A putative F‐box‐domain‐encoding gene AOL_s00076g207 regulates the development and pathogenicity of Arthrobotrys oligospora

AbstractCyanobacteria are important members of lake plankton, but they have the ability to form blooms and produce cyanotoxins and thus cause a number of adverse effects. Freshwater ecosystems around the world have been investigated for the distribution of cyanobacteria and their toxins and the effects they have on the ecosystems. Similar research was performed on the Fehérvárcsurgó reservoir in Hungary during 2018. Cyanobacteria were present and blooming, and the highest abundance was recorded in July (2,822,000 cells/mL). The species present were Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, Microcystis flos-aquae, Microcystis wesenbergii, Cuspidothrix issatschenkoi, Dolichospermum flos-aquae, and Snowella litoralis. In July and September, the microcystin encoding gene mcyE and the saxitoxin encoding gene sxtG were amplified in the biomass samples. While a low concentration of microcystin-RR was found in one water sample from July, analyses of Abramis brama and Carassius gibelio caught from the reservoir did not show the presence of the investigated microcystins in the fish tissue. However, several histopathological changes, predominantly in gills and kidneys, were observed in the fish, and the damage was more severe during May and especially July, which coincides with the increase in cyanobacterial biomass during the summer months. Cyanobacteria may thus have adverse effects in this ecosystem.

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The E3-ligase AoUBR1 in N-End Rule Pathway is Involved in the Vegetative Growth, Secretome, and Trap Formation in Arthrobotrys oligospora

Fungal Biology ◽

10.1016/j.funbio.2021.02.003 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Weiwei Zhang ◽

Jiezuo Chen ◽

Yani Fan ◽

Muzammil Hussain ◽

Xingzhong Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vegetative Growth ◽

E3 Ligase ◽

Arthrobotrys Oligospora ◽

Trap Formation

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Mutations of folC cause increased susceptibility to sulfamethoxazole in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-80213-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ruiqi Wang ◽

Kun Li ◽

Jifang Yu ◽

Jiaoyu Deng ◽

Yaokai Chen

Keyword(s):

Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽

Type Strain ◽

Wild Type Strain ◽

Clinical Isolates ◽

Aminobenzoic Acid ◽

Wild Type ◽

Dihydropteroate Synthase ◽

Expression Levels ◽

Encoding Gene ◽

Increased Susceptibility

AbstractPrevious studies showed that mutation of folC caused decreased expression of the dihydropteroate synthase encoding gene folP2 in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis). We speculated that mutation of folC in M. tuberculosis might affect the susceptibility to sulfamethoxazole (SMX). To prove this, 53 clinical isolates with folC mutations were selected and two folC mutants (I43A, I43T) were constructed based on M. tuberculosis H37Ra. The results showed that 42 of the 53 clinical isolates (79.2%) and the two lab-constructed folC mutants were more sensitive to SMX. To probe the mechanism by which folC mutations make M. tuberculosis more sensitive to SMX, folP2 was deleted in H37Ra, and expression levels of folP2 were compared between H37Ra and the two folC mutants. Although deletion of folP2 resulted in increased susceptibility to SMX, no difference in folP2 expression was observed. Furthermore, production levels of para-aminobenzoic acid (pABA) were compared between the folC mutants and the wild-type strain, and results showed that folC mutation resulted in decreased production of pABA. Taken together, we show that folC mutation leads to decreased production of pABA in M. tuberculosis and thus affects its susceptibility to SMX, which broadens our understanding of mechanisms of susceptibilities to antifolates in this bacterium.

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A Dominant Negative Effect of eth-1r, a Mutant Allele of the Neurospora crassa S-Adenosylmethionine Synthetase-Encoding Gene Conferring Resistance to the Methionine Toxic Analogue Ethionine

Genetics ◽

10.1093/genetics/144.4.1455 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 144 (4) ◽

pp. 1455-1462

Author(s):

José L Barra ◽

Mario R Mautino ◽

Alberto L Rosa

Keyword(s):

Neurospora Crassa ◽

Dominant Negative ◽

Dominant Negative Effect ◽

Resistant Phenotype ◽

Negative Effect ◽

Encoding Gene ◽

Adenosylmethionine Synthetase ◽

Adomet Synthetase ◽

Identical Gene

eth-1r a thermosensitive allele of the Neurospora crassa S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet) synthetase gene that confers ethionine resistance, has been cloned and sequenced. Replacement of an aspartic amino acid residue (D48 → N48), perfectly conserved in prokaryotic, fungal and higher eukaryotic AdoMet synthetases, was found responsible for both thermosensitivity and ethionine resistance conferred by eth-1r. Gene fusion constructs, designed to overexpress eth-1r in vivo, render transformant cells resistant to ethionine. Dominance of ethionine resistance was further demonstrated in eth-1 +/eth-1r partial diploids carrying identical gene doses of both alleles. Heterozygous eth-1 +/eth-1r cells have, at the same time, both the thermotolerance conferred by eth-1 + and the ethionine-resistant phenotype conferred by eth-1r. AdoMet levels and AdoMet synthetase activities were dramatically decreased in heterozygous eth-1 +/eth-1r cells. We propose that this negative effect exerted by eth-1r results from the in vivo formation of heteromeric eth-1 +/eth-1r AdoMet synthetase molecules.

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Molecular identification and antimicrobial activities of some wild Egyptian mushrooms: Bjerkandera adusta as a promising source of bioactive antimicrobial phenolic compounds

Journal of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology ◽

10.1186/s43141-021-00200-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Elham R. S. Soliman ◽

Heba El-Sayed

Keyword(s):

Phenolic Compounds ◽

Micrococcus Luteus ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Antimicrobial Activities ◽

Bjerkandera Adusta ◽

Internal Transcribed Spacer Region ◽

Agrocybe Aegerita ◽

Encoding Gene ◽

Promising Source ◽

Related Compounds

Abstract Background The discovery of potential, new cost-effective drug resources in the form of bioactive compounds from mushrooms is one way to control the resistant pathogens. In the present research, the fruiting bodies of five wild mushrooms were collected from Egypt and identified using internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) of the rRNA encoding gene and their phylogenetic relationships, antimicrobial activities, and biochemical and phenolic compounds were evaluated. Results The sequences revealed identity to Bjerkandera adusta, Cyclocybe cylindracea, Agrocybe aegerita, Chlorophyllum molybdites, and Lentinus squarrosulus in which Cyclocybe cylindracea and Agrocybe aegerita were closely related, while Chlorophyllum molybdites was far distant. Cyclocybe cylindracea and Agrocybe aegerita showed 100% similarity based on the sequenced ITS-rDNA fragment and dissimilar antimicrobial activities and chemical composition were detected. Bjerkandera adusta and Cyclocybe cylindracea showed strong antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus luteus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Candida albicans. This activity could be attributed to the detected phenolic and related compounds’ contents. Conclusion Our finding provides a quick and robust implement for mushroom identification that would facilitate mushroom domestication and characterization for human benefit.

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The transcription factor OpWRKY2 positively regulates the biosynthesis of the anticancer drug camptothecin in Ophiorrhiza pumila

Horticulture Research ◽

10.1038/s41438-020-00437-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Xiaolong Hao ◽

Chenhong Xie ◽

Qingyan Ruan ◽

Xichen Zhang ◽

Chao Wu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Transcription Factor ◽

Anticancer Activity ◽

Time Course ◽

Indole Alkaloid ◽

Fold Increase ◽

Wrky Transcription Factor ◽

Mobility Shift ◽

Pathway Gene ◽

Low Concentrations ◽

Encoding Gene

AbstractThe limited bioavailability of plant-derived natural products with anticancer activity poses major challenges to the pharmaceutical industry. An example of this is camptothecin, a monoterpene indole alkaloid with potent anticancer activity that is extracted at very low concentrations from woody plants. Recently, camptothecin biosynthesis has been shown to become biotechnologically amenable in hairy-root systems of the natural producer Ophiorrhiza pumila. Here, time-course expression and metabolite analyses were performed to identify novel transcriptional regulators of camptothecin biosynthesis in O. pumila. It is shown here that camptothecin production increased over cultivation time and that the expression pattern of the WRKY transcription factor encoding gene OpWRKY2 is closely correlated with camptothecin accumulation. Overexpression of OpWRKY2 led to a more than three-fold increase in camptothecin levels. Accordingly, silencing of OpWRKY2 correlated with decreased camptothecin levels in the plant. Further detailed molecular characterization by electrophoretic mobility shift, yeast one-hybrid and dual-luciferase assays showed that OpWRKY2 directly binds and activates the central camptothecin pathway gene OpTDC. Taken together, the results of this study demonstrate that OpWRKY2 acts as a direct positive regulator of camptothecin biosynthesis. As such, a feasible strategy for the over-accumulation of camptothecin in a biotechnologically amenable system is presented.

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