Vegetative incompatibility in fungi: From recognition to cell death, whatever does the trick

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 152-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathieu Paoletti
2007 ◽  
Vol 6 (11) ◽  
pp. 2001-2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Paoletti ◽  
C. Clavé

ABSTRACT Vegetative incompatibility is a programmed cell death reaction that occurs when fungal cells of unlike genotypes fuse. Genes defining vegetative incompatibility (het genes) are highly polymorphic, and most if not all incompatibility systems include a protein partner bearing the fungus-specific domain termed the HET domain. The nonallelic het-C/het-E incompatibility system is the best-characterized incompatibility system in Podospora anserina. Cell death is triggered by interaction of specific alleles of het-C, encoding a glycolipid transfer protein, and het-E, encoding a HET domain and a WD repeat domain involved in recognition. We show here that overexpression of the isolated HET domain from het-E results in cell death. This cell death is characterized by induction of autophagy, increased vacuolization, septation, and production of lipid droplets, which are hallmarks of cell death by incompatibility. In addition, the HET domain lethality is suppressed by the same mutations as vegetative incompatibility, but not by the inactivation of het-C. These results establish the HET domain as the mediator of cell death by incompatibility and lead to a modular conception of incompatibility systems whereby recognition is ensured by the variable regions of incompatibility proteins and cell death is triggered by the HET domain.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anatoly A Belov ◽  
Thomas E Witte ◽  
David P Overy ◽  
Myron L Smith

Abstract The underlying molecular mechanisms of programmed cell death associated with fungal allorecognition, a form of innate immunity, remain largely unknown. In this study, transcriptome analysis was used to infer mechanisms activated during barrage formation in vic3-incompatible strains of Cryphonectria parasitica, the chestnut blight fungus. Pronounced differential expression occurred in barraging strains of genes involved in mating pheromone (mf2-1, mf2-2), secondary metabolite production, detoxification (including oxidative stress), apoptosis-related, RNA interference, and HET-domain genes. Evidence for secondary metabolite production and reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation is supported through UPLC-HRMS analysis and cytological staining, respectively. Differential expression of mating-related genes and HET-domain genes was further examined by RT-qPCR of incompatible interactions involving each of the six vegetative incompatibility (vic) loci in C. parasitica and revealed distinct recognition process networks. We infer that vegetative incompatibility in C. parasitica activates defence reactions that involve secondary metabolism, resulting in increased toxicity of the extra- and intracellular environment. Accumulation of ROS (and other potential toxins) may result in detoxification failure and activation of apoptosis, sporulation, and the expression of associated pheromone genes. The incompatible reaction leaves abundant traces of a process-specific metabolome as conidiation is initiated.


Author(s):  
Anne F. Bushnell ◽  
Sarah Webster ◽  
Lynn S. Perlmutter

Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is an important mechanism in development and in diverse disease states. The morphological characteristics of apoptosis were first identified using the electron microscope. Since then, DNA laddering on agarose gels was found to correlate well with apoptotic cell death in cultured cells of dissimilar origins. Recently numerous DNA nick end labeling methods have been developed in an attempt to visualize, at the light microscopic level, the apoptotic cells responsible for DNA laddering.The present studies were designed to compare various tissue processing techniques and staining methods to assess the occurrence of apoptosis in post mortem tissue from Alzheimer's diseased (AD) and control human brains by DNA nick end labeling methods. Three tissue preparation methods and two commercial DNA nick end labeling kits were evaluated: the Apoptag kit from Oncor and the Biotin-21 dUTP 3' end labeling kit from Clontech. The detection methods of the two kits differed in that the Oncor kit used digoxigenin dUTP and anti-digoxigenin-peroxidase and the Clontech used biotinylated dUTP and avidinperoxidase. Both used 3-3' diaminobenzidine (DAB) for final color development.


Author(s):  
S. Trachtenberg ◽  
P.M. Steinert ◽  
B.L. Trus ◽  
A.C. Steven

During terminal differentiation of vertebrate epidermis, certain specific keratin intermediate filament (KIF) proteins are produced. Keratinization of the epidermis involves cell death and disruption of the cytoplasm, leaving a network of KIF embedded in an amorphous matrix which forms the outer horny layer known as the stratum corneum. Eventually these cells are shed (desquamation). Normally, the processes of differentiation, keratinization, and desquamation are regulated in an orderly manner. In psoriasis, a chronic skin disease, a hyperkeratotic stratum corneum is produced, resulting in abnormal desquamation of unusually large scales. In this disease, the normal KIF proteins are diminished in amount or absent, and other proteins more typical of proliferative epidermal cells are present. There is also evidence of proteolytic degradation of the KIF.


Author(s):  
Eric Hallberg ◽  
Lina Hansén

The antennal rudiments in lepidopterous insects are present as disks during the larval stage. The tubular double-walled antennal disk is present beneath the larval antenna, and its inner layer gives rise to the adult antenna during the pupal stage. The sensilla develop from a cluster of cells that are derived from one stem cell, which gives rise to both sensory and enveloping cells. During the morphogenesis of the sensillum these cells undergo major transformations, including cell death. In the moth Agrotis segetum the pupal stage lasts about 14 days (temperature, 25°C). The antennae, clearly seen from the exterior, were dissected and fixed according to standard procedures (3 % glutaraldehyde in 0.15 M cacaodylate buffer, followed by 1 % osmiumtetroxide in the same buffer). Pupae from day 1 to day 8, of both sexes were studied.


Author(s):  
M.A. Cuadros ◽  
M.J. Martinez-Guerrero ◽  
A. Rios

In the chick embryo retina (days 3-4 of incubation), coinciding with an increase in cell death, specialized phagocytes characterized by intense acid phosphatase activity have been described. In these preparations, all free cells in the vitreal humor (vitreal cells) were strongly labeled. Conventional TEM and SEM techniques were used to characterize them and attempt to determine their relationship with retinal phagocytes.Two types of vitreal cells were distinguished. The first are located at some distance from the basement membrane of the neuroepithelium, and are rounded, with numerous vacuoles and thin cytoplasmic prolongations. Images of exo- and or endocytosis were frequent; the cells showed a well-developed Golgi apparatus (Fig. 1) In SEM images, the cells was covered with short cellular processes (Fig. 3). Cells lying parallel to or alongside the basement membrane are elongated. The plasma membrane is frequently in intimate contact with the basement membrane. These cells have generally a large cytoplasmic expansion (Fig. 5).


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 613-620
Author(s):  
Clara Ortegón Salas ◽  
Katharina Schneider ◽  
Christopher Horst Lillig ◽  
Manuela Gellert

Processing of and responding to various signals is an essential cellular function that influences survival, homeostasis, development, and cell death. Extra- or intracellular signals are perceived via specific receptors and transduced in a particular signalling pathway that results in a precise response. Reversible post-translational redox modifications of cysteinyl and methionyl residues have been characterised in countless signal transduction pathways. Due to the low reactivity of most sulfur-containing amino acid side chains with hydrogen peroxide, for instance, and also to ensure specificity, redox signalling requires catalysis, just like phosphorylation signalling requires kinases and phosphatases. While reducing enzymes of both cysteinyl- and methionyl-derivates have been characterised in great detail before, the discovery and characterisation of MICAL proteins evinced the first examples of specific oxidases in signal transduction. This article provides an overview of the functions of MICAL proteins in the redox regulation of cellular functions.


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