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Wang Z, Chen H, Li H, Chen H, Huang B. The Deubiquitinating Enzyme MrUbp14 Is Involved in Conidiation, Stress Response, and Pathogenicity in Metarhizium robertsii. FRONTIERS IN FUNGAL BIOLOGY 2022; 3:896466. [PMID: 37746165 PMCID: PMC10512391 DOI: 10.3389/ffunb.2022.896466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/15/2022] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Protein ubiquitination, which is involved in various biological processes in eukaryotic cells, is a reversible modification of proteins. Deubiquitinases can maintain ubiquitin homeostasis by removing ubiquitin or modulating protein degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS). Metarhizium robertsii, an entomopathogenic fungus, has become a model fungus for investigating the interactions between insects and fungal pathogens. To explore the possible effects of the deubiquitination process on the development, stress response, and virulence of M. robertsii, disruption of MrUbp14 (an ortholog of the yeast ubiquitin-specific protease gene, Ubp14) was performed. The results of this study showed that the deletion of MrUbp14 led to accelerated conidial germination, reduced conidial yields, and decreased expression levels of some genes involved in conidiation. Furthermore, the MrUbp14 mutant (ΔMrUbp14) exhibited decreased tolerance to cell wall-damaging stressors (Congo red and SDS) and heat stress. Importantly, the results of the bioassay demonstrated that the fungal virulence of the ΔMrUbp14 strain was largely reduced in cuticle infection, but not in direct injection, which was accompanied by a significant decline in appressorium formation and cuticle penetration. Moreover, our results demonstrated that the disruption of MrUbp14 resulted in significantly increased ubiquitination levels of total protein, suggesting that MrUbp14 acts as a deubiquitinating enzyme in M. robertsii. In summary, our phenotypic changes in the gene disruption mutants suggest that MrUbp14 is important for conidiation, stress response, and fungal virulence in M. robertsii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhangxun Wang
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Pest Control, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China
- Key Laboratory of Biology and Sustainable Management of Plant Diseases and Pests of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, School of Plant Protection, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China
| | - Hua Chen
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Pest Control, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China
- Key Laboratory of Biology and Sustainable Management of Plant Diseases and Pests of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, School of Plant Protection, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China
| | - Hao Li
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Pest Control, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China
- Key Laboratory of Biology and Sustainable Management of Plant Diseases and Pests of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, School of Plant Protection, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China
| | - Hanyuan Chen
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Pest Control, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China
- Key Laboratory of Biology and Sustainable Management of Plant Diseases and Pests of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, School of Plant Protection, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China
| | - Bo Huang
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Pest Control, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China
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Song L, Xue X, Wang S, Li J, Jin K, Xia Y. MaAts, an Alkylsulfatase, Contributes to Fungal Tolerances against UV-B Irradiation and Heat-Shock in Metarhizium acridum. J Fungi (Basel) 2022; 8:jof8030270. [PMID: 35330272 PMCID: PMC8951457 DOI: 10.3390/jof8030270] [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: 02/11/2022] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Sulfatases are commonly divided into three classes: type I, type II, and type III sulfatases. The type III sulfatase, alkylsulfatase, could hydrolyze the primary alkyl sulfates, such as sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and sodium octyl sulfate. Thus, it has the potential application of SDS biodegradation. However, the roles of alkylsulfatase in biological control fungus remain unclear. In this study, an alkylsulfatase gene MaAts was identified from Metarhizium acridum. The deletion strain (ΔMaAts) and the complemented strain (CP) were constructed to reveal their functions in M. acridum. The activity of alkylsulfatase in ΔMaAts was dramatically reduced compared to the wild-type (WT) strain. The loss of MaAts delayed conidial germination, conidiation, and significantly declined the fungal tolerances to UV-B irradiation and heat-shock, while the fungal conidial yield and virulence were unaffected in M. acridum. The transcription levels of stress resistance-related genes were significantly changed after MaAts inactivation. Furthermore, digital gene expression profiling showed that 512 differential expression genes (DEGs), including 177 up-regulated genes and 335 down-regulated genes in ΔMaAts, were identified. Of these DEGs, some genes were involved in melanin synthesis, cell wall integrity, and tolerances to various stresses. These results indicate that MaAts and the DEGs involved in fungal stress tolerances may be candidate genes to be adopted to improve the stress tolerances of mycopesticides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Song
- Genetic Engineering Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, China; (L.S.); (X.X.); (S.W.); (J.L.)
- Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Fungal Insecticide, Chongqing 401331, China
- Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation Technologies under Chongqing Municipal Education Commission, Chongqing 401331, China
| | - Xiaoning Xue
- Genetic Engineering Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, China; (L.S.); (X.X.); (S.W.); (J.L.)
- Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Fungal Insecticide, Chongqing 401331, China
- Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation Technologies under Chongqing Municipal Education Commission, Chongqing 401331, China
| | - Shuqin Wang
- Genetic Engineering Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, China; (L.S.); (X.X.); (S.W.); (J.L.)
- Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Fungal Insecticide, Chongqing 401331, China
- Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation Technologies under Chongqing Municipal Education Commission, Chongqing 401331, China
| | - Juan Li
- Genetic Engineering Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, China; (L.S.); (X.X.); (S.W.); (J.L.)
- Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Fungal Insecticide, Chongqing 401331, China
- Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation Technologies under Chongqing Municipal Education Commission, Chongqing 401331, China
| | - Kai Jin
- Genetic Engineering Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, China; (L.S.); (X.X.); (S.W.); (J.L.)
- Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Fungal Insecticide, Chongqing 401331, China
- Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation Technologies under Chongqing Municipal Education Commission, Chongqing 401331, China
- Correspondence: (K.J.); (Y.X.); Tel.: +86-23-65120990 (Y.X.)
| | - Yuxian Xia
- Genetic Engineering Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, China; (L.S.); (X.X.); (S.W.); (J.L.)
- Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Fungal Insecticide, Chongqing 401331, China
- Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation Technologies under Chongqing Municipal Education Commission, Chongqing 401331, China
- Correspondence: (K.J.); (Y.X.); Tel.: +86-23-65120990 (Y.X.)
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Dipeptidase PEPDA is required for the conidiation pattern shift in Metarhizium acridum. Appl Environ Microbiol 2021; 87:e0090821. [PMID: 34288712 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00908-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Filamentous fungi conduct two types of conidiation, typical conidiation from mycelia and microcycle conidiation (MC). Fungal conidiation can shift between the two patterns, which involved a large number of genes in the regulation of this process. In this study, we investigated the role of a dipeptidase gene pepdA in conidiation pattern shift in Metarhizium acridum, which is upregulated in MC pattern compared to typical conidiation. Results showed that disruption of the pepdA resulted in a shift of conidiation pattern from MC to typical conidiation. Metabolomic analyses of amino acids showed that the levels of 19 amino acids significantly changed in ΔpepdA mutant. The defect of MC in ΔpepdA can be rescued when nonpolar amino acids, α-alanine, β-alanine or proline, were added into sucrose yeast extract agar (SYA) medium. Digital gene expression profiling analysis revealed that PEPDA mediated transcription of sets of genes which were involved in hyphal growth and development, sporulation, cell division, and amino acid metabolism. Our results demonstrated that PEPDA played important roles in the regulation of MC by manipulating the levels of amino acids in M. acridum. IMPORTANCE Conidia, as the asexual propagules in many fungi, are start and end of fungal lifecycle. In entomopathogenic fungi, conidia are the infective form essential for their pathogenicity. Filamentous fungi conduct two types of conidiation, typical conidiation from mycelia and microcycle conidiation. The mechanisms of the shift between the two conidiation patterns remain to be elucidated. In this study, we demonstrated that the dipeptidase PEPDA, a key enzyme from the insect-pathogenic fungus Metarhizium acridum for the hydrolysis of dipeptides, is associated with a shift of conidiation pattern. The conidiation pattern of the ΔpepdA mutant was restored when supplemented with the nonpolar amino acids rather than polar amino acids. Therefore, this report highlights that the dipeptidase PEPDA regulates MC by manipulating the levels of amino acids in M. acridum.
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Su X, Yan X, Chen X, Guo M, Xia Y, Cao Y. Calcofluor white hypersensitive proteins contribute to stress tolerance and pathogenicity in entomopathogenic fungus, Metarhizium acridum. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2021; 77:1915-1924. [PMID: 33300230 DOI: 10.1002/ps.6218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2020] [Revised: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fungal cell wall integrity is vital for fungal pathogenesis and stress tolerance. Calcofluor white (CFW), a cell wall perturbing agent, inhibits fungal growth by binding chitin in the cell wall. The roles of CFW sensitive proteins remain insufficiently understood in pathogenic fungi. RESULTS We investigated two calcofluor white hypersensitive proteins, MaCwh1 and MaCwh43, in the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium acridum. Both Green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged MaCwh1 and MaCwh43 localized at the endoplasmic reticulum. Our results showed that the ΔMacwh1 and ΔMacwh43 mutants were more sensitive to CFW and ultraviolet irradiation stress compared to wild-type and complement strains. ΔMacwh1 had a stronger sensitivity to these stresses than ΔMacwh43. Both ΔMacwh1 and ΔMacwh43 mutants showed smoother cell wall surface, and drastically reduced chitin and mannose glycoprotein level in the cell wall and glycerol level in conidia compared to wild type. Insect bioassay showed significantly attenuated virulence for both ΔMacwh1 and ΔMacwh43 mutants with impaired ability in penetrating the host cuticle. RNA-Seq analysis revealed that a large number of genes presumably involved in cell wall construction and modification, pathogenicity and stress response were down-regulated in both ΔMacwh1 and ΔMacwh43 mutants. CONCLUSIONS These findings demonstrate that both Macwh1 and Macwh43 affect the fungal cell wall ultrastructure and contribute to the stress tolerance and pest control potential in M. acrdium. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueling Su
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
- Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Fungal Insecticides, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation Technologies under Chongqing Municipal Education Commission, Chongqing, China
| | - Xi Yan
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
- Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Fungal Insecticides, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation Technologies under Chongqing Municipal Education Commission, Chongqing, China
| | - Xing Chen
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
- Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Fungal Insecticides, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation Technologies under Chongqing Municipal Education Commission, Chongqing, China
| | - Mei Guo
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
- Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Fungal Insecticides, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation Technologies under Chongqing Municipal Education Commission, Chongqing, China
| | - Yuxian Xia
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
- Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Fungal Insecticides, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation Technologies under Chongqing Municipal Education Commission, Chongqing, China
| | - Yueqing Cao
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
- Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Fungal Insecticides, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation Technologies under Chongqing Municipal Education Commission, Chongqing, China
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Proteomics of extracellular vesicles produced by Granulicatella adiacens, which causes infective endocarditis. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0227657. [PMID: 33216751 PMCID: PMC7679012 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0227657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
When oral bacteria accidentally enter the bloodstream due to transient tissue damage during dental procedures, they have the potential to attach to the endocardium or an equivalent surface of an indwelling prosthesis and cause infection. Many bacterial species produce extracellular vesicles (EVs) as part of normal physiology, but also use it as a virulence strategy. In this study, it was hypothesized that Granulicatella adiacens produce EVs that possibly help it in virulence. Therefore, the objectives were to isolate and characterize EVs produced by G. adiacens and to investigate its immune-stimulatory effects. The reference strain G. adiacens CCUG 27809 was cultured on chocolate blood agar for 2 days. From subsequent broth culture, the EVs were isolated using differential centrifugation and filtration protocol and then observed using scanning electron microscopy. Proteins in the vesicle preparation were identified by nano LC-ESI-MS/MS. The EVs proteome was analyzed and characterized using different bioinformatics tools. The immune-stimulatory effect of the EVs was studied via ELISA quantification of IL-8, IL-1β and CCL5, major proinflammatory cytokines, produced from stimulated human PBMCs. It was revealed that G. adiacens produced EVs, ranging in diameter from 30 to 250 nm. Overall, G. adiacens EVs contained 112 proteins. The proteome consists of several ribosomal proteins, DNA associated proteins, binding proteins, and metabolic enzymes. It was also shown that these EVs carry putative virulence factors including moonlighting proteins. These EVs were able to induce the production of IL-8, IL-1β and CCL5 from human PBMCs. Further functional characterization of the G. adiacens EVs may provide new insights into virulence mechanisms of this important but less studied oral bacterial species.
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