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Shoma JF, Ernan B, Keiser G, Heiss C, Azadi P, Free SJ. Genetic Characterization of the Acidic and Neutral Glycosphingolipid Biosynthetic Pathways in Neurospora crassa. Microorganisms 2023; 11:2093. [PMID: 37630653 PMCID: PMC10457978 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11082093] [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: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 08/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Fungal glycosphingolipids (GSLs) are important membrane components which play a key role in vesicle trafficking. To assess the importance of GSLs in the fungal life cycle, we performed a mutant phenotypic study of the acidic and neutral GSL biosynthetic pathways in Neurospora crassa. GSL biosynthesis begins with two reactions leading up to the formation of dihydrosphingosine. The first of these reactions is catalyzed by serine palmitoyltransferase and generates 3-keto dihydrosphinganine. In N. crassa, this reaction is catalyzed by GSL-1 and GSL-2 and is required for viability. The second reaction is carried out by GSL-3, a 3-keto dihydrosphinoganine reductase to generate dihydrosphingosine, which is used for the synthesis of neutral and acidic GSLs. We found that deletion mutations in the acidic GSL pathway leading up to the formation of mannosylinositol-phosphoceramide are lethal, indicating that acidic GSLs are essential for viability in N. crassa. Once mannosylinositol-phosphoceramide is made, it is further modified by GSL-5, an inositol-phosphoceramide-B C26 hydroxylase, which adds a hydroxyl group to the amide-linked fatty acid. GSL-5 is not required for viability but gives a clear mutant phenotype affecting all stages of the life cycle. Our results show that the synthesis of mannosylinositol-phosphoceramide is required for viability and that the modification of the amide-linked fatty acid is important for acidic GSL functionality. We also examined the neutral GSL biosynthetic pathway and identified the presence of glucosylceramide. The deletion of neutral GSL biosynthetic genes affected hyphal morphology, vegetative growth rate, conidiation, and female development. Our results indicate that the synthesis of neutral GSLs is essential for normal growth and development of N. crassa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jannatul F. Shoma
- Department of Biological Sciences, SUNY University at Buffalo, Cooke Hall Room 109, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA
| | - Ben Ernan
- Department of Biological Sciences, SUNY University at Buffalo, Cooke Hall Room 109, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA
| | - Griffin Keiser
- Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA (P.A.)
| | - Christian Heiss
- Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA (P.A.)
| | - Parastoo Azadi
- Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA (P.A.)
| | - Stephen J. Free
- Department of Biological Sciences, SUNY University at Buffalo, Cooke Hall Room 109, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA
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Víglaš J, Olejníková P. Antifungal azoles trigger a xenobiotic detoxification pathway and chitin synthesis in Neurospora crassa. Res Microbiol 2023:104055. [PMID: 36963554 DOI: 10.1016/j.resmic.2023.104055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Revised: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/26/2023]
Abstract
The presence of antifungal drugs is prompting the fungal microorganisms to react by mechanisms broader than the resistance. The fungi evolved mechanisms, by which they respond to various stress conditions, including the presence of antifungal compounds. In this work, we studied the response of model filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa to azole antifungals in the broader context of the adaptation mechanisms. We demonstrated the increase in expression of filamentous fungi-specific genes encoding cytochrome enzymes of CYP65 clan and plasma membrane-localized ABCC transporters. Azoles appear not to conjugate with glutathione. Surprisingly, the azoles caused changes in the hyphae organization and the amount of chitin in cell wall by the same manner that was thought to be echinocandin-specific. The response to individual azoles appeared to be influenced by the structure of azole compound (prochloraz - main outlier). Taken together, these findings demonstrate the importance of study of stress response mechanisms, specifically in filamentous fungi. Many aspects of the reaction within azoles seem to be similar, though specificities are occurring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ján Víglaš
- Institute of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Food and Chemical Technology, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Radlinského 9, 81237 Bratislava, Slovakia.
| | - Petra Olejníková
- Institute of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Food and Chemical Technology, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Radlinského 9, 81237 Bratislava, Slovakia.
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Rico-Ramírez AM, Pedro Gonçalves A, Louise Glass N. Fungal Cell Death: The Beginning of the End. Fungal Genet Biol 2022; 159:103671. [PMID: 35150840 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2022.103671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Revised: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Death is an important part of an organism's existence and also marks the end of life. On a cellular level, death involves the execution of complex processes, which can be classified into different types depending on their characteristics. Despite their "simple" lifestyle, fungi carry out highly specialized and sophisticated mechanisms to regulate the way their cells die, and the pathways underlying these mechanisms are comparable with those of plants and metazoans. This review focuses on regulated cell death in fungi and discusses the evidence for the occurrence of apoptotic-like, necroptosis-like, pyroptosis-like death, and the role of the NLR proteins in fungal cell death. We also describe recent data on meiotic drive elements involved in "spore killing" and the molecular basis of allorecognition-related cell death during cell fusion of genetically dissimilar cells. Finally, we discuss how fungal regulated cell death can be relevant in developing strategies to avoid resistance and tolerance to antifungal agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana M Rico-Ramírez
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - A Pedro Gonçalves
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan City, 701, Taiwan
| | - N Louise Glass
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720.
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Santos FC, Marquês JT, Bento‐Oliveira A, Almeida RF. Sphingolipid‐enriched domains in fungi. FEBS Lett 2020; 594:3698-3718. [DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.13986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2020] [Revised: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Filipa C. Santos
- Centro de Química Estrutural Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa Campo Grande Portugal
| | - Joaquim T. Marquês
- Centro de Química Estrutural Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa Campo Grande Portugal
| | - Andreia Bento‐Oliveira
- Centro de Química Estrutural Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa Campo Grande Portugal
| | - Rodrigo F.M. Almeida
- Centro de Química Estrutural Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa Campo Grande Portugal
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Khmelinskaia A, Marquês JMT, Bastos AEP, Antunes CAC, Bento-Oliveira A, Scolari S, Lobo GMDS, Malhó R, Herrmann A, Marinho HS, de Almeida RFM. Liquid-Ordered Phase Formation by Mammalian and Yeast Sterols: A Common Feature With Organizational Differences. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:337. [PMID: 32596234 PMCID: PMC7304482 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.00337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 04/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Here, biophysical properties of membranes enriched in three metabolically related sterols are analyzed both in vitro and in vivo. Unlike cholesterol and ergosterol, the common metabolic precursor zymosterol is unable to induce the formation of a liquid ordered (l o) phase in model lipid membranes and can easily accommodate in a gel phase. As a result, Zym has a marginal ability to modulate the passive membrane permeability of lipid vesicles with different compositions, contrary to cholesterol and ergosterol. Using fluorescence-lifetime imaging microscopy of an aminostyryl dye in living mammalian and yeast cells we established a close parallel between sterol-dependent membrane biophysical properties in vivo and in vitro. This approach unraveled fundamental differences in yeast and mammalian plasma membrane organization. It is often suggested that, in eukaryotes, areas that are sterol-enriched are also rich in sphingolipids, constituting highly ordered membrane regions. Our results support that while cholesterol is able to interact with saturated lipids, ergosterol seems to interact preferentially with monounsaturated phosphatidylcholines. Taken together, we show that different eukaryotic kingdoms developed unique solutions for the formation of a sterol-rich plasma membrane, a common evolutionary trait that accounts for sterol structural diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alena Khmelinskaia
- Centro de Química Estrutural, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Joaquim M T Marquês
- Centro de Química Estrutural, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - André E P Bastos
- Centro de Química Estrutural, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Catarina A C Antunes
- Centro de Química Estrutural, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Andreia Bento-Oliveira
- Centro de Química Estrutural, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Silvia Scolari
- Department of Biology, Molecular Biophysics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Gerson M da S Lobo
- Centro de Química Estrutural, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Rui Malhó
- Faculdade de Ciências, BioISI, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Andreas Herrmann
- Department of Biology, Molecular Biophysics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - H Susana Marinho
- Centro de Química Estrutural, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Rodrigo F M de Almeida
- Centro de Química Estrutural, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
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Two small, cysteine-rich and cationic antifungal proteins from Penicillium chrysogenum: A comparative study of PAF and PAFB. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2020; 1862:183246. [PMID: 32142818 PMCID: PMC7138148 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2020.183246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2019] [Revised: 02/06/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The filamentous fungus Penicillium chrysogenum Q176 secretes the antimicrobial proteins (AMPs) PAF and PAFB, which share a compact disulfide-bond mediated, β-fold structure rendering them highly stable. These two AMPs effectively inhibit the growth of human pathogenic fungi in micromolar concentrations and exhibit antiviral potential without causing cytotoxic effects on mammalian cells in vitro and in vivo. The antifungal mechanism of action of both AMPs is closely linked to - but not solely dependent on - the lipid composition of the fungal cell membrane and requires a strictly regulated protein uptake into the cell, indicating that PAF and PAFB are not canonical membrane active proteins. Variations in their antifungal spectrum and their killing dynamics point towards a divergent mode of action related to their physicochemical properties and surface charge distribution. In this review, we relate characteristic features of PAF and PAFB to the current knowledge about other AMPs of different sources. In addition, we present original data that have never been published before to substantiate our assumptions and provide evidences that help to explain and understand better the mechanistic function of PAF and PAFB. Finally, we underline the promising potential of PAF and PAFB as future antifungal therapeutics. Penicillium chrysogenum secretes the small, cysteine-rich proteins PAF and PAFB. Both exhibit antifungal activity, but with differences in their mode of action. Structure, membrane interaction and cellular uptake determine their function. PAF and PAFB are well tolerated by mammalian cells. They promise applicability in medicine, plant protection and food industry.
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Huber A, Oemer G, Malanovic N, Lohner K, Kovács L, Salvenmoser W, Zschocke J, Keller MA, Marx F. Membrane Sphingolipids Regulate the Fitness and Antifungal Protein Susceptibility of Neurospora crassa. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:605. [PMID: 31031714 PMCID: PMC6471014 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Accepted: 03/11/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The membrane sphingolipid glucosylceramide (GlcCer) plays an important role in fungal fitness and adaptation to most diverse environments. Moreover, reported differences in the structure of GlcCer between fungi, plants and animals render this pathway a promising target for new generation therapeutics. Our knowledge about the GlcCer biosynthesis in fungi is mainly based on investigations of yeasts, whereas this pathway is less well characterized in molds. We therefore performed a detailed lipidomic profiling of GlcCer species present in Neurospora crassa and comprehensively show that the deletion of genes encoding enzymes involved in GlcCer biosynthesis affects growth, conidiation and stress response in this model fungus. Importantly, our study evidences that differences in the pathway intermediates and their functional role exist between N. crassa and other fungal species. We further investigated the role of GlcCer in the susceptibility of N. crassa toward two small cysteine-rich and cationic antimicrobial proteins (AMPs), PAF and PAFB, which originate from the filamentous ascomycete Penicillium chrysogenum. The interaction of these AMPs with the fungal plasma membrane is crucial for their antifungal toxicity. We found that GlcCer determines the susceptibility of N. crassa toward PAF, but not PAFB. A higher electrostatic affinity of PAFB than PAF to anionic membrane surfaces might explain the difference in their antifungal mode of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Huber
- Division of Molecular Biology, Biocenter, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Gregor Oemer
- Division of Human Genetics, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Nermina Malanovic
- Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Biophysics Division, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Karl Lohner
- Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Biophysics Division, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Laura Kovács
- Division of Molecular Biology, Biocenter, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | | | - Johannes Zschocke
- Division of Human Genetics, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Markus A Keller
- Division of Human Genetics, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Florentine Marx
- Division of Molecular Biology, Biocenter, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
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