scholarly journals Utilization of the Mating Scaffold Protein in the Evolution of a New Signal Transduction Pathway for Biofilm Development

mBio ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Song Yi ◽  
Nidhi Sahni ◽  
Karla J. Daniels ◽  
Kevin L. Lu ◽  
Guanghua Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Scaffold Protein ◽  
White Cell ◽  
Pheromone Response ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Pheromone Response Pathway ◽  
Protein Map ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein ◽  
Kinase Cascade

ABSTRACTAmong the hemiascomycetes, onlyCandida albicansmust switch from the white phenotype to the opaque phenotype to mate. In the recent evolution of this transition, mating-incompetent white cells acquired a unique response to mating pheromone, resulting in the formation of a white cell biofilm that facilitates mating. All of the upstream components of the white cell response pathway so far analyzed have been shown to be derived from the ancestral pathway involved in mating, except for the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase scaffold protein, which had not been identified. Here, through binding and mutational studies, it is demonstrated that in both the opaque and the white cell pheromone responses, Cst5 is the scaffold protein, supporting the evolutionary scenario proposed. Although Cst5 plays the same role in tethering the MAP kinases as Ste5 does inSaccharomyces cerevisiae, Cst5 is approximately one-third the size and has only one rather than four phosphorylation sites involved in activation and cytoplasmic relocalization.IMPORTANCECandida albicansmust switch from white to opaque to mate. Opaque cells then release pheromone, which not only induces cells to mate but also in a unique fashion induces mating-incompetent white cells to form biofilms that facilitate opaque cell mating. All of the tested upstream components of the newly evolved white cell pheromone response pathway, from the receptor to the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase cascade, are the same as those of the conserved opaque cell response pathway. One key element, however, remained unidentified, the scaffold protein for the kinase cascade. Here, we demonstrate that Cst5, a homolog of theSaccharomyces cerevisiaescaffold protein Ste5, functions as the scaffold protein in both the opaque and the white cell pheromone responses. Pheromone induces Cst5 phosphorylation, which is involved in activation and cytoplasmic localization of Cst5. However, Cst5 contains only one phosphorylation site, not four as in theS. cerevisiaeortholog Ste5. These results support the hypothesis that the entire upper portion of the newly evolved white cell pheromone response pathway is derived from the conserved pheromone response pathway in the mating process.

A yeast mitogen-activated protein kinase homolog (Mpk1p) mediates signalling by protein kinase C

1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 3067-3075 ◽  
Author(s):  
K S Lee ◽  
K Irie ◽  
Y Gotoh ◽  
Y Watanabe ◽  
H Araki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Map Kinase ◽  
Protein Kinases ◽  
Map Kinases ◽  
Pheromone Response ◽  
Pheromone Response Pathway ◽  
Kinase C ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein ◽  
Kinase Cascade ◽  
Protein Kinase Cascade

Mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases are activated in response to a variety of stimuli through a protein kinase cascade that results in their phosphorylation on tyrosine and threonine residues. The molecular nature of this cascade is just beginning to emerge. Here we report the isolation of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene encoding a functional analog of mammalian MAP kinases, designated MPK1 (for MAP kinase). The MPK1 gene was isolated as a dosage-dependent suppressor of the cell lysis defect associated with deletion of the BCK1 gene. The BCK1 gene is also predicted to encode a protein kinase which has been proposed to function downstream of the protein kinase C isozyme encoded by PKC1. The MPK1 gene possesses a 1.5-kb uninterrupted open reading frame predicted to encode a 53-kDa protein. The predicted Mpk1 protein (Mpk1p) shares 48 to 50% sequence identity with Xenopus MAP kinase and with the yeast mating pheromone response pathway components, Fus3p and Kss1p. Deletion of MPK1 resulted in a temperature-dependent cell lysis defect that was virtually indistinguishable from that resulting from deletion of BCK1, suggesting that the protein kinases encoded by these genes function in a common pathway. Expression of Xenopus MAP kinase suppressed the defect associated with loss of MPK1 but not the mating-related defects associated with loss of FUS3 or KSS1, indicating functional conservation between the former two protein kinases. Mutation of the presumptive phosphorylated tyrosine and threonine residues of Mpk1p individually to phenylalanine and alanine, respectively, severely impaired Mpk1p function. Additional epistasis experiments, and the overall architectural similarity between the PKC1-mediated pathway and the pheromone response pathway, suggest that Pkc1p regulates a protein kinase cascade in which Bck1p activates a pair of protein kinases, designated Mkk1p and Mkk2p (for MAP kinase-kinase), which in turn activate Mpk1p.

scholarly journals MAPK modulation of yeast pheromone signaling output and the role of phosphorylation sites in the scaffold protein Ste5

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (8) ◽  
pp. 1037-1049 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew J. Winters ◽  
Peter M. Pryciak
Keyword(s):  
Negative Feedback ◽  
Scaffold Protein ◽  
Feedback Loops ◽  
Phosphorylation Sites ◽  
Pheromone Response ◽  
Pheromone Response Pathway ◽  
Negative Feedback Loops ◽  
Pheromone Signaling ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein

Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) mediate numerous eukaryotic signaling responses. They also can modulate their own signaling output via positive or negative feedback loops. In the yeast pheromone response pathway, the MAPK Fus3 triggers negative feedback that dampens its own activity. One target of this feedback is Ste5, a scaffold protein that promotes Fus3 activation. Binding of Fus3 to a docking motif (D motif) in Ste5 causes signal dampening, which was proposed to involve a central cluster of phosphorylation sites in Ste5. Here, we reanalyzed the role of these central sites. Contrary to prior claims, phosphorylation-mimicking mutations at these sites did not impair signaling. Also, the hyperactive signaling previously observed when these sites were mutated to nonphosphorylatable residues arose from their replacement with valine residues and was not observed with other substitutes. Instead, a cluster of N-terminal sites in Ste5, not the central sites, is required for the rapid dampening of initial responses. Further results suggest that the role of the Fus3 D motif is most simply explained by a tethering effect that promotes Ste5 phosphorylation, rather than an allosteric effect proposed to regulate Fus3 activity. These findings substantially revise our understanding of how MAPK feedback attenuates scaffold-mediated signaling in this model pathway.

scholarly journals Methylglyoxal Activates the Target of Rapamycin Complex 2-Protein Kinase C Signaling Pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

2015 ◽  
Vol 35 (7) ◽  
pp. 1269-1280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wataru Nomura ◽  
Yoshiharu Inoue
Keyword(s):  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Map Kinase ◽  
Target Of Rapamycin ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Protein Levels ◽  
Map Kinase Cascade ◽  
Phosphorylated Akt ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein ◽  
Kinase Cascade

Methylglyoxal is a typical 2-oxoaldehyde derived from glycolysis. We show here that methylglyoxal activates the Pkc1-Mpk1 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase cascade in a target of rapamycin complex 2 (TORC2)-dependent manner in the budding yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiae. We demonstrate that TORC2 phosphorylates Pkc1 at Thr1125and Ser1143. Methylglyoxal enhanced the phosphorylation of Pkc1 at Ser1143, which transmitted the signal to the downstream Mpk1 MAP kinase cascade. We found that the phosphorylation status of Pkc1T1125affected the phosphorylation of Pkc1 at Ser1143, in addition to its protein levels. Methylglyoxal activated mammalian TORC2 signaling, which, in turn, phosphorylated Akt at Ser473. Our results suggest that methylglyoxal is a conserved initiator of TORC2 signaling among eukaryotes.

scholarly journals Candida albicans Forms a Specialized “Sexual” as Well as “Pathogenic” Biofilm

2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 1120-1131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang-Nim Park ◽  
Karla J. Daniels ◽  
Claude Pujol ◽  
Thyagarajan Srikantha ◽  
David R. Soll
Keyword(s):  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Cyclic Amp ◽  
Type Locus ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Camp Pathway ◽  
Protein Map ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein ◽  
Fluconazole Resistant ◽  
Map Kinase Pathway ◽  
Kinase Pathway

ABSTRACTCandida albicansforms two types of biofilm in RPMI 1640 medium, depending upon the configuration of the mating type locus. In the prevalenta/α configuration, cells form a biofilm that is impermeable, impenetrable by leukocytes, and fluconazole resistant. It is regulated by the Ras1/cyclic AMP (cAMP) pathway. In thea/aor α/α configuration, white cells form a biofilm that is architecturally similar to ana/α biofilm but, in contrast, is permeable, penetrable, and fluconazole susceptible. It is regulated by the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway. TheMTL-homozygous biofilm has been shown to facilitate chemotropism, a step in the mating process. This has led to the hypothesis that specializedMTL-homozygous biofilms facilitate mating. If true, thenMTL-homozygous biofilms should have an advantage overMTL-heterozygous biofilms in supporting mating. We have tested this prediction using a complementation strategy and show that minority opaquea/aand α/α cells seeded inMTL-homozygous biofilms mate at frequencies 1 to 2 orders of magnitude higher than inMTL-heterozygous biofilms. No difference in mating frequencies was observed between seeded patches ofMTL-heterozygous andMTL-homozygous cells grown on agar at 28°C in air or 20% CO2and at 37°C. Mating frequencies are negligible in seeded patches of botha/α anda/acells, in contrast to seeded biofilms. Together, these results support the hypothesis thatMTL-homozygous (a/aor α/α) white cells form a specialized “sexual biofilm.”

scholarly journals A yeast mitogen-activated protein kinase homolog (Mpk1p) mediates signalling by protein kinase C.

1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 3067-3075 ◽  
Author(s):  
K S Lee ◽  
K Irie ◽  
Y Gotoh ◽  
Y Watanabe ◽  
H Araki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Map Kinase ◽  
Protein Kinases ◽  
Map Kinases ◽  
Pheromone Response ◽  
Pheromone Response Pathway ◽  
Kinase C ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein ◽  
Kinase Cascade ◽  
Protein Kinase Cascade

Mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases are activated in response to a variety of stimuli through a protein kinase cascade that results in their phosphorylation on tyrosine and threonine residues. The molecular nature of this cascade is just beginning to emerge. Here we report the isolation of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene encoding a functional analog of mammalian MAP kinases, designated MPK1 (for MAP kinase). The MPK1 gene was isolated as a dosage-dependent suppressor of the cell lysis defect associated with deletion of the BCK1 gene. The BCK1 gene is also predicted to encode a protein kinase which has been proposed to function downstream of the protein kinase C isozyme encoded by PKC1. The MPK1 gene possesses a 1.5-kb uninterrupted open reading frame predicted to encode a 53-kDa protein. The predicted Mpk1 protein (Mpk1p) shares 48 to 50% sequence identity with Xenopus MAP kinase and with the yeast mating pheromone response pathway components, Fus3p and Kss1p. Deletion of MPK1 resulted in a temperature-dependent cell lysis defect that was virtually indistinguishable from that resulting from deletion of BCK1, suggesting that the protein kinases encoded by these genes function in a common pathway. Expression of Xenopus MAP kinase suppressed the defect associated with loss of MPK1 but not the mating-related defects associated with loss of FUS3 or KSS1, indicating functional conservation between the former two protein kinases. Mutation of the presumptive phosphorylated tyrosine and threonine residues of Mpk1p individually to phenylalanine and alanine, respectively, severely impaired Mpk1p function. Additional epistasis experiments, and the overall architectural similarity between the PKC1-mediated pathway and the pheromone response pathway, suggest that Pkc1p regulates a protein kinase cascade in which Bck1p activates a pair of protein kinases, designated Mkk1p and Mkk2p (for MAP kinase-kinase), which in turn activate Mpk1p.

scholarly journals AKR1 encodes a candidate effector of the G beta gamma complex in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae pheromone response pathway and contributes to control of both cell shape and signal transduction.

1996 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 2614-2626 ◽  
Author(s):  
P M Pryciak ◽  
L H Hartwell
Keyword(s):  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Signal Transduction ◽  
Cell Shape ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Pheromone Response ◽  
Pheromone Response Pathway ◽  
Kinase Cascade ◽  
Cell Shape Changes ◽  
Diploid Cells ◽  
Shape Changes

Mating pheromones of Saccharomyces cerevisiae control both signal transduction events and changes in cell shape. The G beta gamma complex of the pheromone receptor-coupled G protein activates the signal transduction pathway, leading to transcriptional induction and cell cycle arrest, but how pheromone-dependent signalling leads to cell shape changes is unclear. We used a two-hybrid system to search for proteins that interact with the G beta gamma complex and that might be involved in cell shape changes. We identified the ankyrin repeat-containing protein Akr1p and show here that it interacts with the free G beta gamma complex. This interaction may be regulated by pheromone, since Akr1p is excluded from the G alpha beta gamma heterotrimer. Both haploid and diploid cells lacking Akr1p grow slowly and develop deformed buds or projections, suggesting that this protein participates in the control of cell shape. In addition, Akr1p has a negative influence on the pheromone response pathway. Epistasis analysis demonstrates that this negative effect does not act on the G beta gamma complex but instead affects the kinase cascade downstream of G beta gamma, so that the kinase Ste20p and components downstream of Ste20p (e.g., Ste11p and Ste7p) are partially activated in cells lacking Akr1p. Although the elevated signalling is eliminated by deletion of Ste20p (or components downstream of Ste20p), the growth and morphological abnormalities of cells lacking Akr1p are not rescued by deletion of any of the known pheromone response pathway components. We therefore propose that Akr1p negatively affects the activity of a protein that both controls cell shape and contributes to the pheromone response pathway upstream of Ste20p but downstream of G beta gamma. Specifically, because recent evidence suggests that Bem1p, Cdc24p, and Cdc42p can act in the pheromone response pathway, we suggest that Akr1p affects the functions of these proteins, by preventing them from activating mating-specific targets including the pheromone-responsive kinase cascade, until G beta gamma is activated by pheromone.

scholarly journals Evolutionary Reshaping of Fungal Mating Pathway Scaffold Proteins

mBio ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Côte ◽  
Traian Sulea ◽  
Daniel Dignard ◽  
Cunle Wu ◽  
Malcolm Whiteway
Keyword(s):  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Map Kinase ◽  
Scaffold Proteins ◽  
Cellular Polarity ◽  
Pathogenic Yeast ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fungal Lineage ◽  
Protein Map ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein ◽  
Mating Pathway

ABSTRACTScaffold proteins play central roles in the function of many signaling pathways. Among the best-studied examples are the Ste5 and Far1 proteins of the yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiae. These proteins contain three conserved modules, the RING and PH domains, characteristic of some ubiquitin-ligating enzymes, and a vWA domain implicated in protein-protein interactions. In yeast, Ste5p regulates the mating pathway kinases while Far1p coordinates the cellular polarity machinery. Within the fungal lineage, theBasidiomycetesand thePezizomycetescontain a single Far1-like protein, while severalSaccharomycotinaspecies, belonging to the CTG (Candida) clade, contain both a classic Far1-like protein and a Ste5-like protein that lacks the vWA domain. We analyzed the function ofC. albicansSte5p (Cst5p), a member of this class of structurally distinct Ste5 proteins.CST5is essential for mating and still coordinates the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase (MAPK) cascade elements in the absence of the vWA domain; Cst5p interacts with the MEK kinase (MEKK)C. albicansSte11p (CaSte11p) and the MAPK Cek1 as well as with the MEK Hst7 in a vWA domain-independent manner. Cst5p can homodimerize, similar to Ste5p, but can also heterodimerize with Far1p, potentially forming heteromeric signaling scaffolds. We found direct binding between the MEKK CaSte11p and the MEK Hst7p that depends on a mobile acidic loop absent fromS. cerevisiaeSte11p but related to the Ste7-binding region within the vWA domain of Ste5p. Thus, the fungal lineage has restructured specific scaffolding modules to coordinate the proteins required to direct the gene expression, polarity, and cell cycle regulation essential for mating.IMPORTANCEThe mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase cascade is an extensively used signaling module in eukaryotic cells, and the ability to regulate these modules is critical for ensuring proper responses to a wide variety of stimuli. One way that cells regulate this signaling module is through scaffold proteins that insulate related pathways against cross talk, improve signaling efficiency, and ensure that signals are connected to the correct response. The Ste5 scaffold of theS. cerevisiaemating response is a well-studied representative of this class of proteins. Using bioinformatics, structural modeling, and molecular genetic approaches, we have investigated the equivalent scaffold in the pathogenic yeastCandida albicans. We show that theC. albicansprotein is structurally distinct from that ofSaccharomyces cerevisiaebut still provides similar functions. Increases in pathway complexity have been associated with changes in scaffold connectivity, and overall, the tethering capacity of the scaffolds has been more conserved than their structural organization.

scholarly journals Signal-mediated localization of Candida albicans pheromone response pathway components

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Carolina Borges Pereira Costa ◽  
Raha Parvizi Omran ◽  
Chris Law ◽  
Vanessa Dumeaux ◽  
Malcolm Whiteway
Keyword(s):  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Map Kinase ◽  
Nuclear Localization ◽  
Map Kinases ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Cell Periphery ◽  
Pheromone Response ◽  
Pheromone Response Pathway ◽  
Localization Signal ◽  
In Cells

Abstract Candida albicans opaque cells release pheromones to stimulate cells of opposite mating type to activate their pheromone response pathway. Although this fungal pathogen shares orthologous proteins involved in the process with Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the pathway in each organism has unique characteristics. We have used GFP-tagged fusion proteins to investigate the localization of the scaffold protein Cst5, as well as the MAP kinases Cek1 and Cek2, during pheromone response in C. albicans. In wild-type cells, pheromone treatment directed Cst5-GFP to surface puncta concentrated at the tips of mating projections. These puncta failed to form in cells defective in either the Gα or β subunits. However, they still formed in response to pheromone in cells missing Ste11, but with the puncta distributed around the cell periphery in the absence of mating projections. These puncta were absent from hst7Δ/Δ cells, but could be detected in the ste11Δ/Δ hst7Δ/Δ double mutant. Cek2-GFP showed a strong nuclear localization late in the response, consistent with a role in adaptation, while Cek1-GFP showed a weaker, but early increase in nuclear localization after pheromone treatment. Activation loop phosphorylation of both Cek1 and Cek2 required the presence of Ste11. In contrast to Cek2-GFP, which showed no localization signal in ste11Δ/Δ cells, Cek1-GFP showed enhanced nuclear localization that was pheromone independent in the ste11Δ/Δ mutant. The results are consistent with CaSte11 facilitating Hst7-mediated MAP kinase phosphorylation and also playing a potentially critical role in both MAP kinase and Cst5 scaffold localization.

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