scholarly journals Regulation of Yeast-to-Hyphae Transition inYarrowia lipolytica

mSphere ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle R. Pomraning ◽  
Erin L. Bredeweg ◽  
Eduard J. Kerkhoven ◽  
Kerrie Barry ◽  
Sajeet Haridas ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe yeastYarrowia lipolyticaundergoes a morphological transition from yeast-to-hyphal growth in response to environmental conditions. A forward genetic screen was used to identify mutants that reliably remain in the yeast phase, which were then assessed by whole-genome sequencing. All thesmoothmutants identified, so named because of their colony morphology, exhibit independent loss of DNA at a repetitive locus made up of interspersed ribosomal DNA and short 10- to 40-mer telomere-like repeats. The loss of repetitive DNA is associated with downregulation of genes with stress response elements (5′-CCCCT-3′) and upregulation of genes with cell cycle box (5′-ACGCG-3′) motifs in their promoter region. The stress response element is bound by the transcription factor Msn2p inSaccharomyces cerevisiae. We confirmed that theY. lipolyticamsn2(Ylmsn2) ortholog is required for hyphal growth and found that overexpression of Ylmsn2enables hyphal growth insmoothstrains. The cell cycle box is bound by the Mbp1p/Swi6p complex inS. cerevisiaeto regulate G1-to-S phase progression. We found that overexpression of either the Ylmbp1or Ylswi6homologs decreased hyphal growth and that deletion of either Ylmbp1or Ylswi6promotes hyphal growth insmoothstrains. A second forward genetic screen for reversion to hyphal growth was performed with thesmooth-33mutant to identify additional genetic factors regulating hyphal growth inY. lipolytica. Thirteen of the mutants sequenced from this screen had coding mutations in five kinases, including the histidine kinases Ylchk1and Ylnik1and kinases of the high-osmolarity glycerol response (HOG) mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase cascade Ylssk2, Ylpbs2, and Ylhog1. Together, these results demonstrate thatY. lipolyticatransitions to hyphal growth in response to stress through multiple signaling pathways.IMPORTANCEMany yeasts undergo a morphological transition from yeast-to-hyphal growth in response to environmental conditions. We used forward and reverse genetic techniques to identify genes regulating this transition inYarrowia lipolytica. We confirmed that the transcription factor Ylmsn2is required for the transition to hyphal growth and found that signaling by the histidine kinases Ylchk1and Ylnik1as well as the MAP kinases of the HOG pathway (Ylssk2, Ylpbs2, and Ylhog1) regulates the transition to hyphal growth. These results suggest thatY. lipolyticatransitions to hyphal growth in response to stress through multiple kinase pathways. Intriguingly, we found that a repetitive portion of the genome containing telomere-like and rDNA repeats may be involved in the transition to hyphal growth, suggesting a link between this region and the general stress response.

Author(s):  
Arthur M Lesk ◽  
Arun S Konagurthu

Abstract Motivation The gene expression regulatory network in yeast controls the selective implementation of the information contained in the genome sequence. We seek to understand how, in different physiological states, the network reconfigures itself to produce a different proteome. Results This article analyses this reconfiguration, focussing on changes in the local structure of the network. In particular, we define, extract and compare the 1-neighbourhoods of each transcription factor, where a 1-neighbourhood of a node in a network is the minimal subgraph of the network containing all nodes connected to the central node by an edge. We report the similarities and differences in the topologies and connectivities of these neighbourhoods in five physiological states for which data are available: cell cycle, DNA damage, stress response, diauxic shift and sporulation. Based on our analysis, it seems apt to regard the components of the regulatory network as ‘software’, and the responses to changes in state, ‘reprogramming’.


2017 ◽  
Vol 117 (9) ◽  
pp. 1212-1221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark J. McCann ◽  
Kunjana Rotjanapun ◽  
John E. Hesketh ◽  
Nicole C. Roy

AbstractSe is an essential micronutrient for human health, and fluctuations in Se levels and the potential cellular dysfunction associated with it may increase the risk for disease. Although Se has been shown to influence several biological pathways important in health, little is known about the effect of Se on the expression of microRNA (miRNA) molecules regulating these pathways. To explore the potential role of Se-sensitive miRNA in regulating pathways linked with colon cancer, we profiled the expression of 800 miRNA in the CaCo-2 human adenocarcinoma cell line in response to a low-Se (72 h at <40 nm) environment using nCounter direct quantification. These data were then examined using a range ofin silicodatabases to identify experimentally validated miRNA–mRNA interactions and the biological pathways involved. We identified ten Se-sensitive miRNA (hsa-miR-93-5p, hsa-miR-106a-5p, hsa-miR-205-5p, hsa-miR-200c-3p, hsa-miR-99b-5p, hsa-miR-302d-3p, hsa-miR-373-3p, hsa-miR-483-3p, hsa-miR-512-5p and hsa-miR-4454), which regulate 3588 mRNA in key pathways such as the cell cycle, the cellular response to stress, and the canonical Wnt/β-catenin, p53 and ERK/MAPK signalling pathways. Our data show that the effects of low Se on biological pathways may, in part, be due to these ten Se-sensitive miRNA. Dysregulation of the cell cycle and of the stress response pathways due to low Se may influence key genes involved in carcinogenesis.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peishan Yi ◽  
Chao Xie ◽  
Guangshuo Ou

AbstractKinesin-2 motors power the anterograde intraflagellar transport (IFT), a highly ordered process that assembles and maintains cilia. It remains elusive how kinesin-2 motors are regulated in vivo. Here we perform forward genetic screen to isolate suppressors that rescue the ciliary defects in the constitutive active mutation of OSM-3-kinesin (G444E) in C. elegans sensory neurons. We identify the C. elegans DYF-5 and DYF-18, which encode the homologs of mammalian male germ cell-associated kinase (MAK) and cell cycle-related kinase (CCRK). Using time-lapse fluorescence microscopy, we show that DYF-5 and DYF-18 are IFT cargo molecules and are enriched at the distal segments of sensory cilia. Mutations of dyf-5 and dyf-18 generate the elongated cilia and ectopic localization of kinesin-II at the ciliary distal segments. Genetic analyses reveal that dyf-5 and dyf-18 are also important for stabilizing the interaction between IFT particle and OSM-3-kinesin. Our data suggest that DYF-5 and DYF-18 act in the same pathway to promote handover between kinesin-II and OSM-3 in sensory cilia.


mSphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ohimai Unoje ◽  
Mengli Yang ◽  
Yang Lu ◽  
Chang Su ◽  
Haoping Liu

ABSTRACT Candida albicans is an important human pathogen responsible for causing both superficial and systemic infections. Its ability to switch from the yeast form to the hyphal growth form is required for its pathogenicity. Acidic pH inhibits hyphal initiation, but the nature of the mechanism for this inhibition is not completely clear. We show that acidic pH represses hyphal initiation independently of the temperature- and farnesol-mediated Nrg1 downregulation. Using a collection of transcription factor deletion mutants, we observed that the sfl1 mutant induced hyphae in acidic pH but not in farnesol at 37°C. Furthermore, transcription of hyphal regulators BRG1 and UME6 was not induced in wild-type (WT) cells but was induced in the sfl1 mutant during hyphal induction in acidic pH. Using the same screening conditions with the collection of kinase mutants, we found that deletions of the core stress response mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase HOG1 and its kinase PBS2, the cell wall stress MAP kinase MKC1, and the calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase CMK1 allowed hyphal initiation in acidic pH. Furthermore, Hog1 phosphorylation induced by high osmotic stress also retarded hyphal initiation, and the effect was abolished in the sfl1 and three kinase mutants but was enhanced in the phosphatase mutant ptp2 ptp3. We also found functional associations among Cmk1, Hog1, and Sfl1 for cation stress. Our study results suggest that robust hyphal initiation requires downregulation of both Nrg1 and Sfl1 transcriptional repressors as well as timely BRG1 expression. Acidic pH and cationic stress retard hyphal initiation via the stress-responsive kinases and Sfl1. IMPORTANCE Candida albicans is a commensal as well as a pathogen of humans. C. albicans is able to mount a cellular response to a diverse range of external stimuli in the host and switch reversibly between the yeast and hyphal growth forms. Hyphal development is a key virulence determinant. Here, we studied how C. albicans senses different environmental signals to control its growth forms. Our study results suggest that robust hyphal development requires downregulation of two transcriptional repressors, Nrg1 and Sfl1. Acidic pH or cationic stress inhibits hyphal formation via stress-responsive kinases and Sfl1.


2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernardo Ramírez-Zavala ◽  
Hannah Manz ◽  
Frank Englert ◽  
P. David Rogers ◽  
Joachim Morschhäuser

ABSTRACTGain-of-function mutations in the zinc cluster transcription factors Mrr1, Tac1, and Upc2, which result in constitutive overexpression of their target genes, are a frequent cause of fluconazole resistance in the pathogenic yeastCandida albicans. In this study, we show that an activated form of another zinc cluster transcription factor, Stb5, confers resistance to the natural compound beauvericin via the overexpression ofYOR1, encoding an efflux pump of the ATP-binding cassette transporter superfamily. Beauvericin was recently shown to potentiate the activity of azole drugs againstC. albicans. Although Yor1 did not contribute to fluconazole resistance whenC. albicanscells were treated with the drug alone, Stb5-mediatedYOR1overexpression diminished the synergistic effect of the fluconazole-beauvericin combination, thereby enhancing fluconazole resistance in beauvericin-treatedC. albicanscells. Stb5-mediatedYOR1overexpression also suppressed the inhibition of hyphal growth, an important virulence trait ofC. albicans, by beauvericin. Therefore, activating mutations in Stb5, which result in constitutiveYOR1overexpression, may enableC. albicansto acquire resistance to beauvericin and thereby overcome both the sensitization to azole drugs and the inhibition of morphogenesis caused by this compound.


mBio ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chelsea E. Witte ◽  
Aaron T. Whiteley ◽  
Thomas P. Burke ◽  
John-Demian Sauer ◽  
Daniel A. Portnoy ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Listeria monocytogenes infection leads to robust induction of an innate immune signaling pathway referred to as the cytosolic surveillance pathway (CSP), characterized by expression of beta interferon (IFN-β) and coregulated genes. We previously identified the IFN-β stimulatory ligand as secreted cyclic di-AMP. Synthesis of c-di-AMP in L. monocytogenes is catalyzed by the diadenylate cyclase DacA, and multidrug resistance transporters are necessary for secretion. To identify additional bacterial factors involved in L. monocytogenes detection by the CSP, we performed a forward genetic screen for mutants that induced altered levels of IFN-β. One mutant that stimulated elevated levels of IFN-β harbored a transposon insertion in the gene lmo0052. Lmo0052, renamed here PdeA, has homology to a cyclic di-AMP phosphodiesterase, GdpP (formerly YybT), of Bacillus subtilis and is able to degrade c-di-AMP to the linear dinucleotide pApA. Reduction of c-di-AMP levels by conditional depletion of the di-adenylate cyclase DacA or overexpression of PdeA led to marked decreases in growth rates, both in vitro and in macrophages. Additionally, mutants with altered levels of c-di-AMP had different susceptibilities to peptidoglycan-targeting antibiotics, suggesting that the molecule may be involved in regulating cell wall homeostasis. During intracellular infection, increases in c-di-AMP production led to hyperactivation of the CSP. Conditional depletion of dacA also led to increased IFN-β expression and a concomitant increase in host cell pyroptosis, a result of increased bacteriolysis and subsequent bacterial DNA release. These data suggest that c-di-AMP coordinates bacterial growth, cell wall stability, and responses to stress and plays a crucial role in the establishment of bacterial infection. IMPORTANCE Listeria monocytogenes is a Gram-positive intracellular pathogen and the causative agent of the food-borne illness listeriosis. Upon infection, L. monocytogenes stimulates expression of IFN-β and coregulated genes dependent upon host detection of a secreted bacterial signaling nucleotide, c-di-AMP. Using a forward genetic screen for mutants that induced high levels of host IFN-β expression, we identified a c-di-AMP phosphodiesterase, PdeA, that degrades c-di-AMP. Here we characterize L. monocytogenes mutants that express enhanced or diminished levels of c-di-AMP. Decreased c-di-AMP levels by conditional depletion of the diadenylate cyclase (DacA) or overexpression of PdeA attenuated bacterial growth and led to bacteriolysis, suggesting that its production is essential for viability and may regulate cell wall metabolism. Mutants lacking PdeA had a distinct transcriptional profile, which may provide insight into additional roles for the molecule. This work demonstrates that c-di-AMP is a critical signaling molecule required for bacterial replication, cell wall stability, and pathogenicity.


2020 ◽  
Vol 203 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas J. D. Coulson ◽  
René M. Malenfant ◽  
Cheryl L. Patten

ABSTRACT The TyrR transcription factor controls the expression of genes for the uptake and biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids in Escherichia coli. In the plant-associated and clinically significant proteobacterium Enterobacter ludwigii UW5, the TyrR orthologue was previously shown to regulate genes that encode enzymes for synthesis of the plant hormone indole-3-acetic acid and for gluconeogenesis, indicating a broader function for the transcription factor. This study aimed to delineate the TyrR regulon of E. ludwigii by comparing the transcriptomes of the wild type and a tyrR deletion strain. In E. ludwigii, TyrR positively or negatively regulates the expression of over 150 genes. TyrR downregulated expression of envelope stress response regulators CpxR and CpxP through interaction with a DNA binding site in the intergenic region between divergently transcribed cpxP and cpxR. Repression of cpxP was alleviated by tyrosine. Methyltransferase gene dmpM, which is possibly involved in antibiotic synthesis, was strongly activated in the presence of tyrosine and phenylalanine by TyrR binding to its promoter region. TyrR also regulated expression of genes for aromatic catabolism and anaerobic respiration. Our findings suggest that the E. ludwigii TyrR regulon has diverged from that of E. coli to include genes for survival in the diverse environments that this bacterium inhabits and illustrate the expansion and plasticity of transcription factor regulons. IMPORTANCE Genome-wide RNA sequencing revealed a broader regulatory role for the TyrR transcription factor in the ecologically versatile bacterium Enterobacter ludwigii beyond that of aromatic amino acid synthesis and transport that constitute the role of the TyrR regulon of E. coli. In E. ludwigii, a plant symbiont and human gut commensal, the TyrR regulon is expanded to include genes that are beneficial for plant interactions and response to stresses. Identification of the genes regulated by TyrR provides insight into the mechanisms by which the bacterium adapts to its environment.


2003 ◽  
Vol 23 (12) ◽  
pp. 4107-4120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miho Shimada ◽  
Tomoyoshi Nakadai ◽  
Taka-aki Tamura

ABSTRACT The TATA-binding protein (TBP) is a universal transcription factor required for all of the eukaryotic RNA polymerases. In addition to TBP, metazoans commonly express a distantly TBP-related protein referred to as TBP-like protein (TLP/TRF2/TLF). Although the function of TLP in transcriptional regulation is not clear, it is known that TLP is required for embryogenesis and spermiogenesis. In the present study, we investigated the cellular functions of TLP by using TLP knockout chicken DT40 cells. TLP was found to be dispensable for cell growth. Unexpectedly, TLP-null cells exhibited a 20% elevated cell cycle progression rate that was attributed to shortening of the G2 phase. This indicates that TLP functions as a negative regulator of cell growth. Moreover, we found that TLP mainly existed in the cytoplasm and was translocated to the nucleus restrictedly at the G2 phase. Ectopic expression of nuclear localization signal-carrying TLP resulted in an increase (1.5-fold) in the proportion of cells remaining in the G2/M phase and apoptotic state. Notably, TLP-null cells showed an insufficient G2 checkpoint when the cells were exposed to stresses such as UV light and methyl methanesulfonate, and the population of apoptotic cells after stresses decreased to 40%. These phenomena in G2 checkpoint regulation are suggested to be p53 independent because p53 does not function in DT40 cells. Moreover, TLP was transiently translocated to the nucleus shortly (15 min) after stress treatment. The expression of several stress response and cell cycle regulatory genes drifted in a both TLP- and stress-dependent manner. Nucleus-translocating TLP is therefore thought to work by checking cell integrity through its transcription regulatory ability. TLP is considered to be a signal-transducing transcription factor in cell cycle regulation and stress response.


2010 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 634-644 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adnane Sellam ◽  
Christopher Askew ◽  
Elias Epp ◽  
Faiza Tebbji ◽  
Alaka Mullick ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The NDT80/PhoG transcription factor family includes ScNdt80p, a key modulator of the progression of meiotic division in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In Candida albicans, a member of this family, CaNdt80p, modulates azole sensitivity by controlling the expression of ergosterol biosynthesis genes. We previously demonstrated that CaNdt80p promoter targets, in addition to ERG genes, were significantly enriched in genes related to hyphal growth. Here, we report that CaNdt80p is indeed required for hyphal growth in response to different filament-inducing cues and for the proper expression of genes characterizing the filamentous transcriptional program. These include noteworthy genes encoding cell wall components, such as HWP1, ECE1, RBT4, and ALS3. We also show that CaNdt80p is essential for the completion of cell separation through the direct transcriptional regulation of genes encoding the chitinase Cht3p and the cell wall glucosidase Sun41p. Consistent with their hyphal defect, ndt80 mutants are avirulent in a mouse model of systemic candidiasis. Interestingly, based on functional-domain organization, CaNdt80p seems to be a unique regulator characterizing fungi from the CTG clade within the subphylum Saccharomycotina. Therefore, this study revealed a new role of the novel member of the fungal NDT80 transcription factor family as a regulator of cell separation, hyphal growth, and virulence.


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