scholarly journals A novel class of Candida glabrata cell wall proteins with β-helix fold mediates adhesion in clinical isolates

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (12) ◽  
pp. e1009980
Author(s):  
Viktoria Reithofer ◽  
Jordan Fernández-Pereira ◽  
María Alvarado ◽  
Piet de Groot ◽  
Lars-Oliver Essen
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Candida Glabrata ◽  
Sequence Similarity ◽  
Domain Architecture ◽  
Surface Characteristics ◽  
Structural Similarity ◽  
Cell Aggregation ◽  
Phenotypic Analysis ◽  
Pathogenic Yeast ◽  
Opportunistic Pathogenic

Candida glabrata is an opportunistic pathogenic yeast frequently causing infections in humans. Though it lacks typical virulence factors such as hyphal development, C. glabrata contains a remarkably large and diverse set of putative wall adhesins that is crucial for its success as pathogen. Here, we present an analysis of putative adhesins from the homology clusters V and VI. First, sequence similarity network analysis revealed relationships between cluster V and VI adhesins and S. cerevisiae haze protective factors (Hpf). Crystal structures of A-domains from cluster VI adhesins Awp1 and Awp3b reveal a parallel right-handed β-helix domain that is linked to a C-terminal β-sandwich. Structure solution of the A-region of Awp3b via single wavelength anomalous diffraction phasing revealed the largest known lanthanide cluster with 21 Gd3+ ions. Awp1-A and Awp3b-A show structural similarity to pectate lyases but binding to neither carbohydrates nor Ca2+ was observed. Phenotypic analysis of awp1Δ, awp3Δ, and awp1,3Δ double mutants did also not confirm their role as adhesins. In contrast, deletion mutants of the cluster V adhesin Awp2 in the hyperadhesive clinical isolate PEU382 demonstrated its importance for adhesion to polystyrene or glass, biofilm formation, cell aggregation and other cell surface-related phenotypes. Together with cluster III and VII adhesins our study shows that C. glabrata CBS138 can rely on a set of 42 Awp1-related adhesins with β-helix/α-crystallin domain architecture for modifying the surface characteristics of its cell wall.

scholarly journals Copper Acts Synergistically with Fluconazole in Candida glabrata by Compromising Drug Efflux, Sterol Metabolism, and Zinc Homeostasis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Gaspar-Cordeiro ◽  
Catarina Amaral ◽  
Vania Pobre ◽  
Wilson Antunes ◽  
Ana Petronilho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Candida Glabrata ◽  
Zinc Homeostasis ◽  
Ergosterol Biosynthesis ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Pathogenic Yeast ◽  
Transcription Regulator ◽  
Opportunistic Pathogenic ◽  
Irregular Cell

The synergistic combinations of drugs are promising strategies to boost the effectiveness of current antifungals and thus prevent the emergence of resistance. In this work, we show that copper and the antifungal fluconazole act synergistically against Candida glabrata, an opportunistic pathogenic yeast intrinsically tolerant to fluconazole. Analyses of the transcriptomic profile of C. glabrata after the combination of copper and fluconazole showed that the expression of the multidrug transporter gene CDR1 was decreased, suggesting that fluconazole efflux could be affected. In agreement, we observed that copper inhibits the transactivation of Pdr1, the transcription regulator of multidrug transporters, and leads to the intracellular accumulation of fluconazole. Copper also decreases the transcriptional induction of ergosterol biosynthesis (ERG) genes by fluconazole, which culminates in the accumulation of toxic sterols. Co-treatment of cells with copper and fluconazole should affect the function of proteins located in the plasma membrane, as several ultrastructural alterations, including irregular cell wall and plasma membrane and loss of cell wall integrity, were observed. Finally, we show that the combination of copper and fluconazole downregulates the expression of the gene encoding the zinc-responsive transcription regulator Zap1, which possibly, together with the membrane transporters malfunction, generates zinc depletion. Supplementation with zinc reverts the toxic effect of combining copper with fluconazole, underscoring the importance of this metal in the observed synergistic effect. Overall, this work, while unveiling the molecular basis that supports the use of copper to enhance the effectiveness of fluconazole, paves the way for the development of new metal-based antifungal strategies.

scholarly journals Essential Role for the Phosphatidylinositol 3,5-Bisphosphate Synthesis Complex in Caspofungin Tolerance and Virulence in Candida glabrata

2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Deepak Kumar Choudhary ◽  
Priyanka Bhakt ◽  
Rupinder Kaur
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Candida Glabrata ◽  
Scaffolding Protein ◽  
Pathogenic Yeast ◽  
Lipid Kinase ◽  
Lipid Molecule ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Phosphoinositide Signaling ◽  
Promising Target ◽  
Opportunistic Fungal Pathogen

ABSTRACT Increasing resistance of the human opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida glabrata toward the echinocandin antifungals, which target the cell wall, is a matter of grave clinical concern. Echinocandin resistance in C. glabrata has primarily been associated with mutations in the β-glucan synthase-encoding genes C. glabrata FKS1 (CgFKS1) and CgFKS2. This notwithstanding, the role of the phosphoinositide signaling in antifungal resistance is just beginning to be deciphered. The phosphatidylinositol 3,5-bisphosphate [PI(3,5)P2] is a low-abundance lipid molecule that is pivotal to the intracellular membrane traffic. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that the PI(3,5)P2 kinase CgFab1, along with its activity regulator CgVac7 and the scaffolding protein CgVac14, is required for maintenance of the cell wall chitin content, survival of the cell wall, and caspofungin stress. Further, deletion analyses implicated the PI(3,5)P2 phosphatase CgFig4 in the regulation of PI(3,5)P2 levels and azole and echinocandin tolerance through CgVac14. We also show the localization of the CgFab1 lipid kinase to the vacuole to be independent of the CgVac7, CgVac14, and CgFig4 proteins. Lastly, our data demonstrate an essential requirement for PI(3,5)P2 signaling components, CgFab1, CgVac7, and CgVac14, in the intracellular survival and virulence in C. glabrata. Altogether, our data have yielded key insights into the functions and metabolism of PI(3,5)P2 lipid in the pathogenic yeast C. glabrata. In addition, our data highlight that CgVac7, whose homologs are absent in higher eukaryotes, may represent a promising target for antifungal therapy.

Structural study of a cell wall mannan-protein complex of the pathogenic yeast Candida glabrata IFO 0622 strain

1992 ◽  
Vol 294 (2) ◽  
pp. 662-669 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hidemitsu Kobayashi ◽  
Hideko Mitobe ◽  
Kaori Takahashi ◽  
Takayuki Yamamoto ◽  
Nobuyuki Shibata ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Structural Study ◽  
Protein Complex ◽  
Candida Glabrata ◽  
Pathogenic Yeast ◽  
A Cell ◽  
Cell Wall Mannan

scholarly journals Differential cell wall remodeling of two chitin synthase deletants Δchs3A and Δchs3B in the pathogenic yeast Candida glabrata

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 398-407 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keigo Ueno ◽  
Yuichi Namiki ◽  
Hiroki Mitani ◽  
Masashi Yamaguchi ◽  
Hiroji Chibana
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Candida Glabrata ◽  
Chitin Synthase ◽  
Pathogenic Yeast ◽  
Cell Wall Remodeling ◽  
Differential Cell

scholarly journals Structure Unveils Relationships between RNA Virus Polymerases

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 313
Author(s):  
Heli A. M. Mönttinen ◽  
Janne J. Ravantti ◽  
Minna M. Poranen
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Tree ◽  
Rna Viruses ◽  
Rna Virus ◽  
Sequence Similarity ◽  
Protein Structures ◽  
Structural Similarity ◽  
Functional Differentiation ◽  
Comparison Method ◽  
Homologous Structure ◽  
Biological Entities

RNA viruses are the fastest evolving known biological entities. Consequently, the sequence similarity between homologous viral proteins disappears quickly, limiting the usability of traditional sequence-based phylogenetic methods in the reconstruction of relationships and evolutionary history among RNA viruses. Protein structures, however, typically evolve more slowly than sequences, and structural similarity can still be evident, when no sequence similarity can be detected. Here, we used an automated structural comparison method, homologous structure finder, for comprehensive comparisons of viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RdRps). We identified a common structural core of 231 residues for all the structurally characterized viral RdRps, covering segmented and non-segmented negative-sense, positive-sense, and double-stranded RNA viruses infecting both prokaryotic and eukaryotic hosts. The grouping and branching of the viral RdRps in the structure-based phylogenetic tree follow their functional differentiation. The RdRps using protein primer, RNA primer, or self-priming mechanisms have evolved independently of each other, and the RdRps cluster into two large branches based on the used transcription mechanism. The structure-based distance tree presented here follows the recently established RdRp-based RNA virus classification at genus, subfamily, family, order, class and subphylum ranks. However, the topology of our phylogenetic tree suggests an alternative phylum level organization.

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 Structural and functional analysis of the Na+/H+ exchanger

2007 ◽  
Vol 401 (3) ◽  
pp. 623-633 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily R. Slepkov ◽  
Jan K. Rainey ◽  
Brian D. Sykes ◽  
Larry Fliegel
Keyword(s):  
Intracellular Ph ◽  
Sequence Similarity ◽  
Structural Data ◽  
Structural Similarity ◽  
Integral Membrane Protein ◽  
Volume Control ◽  
Amino Acid Residues ◽  
Physiological Processes ◽  
High Resolution Structure ◽  
Extracellular Sodium

The mammalian NHE (Na+/H+ exchanger) is a ubiquitously expressed integral membrane protein that regulates intracellular pH by removing a proton in exchange for an extracellular sodium ion. Of the nine known isoforms of the mammalian NHEs, the first isoform discovered (NHE1) is the most thoroughly characterized. NHE1 is involved in numerous physiological processes in mammals, including regulation of intracellular pH, cell-volume control, cytoskeletal organization, heart disease and cancer. NHE comprises two domains: an N-terminal membrane domain that functions to transport ions, and a C-terminal cytoplasmic regulatory domain that regulates the activity and mediates cytoskeletal interactions. Although the exact mechanism of transport by NHE1 remains elusive, recent studies have identified amino acid residues that are important for NHE function. In addition, progress has been made regarding the elucidation of the structure of NHEs. Specifically, the structure of a single TM (transmembrane) segment from NHE1 has been solved, and the high-resolution structure of the bacterial Na+/H+ antiporter NhaA has recently been elucidated. In this review we discuss what is known about both functional and structural aspects of NHE1. We relate the known structural data for NHE1 to the NhaA structure, where TM IV of NHE1 shows surprising structural similarity with TM IV of NhaA, despite little primary sequence similarity. Further experiments that will be required to fully understand the mechanism of transport and regulation of the NHE1 protein are discussed.

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.

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