scholarly journals A family of cell wall transglutaminases is essential for appressorium development and pathogenicity in Phytophthora infestans

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maja Brus-Szkalej ◽  
Christian B. Andersen ◽  
Ramesh R. Vetukuri ◽  
Laura J. Grenville-Briggs Didymus
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Phytophthora Infestans ◽  
Sequence Similarity ◽  
Turgor Pressure ◽  
Intermediate Phenotype ◽  
Entire Family ◽  
Drug Concentrations ◽  
Lower Drug ◽  
Chemical Inhibition ◽  
Eukaryotic Organisms

Transglutaminases (TGases) are enzymes highly conserved among prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms, where their role is to catalyse protein cross-linking. One of the putative TGases of Phytophthora infestans has previously been shown to be localised to the cell wall. Based on sequence similarity we were able to identify six more genes annotated as putative TGases and show that these seven genes group together in phylogenetic analysis. All of the seven proteins are predicted to contain transmembrane helices and both a TGase domain and a MANSC domain, the latter of which was previously shown to play a role in protein stability. Chemical inhibition of transglutaminase activity and silencing of the entire family of the putative cell wall TGases are both lethal to P. infestans indicating the importance of these proteins in cell wall formation and stability. The intermediate phenotype obtained with lower drug concentrations and less efficient silencing displays a number of deformations to germ tubes and appressoria. Both chemically treated and silenced lines show lower pathogenicity than the wild type in leaf infection assays. Finally, we show that appressoria of P. infestans possess the ability to build up turgor pressure and that this ability is decreased by chemical inhibition of TGases.

scholarly journals UDP-glucose dehydrogenases of maize: a role in cell wall pentose biosynthesis

2005 ◽  
Vol 391 (2) ◽  
pp. 409-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Kärkönen ◽  
Alain Murigneux ◽  
Jean-Pierre Martinant ◽  
Elodie Pepey ◽  
Christophe Tatout ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Sequence Similarity ◽  
Glucose Dehydrogenase ◽  
Soya Bean ◽  
Amino Acid Sequences ◽  
Cell Wall Polysaccharide ◽  
Polysaccharide Biosynthesis ◽  
Polysaccharide Synthesis ◽  
Ethanol Dehydrogenase ◽  
Adh Activity

UDPGDH (UDP-D-glucose dehydrogenase) oxidizes UDP-Glc (UDP-D-glucose) to UDP-GlcA (UDP-D-glucuronate), the precursor of UDP-D-xylose and UDP-L-arabinose, major cell wall polysaccharide precursors. Maize (Zea mays L.) has at least two putative UDPGDH genes (A and B), according to sequence similarity to a soya bean UDPGDH gene. The predicted maize amino acid sequences have 95% similarity to that of soya bean. Maize mutants with a Mu-element insertion in UDPGDH-A or UDPGDH-B were isolated (udpgdh-A1 and udpgdh-B1 respectively) and studied for changes in wall polysaccharide biosynthesis. The udpgdh-A1 and udpgdh-B1 homozygotes showed no visible phenotype but exhibited 90 and 60–70% less UDPGDH activity respectively than wild-types in a radiochemical assay with 30 μM UDP-glucose. Ethanol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity varied independently of UDPGDH activity, supporting the hypothesis that ADH and UDPGDH activities are due to different enzymes in maize. When extracts from wild-types and udpgdh-A1 homozygotes were assayed with increasing concentrations of UDP-Glc, at least two isoforms of UDPGDH were detected, having Km values of approx. 380 and 950 μM for UDP-Glc. Leaf and stem non-cellulosic polysaccharides had lower Ara/Gal and Xyl/Gal ratios in udpgdh-A1 homozygotes than in wild-types, whereas udpgdh-B1 homozygotes exhibited more variability among individual plants, suggesting that UDPGDH-A activity has a more important role than UDPGDH-B in UDP-GlcA synthesis. The fact that mutation of a UDPGDH gene interferes with polysaccharide synthesis suggests a greater importance for the sugar nucleotide oxidation pathway than for the myo-inositol pathway in UDP-GlcA biosynthesis during post-germinative growth of maize.

scholarly journals Cell Wall-Related Bionumbers and Bioestimates of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frans M. Klis ◽  
Chris G. de Koster ◽  
Stanley Brul
Keyword(s):  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Cell Wall ◽  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Cell Size ◽  
Pathogenic Fungus ◽  
Turgor Pressure ◽  
Hyphal Growth ◽  
Biological Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Starting Point

ABSTRACTBionumbers and bioestimates are valuable tools in biological research. Here we focus on cell wall-related bionumbers and bioestimates of the budding yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiaeand the polymorphic, pathogenic fungusCandida albicans. We discuss the linear relationship between cell size and cell ploidy, the correlation between cell size and specific growth rate, the effect of turgor pressure on cell size, and the reason why using fixed cells for measuring cellular dimensions can result in serious underestimation ofin vivovalues. We further consider the evidence that individual buds and hyphae grow linearly and that exponential growth of the population results from regular formation of new daughter cells and regular hyphal branching. Our calculations show that hyphal growth allowsC. albicansto cover much larger distances per unit of time than the yeast mode of growth and that this is accompanied by strongly increased surface expansion rates. We therefore predict that the transcript levels of genes involved in wall formation increase during hyphal growth. Interestingly, wall proteins and polysaccharides seem barely, if at all, subject to turnover and replacement. A general lesson is how strongly most bionumbers and bioestimates depend on environmental conditions and genetic background, thus reemphasizing the importance of well-defined and carefully chosen culture conditions and experimental approaches. Finally, we propose that the numbers and estimates described here offer a solid starting point for similar studies of other cell compartments and other yeast species.

scholarly journals Diversity of GPI-anchored fungal adhesins

2020 ◽  
Vol 401 (12) ◽  
pp. 1389-1405
Author(s):  
Lars-Oliver Essen ◽  
Marian Samuel Vogt ◽  
Hans-Ulrich Mösch
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Cell Surface ◽  
Bioinformatics Analysis ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Sequence Similarity ◽  
Growth Forms ◽  
Similarity Networks ◽  
Fungal Adhesins ◽  
Sequence Similarity Networks ◽  
Successful Colonization

AbstractSelective adhesion of fungal cells to one another and to foreign surfaces is fundamental for the development of multicellular growth forms and the successful colonization of substrates and host organisms. Accordingly, fungi possess diverse cell wall-associated adhesins, mostly large glycoproteins, which present N-terminal adhesion domains at the cell surface for ligand recognition and binding. In order to function as robust adhesins, these glycoproteins must be covalently linkedto the cell wall via C-terminal glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchors by transglycosylation. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on the structural and functional diversity of so far characterized protein families of adhesion domains and set it into a broad context by an in-depth bioinformatics analysis using sequence similarity networks. In addition, we discuss possible mechanisms for the membrane-to-cell wall transfer of fungal adhesins by membrane-anchored Dfg5 transglycosidases.

scholarly journals Cell wall biosynthesis and the molecular mechanism of plant enlargement

2009 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 383 ◽  
Author(s):  
John S. Boyer
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Critical Level ◽  
Turgor Pressure ◽  
Chara Corallina ◽  
Wall Material ◽  
Primary Wall ◽  
Terrestrial Plants ◽  
Green Plants ◽  
Wall Deposition ◽  
Wall Growth

Recently discovered reactions allow the green alga Chara corallina (Klien ex. Willd., em. R.D.W.) to grow well without the benefit of xyloglucan or rhamnogalactan II in its cell wall. Growth rates are controlled by polygalacturonic acid (pectate) bound with calcium in the primary wall, and the reactions remove calcium from these bonds when new pectate is supplied. The removal appears to occur preferentially in bonds distorted by wall tension produced by the turgor pressure (P). The loss of calcium accelerates irreversible wall extension if P is above a critical level. The new pectate (now calcium pectate) then binds to the wall and decelerates wall extension, depositing new wall material on and within the old wall. Together, these reactions create a non-enzymatic but stoichiometric link between wall growth and wall deposition. In green plants, pectate is one of the most conserved components of the primary wall, and it is therefore proposed that the acceleration-deceleration-wall deposition reactions are of wide occurrence likely to underlie growth in virtually all green plants. C. corallina is one of the closest relatives of the progenitors of terrestrial plants, and this review focuses on the pectate reactions and how they may fit existing theories of plant growth.

scholarly journals Interplay between antibiotic efficacy and drug-induced lysis underlies enhanced biofilm formation at subinhibitory drug concentrations

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen Yu ◽  
Kelsey Hallinen ◽  
Kevin B. Wood
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Cell Lysis ◽  
Living Cells ◽  
Cell Wall Synthesis ◽  
Drug Induced ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Drug Concentrations ◽  
Subinhibitory Concentrations ◽  
Antibiotic Efficacy

Subinhibitory concentrations of antibiotics have been shown to enhance biofilm formation in multiple bacterial species. While antibiotic exposure has been associated with modulated expression in many biofilm-related genes, the mechanisms of drug-induced biofilm formation remain a focus of ongoing research efforts and may vary significantly across species. In this work, we investigate antibiotic-induced biofilm formation inE. faecalis, a leading cause of nosocomial infections. We show that biofilm formation is enhanced by subinhibitory concentrations of cell wall synthesis inhibitors, but not by inhibitors of protein, DNA, folic acid, or RNA synthesis. Furthermore, enhanced biofilm is associated with increased cell lysis, an increase in extracellular DNA (eDNA), and an increase in the density of living cells in the biofilm. In addition, we observe similar enhancement of biofilm formation when cells are treated with non-antibiotic surfactants that induce cell lysis. These findings suggest that antibiotic-induced biofilm formation is governed by a trade-off between drug toxicity and the beneficial effects of cell lysis. To understand this trade-off, we developed a simple mathematical model that predicts changes to antibiotic-induced biofilm formation due to external perturbations, and we verify these predictions experimentally. Specifically, we demonstrate that perturbations that reduce eDNA (DNase treatment) or decrease the number of living cells in the planktonic phase (a second antibiotic) decrease biofilm induction, while chemical inhibitors of cell lysis increase relative biofilm induction and shift the peak to higher antibiotic concentrations. Overall, our results offer experimental evidence linking cell wall synthesis inhibitors, cell lysis, increased eDNA, and biofilm formation inE. faecaliswhile also providing a predictive, quantitative model that sheds light on the interplay between cell lysis and antibiotic efficacy in developing biofilms.

scholarly journals Catalysts of plant cell wall loosening

F1000Research ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel J. Cosgrove
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Plant Cell Wall ◽  
Turgor Pressure ◽  
Wall Stress ◽  
Primary Cell Wall ◽  
Wall Structure ◽  
Xyloglucan Endotransglycosylase ◽  
Growing Cell ◽  
Tensile Forces ◽  
Wall Loosening

The growing cell wall in plants has conflicting requirements to be strong enough to withstand the high tensile forces generated by cell turgor pressure while selectively yielding to those forces to induce wall stress relaxation, leading to water uptake and polymer movements underlying cell wall expansion. In this article, I review emerging concepts of plant primary cell wall structure, the nature of wall extensibility and the action of expansins, family-9 and -12 endoglucanases, family-16 xyloglucan endotransglycosylase/hydrolase (XTH), and pectin methylesterases, and offer a critical assessment of their wall-loosening activity

scholarly journals Gulosibacter molinativorax gen. nov., sp. nov., a molinate-degrading bacterium, and classification of ‘Brevibacterium helvolum’ DSM 20419 as Pseudoclavibacter helvolus gen. nov., sp. nov.

2004 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 783-789 ◽  
Author(s):  
Célia M. Manaia ◽  
Balbina Nogales ◽  
Norbert Weiss ◽  
Olga C. Nunes
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
16S Rdna ◽  
Sequence Similarity ◽  
Rdna Sequence ◽  
Strictly Aerobic ◽  
16S Rdna Sequence ◽  
Cell Wall Peptidoglycan ◽  
16S Rdna Sequence Analysis ◽  
Degrading Bacterium ◽  
Phylogenetic Level

A Gram-positive, molinate-degrading bacterium, strain ON4T (=DSM 13485T=LMG 21909T), was isolated from a mixed bacterial culture able to mineralize the herbicide molinate. The strain was strictly aerobic, oxidase- and catalase-positive and non-acid-fast, with a growth temperature of 10–41 °C. It contained the major menaquinone MK-9 and a cell-wall peptidoglycan based on d-ornithine. 16S rDNA sequence analysis revealed that the strain formed a distinct line of descent in the family Microbacteriaceae, showing the highest 16S rDNA similarity (∼95 %) to members of the genus Curtobacterium and ‘Brevibacterium helvolum’ DSM 20419 (=ATCC 13715). The latter was reported to have the cell-wall peptidoglycan type B2γ and the major menaquinone MK-9, which are typical of Clavibacter, but it is clearly separated from this genus at the phylogenetic level. Based on low values of 16S rDNA sequence similarity to previously described genera and their distinctive phenotypic characteristics, it is proposed that strains ON4T and ‘B. helvolum’ DSM 20419 be classified as two novel genera and species, with the respective names Gulosibacter molinativorax gen. nov., sp. nov. and Pseudoclavibater helvolus gen. nov., sp. nov.

scholarly journals SpoVG Regulates Cell Wall Metabolism and Oxacillin Resistance in Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Strain N315

2016 ◽  
Vol 60 (6) ◽  
pp. 3455-3461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoyu Liu ◽  
Shijie Zhang ◽  
Baolin Sun
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Cell Wall ◽  
Aureus Strain ◽  
Cell Wall Metabolism ◽  
Mobility Shift ◽  
Entire Family ◽  
Positive Role ◽  
Methicillin Resistant ◽  
Oxacillin Resistance ◽  
Mrsa Strains

Increasing cases of infections caused by methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA) strains in healthy individuals have raised concerns worldwide. MRSA strains are resistant to almost the entire family of β-lactam antibiotics due to the acquisition of an extra penicillin-binding protein, PBP2a. Studies have shown thatspoVGis involved in oxacillin resistance, while the regulatory mechanism remains elusive. In this study, we have found that SpoVG plays a positive role in oxacillin resistance through promoting cell wall synthesis and inhibiting cell wall degradation in MRSA strain N315. Deletion ofspoVGin strain N315 led to a significant decrease in oxacillin resistance and a dramatic increase in Triton X-100-induced autolytic activity simultaneously. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription-PCR revealed that the expression of 8 genes related to cell wall metabolism or oxacillin resistance was altered in thespoVGmutant. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay indicated that SpoVG can directly bind to the putative promoter regions oflytN(murein hydrolase),femA, andlytSR(the two-component system). These findings suggest a molecular mechanism in which SpoVG modulates oxacillin resistance by regulating cell wall metabolism in MRSA.

scholarly journals Yeast osmosensor Sln1 and plant cytokinin receptor Cre1 respond to changes in turgor pressure

2003 ◽  
Vol 161 (6) ◽  
pp. 1035-1040 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladimír Reiser ◽  
Desmond C. Raitt ◽  
Haruo Saito
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Histidine Kinase ◽  
Turgor Pressure ◽  
Hyperosmotic Stress ◽  
Cytokinin Receptor ◽  
High Osmolarity ◽  
High Osmolarity Glycerol ◽  
High Osmolarity Glycerol Pathway ◽  
Cytokinin Response

Very little is known about how cellular osmosensors monitor changes in osmolarity of the environment. Here, we report that in yeast, Sln1 osmosensor histidine kinase monitors changes in turgor pressures. Reductions in turgor caused by either hyperosmotic stress, nystatin, or removal of cell wall activate MAPK Hog1 specifically through the SLN1 branch, but not through the SHO1 branch of the high osmolarity glycerol pathway. The integrity of the periplasmic region of Sln1 was essential for its sensor function. We found that activity of the plant histidine kinase cytokinin response 1 (Cre1) is also regulated by changes in turgor pressure, in a manner identical to that of Sln1, in the presence of cytokinin. We propose that Sln1 and Cre1 are turgor sensors, and that similar turgor-sensing mechanisms might regulate hyperosmotic stress responses both in yeast and plants.

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