scholarly journals Functions ofCandida albicanscell wall glycosidasesDfg5pandDcw1pin biofilm formation and HOG MAPK pathway

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5685 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan Mancuso ◽  
Jennifer Chinnici ◽  
Charlene Tsou ◽  
Sujay Busarajan ◽  
Raveena Munnangi ◽  
...  

BackgroundCandida albicansis a commensal fungus that inhabits the oral mucosal surface and causes oral and systemic candidiasis. Oral candidiasis most commonly occurs in patients with AIDS, denture wearers and newborn children. Systemic candidiasis occurs mainly in immunocompromised patients and patients admitted to hospitals for prolonged periods.C. albicanshomologous genes,DFG5andDCW1, encode for two closely related cell wall proteins with putative glycosyltransferase enzyme activity and C-terminal GPI-anchors. Past studies have shown that individualDFG5andDCW1mutations are viable but simultaneous deletion ofDFG5andDCW1inC. albicansresults in lethality. However, the exact functions of these cell wall based enzymes, which represent potential drug targets, are not understood.MethodsC. albicansDFG5/DCW1heterologous and conditional double mutant strains were assessed for growth and biofilm formation in comparison to wild type and parental strains. Cell wall and heat stress susceptibility of the mutant and control strains were assessed using agar spotting assays. Growth was assessed under normal and osmotic stress conditions along with light microscopy imaging. Biofilm dry weight and microscopic imaging analysis of biofilms was performed. Hypha formation in response to serum was analyzed using light microscopy imaging. Western blot analysis of mutant strains and control strains was performed to assess Hog1 basal levels and phosphorylation status.ResultsAnalysis of the heterologous mutants indicated that Dfg5p is more important for growth while Dcw1p appeared to play a role in cell wall integrity response. The conditional double mutant was observed to be less resistant to cell wall stress. However, growth of the mutants was similar under control and osmotic stress conditions. The mutants were also able to grow similar to wild type under heat stress. Biofilm formation was reduced in the mutants whereDFG5was deleted or suppressed. Hyphal morphogenesis was reduced although germ tube formation was observed in the biofilms of the mutant strains. Basal Hog1 protein levels were reduced or absent in theDFG5andDCW1mutants. However, osmotic stress was able to induce Hog1 protein levels comparable to wild type. Hog1 phosphorylation appeared to be slightly reduced although not significantly. In addition to biofilm assays, serum dose response imaging analysis indicated that hyphae formation inDFG5andDCW1mutants was defective.ConclusionsThese data indicate thatDFG5andDCW1are required for hyphal morphogenesis and biofilm formation inC. albicans. These functions may be regulated via basal Hog1 MAPK which is required for transcriptional regulation of chitin synthesis.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan Mancuso ◽  
Jennifer Chinnici ◽  
Charlene Tsou ◽  
Sujay Busarajan ◽  
Abhiram Maddi

Background. Candida albicans is a commensal fungus that inhabits the oral mucosal surface and causes oral and systemic candidiasis. Oral candidiasis most commonly occurs in patients with AIDS, denture wearers and newborn children. Systemic candidiasis occurs mainly in immunocompromised patients and patients admitted to hospitals for prolonged periods. The C. albicans homologous genes, DFG5 and DCW1, encode for two closely related cell wall proteins with putative glycosyltransferase enzyme activity and C-terminal GPI-anchors. Past studies have shown that individual DFG5 and DCW1 mutations are viable but simultaneous deletion of DFG5 and DCW1 in C. albicans results in lethality. However, the exact functions of these cell wall based enzymes, which represent ideal drug targets, are not understood. Methods. C. albicans DFG5/DCW1 heterologous and conditional double mutant strains, ES1 and ES195 respectively, were assessed for growth and biofilm formation in comparison to wild type and parental strains. Cell wall, osmotic and heat stress susceptibility of the mutant and control strains was assessed using agar spotting assays. Western Blot analysis of mutant strains and control strains was performed to assess Hog-1 phosphorylation status. Results. Growth in planktonic cultures and biofilm formation was found to be affected in the DFG5/DCW1 double mutants as compared to control strains. The mutant strains were also less resistant to cell wall, osmotic and heat stresses as compared to control strains. Hog-1 phosphorylation was affected in the mutant strains. Conclusions. These data indicate that Candida albicans DFG5 and DCW1 play critical roles in biofilm formation and Hog-1 signaling pathway.



2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan Mancuso ◽  
Jennifer Chinnici ◽  
Charlene Tsou ◽  
Sujay Busarajan ◽  
Abhiram Maddi

Background. Candida albicans is a commensal fungus that inhabits the oral mucosal surface and causes oral and systemic candidiasis. Oral candidiasis most commonly occurs in patients with AIDS, denture wearers and newborn children. Systemic candidiasis occurs mainly in immunocompromised patients and patients admitted to hospitals for prolonged periods. The C. albicans homologous genes, DFG5 and DCW1, encode for two closely related cell wall proteins with putative glycosyltransferase enzyme activity and C-terminal GPI-anchors. Past studies have shown that individual DFG5 and DCW1 mutations are viable but simultaneous deletion of DFG5 and DCW1 in C. albicans results in lethality. However, the exact functions of these cell wall based enzymes, which represent ideal drug targets, are not understood. Methods. C. albicans DFG5/DCW1 heterologous and conditional double mutant strains, ES1 and ES195 respectively, were assessed for growth and biofilm formation in comparison to wild type and parental strains. Cell wall, osmotic and heat stress susceptibility of the mutant and control strains was assessed using agar spotting assays. Western Blot analysis of mutant strains and control strains was performed to assess Hog-1 phosphorylation status. Results. Growth in planktonic cultures and biofilm formation was found to be affected in the DFG5/DCW1 double mutants as compared to control strains. The mutant strains were also less resistant to cell wall, osmotic and heat stresses as compared to control strains. Hog-1 phosphorylation was affected in the mutant strains. Conclusions. These data indicate that Candida albicans DFG5 and DCW1 play critical roles in biofilm formation and Hog-1 signaling pathway.



2000 ◽  
Vol 182 (5) ◽  
pp. 1304-1312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angeles Zorreguieta ◽  
Christine Finnie ◽  
J. Allan Downie

ABSTRACT Rhizobium leguminosarum secretes two extracellular glycanases, PlyA and PlyB, that can degrade exopolysaccharide (EPS) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), which is used as a model substrate of plant cell wall cellulose polymers. When grown on agar medium, CMC degradation occurred only directly below colonies of R. leguminosarum, suggesting that the enzymes remain attached to the bacteria. Unexpectedly, when a PlyA-PlyB-secreting colony was grown in close proximity to mutants unable to produce or secrete PlyA and PlyB, CMC degradation occurred below that part of the mutant colonies closest to the wild type. There was no CMC degradation in the region between the colonies. By growing PlyB-secreting colonies on a lawn of CMC-nondegrading mutants, we could observe a halo of CMC degradation around the colony. Using various mutant strains, we demonstrate that PlyB diffuses beyond the edge of the colony but does not degrade CMC unless it is in contact with the appropriate colony surface. PlyA appears to remain attached to the cells since no such diffusion of PlyA activity was observed. EPS defective mutants could secrete both PlyA and PlyB, but these enzymes were inactive unless they came into contact with an EPS+ strain, indicating that EPS is required for activation of PlyA and PlyB. However, we were unable to activate CMC degradation with a crude EPS fraction, indicating that activation of CMC degradation may require an intermediate in EPS biosynthesis. Transfer of PlyB to Agrobacterium tumefaciens enabled it to degrade CMC, but this was only observed if it was grown on a lawn ofR. leguminosarum. This indicates that the surface ofA. tumefaciens is inappropriate to activate CMC degradation by PlyB. Analysis of CMC degradation by other rhizobia suggests that activation of secreted glycanases by surface components may occur in other species.



1972 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 909-915 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. P. Singh ◽  
K.-J. Cheng ◽  
J. W. Costerton ◽  
E. S. Idziak ◽  
J. M. Ingram

The site of the cell barrier to actinomycin-D uptake was studied using a wild-type Escherichia coli strain P and its cell envelope-defective filamentous mutants, strains 6γ and 12γ, both of which 'leak' β-galactosidase and alkaline phosphatase into the medium during growth indicating both membrane and cell-wall defects. Actinomycin-D entered the cells of these two mutant strains as evidenced by the inhibition of both 14C-uracil incorporation and synthesis of the induced β-galactosidase system. Under similar conditions, no inhibition occurred in the wild-type strain and its sucrose-lysozyme prepared spheroplasts. Actinomycin-D did, however, inhibit the above-mentioned systems in the wild-type sucrose-lysozyme spheroplasts prepared in the presence of 2 mM EDTA. The experimental data indicate that although the cell wall may act as a primary barrier or sieve to actinomycin-D, the cytoplasmic membrane should be considered the final and determinative barrier to this antibiotic.



2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 86
Author(s):  
Marina Zoppo ◽  
Fabrizio Fiorentini ◽  
Cosmeri Rizzato ◽  
Mariagrazia Di Luca ◽  
Antonella Lupetti ◽  
...  

The Candida parapsilosis genome encodes for five agglutinin-like sequence (Als) cell-wall glycoproteins involved in adhesion to biotic and abiotic surfaces. The work presented here is aimed at analyzing the role of the two still uncharacterized ALS genes in C. parapsilosis, CpALS4790 and CpALS0660, by the generation and characterization of CpALS4790 and CpALS066 single mutant strains. Phenotypic characterization showed that both mutant strains behaved as the parental wild type strain regarding growth rate in liquid/solid media supplemented with cell-wall perturbing agents, and in the ability to produce pseudohyphae. Interestingly, the ability of the CpALS0660 null mutant to adhere to human buccal epithelial cells (HBECs) was not altered when compared with the wild-type strain, whereas deletion of CpALS4790 led to a significant loss of the adhesion capability. RT-qPCR analysis performed on the mutant strains in co-incubation with HBECs did not highlight significant changes in the expression levels of others ALS genes. In vivo experiments in a murine model of vaginal candidiasis indicated a significant reduction in CFUs recovered from BALB/C mice infected with each mutant strain in comparison to those infected with the wild type strain, confirming the involvement of CpAls4790 and CpAls5600 proteins in C. parapsilosis vaginal candidiasis in mice.



2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhumika Shokeen ◽  
Jane Park ◽  
Emily Duong ◽  
Sonam Rambhia ◽  
Manash Paul ◽  
...  

RadD, a major adhesin of oral fusobacteria, is part of a four-gene operon encoding the small lipoprotein FAD-I and two currently uncharacterized small proteins encoded by the rapA and rapB genes. Previously, we described a role for FAD-I in the induction of human B-defensin 2 (hBD2) upon contact with oral epithelial cells. Here, we investigated potential roles for fad-I, rapA, and rapB in interspecies interaction and biofilm formation. Gene inactivation mutants were generated for each of these genes in the nucleatum and polymorphum subspecies of Fusobacterium nucleatum and characterized for their adherence to partner species, biofilm formation, and operon transcription. Binding to Streptococcus gordonii was increased in all mutant strains with Δfad-I having the most significant effect. This increased adherence was directly proportional to elevated radD transcript levels and resulted in significantly different architecture and height of the biofilms formed by Δfad-I and S. gordonii compared to the wild-type parent. In conclusion, FAD-I is important for fusobacterial interspecies interaction as its lack leads to increased production of the RadD adhesin suggesting a role of FAD-I in its regulation. This regulatory effect does not require the presence of functional RadD.



2001 ◽  
Vol 69 (11) ◽  
pp. 7046-7056 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey D. Rogers ◽  
Robert J. Palmer ◽  
Paul E. Kolenbrander ◽  
Frank A. Scannapieco

ABSTRACT Interactions between bacteria and salivary components are thought to be important in the establishment and ecology of the oral microflora. α-Amylase, the predominant salivary enzyme in humans, binds to Streptococcus gordonii, a primary colonizer of the tooth. Previous studies have implicated this interaction in adhesion of the bacteria to salivary pellicles, catabolism of dietary starches, and biofilm formation. Amylase binding is mediated at least in part by the amylase-binding protein A (AbpA). To study the function of this protein, an erythromycin resistance determinant [erm(AM)] was inserted within the abpAgene of S. gordonii strains Challis and FAS4 by allelic exchange, resulting in abpA mutant strains Challis-E1 and FAS4-E1. Comparison of the wild-type and mutant strains did not reveal any significant differences in colony morphology, biochemical metabolic profiles, growth in complex or defined media, surface hydrophobicity, or coaggregation properties. Scatchard analysis of adhesion isotherms demonstrated that the wild-type strains adhered better to human parotid-saliva- and amylase-coated hydroxyapatite than did the AbpA mutants. In contrast, the mutant strains bound to whole-saliva-coated hydroxyapatite to a greater extent than did the wild-type strains. While the wild-type strains preincubated with purified salivary amylase grew well in defined medium with potato starch as the sole carbohydrate source, the AbpA mutants did not grow under the same conditions even after preincubation with amylase. In addition, the wild-type strain produced large microcolonies in a flow cell biofilm model, while the abpA mutant strains grew much more poorly and produced relatively small microcolonies. Taken together, these results suggest that AbpA ofS. gordonii functions as an adhesin to amylase-coated hydroxyapatite, in salivary-amylase-mediated catabolism of dietary starches and in human saliva-supported biofilm formation by S. gordonii.



2004 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
pp. 1939-1945 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvia M. Kirov ◽  
Marika Castrisios ◽  
Jonathan G. Shaw

ABSTRACT Aeromonas spp. (gram-negative, aquatic bacteria which include enteropathogenic strains) have two distinct flagellar systems, namely a polar flagellum for swimming in liquid and multiple lateral flagella for swarming over surfaces. Only ∼60% of mesophilic strains can produce lateral flagella. To evaluate flagellar contributions to Aeromonas intestinal colonization, we compared polar and lateral flagellar mutant strains of a diarrheal isolate of Aeromonas caviae for the ability to adhere to the intestinal cell lines Henle 407 and Caco-2, which have the characteristic features of human intestinal enterocytes. Strains lacking polar flagella were virtually nonadherent to these cell lines, while loss of the lateral flagellum decreased adherence by ∼60% in comparison to the wild-type level. Motility mutants (unable to swim or swarm in agar assays) had adhesion levels of ∼50% of wild-type values, irrespective of their flagellar expression. Flagellar mutant strains were also evaluated for the ability to form biofilms in a borosilicate glass tube model which was optimized for Aeromonas spp. (broth inoculum, with a 16- to 20-h incubation at 37°C). All flagellar mutants showed a decreased ability to form biofilms (at least 30% lower than the wild type). For the chemotactic motility mutant cheA, biofilm formation decreased >80% from the wild-type level. The complementation of flagellar phenotypes (polar flagellar mutants) restored biofilms to wild-type levels. We concluded that both flagellar types are enterocyte adhesins and need to be fully functional for optimal biofilm formation.



1999 ◽  
Vol 181 (18) ◽  
pp. 5808-5813 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazumasa Muramoto ◽  
Shigeru Makishima ◽  
Shin-Ichi Aizawa ◽  
Robert M. Macnab

ABSTRACT The flagellar hook of Salmonella is a filamentous polymer made up of subunits of the protein FlgE. Hook assembly is terminated when the length reaches about 55 nm. After our recent study of the effect of cellular levels of the hook length control protein FliK, we have now analyzed the effect of cellular levels of FlgE itself. When FlgE was overproduced in a wild-type strain, afliC (flagellin) mutant, or a fliD(hook-associated protein 2 [HAP2], filament capping protein) mutant, the hooks remained at the wild-type length. In a fliK (hook length control protein) mutant, which produces long hooks (polyhooks), the overproduction of FlgE resulted in extraordinarily long hooks (superpolyhooks). In a flgK (HAP1, first hook-filament junction protein) mutant or a flgL (HAP3, second hook-filament junction protein) mutant, the overproduction of FlgE also resulted in longer than normal hooks. Thus, at elevated hook protein levels not only FliK but also FlgK and FlgL are necessary for the proper termination of hook elongation. When FlgE was severely underproduced, basal bodies without hooks were often observed. However, those hooks that were seen were of wild-type length, demonstrating that FlgE underproduction decreases the probability of the initiation of hook assembly but not the extent of hook elongation.



2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suting Chen ◽  
Tianlu Teng ◽  
Shuan Wen ◽  
Tingting Zhang ◽  
Hairong Huang

Abstract Background: The integrity of cell wall structure is highly significant for the in vivo survival for mycobacteria. However, the mechanisms underlying the biosynthesis of mycobacterial cell wall remain poorly understood. aceE encodes the E1 component of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH)complex. This study aimed to know the functional role of aceE gene in cell wall biosynthesis in M. smegmatis.Results: We observed that the colony morphology of aceE-deficient mutants(aceE-mut)was quite different from the wild-type(WT) strain during the transposon library screening of M.smegmatis, smaller and smoother on the solid culture medium. Notably, the aceE-mut lost its ability of growing aggregately and biofilm forming, which are two very important features of mycobacteria.The morphological changes of the aceE-mut strain were further confirmed by electron microscopy that presented shorter, smoother and thinner images in contrast withWT strain.Additionally, the analysis of mycolic acid(MA)using LC-MS indicated deficiency of alpha-MA and epoxy-MA in aceE-mut strain whereas complementation of the aceE-mut with a wild-type aceEgene restored the composition of MA. Conclusions: Overall, this study indicates that aceE gene plays a significant role in the mycolic acid synthesis and affects the colony morphology and biofilm formation of M.smegmatis.



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