scholarly journals A glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored α-amylase encoded by amyD contributes to a decrease in the molecular mass of cell wall α-1,3-glucan in Aspergillus nidulans

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken Miyazawa ◽  
Takaaki Yamashita ◽  
Ayumu Takeuchi ◽  
Yuka Kamachi ◽  
Akira Yoshimi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Molecular Mass ◽  
Aspergillus Nidulans ◽  
Genetic Background ◽  
Chemical Structure ◽  
Liquid Culture ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Glycosyl Phosphatidylinositol

α-1,3-Glucan is one of the main polysaccharides in the cell wall of Aspergillus nidulans. We previously revealed that it plays a role in hyphal aggregation in liquid culture, and that its molecular mass (MM) in an agsA-overexpressing (agsAOE) strain was larger than that in an agsB-overexpressing (agsBOE) strain. The mechanism that regulates the MM of α-1,3-glucan is poorly understood. Although the gene amyD, which encodes glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored α-amylase (AmyD), is involved in the biosynthesis of α-1,3-glucan in A. nidulans, how it regulates this biosynthesis remains unclear. Here we constructed strains with disrupted amyD (ΔamyD) or overexpressed amyD (amyDOE) in the genetic background of the ABPU1 (wild-type), agsAOE, or agsBOE strain, and characterized the chemical structure of α-1,3-glucans in the cell wall of each strain, focusing on their MM. The MM of α-1,3-glucan from the agsBOE amyDOE strain was smaller than that in the parental agsBOE strain. In addition, the MM of α-1,3-glucan from the agsAOE ΔamyD strain was greater than that in the agsAOE strain. These results suggest that AmyD is involved in decreasing the MM of α-1,3-glucan. We also found that the C-terminal GPI-anchoring region is important for these functions.

scholarly journals Aspergillus nidulans Protein O-Mannosyltransferases Play Roles in Cell Wall Integrity and Developmental Patterning

2009 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 1475-1485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thanyanuch Kriangkripipat ◽  
Michelle Momany
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Aspergillus Nidulans ◽  
Double Mutant ◽  
Elevated Temperatures ◽  
Cell Wall Integrity ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Spatial Cues ◽  
Developmental Patterning ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Increased Sensitivity

ABSTRACT Protein O-mannosyltransferases (Pmts) initiate O-mannosyl glycan biosynthesis from Ser and Thr residues of target proteins. Fungal Pmts are divided into three subfamilies, Pmt1, -2, and -4. Aspergillus nidulans possesses a single representative of each Pmt subfamily, pmtA (subfamily 2), pmtB (subfamily 1), and pmtC (subfamily 4). In this work, we show that single Δpmt mutants are viable and have unique phenotypes and that the ΔpmtA ΔpmtB double mutant is the only viable double mutant. This makes A. nidulans the first fungus in which all members of individual Pmt subfamilies can be deleted without loss of viability. At elevated temperatures, all A. nidulans Δpmt mutants show cell wall-associated defects and increased sensitivity to cell wall-perturbing agents. The Δpmt mutants also show defects in developmental patterning. Germ tube emergence is early in ΔpmtA and more frequent in ΔpmtC mutants than in the wild type. In ΔpmtB mutants, intrahyphal hyphae develop. All Δpmt mutants show distinct conidiophore defects. The ΔpmtA strain has swollen vesicles and conidiogenous cells, the ΔpmtB strain has swollen conidiophore stalks, and the ΔpmtC strain has dramatically elongated conidiophore stalks. We also show that AN5660, an ortholog of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Wsc1p, is modified by PmtA and PmtC. The Δpmt phenotypes at elevated temperatures, increased sensitivity to cell wall-perturbing agents and restoration to wild-type growth with osmoticum suggest that A. nidulans Pmts modify proteins in the cell wall integrity pathway. The altered developmental patterns in Δpmt mutants suggest that A. nidulans Pmts modify proteins that serve as spatial cues.

scholarly journals Two α(1-3) Glucan Synthases with Different Functions in Aspergillus fumigatus

2005 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 1531-1538 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Beauvais ◽  
D. Maubon ◽  
S. Park ◽  
W. Morelle ◽  
M. Tanguy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Invasive Aspergillosis ◽  
Aspergillus Fumigatus ◽  
Molecular Mass ◽  
Mixed Infection ◽  
Cellular Localization ◽  
Amorphous Polymer ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Main Component ◽  
Type Strains

ABSTRACT α(1-3) glucan is a main component of the Aspergillus fumigatus cell wall. In spite of its importance, synthesis of this amorphous polymer has not been investigated to date. Two genes in A. fumigatus, AGS1 and AGS2, are highly homologous to the AGS genes of Schizosaccharomyces pombe, which encode putative α(1-3) glucan synthases. The predicted Ags proteins of A. fumigatus have an estimated molecular mass of 270 kDa. AGS1 and AGS2 were disrupted in A. fumigatus. Both Δags mutants have similar altered hyphal morphologies and reduced conidiation levels. Only Δags1 presented a reduction in the α(1-3) glucan content of the cell wall. These results showed that Ags1p and Ags2p were functionally different. The cellular localization of the two proteins was in agreement with their different functions: Ags1p was localized at the periphery of the cell in connection with the cell wall, whereas Ags2p was intracellularly located. An original experimental model of invasive aspergillosis based on mixed infection and quantitative PCR was developed to analyze the virulence of A. fumigatus mutant and wild-type strains. Using this model, it was shown that the cell wall and morphogenesis defects of Δags1 and Δags2 were not associated with a reduction in virulence in either mutant. This result showed that a 50% reduction in the content of the cell wall α(1-3) glucan does not play a significant role in A. fumigatus pathogenicity.

scholarly journals Suppressive Effect on Activation of Macrophages by Lactobacillus casei Strain Shirota Genes Determining the Synthesis of Cell Wall-Associated Polysaccharides

2008 ◽  
Vol 74 (15) ◽  
pp. 4746-4755 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emi Yasuda ◽  
Masaki Serata ◽  
Tomoyuki Sako
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Molecular Mass ◽  
Lactobacillus Casei ◽  
Gene Knockout ◽  
High Molecular Mass ◽  
Interleukin 12 ◽  
Raw 264.7 ◽  
Mouse Macrophage ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Immune Modulator

ABSTRACT Although many Lactobacillus strains used as probiotics are believed to modulate host immune responses, the molecular natures of the components of such probiotic microorganisms directly involved in immune modulation process are largely unknown. We aimed to assess the function of polysaccharide moiety of the cell wall of Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota as a possible immune modulator which regulates cytokine production by macrophages. A gene survey of the genome sequence of L. casei Shirota hunted down a unique cluster of 10 genes, most of whose predicted amino acid sequences had similarities to various extents to known proteins involved in biosynthesis of extracellular or capsular polysaccharides from other lactic acid bacteria. Gene knockout mutants of eight genes from this cluster resulted in the loss of reactivity to L. casei Shirota-specific monoclonal antibody and extreme reduction of high-molecular-mass polysaccharides in the cell wall fraction, indicating that at least these genes are involved in biosynthesis of high-molecular-mass cell wall polysaccharides. By adding heat-killed mutant cells to mouse macrophage cell lines or to mouse spleen cells, the production of tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-12 (IL-12), IL-10, and IL-6 was more stimulated than by wild-type cells. In addition, these mutants additively enhanced lipopolysaccharide-induced IL-6 production by RAW 264.7 mouse macrophage-like cells, while wild-type cells significantly suppressed the IL-6 production of RAW 264.7. Collectively, these results indicate that this cluster of genes of L. casei Shirota, which have been named cps1A, cps1B, cps1C, cps1D, cps1E, cps1F, cps1G, and cps1J, determine the synthesis of the high-molecular-mass polysaccharide moiety of the L. casei Shirota cell wall and that this polysaccharide moiety is the relevant immune modulator which may function to reduce excessive immune reactions during the activation of macrophages by L. casei Shirota.

scholarly journals Quantifying the Importance of Galactofuranose in Aspergillus nidulans Hyphal Wall Surface Organization by Atomic Force Microscopy

2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 646-653 ◽  
Author(s):  
Biplab C. Paul ◽  
Amira M. El-Ganiny ◽  
Mariam Abbas ◽  
Susan G. W. Kaminskyj ◽  
Tanya E. S. Dahms
Keyword(s):  
Atomic Force Microscopy ◽  
Cell Wall ◽  
Aspergillus Nidulans ◽  
Wall Surface ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
Double Deletion ◽  
Atomic Force ◽  
Viscoelastic Modulus

ABSTRACTThe fungal wall mediates cell-environment interactions. Galactofuranose (Galf), the five-member ring form of galactose, has a relatively low abundance inAspergilluswalls yet is important for fungal growth and fitness.Aspergillus nidulansstrains deleted for Galfbiosynthesis enzymes UgeA (UDP-glucose-4-epimerase) and UgmA (UDP-galactopyranose mutase) lacked immunolocalizable Galf, had growth and sporulation defects, and had abnormal wall architecture. We used atomic force microscopy and force spectroscopy to image and quantify cell wall viscoelasticity and surface adhesion ofugeAΔ andugmAΔ strains. We compared the results forugeAΔ andugmAΔ strains with the results for a wild-type strain (AAE1) and theugeBdeletion strain, which has wild-type growth and sporulation. Our results suggest that UgeA and UgmA are important for cell wall surface subunit organization and wall viscoelasticity. TheugeAΔ andugmAΔ strains had significantly larger surface subunits and lower cell wall viscoelastic moduli than those of AAE1 orugeBΔ hyphae. Double deletion strains (ugeAΔugeBΔ andugeAΔugmAΔ) had more-disorganized surface subunits than single deletion strains. Changes in wall surface structure correlated with changes in its viscoelastic modulus for both fixed and living hyphae. Wild-type walls had the largest viscoelastic modulus, while the walls of the double deletion strains had the smallest. TheugmAΔ strain and particularly theugeAΔugmAΔ double deletion strain were more adhesive to hydrophilic surfaces than the wild type, consistent with changes in wall viscoelasticity and surface organization. We propose that Galfis necessary for full maturation ofA. nidulanswalls during hyphal extension.

scholarly journals MpkA-Dependent and -Independent Cell Wall Integrity Signaling in Aspergillus nidulans

2007 ◽  
Vol 6 (8) ◽  
pp. 1497-1510 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomonori Fujioka ◽  
Osamu Mizutani ◽  
Kentaro Furukawa ◽  
Natsuko Sato ◽  
Akira Yoshimi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Transcriptional Regulation ◽  
Aspergillus Nidulans ◽  
Cell Wall Integrity ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Glucan Synthase ◽  
Cell Wall Biogenesis ◽  
In The Wild

ABSTRACT Cell wall integrity signaling (CWIS) maintains cell wall biogenesis in fungi, but only a few transcription factors (TFs) and target genes downstream of the CWIS cascade in filamentous fungi are known. Because a mitogen-activated protein kinase (MpkA) is a key CWIS enzyme, the transcriptional regulation of mpkA and of cell wall-related genes (CWGs) is important in cell wall biogenesis. We cloned Aspergillus nidulans mpkA; rlmA, a TF gene orthologous to Saccharomyces cerevisiae RLM1 that encodes Rlm1p, a major Mpk1p-dependent TF that regulates the transcription of MPK1 besides that of CWGs; and Answi4 and Answi6, homologous to S. cerevisiae SWI4 and SWI6, encoding the Mpk1p-activating TF complex Swi4p-Swi6p, which regulates CWG transcription in a cell cycle-dependent manner. A. nidulans rlmA and mpkA cDNA functionally complemented S. cerevisiae rlm1Δ and mpk1Δ mutants, respectively, but Answi4 and Answi6 cDNA did not complement swi4Δ and swi6Δ mutants. We constructed A. nidulans rlmA, Answi4 and Answi6, and mpkA disruptants (rlmAΔ, Answi4Δ Answi6Δ, and mpkAΔ strains) and analyzed mpkA and CWG transcripts after treatment with a β-1,3-glucan synthase inhibitor (micafungin) that could activate MpkA via CWIS. Levels of mpkA transcripts in the mutants as well as those in the wild type were changed after micafungin treatment. The β-glucuronidase reporter gene controlled by the mpkA promoter was expressed in the wild type but not in the mpkAΔ strain. Thus, mpkA transcription seems to be autoregulated by CWIS via MpkA but not by RlmA or AnSwi4-AnSwi6. The transcription of most CWGs except α-1,3-glucan synthase genes (agsA and agsB) was independent of RlmA and AnSwi4-AnSwi6 and seemed to be regulated by non-MpkA signaling. The transcriptional regulation of mpkA and of CWGs via CWIS in A. nidulans differs significantly from that in S. cerevisiae.

Molecular characterization of protein O-mannosyltransferase and its involvement in cell-wall synthesis in Aspergillus nidulans

Microbiology ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 150 (6) ◽  
pp. 1973-1982 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takuji Oka ◽  
Tetsu Hamaguchi ◽  
Yuka Sameshima ◽  
Masatoshi Goto ◽  
Kensuke Furukawa
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Aspergillus Nidulans ◽  
Protein Modification ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
And Function ◽  
Encoding Protein

Protein O-glycosylation is essential for protein modification and plays important roles in eukaryotic cells. O-Mannosylation of proteins occurs in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus. The structure and function of the pmtA gene, encoding protein O-d-mannosyltransferase, which is responsible for the initial O-mannosylation reaction in Aspergillus nidulans, was characterized. Disruption of the pmtA gene resulted in the reduction of in vitro protein O-d-mannosyltransferase activity to 6 % of that of the wild-type strain and led to underglycosylation of an extracellular glucoamylase. The pmtA disruptant exhibited abnormal cell morphology and alteration in carbohydrate composition, particularly reduction in the skeletal polysaccharides in the cell wall. The results indicate that PmtA is required for the formation of a normal cell wall in A. nidulans.

Ultrastructure and Morphology of the Neurospora Crassa Cell Wall Mutants, Slime And Slime X, Using Tem and Sem

1976 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 54-55
Author(s):  
Karen S. Howard ◽  
H. D. Braymer ◽  
M. D. Socolofsky ◽  
S. A. Milligan
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Neurospora Crassa ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Morphological Comparison ◽  
Small Areas ◽  
Solid Media ◽  
Thin Sectioning ◽  
X Cells ◽  
Mutant Cells ◽  
Isolated Cell

The recently isolated cell wall mutant slime X of Neurospora crassa was prepared for ultrastructural and morphological comparison with the cell wall mutant slime. The purpose of this article is to discuss the methods of preparation for TEM and SEM observations, as well as to make a preliminary comparison of the two mutants.TEM: Cells of the slime mutant were prepared for thin sectioning by the method of Bigger, et al. Slime X cells were prepared in the same manner with the following two exceptions: the cells were embedded in 3% agar prior to fixation and the buffered solutions contained 5% sucrose throughout the procedure.SEM: Two methods were used to prepare mutant and wild type Neurospora for the SEM. First, single colonies of mutant cells and small areas of wild type hyphae were cut from solid media and fixed with OSO4 vapors similar to the procedure used by Harris, et al. with one alteration. The cell-containing agar blocks were dehydrated by immersion in 2,2-dimethoxypropane (DMP).

scholarly journals Inhibition of cell expansion enhances cortical microtubule stability in the root apex of Arabidopsis thaliana

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronica Giourieva ◽  
Emmanuel Panteris
Keyword(s):  
Arabidopsis Thaliana ◽  
Cell Wall ◽  
Cell Expansion ◽  
Cortical Microtubule ◽  
Root Apex ◽  
Cellulose Synthase ◽  
Cellulose Biosynthesis ◽  
Cortical Microtubules ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Microtubule Stability

Abstract Background Cortical microtubules regulate cell expansion by determining cellulose microfibril orientation in the root apex of Arabidopsis thaliana. While the regulation of cell wall properties by cortical microtubules is well studied, the data on the influence of cell wall to cortical microtubule organization and stability remain scarce. Studies on cellulose biosynthesis mutants revealed that cortical microtubules depend on Cellulose Synthase A (CESA) function and/or cell expansion. Furthermore, it has been reported that cortical microtubules in cellulose-deficient mutants are hypersensitive to oryzalin. In this work, the persistence of cortical microtubules against anti-microtubule treatment was thoroughly studied in the roots of several cesa mutants, namely thanatos, mre1, any1, prc1-1 and rsw1, and the Cellulose Synthase Interacting 1 protein (csi1) mutant pom2-4. In addition, various treatments with drugs affecting cell expansion were performed on wild-type roots. Whole mount tubulin immunolabeling was applied in the above roots and observations were performed by confocal microscopy. Results Cortical microtubules in all mutants showed statistically significant increased persistence against anti-microtubule drugs, compared to those of the wild-type. Furthermore, to examine if the enhanced stability of cortical microtubules was due to reduced cellulose biosynthesis or to suppression of cell expansion, treatments of wild-type roots with 2,6-dichlorobenzonitrile (DCB) and Congo red were performed. After these treatments, cortical microtubules appeared more resistant to oryzalin, than in the control. Conclusions According to these findings, it may be concluded that inhibition of cell expansion, irrespective of the cause, results in increased microtubule stability in A. thaliana root. In addition, cell expansion does not only rely on cortical microtubule orientation but also plays a regulatory role in microtubule dynamics, as well. Various hypotheses may explain the increased cortical microtubule stability under decreased cell expansion such as the role of cell wall sensors and the presence of less dynamic cortical microtubules.

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