scholarly journals Endocytosis Is Crucial for Cell Polarity and Apical Membrane Recycling in the Filamentous Fungus Aspergillus oryzae

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yujiro Higuchi ◽  
Jun-ya Shoji ◽  
Manabu Arioka ◽  
Katsuhiko Kitamoto

ABSTRACT Establishing the occurrence of endocytosis in filamentous fungi was elusive in the past mainly due to the lack of reliable indicators of endocytosis. Recently, however, it was shown that the fluorescent dye N-(3-triethylammoniumpropyl)-4-(p-diethyl-aminophenyl-hexatrienyl)pyridinium dibromide (FM4-64) and the plasma membrane protein AoUapC (Aspergillus oryzae UapC) fused to enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) were internalized from the plasma membrane by endocytosis. Although the occurrence of endocytosis was clearly demonstrated, its physiological importance in filamentous fungi still remains largely unaddressed. We generated a strain in which A. oryzae end4 (Aoend4), the A. oryzae homolog of Saccharomyces cerevisiae END4/SLA2, was expressed from the Aoend4 locus under the control of a regulatable thiA promoter. The growth of this strain was severely impaired, and its hyphal morphology was altered in the Aoend4-repressed condition. Moreover, in the Aoend4-repressed condition, neither FM4-64 nor AoUapC-EGFP was internalized, indicating defective endocytosis. Furthermore, the localization of a secretory soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) was abnormal in the Aoend4-repressed condition. Aberrant accumulation of cell wall components was also observed by calcofluor white staining and transmission electron microscopy analysis, and several genes that encode cell wall-building enzymes were upregulated, indicating that the regulation of cell wall synthesis is abnormal in the Aoend4-repressed condition, whereas Aopil1 disruptants do not display the phenotype exhibited in the Aoend4-repressed condition. Our results strongly suggest that endocytosis is crucial for the hyphal tip growth in filamentous fungi.

2009 ◽  
Vol 20 (22) ◽  
pp. 4856-4870 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleonora Rolli ◽  
Enrico Ragni ◽  
Julia Calderon ◽  
Silvia Porello ◽  
Umberto Fascio ◽  
...  

Gas1p is a glucan-elongase that plays a crucial role in yeast morphogenesis. It is predominantly anchored to the plasma membrane through a glycosylphosphatidylinositol, but a fraction was also found covalently bound to the cell wall. We have used fusions with the green fluorescent protein or red fluorescent protein (RFP) to determine its localization. Gas1p was present in microdomains of the plasma membrane, at the mother-bud neck and in the bud scars. By exploiting the instability of RFP-Gas1p, we identified mobile and immobile pools of Gas1p. Moreover, in chs3Δ cells the chitin ring and the cross-linked Gas1p were missing, but this unveiled an additional unexpected localization of Gas1p along the septum line in cells at cytokinesis. Localization of Gas1p was also perturbed in a chs2Δ mutant where a remedial septum is produced. Phenotypic analysis of cells expressing a fusion of Gas1p to a transmembrane domain unmasked new roles of the cell wall-bound Gas1p in the maintenance of the bud neck size and in cell separation. We present evidence that Crh1p and Crh2p are required for tethering Gas1p to the chitin ring and bud scar. These results reveal a new mechanism of protein immobilization at specific sites of the cell envelope.


2001 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 742-745 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. López-Corcuera ◽  
C. Aragón ◽  
A. Geerlings

The regulation of neurotransmitter transporters is a central aspect of their physiology. Recent studies that focused on syntaxin-1 transporter interactions led to the postulation that syntaxin-1 is somehow implicated in protein trafficking. Because syntax – in-1 is involved in the exocytosis of neurotransmitters and it interacts with glycine transporter 2 (GLYT2), we stimulated exocytosis in synaptosomes and examined its effect on GLYT2 surface-expression and transport activity. We found that GLYT2 is rapidly trafficked first towards the plasma membrane and then internalized under conditions that stimulate vesicular glycine release. However, when syntaxin-1 was inactivated by pre-treatment of synaptosomes with the botulinum neurotoxin C, GLYT2 was unable to reach the plasma membrane but still was able to leave it. These results indicate the existence of a SNARE (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor)-mediated regulatory mechanism that controls the surface expression of GLYT2. Syntaxin-1 is involved in the transport of GLYT2 to, but not its retrieval from, the plasma membrane. Immunogold-labelling on purified vesicular preparations from synaptosomes showed that GLYT2 is present in small synaptic-like vesicles. This may represent neurotransmitter transporter that is being trafficked. The subcellular distribution of the glycine transporters was further examined in PC12 cells that were stably transfected with the fusions of GLYT1 and GLYT2 with green fluorescent protein. There was a clear difference in their intracellular distribution, GLYT1 being present mainly on the plasma membrane and GLYT2 being localized mainly on large, dense-core vesicles. We are trying to find signal sequences responsible for this differential localization.


2000 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 3245-3255 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Manuel Rodríguez-Peña ◽  
Víctor J. Cid ◽  
Javier Arroyo ◽  
César Nombela

ABSTRACT The Saccharomyces cerevisiae Ygr189c, Yel040w, and Ylr213c gene products show significant homologies among themselves and with various bacterial β-glucanases and eukaryotic endotransglycosidases. Deletion of the corresponding genes, either individually or in combination, did not produce a lethal phenotype. However, the removal of YGR189c and YEL040w, but not YLR213c, caused additive sensitivity to compounds that interfere with cell wall construction, such as Congo red and Calcofluor White, and overexpression of YEL040w led to resistance to these compounds. These genes were renamedCRH1 and CRH2, respectively, for Congo red hypersensitive. By site-directed mutagenesis we found that the putative glycosidase domain of CRH1 was critical for its function in complementing hypersensitivity to the inhibitors. The involvement ofCRH1 and CRH2 in the development of cell wall architecture was clearly shown, since the alkali-soluble glucan fraction in the crh1Δ crh2Δ strain was almost twice the level in the wild-type. Interestingly, the three genes were subject to different patterns of transcriptional regulation. CRH1 andYLR213c (renamed CRR1, for CRHrelated) were found to be cell cycle regulated and also expressed under sporulation conditions, whereas CRH2 expression did not vary during the mitotic cycle. Crh1 and Crh2 are localized at the cell surface, particularly in chitin-rich areas. Consistent with the observed expression patterns, Crh1–green fluorescent protein was found at the incipient bud site, around the septum area in later stages of budding, and in ascospore envelopes. Crh2 was found to localize mainly at the bud neck throughout the whole budding cycle, in mating projections and zygotes, but not in ascospores. These data suggest that the members of this family of putative glycosidases might exert a common role in cell wall organization at different stages of the yeast life cycle.


2006 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 411-421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun-ya Shoji ◽  
Manabu Arioka ◽  
Katsuhiko Kitamoto

ABSTRACT Vacuoles in filamentous fungi are highly pleomorphic and some of them, e.g., tubular vacuoles, are implicated in intra- and intercellular transport. In this report, we isolated Aovam3, the homologue of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae VAM3 gene that encodes the vacuolar syntaxin, from Aspergillus oryzae. In yeast complementation analyses, the expression of Aovam3 restored the phenotypes of both Δvam3 and Δpep12 mutants, suggesting that AoVam3p is likely the vacuolar and/or endosomal syntaxin in A. oryzae. FM4-64 [N-(3-triethylammoniumpropyl)-4-(p-diethylaminophenyl-hexatrienyl)pyridinium dibromide] and CMAC (7-amino-4-chloromethylcoumarin) staining confirmed that the fusion protein of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) with AoVam3p (EGFP-AoVam3p) localized on the membrane of the pleomorphic vacuolar networks, including large spherical vacuoles, tubular vacuoles, and putative late endosomes/prevacuolar compartments. EGFP-AoVam3p-expressing strains allowed us to observe the dynamics of vacuoles with high resolutions, and moreover, led to the discovery of several new aspects of fungal vacuoles, which have not been discovered so far with conventional staining methods, during different developmental stages. In old hyphae, EGFP fluorescence was present in the entire lumen of large vacuoles, which occupied most of the cell, indicating that degradation of cytosolic materials had occurred in such hyphae via an autophagic process. In hyphae that were not in contact with nutrients, such as aerial hyphae and hyphae that grew on a glass surface, vacuoles were composed of small punctate structures and tubular elements that often formed reticulum-like networks. These observations imply the presence of so-far-unrecognized roles of vacuoles in the development of filamentous fungi.


2008 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. 1906-1915 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuxin Mao ◽  
Zimei Zhang ◽  
Charles Gast ◽  
Brian Wong

ABSTRACT Fungal glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins localize to the plasma membrane (PM), cell wall (CW), or both. To study signals that regulate PM versus CW targeting in Candida albicans, we (i) fused the N and/or C termini of the GPI CW protein Hwp1p and the GPI PM protein Ecm331p to green fluorescent protein (GFP) and (ii) expressed and localized the resulting fusions. Forty-seven amino acids from the C terminus of Hwp1p were sufficient to target GFP to the CW, and 66 amino acids from the C terminus of Ecm331p were sufficient to target GFP to the PM. Truncation and mutagenesis studies showed that G390 was the ω cleavage site in Ecm331p. Domain exchange and mutagenesis studies showed that (i) the 5 amino acids immediately N-terminal to the ω sites (the ω − 5 to ω − 1 amino acids) played key roles in targeting to the PM or CW; (ii) KK and FE residues at positions ω − 1 and ω − 2, respectively, targeted to the PM and CW; and (iii) a loss of I at position ω − 5 increased PM retention. Small fluorescent reporters can be used to study the peptide signals that regulate PM versus CW targeting of GPI proteins and may be useful for identifying proteins that interact with key targeting signals.


2012 ◽  
Vol 56 (9) ◽  
pp. 4614-4624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hassan Badrane ◽  
M. Hong Nguyen ◽  
Jill R. Blankenship ◽  
Shaoji Cheng ◽  
Binghua Hao ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTWe previously showed that phosphatidylinositol-(4,5)-bisphosphate [PI(4,5)P2] and septin regulation play major roles in maintainingCandida albicanscell wall integrity in response to caspofungin and other stressors. Here, we establish a link between PI(4,5)P2 signaling and septin localization and demonstrate that rapid redistribution of PI(4,5)P2 and septins is part of the natural response ofC. albicansto caspofungin. First, we studied caspofungin-hypersusceptibleC. albicans irs4andinp51mutants, which have elevated PI(4,5)P2 levels due to loss of PI(4,5)P2-specific 5′-phosphatase activity. PI(4,5)P2 accumulated in discrete patches, rather than uniformly, along surfaces of mutants in yeast and filamentous morphologies, as visualized with a green fluorescent protein (GFP)-pleckstrin homology domain. The patches also contained chitin (calcofluor white staining) and cell wall protein Rbt5 (Rbt5-GFP). By transmission electron microscopy, patches corresponded to plasma membrane invaginations that incorporated cell wall material. Fluorescently tagged septins Cdc10 and Sep7 colocalized to these sites, consistent with well-described PI(4,5)P2-septin physical interactions. Based on expression patterns of cell wall damage response genes,irs4andinp51mutants were firmly positioned within a group of caspofungin-hypersusceptible, septin-regulatory protein kinase mutants.irs4andinp51were linked most closely to thegin4mutant by expression profiling, PI(4,5)P2-septin-chitin redistribution and other phenotypes. Finally, sublethal 5-min exposure of wild-typeC. albicansto caspofungin resulted in redistribution of PI(4,5)P2 and septins in a manner similar to those ofirs4,inp51, andgin4mutants. Taken together, our data suggest that theC. albicansIrs4-Inp51 5′-phosphatase complex and Gin4 function upstream of PI(4,5)P2 and septins in a pathway that helps govern responses to caspofungin.


2016 ◽  
Vol 60 (6) ◽  
pp. 3591-3600 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hassan Badrane ◽  
M. Hong Nguyen ◽  
Cornelius J. Clancy

Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PI(4,5)P2] activates the yeast cell wall integrity pathway.Candida albicansexposure to caspofungin results in the rapid redistribution of PI(4,5)P2and septins to plasma membrane foci and subsequent fungicidal effects. We studiedC. albicansPI(4,5)P2and septin dynamics and protein kinase C (PKC)-Mkc1 cell wall integrity pathway activation following exposure to caspofungin and other drugs. PI(4,5)P2and septins were visualized by live imaging ofC. albicanscells coexpressing green fluorescent protein (GFP)-pleckstrin homology (PH) domain and red fluorescent protein-Cdc10p, respectively. PI(4,5)P2was also visualized in GFP-PH domain-expressingC. albicans mkc1mutants. Mkc1p phosphorylation was measured as a marker of PKC-Mkc1 pathway activation. Fungicidal activity was assessed using 20-h time-kill assays. Caspofungin immediately induced PI(4,5)P2and Cdc10p colocalization to aberrant foci, a process that was highly dynamic over 3 h. PI(4,5)P2levels increased in a dose-response manner at caspofungin concentrations of ≤4× MIC and progressively decreased at concentrations of ≥8× MIC. Caspofungin exposure resulted in broad-based mother-daughter bud necks and arrested septum-like structures, in which PI(4,5)P2and Cdc10 colocalized. PKC-Mkc1 pathway activation was maximal within 10 min, peaked in response to caspofungin at 4× MIC, and declined at higher concentrations. The caspofungin-induced PI(4,5)P2redistribution remained apparent inmkc1mutants. Caspofungin exerted dose-dependent killing and paradoxical effects at ≤4× and ≥8× MIC, respectively. Fluconazole, amphotericin B, calcofluor white, and H2O2did not impact the PI(4,5)P2or Cdc10p distribution like caspofungin did. Caspofungin exerts rapid PI(4,5)P2-septin and PKC-Mkc1 responses that correlate with the extent ofC. albicanskilling, and the responses are not induced by other antifungal agents. PI(4,5)P2-septin regulation is crucial in early caspofungin responses and PKC-Mkc1 activation.


1999 ◽  
Vol 339 (2) ◽  
pp. 299-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur L. KRUCKEBERG ◽  
Ling YE ◽  
Jan A. BERDEN ◽  
Karel van DAM

The Hxt2 glucose transport protein of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was genetically fused at its C-terminus with the green fluorescent protein (GFP). The Hxt2-GFP fusion protein is a functional hexose transporter: it restored growth on glucose to a strain bearing null mutations in the hexose transporter genes GAL2 and HXT1 to HXT7. Furthermore, its glucose transport activity in this null strain was not markedly different from that of the wild-type Hxt2 protein. We calculated from the fluorescence level and transport kinetics that induced cells had 1.4×105 Hxt2-GFP molecules per cell, and that the catalytic-centre activity of the Hxt2-GFP molecule in vivo is 53 s-1 at 30 °C. Expression of Hxt2-GFP was induced by growth at low concentrations of glucose. Under inducing conditions the Hxt2-GFP fluorescence was localized to the plasma membrane. In a strain impaired in the fusion of secretory vesicles with the plasma membrane, the fluorescence accumulated in the cytoplasm. When induced cells were treated with high concentrations of glucose, the fluorescence was redistributed to the vacuole within 4 h. When endocytosis was genetically blocked, the fluorescence remained in the plasma membrane after treatment with high concentrations of glucose.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noemi Ruiz-Lopez ◽  
Jessica Pérez-Sancho ◽  
Alicia Esteban del Valle ◽  
Richard P Haslam ◽  
Steffen Vanneste ◽  
...  

Abstract Endoplasmic reticulum-plasma membrane contact sites (ER-PM CS) play fundamental roles in all eukaryotic cells. Arabidopsis thaliana mutants lacking the ER-PM protein tether synaptotagmin1 (SYT1) exhibit decreased plasma membrane (PM) integrity under multiple abiotic stresses such as freezing, high salt, osmotic stress and mechanical damage. Here, we show that, together with SYT1, the stress-induced SYT3 is an ER-PM tether that also functions in maintaining PM integrity. The ER-PM CS localization of SYT1 and SYT3 is dependent on PM phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate and is regulated by abiotic stress. Lipidomic analysis revealed that cold stress increased the accumulation of diacylglycerol at the PM in a syt1/3 double mutant relative to wild type while the levels of most glycerolipid species remain unchanged. Additionally, the SYT1-green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion preferentially binds diacylglycerol in vivo with little affinity for polar glycerolipids. Our work uncovers a SYT-dependent mechanism of stress adaptation counteracting the detrimental accumulation of diacylglycerol at the PM produced during episodes of abiotic stress.


2006 ◽  
Vol 17 (7) ◽  
pp. 3085-3094 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken Sato ◽  
Miyuki Sato ◽  
Anjon Audhya ◽  
Karen Oegema ◽  
Peter Schweinsberg ◽  
...  

Caveolin is the major protein component required for the formation of caveolae on the plasma membrane. Here we show that trafficking of Caenorhabditis elegans caveolin-1 (CAV-1) is dynamically regulated during development of the germ line and embryo. In oocytes a CAV-1-green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion protein is found on the plasma membrane and in large vesicles (CAV-1 bodies). After ovulation and fertilization the CAV-1 bodies fuse with the plasma membrane in a manner reminiscent of cortical granule exocytosis as described in other species. Fusion of CAV-1 bodies with the plasma membrane appears to be regulated by the advancing cell cycle, and not fertilization per se, because fusion can proceed in spe-9 fertilization mutants but is blocked by RNA interference–mediated knockdown of an anaphase-promoting complex component (EMB-27). After exocytosis, most CAV-1-GFP is rapidly endocytosed and degraded within one cell cycle. CAV-1 bodies in oocytes appear to be produced by the Golgi apparatus in an ARF-1–dependent, clathrin-independent, mechanism. Conversely endocytosis and degradation of CAV-1-GFP in embryos requires clathrin, dynamin, and RAB-5. Our results demonstrate that the distribution of CAV-1 is highly dynamic during development and provides new insights into the sorting mechanisms that regulate CAV-1 localization.


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