing, China
- Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering (ICEBE), TU Wien, A1060, Vienna, Austria
| | - Renwei Gao
- Fungal Genomics Laboratory (FungiG), Nanjing Agricultural University, 210095, Nanjing, China
| | - Zheng Zhao
- Fungal Genomics Laboratory (FungiG), Nanjing Agricultural University, 210095, Nanjing, China
| | - Mingyue Ding
- Fungal Genomics Laboratory (FungiG), Nanjing Agricultural University, 210095, Nanjing, China
| | - Siqi Jiang
- Fungal Genomics Laboratory (FungiG), Nanjing Agricultural University, 210095, Nanjing, China
| | - Civan Yagtu
- Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering (ICEBE), TU Wien, A1060, Vienna, Austria
| | - Hong Zhu
- Fungal Genomics Laboratory (FungiG), Nanjing Agricultural University, 210095, Nanjing, China
| | - Jian Zhang
- The Key Laboratory of Plant Immunity, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab of Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, 210095, Nanjing, China
- Fungal Genomics Laboratory (FungiG), Nanjing Agricultural University, 210095, Nanjing, China
| | | | | | | | - Komal Chenthamara
- Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering (ICEBE), TU Wien, A1060, Vienna, Austria
| | - Günseli Bayram Akcapinar
- Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering (ICEBE), TU Wien, A1060, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Institute of Health Sciences, Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Qirong Shen
- The Key Laboratory of Plant Immunity, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab of Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, 210095, Nanjing, China.
| | - Irina S Druzhinina
- The Key Laboratory of Plant Immunity, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab of Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, 210095, Nanjing, China.
- Fungal Genomics Laboratory (FungiG), Nanjing Agricultural University, 210095, Nanjing, China.
- Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering (ICEBE), TU Wien, A1060, Vienna, Austria.
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22
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23
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Han Z, Strycker BD, Commer B, Wang K, Shaw BD, Scully MO, Sokolov AV. Molecular origin of the Raman signal from Aspergillus nidulans conidia and observation of fluorescence vibrational structure at room temperature. Sci Rep 2020; 10:5428. [PMID: 32214112 PMCID: PMC7096407 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-62112-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 03/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Successful approaches to identification and/or biological characterization of fungal specimens through Raman spectroscopy may require the determination of the molecular origin of the Raman response as well as its separation from the background fluorescence. The presence of fluorescence can interfere with Raman detection and is virtually impossible to avoid. Fluorescence leads to a multiplicity of problems: one is noise, while another is “fake” spectral structure that can easily be confused for spontaneous Raman peaks. One solution for these problems is Shifted Excitation Raman Difference Spectroscopy (SERDS), in which a tunable light source generates two spectra with different excitation frequencies in order to eliminate fluorescence from the measured signal. We combine a SERDS technique with genetic breeding of mutant populations and demonstrate that the Raman signal from Aspergillus nidulans conidia originates in pigment molecules within the cell wall. In addition, we observe unambiguous vibrational fine-structure in the fluorescence response at room temperature. We hypothesize that the vibrational fine-structure in the fluorescence results from the formation of flexible, long-lived molecular cages in the bio-polymer matrix of the cell wall that partially shield target molecules from the immediate environment and also constrain their degrees of freedom.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zehua Han
- Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA.
| | - Benjamin D Strycker
- Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA. .,Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA.
| | - Blake Commer
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Kai Wang
- Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Brian D Shaw
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Marlan O Scully
- Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA.,Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA
| | - Alexei V Sokolov
- Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA. .,Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA.
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24
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Siddiquee R, Choi SSC, Lam SS, Wang P, Qi R, Otting G, Sunde M, Kwan AHY. Cell-free expression of natively folded hydrophobins. Protein Expr Purif 2020; 170:105591. [PMID: 32032769 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2020.105591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2019] [Revised: 01/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Hydrophobins are a family of cysteine-rich proteins unique to filamentous fungi. The proteins are produced in a soluble form but self-assemble into organised amphipathic layers at hydrophilic:hydrophobic interfaces. These layers contribute to transitions between wet and dry environments, spore dispersal and attachment to surfaces for growth and infection. Hydrophobins are characterised by four disulphide bonds that are critical to their structure and function. Thus, obtaining correctly folded, soluble and functional hydrophobins directly from bacterial recombinant expression is challenging and in most cases, initial denaturation from inclusion bodies followed by oxidative refolding are required to obtain folded proteins. Here, we report the use of cell-free expression with E. coli cell lysate to directly obtain natively folded hydrophobins. All six of the hydrophobins tested could be expressed after optimisation of redox conditions. For some hydrophobins, the inclusion of the disulfide isomerase DsbC further enhanced expression levels. We are able to achieve a yield of up to 1 mg of natively folded hydrophobin per mL of reaction. This has allowed the confirmation of the correct folding of hydrophobins with the use of 15N-cysteine and 15N-1H nuclear magnetic resonance experiments within 24 h of starting from plasmid stocks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rezwan Siddiquee
- The University of Sydney, School of Life and Environmental Sciences and SydneyNano, Australia
| | - Samuel Sung-Chan Choi
- The University of Sydney, School of Life and Environmental Sciences and SydneyNano, Australia
| | - Shirley Siuley Lam
- The University of Sydney, School of Life and Environmental Sciences and SydneyNano, Australia
| | - Patrick Wang
- The University of Sydney, School of Life and Environmental Sciences and SydneyNano, Australia
| | - Ruhu Qi
- Australian National University, Research School of Chemistry, Australia
| | - Gottfried Otting
- Australian National University, Research School of Chemistry, Australia
| | - Margaret Sunde
- The University of Sydney, School of Medical Sciences and SydneyNano, Australia
| | - Ann Hau-Yu Kwan
- The University of Sydney, School of Life and Environmental Sciences and SydneyNano, Australia.
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25
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Wessel EM, Tomich JM, Todd RB. Biodegradable Drug-Delivery Peptide Nanocapsules. ACS OMEGA 2019; 4:20059-20063. [PMID: 31788640 PMCID: PMC6882115 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.9b03245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2019] [Accepted: 10/28/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Branched amphiphilic peptide capsules (BAPCs) are an efficient transport system that can deliver nucleic acids, small proteins, and solutes. The ability of BAPCs to break down is essential to their adoption as a delivery vehicle for human and agricultural applications. Until now, however, BAPCs were shown to be inert to mammalian degradation systems. Here, we demonstrate, using BAPCs encapsulating the toxic urea analogue thiourea, that the common soil fungus Aspergillus nidulans can degrade BAPCs. We provide evidence that this degradation is extracellular through the action of secreted proteases. Our data indicate that BAPCs are likely biodegradable in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily M. Wessel
- Department
of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Kansas State University, 206 Burt Hall, Manhattan, Kansas 66506, United
States
| | - John M. Tomich
- Department
of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Kansas State University, 206 Burt Hall, Manhattan, Kansas 66506, United
States
| | - Richard B. Todd
- Department
of Plant Pathology, Kansas State University, 1712 Claflin Road, 4024 Throckmorton
Plant Sciences Center, Manhattan, Kansas 66506, United
States
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26
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew G. Blango
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (HKI), Jena, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Olaf Kniemeyer
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (HKI), Jena, Germany
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Institute for Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Axel A. Brakhage
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (HKI), Jena, Germany
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Institute for Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
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27
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Fungal hydrophobins render stones impermeable for water but keep them permeable for vapor. Sci Rep 2019; 9:6264. [PMID: 31000787 PMCID: PMC6472399 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-42705-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2018] [Accepted: 04/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The conservation of architectural heritage is a big challenge in times with increasing air pollution with aggressive gases. A second major threat to buildings is the combination of water and air contaminants which may be used by microorganisms for their metabolism. Hence, myriads of different bacteria and fungi populate stone surfaces and penetrate into the fine pores and cracks. Whereas epoxid-based paintings (or other paintings) may protect the coated surfaces from water and aggressive gases, these chemicals seal the stone surface and prevent also the evaporation of vapor from the inside of the buildings. Here, we tested a natural, fungal protein-based coating method. Fungi use small, amphiphilic proteins to turn their surfaces hydrophobic. We found that Aspergillus nidulans hydrophobin DewA and Trichoderma reesei HFBI confer hydrophobicity to stones but keep their pores open. The effect resembles “Gore-tex” fabric material.
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28
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Quarantin A, Hadeler B, Kröger C, Schäfer W, Favaron F, Sella L, Martínez-Rocha AL. Different Hydrophobins of Fusarium graminearum Are Involved in Hyphal Growth, Attachment, Water-Air Interface Penetration and Plant Infection. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:751. [PMID: 31031728 PMCID: PMC6474331 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2019] [Accepted: 03/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Hydrophobins (HPs) are small secreted fungal proteins possibly involved in several processes such as formation of fungal aerial structures, attachment to hydrophobic surfaces, interaction with the environment and protection against the host defense system. The genome of the necrotrophic plant pathogen Fusarium graminearum contains five genes encoding for HPs (FgHyd1-5). Single and triple FgHyd mutants were produced and characterized. A reduced growth was observed when the ΔFghyd2 and the three triple mutants including the deletion of FgHyd2 were grown in complete or minimal medium. Surprisingly, the growth of these mutants was similar to wild-type when grown under ionic, osmotic or oxidative stress conditions. All the mutant strains confirmed the ability to develop conidia and perithecia, suggesting that the FgHyds are not involved in normal development of asexual and sexual structures. A reduction in the ability of hyphae to penetrate through the water-air interface was observed for the single mutants ΔFghyd2 and ΔFghyd3 as well as for the triple mutants including the deletion of FgHyd2 and FgHyd3. Besides, ΔFghyd3 and the triple mutant ΔFghyd234 were also affected in the attachment to hydrophobic surface. Indeed, wheat infection experiments showed a reduction of symptomatic spikelets for ΔFghyd2 and ΔFghyd3 and the triple mutants only when spray inoculation was performed. This result could be ascribed to the affected ability of mutants deleted of FgHyd2 and FgHyd3 to penetrate through the water-air interface and to attach to hydrophobic surfaces such as the spike tissue. This hypothesis is strengthened by a histological analysis, performed by fluorescence microscopy, showing no defects in the morphology of infection structures produced by mutant strains. Interestingly, triple hydrophobin mutants were significantly more inhibited than wild-type by the treatment with a systemic triazole fungicide, while no defects at the cell wall level were observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Quarantin
- Molekulare Phytopathologie, Institut für Pflanzenwissenschaften und Mikrobiologie, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.,Dipartimento Territorio e Sistemi Agro-Forestali (TESAF), Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Birgit Hadeler
- Molekulare Phytopathologie, Institut für Pflanzenwissenschaften und Mikrobiologie, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Cathrin Kröger
- Molekulare Phytopathologie, Institut für Pflanzenwissenschaften und Mikrobiologie, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Wilhelm Schäfer
- Molekulare Phytopathologie, Institut für Pflanzenwissenschaften und Mikrobiologie, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Francesco Favaron
- Dipartimento Territorio e Sistemi Agro-Forestali (TESAF), Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Luca Sella
- Dipartimento Territorio e Sistemi Agro-Forestali (TESAF), Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Ana Lilia Martínez-Rocha
- Molekulare Phytopathologie, Institut für Pflanzenwissenschaften und Mikrobiologie, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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29
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Valsecchi I, Lai JI, Stephen-Victor E, Pillé A, Beaussart A, Lo V, Pham CLL, Aimanianda V, Kwan AH, Duchateau M, Gianetto QG, Matondo M, Lehoux M, Sheppard DC, Dufrene YF, Bayry J, Guijarro JI, Sunde M, Latgé JP. Assembly and disassembly of Aspergillus fumigatus conidial rodlets. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 5:100023. [PMID: 32743139 PMCID: PMC7389560 DOI: 10.1016/j.tcsw.2019.100023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2018] [Revised: 02/22/2019] [Accepted: 02/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The rodlet structure present on the Aspergillus fumigatus conidial surface hides conidia from immune recognition. In spite of the essential biological role of the rodlets, the molecular basis for their self-assembly and disaggregation is not known. Analysis of the soluble forms of conidia-extracted and recombinant RodA by NMR spectroscopy has indicated the importance of disulfide bonds and identified two dynamic regions as likely candidates for conformational change and intermolecular interactions during conversion of RodA into the amyloid rodlet structure. Point mutations introduced into the RODA sequence confirmed that (1) mutation of a single cysteine was sufficient to block rodlet formation on the conidial surface and (2) both presumed amyloidogenic regions were needed for proper rodlet assembly. Mutations in the two putative amyloidogenic regions retarded and disturbed, but did not completely inhibit, the formation of the rodlets in vitro and on the conidial surface. Even in a disturbed form, the presence of rodlets on the surface of the conidia was sufficient to immunosilence the conidium. However, in contrast to the parental conidia, long exposure of mutant conidia lacking disulfide bridges within RodA or expressing RodA carrying the double (I115S/I146G) mutation activated dendritic cells with the subsequent secretion of proinflammatory cytokines. The immune reactivity of the RodA mutant conidia was not due to a modification in the RodA structure, but to the exposure of different pathogen-associated molecular patterns on the surface as a result of the modification of the rodlet surface layer. The full degradation of the rodlet layer, which occurs during early germination, is due to a complex array of cell wall bound proteases. As reported earlier, this loss of the rodlet layer lead to a strong anti-fumigatus host immune response in mouse lungs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Valsecchi
- Unité des Aspergillus, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.,Biological NMR Technological Platform, Institut Pasteur, CNRS UMR 3528, Paris, France
| | - Jennifer I Lai
- School of Medical Sciences and Sydney Nano, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Emmanuel Stephen-Victor
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Ariane Pillé
- Biological NMR Technological Platform, Institut Pasteur, CNRS UMR 3528, Paris, France
| | - Audrey Beaussart
- Institute of Life Sciences, Université Catholique de Louvain, Croix du Sud, 4-5, bte L7.07.06, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.,Walloon Excellence in Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Belgium
| | - Victor Lo
- School of Medical Sciences and Sydney Nano, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Chi L L Pham
- School of Medical Sciences and Sydney Nano, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | | | - Ann H Kwan
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences and Sydney Nano, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Magalie Duchateau
- Pasteur Proteomics Platform, Mass Spectrometry for Biology Unit, Institut Pasteur, CNRS USR 2000, Paris, France
| | - Quentin Giai Gianetto
- Pasteur Proteomics Platform, Mass Spectrometry for Biology Unit, Institut Pasteur, CNRS USR 2000, Paris, France.,Bioinformatics and Biostatistics Hub, C3BI, CNRS USR 3756, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Mariette Matondo
- Pasteur Proteomics Platform, Mass Spectrometry for Biology Unit, Institut Pasteur, CNRS USR 2000, Paris, France
| | - Melanie Lehoux
- Departments of Medicine, Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Donald C Sheppard
- Departments of Medicine, Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Yves F Dufrene
- Institute of Life Sciences, Université Catholique de Louvain, Croix du Sud, 4-5, bte L7.07.06, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.,Walloon Excellence in Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Belgium
| | - Jagadeesh Bayry
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - J Iñaki Guijarro
- Biological NMR Technological Platform, Institut Pasteur, CNRS UMR 3528, Paris, France
| | - Margaret Sunde
- School of Medical Sciences and Sydney Nano, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
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30
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Identification of the proteoforms of surface localized Rod A of Aspergillus flavus and determination of the mechanism of proteoform generation. J Proteomics 2019; 193:62-70. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2018.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2018] [Revised: 12/05/2018] [Accepted: 12/13/2018] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
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31
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Fungal Hydrophobins and Their Self-Assembly into Functional Nanomaterials. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2019; 1174:161-185. [DOI: 10.1007/978-981-13-9791-2_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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32
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Ball SR, Kwan AH, Sunde M. Hydrophobin Rodlets on the Fungal Cell Wall. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 2019; 425:29-51. [DOI: 10.1007/82_2019_186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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33
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34
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Sephton-Clark PCS, Muñoz JF, Ballou ER, Cuomo CA, Voelz K. Pathways of Pathogenicity: Transcriptional Stages of Germination in the Fatal Fungal Pathogen Rhizopus delemar. mSphere 2018; 3:e00403-18. [PMID: 30258038 PMCID: PMC6158513 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00403-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2018] [Accepted: 08/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Rhizopus delemar is an invasive fungal pathogen responsible for the frequently fatal disease mucormycosis. Germination, a crucial mechanism by which infectious spores of Rhizopus delemar cause disease, is a key developmental process that transforms the dormant spore state into a vegetative one. The molecular mechanisms that underpin this transformation may be key to controlling mucormycosis; however, the regulation of germination remains poorly understood. This study describes the phenotypic and transcriptional changes that take place over the course of germination. This process is characterized by four distinct stages: dormancy, isotropic swelling, germ tube emergence, and hyphal growth. Dormant spores are shown to be transcriptionally unique, expressing a subset of transcripts absent in later developmental stages. A large shift in the expression profile is prompted by the initiation of germination, with genes involved in respiration, chitin, cytoskeleton, and actin regulation appearing to be important for this transition. A period of transcriptional consistency can be seen throughout isotropic swelling, before the transcriptional landscape shifts again at the onset of hyphal growth. This study provides a greater understanding of the regulation of germination and highlights processes involved in transforming Rhizopus delemar from a single-cellular to multicellular organism.IMPORTANCE Germination is key to the growth of many organisms, including fungal spores. Mucormycete spores exist abundantly within the environment and germinate to form hyphae. These spores are capable of infecting immunocompromised individuals, causing the disease mucormycosis. Germination from spore to hyphae within patients leads to angioinvasion, tissue necrosis, and often fatal infections. This study advances our understanding of how spore germination occurs in the mucormycetes, identifying processes we may be able to inhibit to help prevent or treat mucormycosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Poppy C S Sephton-Clark
- Institute for Microbiology and Infection, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Jose F Muñoz
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Elizabeth R Ballou
- Institute for Microbiology and Infection, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Christina A Cuomo
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kerstin Voelz
- Institute for Microbiology and Infection, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
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35
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Winandy L, Hilpert F, Schlebusch O, Fischer R. Comparative analysis of surface coating properties of five hydrophobins from Aspergillus nidulans and Trichoderma reseei. Sci Rep 2018; 8:12033. [PMID: 30104653 PMCID: PMC6089913 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-29749-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2018] [Accepted: 07/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Fungal hydrophobins are small amphiphilic proteins that self-assemble into monolayers on hydrophobic:hydrophilic interfaces and can be used for surface coatings. Because e.g. Aspergillus nidulans contains six different hydrophobins, it is likely that they have different properties and are used for different “applications” in the fungus. We established a method for recombinant production of different class hydrophobins in Escherichia coli. We produced DewA, DewC, DewD, DewE from A. nidulans and HFBI from Trichoderma reesei and compared surface coating properties of these hydrophobins. All tested proteins formed coatings on glass, strongly increasing the hydrophobicity of the surface, and showed emulsion-stabilizing properties. But whereas the typical class I hydrophobin DewA formed the most stable coating on glass, the intermediate class hydrophobins DewE and DewD were more effective in stabilization of oil:water emulsions. This work gives insights into correlations between structural characteristics of hydrophobins and their behaviour as surface binding agents. It could help with the clarification of their biological functions and lead to novel biotechnological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lex Winandy
- Department of Microbiology, Institute for Applied Biosciences, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Felix Hilpert
- Institute of Chemical Process Engineering, Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Oleksandra Schlebusch
- Department of Microbiology, Institute for Applied Biosciences, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany.
| | - Reinhard Fischer
- Department of Microbiology, Institute for Applied Biosciences, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany
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36
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Anjago WM, Zhou T, Zhang H, Shi M, Yang T, Zheng H, Wang Z. Regulatory network of genes associated with stimuli sensing, signal transduction and physiological transformation of appressorium in Magnaporthe oryzae. Mycology 2018; 9:211-222. [PMID: 30181927 PMCID: PMC6115909 DOI: 10.1080/21501203.2018.1492981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2018] [Accepted: 06/21/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Rice blast caused by Magnaporthe oryzae is the most destructive disease affecting the rice production (Oryza sativa), with an average global loss of 10-30% per annum. Recent reports have indicated that the fungus also inflicts blast disease on wheat (Triticum aestivum) posing a serious threat to the wheat production. Due to its easily detected infectious process and manoeuvrable genetic manipulation, M. oryzae is considered a model organism for exploring the molecular mechanism underlying fungal pathogenicity during the pathogen-host interaction. M. oryzae utilises an infectious structure called appressorium to breach the host surface by generating high turgor pressure. The appressorium development is induced by physical and chemical cues which are coordinated by the highly conserved cAMP/PKA, MAPK and calcium signalling cascades. Genes involved in the appressorium development have been identified and well studied in M. oryzae, a summary of the working gene network linking stimuli sensing and physiological transformation of appressorium is needed. This review provides a comprehensive discussion regarding the regulatory networks underlying appressorium development with particular emphasis on sensing of appressorium inducing stimuli, signal transduction, transcriptional regulation and the corresponding developmental and physiological responses. We also discussed the crosstalk and interaction of various pathways during the appressorium development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wilfred Mabeche Anjago
- Fujian University Key Laboratory for Plant-Microbe interaction, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Tengshen Zhou
- Institute of oceanography, Minjian University, FuzhouChina
| | - Honghong Zhang
- Plant Protection College, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Mingyue Shi
- Plant Protection College, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Tao Yang
- Fujian University Key Laboratory for Plant-Microbe interaction, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Huakun Zheng
- Fujian University Key Laboratory for Plant-Microbe interaction, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Zonghua Wang
- Fujian University Key Laboratory for Plant-Microbe interaction, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- Institute of oceanography, Minjian University, FuzhouChina
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37
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Abstract
The growth and development of most fungi take place on a two-dimensional surface or within a three-dimensional matrix. The fungal sense of touch is therefore critical for fungi in the interpretation of their environment and often signals the switch to a new developmental state. Contact sensing, or thigmo-based responses, include thigmo differentiation, such as the induction of invasion structures by plant pathogens in response to topography; thigmonasty, where contact with a motile prey rapidly triggers its capture; and thigmotropism, where the direction of hyphal growth is guided by physical features in the environment. Like plants and some bacteria, fungi grow as walled cells. Despite the well-demonstrated importance of thigmo responses in numerous stages of fungal growth and development, it is not known how fungal cells sense contact through the relatively rigid structure of the cell wall. However, while sensing mechanisms at the molecular level are not entirely understood, the downstream signaling pathways that are activated by contact sensing are being elucidated. In the majority of cases, the response to contact is complemented by chemical cues and both are required, either sequentially or simultaneously, to elicit normal developmental responses. The importance of a sense of touch in the lifestyles and development of diverse fungi is highlighted in this review, and the candidate molecular mechanisms that may be involved in fungal contact sensing are discussed.
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Valsecchi I, Dupres V, Stephen-Victor E, Guijarro JI, Gibbons J, Beau R, Bayry J, Coppee JY, Lafont F, Latgé JP, Beauvais A. Role of Hydrophobins in Aspergillus fumigatus. J Fungi (Basel) 2017; 4:jof4010002. [PMID: 29371496 PMCID: PMC5872305 DOI: 10.3390/jof4010002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2017] [Revised: 12/20/2017] [Accepted: 12/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Resistance of Aspergillus fumigatus conidia to desiccation and their capacity to reach the alveoli are partly due to the presence of a hydrophobic layer composed of a protein from the hydrophobin family, called RodA, which covers the conidial surface. In A. fumigatus there are seven hydrophobins (RodA-RodG) belonging to class I and III. Most of them have never been studied. We constructed single and multiple hydrophobin-deletion mutants until the generation of a hydrophobin-free mutant. The phenotype, immunogenicity, and virulence of the mutants were studied. RODA is the most expressed hydrophobin in sporulating cultures, whereas RODB is upregulated in biofilm conditions and in vivo Only RodA, however, is responsible for rodlet formation, sporulation, conidial hydrophobicity, resistance to physical insult or anionic dyes, and immunological inertia of the conidia. None of the hydrophobin plays a role in biofilm formation or its hydrophobicity. RodA is the only needed hydrophobin in A. fumigatus, conditioning the structure, permeability, hydrophobicity, and immune-inertia of the cell wall surface in conidia. Moreover, the defect of rodlets on the conidial cell wall surface impacts on the drug sensitivity of the fungus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Valsecchi
- Aspergillus Unit, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France.
- Unité de RMN des Biomolécules, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France.
| | - Vincent Dupres
- Centre for Infection and Immunity, Institut Pasteur de Lille-CNRS UMR8204-INSERM U1019-CHRU Lille-Université Lille, 59655 Lille, France.
| | - Emmanuel Stephen-Victor
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Unité 1138, 75006 Paris, France.
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, Université Paris Descartes, 75006 Paris, France.
| | - J Iñaki Guijarro
- Unité de RMN des Biomolécules, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France.
| | - John Gibbons
- Biology Department, Clark University, Worcester, MA 01610, USA.
| | - Rémi Beau
- Aspergillus Unit, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France.
| | - Jagadeesh Bayry
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Unité 1138, 75006 Paris, France.
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, Université Paris Descartes, 75006 Paris, France.
| | - Jean-Yves Coppee
- Transcriptome et Epigénome, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France.
| | - Frank Lafont
- Centre for Infection and Immunity, Institut Pasteur de Lille-CNRS UMR8204-INSERM U1019-CHRU Lille-Université Lille, 59655 Lille, France.
| | | | - Anne Beauvais
- Aspergillus Unit, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France.
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Linke C, Drusch S. Pickering emulsions in foods - opportunities and limitations. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 2017; 58:1971-1985. [DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2017.1290578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Christina Linke
- Department of Food Technology and Food Material Science, Technische Universität Berlin, Germany
| | - Stephan Drusch
- Department of Food Technology and Food Material Science, Technische Universität Berlin, Germany
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Immobilization of LccC Laccase from Aspergillus nidulans on Hard Surfaces via Fungal Hydrophobins. Appl Environ Microbiol 2016; 82:6395-6402. [PMID: 27565614 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01413-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2016] [Accepted: 08/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Fungal hydrophobins are small amphiphilic proteins that can be used for coatings on hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces. Through the formation of monolayers, they change the hydrophobicity of a given surface. Especially, the class I hydrophobins are interesting for biotechnology, because their layers are stable at high temperatures and can only be removed with strong solvents. These proteins self-assemble into monolayers under physiological conditions and undergo conformational changes that stabilize the layer structure. Several studies have demonstrated how the fusion of hydrophobins with short peptides allows the specific modification of the properties of a given surface or have increased the protein production levels through controlled localization of hydrophobin molecules inside the cell. Here, we fused the Aspergillus nidulans laccase LccC to the class I hydrophobins DewA and DewB and used the fusion proteins to functionalize surfaces with immobilized enzymes. In contrast to previous studies with enzymes fused to class II hydrophobins, the DewA-LccC fusion protein is secreted into the culture medium. The crude culture supernatant was directly used for coatings of glass and polystyrene without additional purification steps. The highest laccase surface activity was achieved after protein immobilization on modified hydrophilic polystyrene at pH 7. This study presents an easy-to-use alternative to classical enzyme immobilization techniques and can be applied not only for laccases but also for other biotechnologically relevant enzymes. IMPORTANCE Although fusion with small peptides to modify hydrophobin properties has already been performed in several studies, fusion with an enzyme presents a more challenging task. Both protein partners need to remain in active form so that the hydrophobins can interact with one another and form layers, and so the enzyme (e.g., laccase) will remain active at the same time. Also, because of the amphiphilic nature of hydrophobins, their production and purification remain challenging so far and often include steps that would irreversibly disrupt most enzymes. In our study, we present the first functional fusion proteins of class I hydrophobins from A. nidulans with a laccase. The resulting fusion enzyme is directly secreted into the culture medium by the fungus and can be used for the functionalization of hard surfaces.
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Brown NA, Ries LNA, Reis TF, Rajendran R, Corrêa dos Santos RA, Ramage G, Riaño-Pachón DM, Goldman GH. RNAseq reveals hydrophobins that are involved in the adaptation of Aspergillus nidulans to lignocellulose. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 2016; 9:145. [PMID: 27437031 PMCID: PMC4950808 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-016-0558-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2016] [Accepted: 06/24/2016] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sugarcane is one of the world's most profitable crops. Waste steam-exploded sugarcane bagasse (SEB) is a cheap, abundant, and renewable lignocellulosic feedstock for the next-generation biofuels. In nature, fungi seldom exist as planktonic cells, similar to those found in the nutrient-rich environment created within an industrial fermenter. Instead, fungi predominantly form biofilms that allow them to thrive in hostile environments. RESULTS In turn, we adopted an RNA-sequencing approach to interrogate how the model fungus, Aspergillus nidulans, adapts to SEB, revealing the induction of carbon starvation responses and the lignocellulolytic machinery, in addition to morphological adaptations. Genetic analyses showed the importance of hydrophobins for growth on SEB. The major hydrophobin, RodA, was retained within the fungal biofilm on SEB fibres. The StuA transcription factor that regulates fungal morphology was up-regulated during growth on SEB and controlled hydrophobin gene induction. The absence of the RodA or DewC hydrophobins reduced biofilm formation. The loss of a RodA or a functional StuA reduced the retention of the hydrolytic enzymes within the vicinity of the fungus. Hence, hydrophobins promote biofilm formation on SEB, and may enhance lignocellulose utilisation via promoting a compact substrate-enzyme-fungus structure. CONCLUSION This novel study highlights the importance of hydrophobins to the formation of biofilms and the efficient deconstruction of lignocellulose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil Andrew Brown
- />Plant Biology and Crop Science, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire UK
| | - Laure N. A. Ries
- />Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Thaila F. Reis
- />Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ranjith Rajendran
- />Infection and Immunity Research Group, Glasgow Dental School, School of Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, The University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Renato Augusto Corrêa dos Santos
- />Laboratório Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia do Bioetanol (CTBE), Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais (CNPEM), Caixa Postal 6192, Campinas, SP CEP 13083-970 Brazil
| | - Gordon Ramage
- />Infection and Immunity Research Group, Glasgow Dental School, School of Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, The University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Diego Mauricio Riaño-Pachón
- />Laboratório Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia do Bioetanol (CTBE), Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais (CNPEM), Caixa Postal 6192, Campinas, SP CEP 13083-970 Brazil
| | - Gustavo H. Goldman
- />Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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Jin FJ, Katayama T, Maruyama JI, Kitamoto K. Comparative genomic analysis identified a mutation related to enhanced heterologous protein production in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus oryzae. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2016; 100:9163-9174. [DOI: 10.1007/s00253-016-7714-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2016] [Revised: 05/14/2016] [Accepted: 06/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Abstract
Fungal hydrophobin is a family of low molecular weight proteins consisting of four disulfide bridges and an extraordinary hydrophobic patch. The hydrophobic patch of hydrophobins and the molecules of gaseous CO2 may interact together and form the stable CO2-nanobubbles covered by an elastic membrane in carbonated beverages. The nanobubbles provide the required energy to provoke primary gushing. Due to the hydrophobicity of hydrophobin, this protein is used as a biosurfactant, foaming agent or encapsulating agent in food products and medicine formulations. Increasing demands for using of hydrophobins led to a challenge regarding production and purification of this product. However, the main issue to use hydrophobin in the industry is the regulatory affairs: yet there is no approved legislation for using hydrophobin in food and beverages. To comply with the legislation, establishing a consistent method for obtaining pure hydrophobins is necessary. Currently, few research teams in Europe are focusing on different aspects of hydrophobins. In this paper, an up-to-date collection of highlights from those special groups about the bio-chemical and physicochemical characteristics of hydrophobins have been studied. The recent advances of those groups concerning the production and purification, positive applications and negative function of hydrophobin are also summarised.
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Hagiwara D, Sakamoto K, Abe K, Gomi K. Signaling pathways for stress responses and adaptation in Aspergillus species: stress biology in the post-genomic era. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 2016; 80:1667-80. [PMID: 27007956 DOI: 10.1080/09168451.2016.1162085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Aspergillus species are among the most important filamentous fungi in terms of industrial use and because of their pathogenic or toxin-producing features. The genomes of several Aspergillus species have become publicly available in this decade, and genomic analyses have contributed to an integrated understanding of fungal biology. Stress responses and adaptation mechanisms have been intensively investigated using the accessible genome infrastructure. Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades have been highlighted as being fundamentally important in fungal adaptation to a wide range of stress conditions. Reverse genetics analyses have uncovered the roles of MAPK pathways in osmotic stress, cell wall stress, development, secondary metabolite production, and conidia stress resistance. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the stress biology of Aspergillus species, illuminating what we have learned from the genomic data in this "post-genomic era."
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Affiliation(s)
- Daisuke Hagiwara
- a Medical Mycology Research Center , Chiba University , Chiba , Japan
| | | | - Keietsu Abe
- c Graduate School of Agricultural Science , Tohoku University , Sendai , Japan
| | - Katsuya Gomi
- c Graduate School of Agricultural Science , Tohoku University , Sendai , Japan
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Khalesi M, Gebruers K, Riveros-Galan D, Deckers S, Moosavi-Movahedi AA, Verachtert H, Derdelinckx G. Hydrophobin purification based on the theory of CO2-nanobubbles. J LIQ CHROMATOGR R T 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/10826076.2015.1132725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mohammadreza Khalesi
- Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems (M2S), KU Leuven, Heverlee, Flemish Brabant, Belgium
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Food Science and Technology, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Fars, Iran
| | - Kurt Gebruers
- Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems (M2S), KU Leuven, Heverlee, Flemish Brabant, Belgium
| | - David Riveros-Galan
- Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems (M2S), KU Leuven, Heverlee, Flemish Brabant, Belgium
| | - Sylvie Deckers
- Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems (M2S), KU Leuven, Heverlee, Flemish Brabant, Belgium
| | | | - Hubert Verachtert
- Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems (M2S), KU Leuven, Heverlee, Flemish Brabant, Belgium
| | - Guy Derdelinckx
- Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems (M2S), KU Leuven, Heverlee, Flemish Brabant, Belgium
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State of the Art in the Development and Properties of Protein-Based Films and Coatings and Their Applicability to Cellulose Based Products: An Extensive Review. COATINGS 2015. [DOI: 10.3390/coatings6010001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Abstract
Filamentous fungi play an important role not only in the bio-manufacturing of value-added products, but also in bioenergy and environmental research. The bioprocess manipulation of filamentous fungi is more difficult than that of other microbial species because of their different pellet morphologies and the presence of tangled mycelia under different cultivation conditions. Fungal pellets, which have the advantages of harvest ease, low fermentation broth viscosity and high yield of some proteins, have been used for a long time. Many attempts have been made to establish the relationship between pellet and product yield using quantitative approaches. Fungal pellet formation is attributed to the combination of electrostatic interactions, hydrophobicity and specific interactions from spore wall components. Electrostatic interactions result from van der Waals forces and negative charge repulsion from carboxyl groups in the spore wall structure. Electrostatic interactions are also affected by counter-ions (cations) and the physiologic conditions of spores that modify the carboxyl groups. Fungal aggregates are promoted by the hydrophobicity generated by hydrophobins, which form a hydrophobic coat that covers the spore. The specific interactions of spore wall components contribute to spore aggregation through salt bridging. A model of spore aggregation was proposed based on these forces. Additionally, some challenges were addressed, including the limitations of research techniques, the quantitative determination of forces and the complex information of biological systems, to clarify the mechanism of fungal pellet formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianguo Zhang
- a School of Medical Instrument and Food Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology and
| | - Jining Zhang
- b Eco-environmental Protection Research Institute, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences , Shanghai , China
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Becker K, Beer C, Freitag M, Kück U. Genome-wide identification of target genes of a mating-type α-domain transcription factor reveals functions beyond sexual development. Mol Microbiol 2015; 96:1002-22. [DOI: 10.1111/mmi.12987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/26/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kordula Becker
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Fungal Biotechnology; Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik; Ruhr-Universität Bochum; Universitätsstr. 150 D-44780 Bochum Germany
| | - Christina Beer
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Fungal Biotechnology; Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik; Ruhr-Universität Bochum; Universitätsstr. 150 D-44780 Bochum Germany
| | - Michael Freitag
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics; Oregon State University; Corvallis Oregon 97331-7305 USA
| | - Ulrich Kück
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Fungal Biotechnology; Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik; Ruhr-Universität Bochum; Universitätsstr. 150 D-44780 Bochum Germany
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Beyond asexual development: modifications in the gene expression profile caused by the absence of the Aspergillus nidulans transcription factor FlbB. Genetics 2015; 199:1127-42. [PMID: 25701285 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.115.174342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2015] [Accepted: 02/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In the model fungus Aspergillus nidulans, asexual development is induced from vegetative hyphae by a set of early regulators including the bZIP-type transcription factor FlbB. To determine the range of genes under the influence of the transcriptional activity of FlbB and to characterize their role in fungal development, we sequenced and compared the transcriptomes of a ΔflbB mutant and its isogenic wild-type strain at different developmental stages. Results confirmed the activating role of FlbB on downstream regulators of conidiation such as flbD and brlA. However, FlbB has additional functions beyond the induction of asexual development. Among the changes observed, absence of a functional FlbB caused induction of the dba cluster and synthesis of a secondary metabolite with bactericidal properties. In addition, a new transcriptional target of FlbB was unveiled, urdA, that codes for a putative transcription factor that represses premature sexual development. Taken together, our results indicate that the activators of asexual development simultaneously exert a role on other cellular functions, including an inhibitory effect on the sexual cycle, and reinforce the hypothesis that mutually exclusive metabolic and cellular patterns are associated with different morphogenetic programs.
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