scholarly journals Functional Characterization of CgCTR2, a Putative Vacuole Copper Transporter That Is Involved in Germination and Pathogenicity in Colletotrichum gloeosporioides

2008 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 1098-1108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sima Barhoom ◽  
Martin Kupiec ◽  
Xinhua Zhao ◽  
Jin-Rong Xu ◽  
Amir Sharon
Keyword(s):  
Colletotrichum Gloeosporioides ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Sod Activity ◽  
Copper Transporter ◽  
Putative Gene ◽  
Copper Balance ◽  
Increased Sensitivity ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
Cellular Copper

ABSTRACT Copper is a cofactor and transition metal involved in redox reactions that are essential in all eukaryotes. Here, we report that a vacuolar copper transporter that is highly expressed in resting spores is involved in germination and pathogenicity in the plant pathogen Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. A screen of C. gloeosporioides transformants obtained by means of a promoterless green fluorescent protein (GFP) construct led to the identification of transformant N159 in which GFP signal was observed in spores. The transforming vector was inserted 70 bp upstream of a putative gene with homology to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae vacuolar copper transporter gene CTR2. The C. gloeosporioides CTR2 (CgCTR2) gene fully complemented growth defects of yeast ctr2Δ mutants, and a CgCTR2-cyan fluorescent protein (CFP) fusion protein accumulated in vacuole membranes, confirming the function of the protein as a vacuolar copper transporter. Expression analysis indicated that CgCTR2 transcript is abundant in resting conidia and during germination in rich medium and downregulated during “pathogenic” germination and the early stages of plant infection. CgCTR2 overexpression and silencing mutants were generated and characterized. The Cgctr2 mutants had markedly reduced Cu superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, suggesting that CgCTR2 is important in providing copper to copper-dependent cytosolic activities. The Cgctr2-silenced mutants had increased sensitivity to H2O2 and reduced germination rates. The mutants were also less virulent to plants, but they did not display any defects in appressorium formation and penetration efficiency. An external copper supply compensated for the hypersensitivity to H2O2 but not for the germination and pathogenicity defects of the mutants. Similarly, overexpression of CgCTR2 enhanced resistance to H2O2 but had no effect on germination or pathogenicity. Our results show that copper is necessary for optimal germination and pathogenicity and that CgCTR2 is involved in regulating cellular copper balance during these processes.

scholarly journals RNAi-Mediated Knockdown of Imaginal Disc Growth Factors (IDGFs) Genes Causes Developmental Malformation and Mortality in Melon Fly, Zeugodacus cucurbitae

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shakil Ahmad ◽  
Momana Jamil ◽  
Muhammad Fahim ◽  
Shujing Zhang ◽  
Farman Ullah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Growth Factors ◽  
Imaginal Disc ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Small Body ◽  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Oral Feeding ◽  
Developmental Defects ◽  
Melon Fly ◽  
Green Fluorescent

This study reports the first successful use of oral feeding dsRNA technique for functional characterization of imaginal disc growth factors (IDGFs) genes (IDGF1, IDGF3_1, IDGF4_0, IDGF4_1, and IDGF6) in melon fly Zeugodacus cucurbitae. Phylogenetic and domain analysis indicates that these genes had high similarity with other Tephritidae fruit flies homolog and contain only one conserved domain among these five genes, which is glyco-18 domain (glyco-hydro-18 domain). Gene expression analysis at different developmental stages revealed that these genes were expressed at larval, pupal, and adult stages. To understand their role in different developmental stages, larvae were fed dsRNA-corresponding to each of the five IDGFs, in an artificial diet. RNAi-mediated knockdown of IDGF1 shows no phenotypic effects but caused mortality (10.4%), while IDGF4_0 caused malformed pharate at the adult stage where insects failed to shed their old cuticle and remained attached with their body, highest mortality (49.2%) was recorded compared to dsRNA-green fluorescent protein (GFP) or DEPC. Silencing of IDGF3_1 and IDGF4_1 cause lethal phenotype in larvae, (17.2%) and (40%) mortality was indexed in Z. cucurbitae. IDGF6 was mainly expressed in pupae and adult stages, and its silencing caused a malformation in adult wings. The developmental defects such as malformation in wings, larval–larval lethality, pupal–adult malformation, and small body size show that IDGFs are key developmental genes in the melon fly. Our results provide a baseline for the melon fly management and understanding of IDGFs specific functions in Z. cucurbitae.

scholarly journals Functional Characterization of a Drought-Responsive Invertase Inhibitor from Maize (Zea mays L.)

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (17) ◽  
pp. 4081 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Chen ◽  
Xiaohong Liu ◽  
Xiaojia Huang ◽  
Wei Luo ◽  
Yuming Long ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Protein Fusion ◽  
Drought Treatment ◽  
Vacuolar Invertase ◽  
Maize Leaves ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
Proteinaceous Inhibitor

Invertases (INVs) play essential roles in plant growth in response to environmental cues. Previous work showed that plant invertases can be post-translationally regulated by small protein inhibitors (INVINHs). Here, this study characterizes a proteinaceous inhibitor of INVs in maize (Zm-INVINH4). A functional analysis of the recombinant Zm-INVINH4 protein revealed that it inhibited both cell wall and vacuolar invertase activities from maize leaves. A Zm-INVINH4::green fluorescent protein fusion experiment indicated that this protein localized in the apoplast. Transcript analysis showed that Zm-INVINH4 is specifically expressed in maize sink tissues, such as the base part of the leaves and young kernels. Moreover, drought stress perturbation significantly induced Zm-INVINH4 expression, which was accompanied with a decrease of cell wall invertase (CWI) activities and an increase of sucrose accumulation in both base parts of the leaves 2 to 7 days after pollinated kernels. In summary, the results support the hypothesis that INV-related sink growth in response to drought treatment is (partially) caused by a silencing of INV activity via drought-induced induction of Zm-INVINH4 protein.

scholarly journals Characterization of sarR, a Modulator ofsar Expression in Staphylococcus aureus

2001 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 885-896 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adhar Manna ◽  
Ambrose L. Cheung
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Regulatory Protein ◽  
Virulence Determinants ◽  
Protein Fusion ◽  
Putative Gene ◽  
P2 Promoter ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
Overlapping Transcripts

ABSTRACT The expression of virulence determinants in Staphylococcus aureus is controlled by global regulatory loci (e.g.,sar and agr). The sar locus is composed of three overlapping transcripts (sar P1, P3, and P2 transcripts from P1, P3, and P2 promoters, respectively), all encoding the 372-bp sarA gene. The level of SarA, the major regulatory protein, is partially controlled by the differential activation of sar promoters. We previously partially purified a ∼12 kDa protein with a DNA-specific column containing asar P2 promoter fragment. In this study, the putative gene, designated sarR, was identified and found to encode a 13.6-kDa protein with homology to SarA. Transcriptional and immunoblot studies revealed the sarR gene to be expressed in other staphylococcal strains. Recombinant SarR protein bound sarP1, P2, and P3 promoter fragments in gel shift and footprinting assays. A sarR mutant expressed a higher level of P1 transcript than the parent, as confirmed by promoter green fluorescent protein fusion assays. As the P1 transcript is the predominant sartranscript, we confirmed that the sarR mutant expressed more SarA than the parental strain. We thus proposed that SarR is a regulatory protein that binds to the sar promoters to down-regulate P1 transcription and the ensuing SarA protein expression.

scholarly journals A Mutation in a Novel Yeast Proteasomal Gene,RPN11/MPR1, Produces a Cell Cycle Arrest, Overreplication of Nuclear and Mitochondrial DNA, and an Altered Mitochondrial Morphology

1998 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 2917-2931 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa Rinaldi ◽  
Carlo Ricci ◽  
Danilo Porro ◽  
Monique Bolotin-Fukuhara ◽  
Laura Frontali
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Mitochondrial Morphology ◽  
Nonpermissive Temperature ◽  
Protein Fusion ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
A Cell ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
Cytoplasmic Structures

We report here the functional characterization of an essentialSaccharomyces cerevisiae gene, MPR1, coding for a regulatory proteasomal subunit for which the name Rpn11p has been proposed. For this study we made use of thempr1-1 mutation that causes the following pleiotropic defects. At 24°C growth is delayed on glucose and impaired on glycerol, whereas no growth is seen at 36°C on either carbon source. Microscopic observation of cells growing on glucose at 24°C shows that most of them bear a large bud, whereas mitochondrial morphology is profoundly altered. A shift to the nonpermissive temperature produces aberrant elongated cell morphologies, whereas the nucleus fails to divide. Flow cytometry profiles after the shift to the nonpermissive temperature indicate overreplication of both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. Consistently with the identification of Mpr1p with a proteasomal subunit, the mutation is complemented by the human POH1proteasomal gene. Moreover, the mpr1-1 mutant grown to stationary phase accumulates ubiquitinated proteins. Localization of the Rpn11p/Mpr1p protein has been studied by green fluorescent protein fusion, and the fusion protein has been found to be mainly associated to cytoplasmic structures. For the first time, a proteasomal mutation has also revealed an associated mitochondrial phenotype. We actually showed, by the use of [rho°] cells derived from the mutant, that the increase in DNA content per cell is due in part to an increase in the amount of mitochondrial DNA. Moreover, microscopy of mpr1-1 cells grown on glucose showed that multiple punctate mitochondrial structures were present in place of the tubular network found in the wild-type strain. These data strongly suggest that mpr1-1 is a valuable tool with which to study the possible roles of proteasomal function in mitochondrial biogenesis.

Four novel splice variants of sulfonylurea receptor 1

2002 ◽  
Vol 283 (2) ◽  
pp. C587-C598 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annette Hambrock ◽  
Regina Preisig-Müller ◽  
Ulrich Russ ◽  
Anke Piehl ◽  
Peter J. Hanley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Splice Variants ◽  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Pcr Analysis ◽  
Sulfonylurea Receptor ◽  
Transmembrane Segments ◽  
Sulfonylurea Receptor 1 ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
Splice Forms

ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP) channels are composed of pore-forming Kir6.x subunits and regulatory sulfonylurea receptor (SUR) subunits. SURs are ATP-binding cassette proteins with two nucleotide-binding folds (NBFs) and binding sites for sulfonylureas, like glibenclamide, and for channel openers. Here we report the identification and functional characterization of four novel splice forms of guinea pig SUR1. Three splice forms originate from alternative splicing of the region coding for NBF1 and lack exons 17 (SUR1Δ17), 19 (SUR1Δ19), or both (SUR1Δ17Δ19). The fourth (SUR1C) is a COOH-terminal SUR1-fragment formed by exons 31–39 containing the last two transmembrane segments and the COOH terminus of SUR1. RT-PCR analysis showed that these splice forms are expressed in several tissues with strong expression of SUR1C in cardiomyocytes. Confocal microscopy using enhanced green fluorescent protein-tagged SUR or Kir6.x did not provide any evidence for involvement of these splice forms in the mitochondrial KATP channel. Only SUR1 and SUR1Δ17 showed high-affinity binding of glibenclamide ( K d≈ 2 nM in the presence of 1 mM ATP) and formed functional KATPchannels upon coexpression with Kir6.2.

scholarly journals Functional Characterization of Candida albicans ABC Transporter Cdr1p

2003 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
pp. 1361-1375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suneet Shukla ◽  
Preeti Saini ◽  
Smriti ◽  
Sudhakar Jha ◽  
Suresh V. Ambudkar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Binding Sites ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Mutational Analysis ◽  
Substrate Binding ◽  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Drug Binding ◽  
Transmembrane Segment ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
Substrate Binding Sites ◽  
First Time

ABSTRACT In view of the importance of Candida drug resistance protein (Cdr1p) in azole resistance, we have characterized it by overexpressing it as a green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged fusion protein (Cdr1p-GFP). The overexpressed Cdr1p-GFP in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is shown to be specifically labeled with the photoaffinity analogs iodoarylazidoprazosin (IAAP) and azidopine, which have been used to characterize the drug-binding sites on mammalian drug-transporting P-glycoproteins. While nystatin could compete for the binding of IAAP, miconazole specifically competed for azidopine binding, suggesting that IAAP and azidopine bind to separate sites on Cdr1p. Cdr1p was subjected to site-directed mutational analysis. Among many mutant variants of Cdr1p, the phenotypes of F774A and ΔF774 were particularly interesting. The analysis of GFP-tagged mutant variants of Cdr1p revealed that a conserved F774, in predicted transmembrane segment 6, when changed to alanine showed increased binding of both photoaffinity analogues, while its deletion (ΔF774), as revealed by confocal microscopic analyses, led to mislocalization of the protein. The mislocalized ΔF774 mutant Cdr1p could be rescued to the plasma membrane as a functional transporter by growth in the presence of a Cdr1p substrate, cycloheximide. Our data for the first time show that the drug substrate-binding sites of Cdr1p exhibit striking similarities with those of mammalian drug-transporting P-glycoproteins and despite differences in topological organization, the transmembrane segment 6 in Cdr1p is also a major contributor to drug substrate-binding site(s).

scholarly journals Identification and Characterization of Rvs162/Rvs167-3, a Novel N-BAR Heterodimer in the Human Fungal Pathogen Candida albicans

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 182-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Areti Gkourtsa ◽  
Janny van den Burg ◽  
Karin Strijbis ◽  
Teja Avula ◽  
Sietske Bijvoets ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Genetic Interaction ◽  
Phenotypic Analysis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Associated Functions ◽  
Increased Sensitivity ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
And Function

ABSTRACT Membrane reshaping resides at the core of many important cellular processes, and among its mediators are the BAR (Bin, Amphiphysin, Rvs) domain-containing proteins. We have explored the diversity and function of the Rvs BAR proteins in Candida albicans and identified a novel family member, Rvs167-3 (orf19.1861). We show that Rvs167-3 specifically interacts with Rvs162 to form a stable BAR heterodimer able to bind liposomes in vitro . A second, distinct heterodimer is formed by the canonical BAR proteins Rvs161 and Rvs167. Purified Rvs161/Rvs167 complex also binds liposomes, indicating that C. albicans expresses two functional BAR heterodimers. We used live-cell imaging to localize green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged Rvs167-3 and Rvs167 and show that both proteins concentrate in small cortical spots. However, while Rvs167 strictly colocalizes with the endocytic marker protein Abp1, we do not observe any colocalization of Rvs167-3 with sites of endocytosis marked by Abp1. Furthermore, the rvs167-3 Δ/Δ mutant is not defective in endocytosis and strains lacking Rvs167-3 or its partner Rvs162 do not display increased sensitivity to high salt concentrations or decreased cell wall integrity, phenotypes which have been observed for rvs167 Δ/Δ and rvs161 Δ/Δ strains and which are linked to endocytosis defects. Taken together, our results indicate different roles for the two BAR heterodimers in C. albicans : the canonical Rvs161/Rvs167 heterodimer functions in endocytosis, whereas the novel Rvs162/Rvs167-3 heterodimer seems not to be involved in this process. Nevertheless, despite their different roles, our phenotypic analysis revealed a genetic interaction between the two BAR heterodimers, suggesting that they may have related but distinct membrane-associated functions.

scholarly journals The rice annexin gene OsAnn5 is a positive regulator of cold stress tolerance at the seedling stage

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
chunxiu shen ◽  
Zhiqun Que ◽  
Qineng Lu ◽  
Tao Liu ◽  
Shengqiang Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cold Stress ◽  
Stress Tolerance ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Seedling Stage ◽  
Positive Regulator ◽  
Annexin Gene ◽  
Green Fluorescent

Abstract Annexins exist widely in plants as multigene families and play critical roles in stress responses and a range of cellular processes. In this study, we report on the cloning and functional characterization of the rice annexin gene OsAnn5. We found that the expression of OsAnn5 was induced by cold stress treatment at the seedling stage of rice. GUS staining assay indicated that the expression of OsAnn5 was non tissue-specific and was detected in almost all rice tissues. Subcellular localization indicated that OsAnn5-GFP (green fluorescent protein) signals were found in the endoplasmic reticulum apparatus. Compared with wild type rice, overexpression of OsAnn5 significantly increased survival rates at the seedling stage under cold stress, while knocking out OsAnn5 using the CRISPR/Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR associated proteins) mediated genome editing resulted in sensitivity to cold treatments. These results indicate that OsAnn5 is a positive regulator of cold stress tolerance at the seedling stage.

scholarly journals Green fluorescent protein-based assays for high-throughput functional characterization and ligand-binding studies of biotin protein ligase

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 418-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel P. Askin ◽  
Thomas E. H. Bond ◽  
Patrick M. Schaeffer
Keyword(s):  
Green Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Ligand Binding ◽  
High Throughput ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Binding Studies ◽  
Biotin Protein Ligase ◽  
Green Fluorescent

Rapid functional characterization of GFP-tagged biotin protein ligase (BirA-GFP) with a high-throughput DSF-GTP assay.

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