scholarly journals The MAPKKK CgMck1 Is Required for Cell Wall Integrity, Appressorium Development, and Pathogenicity in Colletotrichum gloeosporioides

Genes ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 543 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Lan Fang ◽  
Li-Ming Xia ◽  
Ping Wang ◽  
Li-Hua Zhu ◽  
Jian-Ren Ye ◽  
...  

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway plays key roles in sensing extracellular signals and transmitting them from the cell membrane to the nucleus in response to various environmental stimuli. A MAPKKK protein CgMck1 in Colletotrichum gloeosporioides was characterized. Phenotypic analyses of the ∆Cgmck1 mutant showed that the CgMck1 was required for vegetative growth, fruiting body development, and sporulation. Additionally, the CgMCK1 deletion mutant showed significant defects in cell wall integrity, and responses to osmotic stresses. The mutant abolished the ability to develop appressorium, and lost pathogenicity to host plants. The ∆Cgmck1 mutant also exhibited a higher sensitivity to antifungal bacterium agent Bacillus velezensis. The deletion mutants of downstream MAPK cascades components CgMkk1 and CgMps1 showed similar defects to the ∆Cgmck1 mutant. In conclusion, CgMck1 is involved in the regulation of vegetative growth, asexual development, cell wall integrity, stresses resistance, and infection morphogenesis in C. gloeosporioides.

2009 ◽  
Vol 29 (24) ◽  
pp. 6449-6461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew W. Truman ◽  
Ki-Young Kim ◽  
David E. Levin

ABSTRACT The Mpk1 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) of the cell wall integrity signaling pathway uses a noncatalytic mechanism to activate the SBF (Swi4/Swi6) transcription factor. Active Mpk1 forms a complex with Swi4, the DNA-binding subunit of SBF, conferring the ability to bind DNA. Because SBF activation is independent of Mpk1 catalytic activity but requires Mpk1 to be in an active conformation, we sought to understand how Mpk1 interacts with Swi4. Mutational analysis revealed that binding and activation of Swi4 by Mpk1 requires an intact D-motif-binding site, a docking surface common to MAPKs that resides distal to the phosphorylation loop but does not require the substrate-binding site, revealing a novel mechanism for MAPK target regulation. Additionally, we found that Mpk1 binds near the autoinhibitory C terminus of Swi4, suggesting an activation mechanism in which Mpk1 substitutes for Swi6 in promoting Swi4 DNA binding. Finally, we show that caffeine is an atypical activator of cell wall integrity signaling, because it induces phosphorylation of the Mpk1 C-terminal extension at Ser423 and Ser428. These phosphorylations were dependent on the DNA damage checkpoint kinases, Mec1/Tel1 and Rad53. Phosphorylation of Ser423 specifically blocked SBF activation by preventing Mpk1 association with Swi4, revealing a novel mechanism for regulating MAPK target specificity.


2008 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 525-534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junhyun Jeon ◽  
Jaeduk Goh ◽  
Sungyong Yoo ◽  
Myoung-Hwan Chi ◽  
Jaehyuk Choi ◽  
...  

Insertional mutagenesis of Magnaporthe oryzae led to the identification of MCK1, a pathogenicity gene predicted to encode mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase (MAPKKK) homologous to BCK1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Targeted disruption of MCK1 resulted in the fungus undergoing autolysis and showing hypersensitivity to cell-wall-degrading enzyme. The mck1 produced significantly reduced numbers of conidia and developed appressoria in a slightly retarded manner compared with the wild type. Appressorium of the mck1 mutant was unable to penetrate into plant tissues, thereby rendering the mutant nonpathogenic. Cytorrhysis assay and monitoring of lipid mobilization suggested that the appressorial wall was altered, presumably affecting the level of turgor pressure within appressorium. Furthermore, the mck1 mutant failed to grow inside plant tissue. Complementation of the mutated gene restored its ability to cause disease symptoms, demonstrating that MCK1 is required for fungal pathogenicity. Taken together, our results suggest that MCK1 is an MAPKKK involved in maintaining cell wall integrity of M. oryzae, and that remodeling of the cell wall in response to host environments is essential for fungal pathogenesis.


Author(s):  
Guanggan Hu ◽  
Linda Horianopoulos ◽  
Eddy Sánchez-León ◽  
Mélissa Caza ◽  
Wonhee Jung ◽  
...  

Abstract Monothiol glutaredoxins are important regulators of iron homeostasis that play conserved roles in the sensing and trafficking of iron-sulfur clusters. We previously characterized the role of the monothiol glutaredoxin Grx4 in iron homeostasis, the interaction with the iron regulator Cir1, and virulence in Cryptococcus neoformans. This important fungal pathogen causes cryptococcal meningoencephalitis in immunocompromised individuals worldwide. Here, we demonstrate that Grx4 is required for proliferation at elevated temperatures (both 37°C and 39°C) and under stress conditions. In particular, the grx4Δ mutant was hypersensitive to SDS, calcofluor white (CFW), and caffeine, suggesting that Grx4 is required for membrane and cell wall integrity (CWI). In this context, we found that Grx4 regulated the phosphorylation of the Mpk1 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) of the CWI pathway in cells grown at elevated temperature or upon treatment with CFW, caffeine, or SDS. The grx4Δ mutant also displayed increased sensitivity to FK506 and cyclosporin A, two inhibitors of the calcineurin pathway, indicating that Grx4 may influence growth at higher temperatures in parallel with calcineurin signaling. Upon thermal stress or calcium treatment, loss of Grx4 also caused partial mis-localization of Crz1, the transcription factor that is a calcineurin substrate. The phenotypes of the grx4Δ, crz1Δ, and cna1Δ (calcineurin) mutants suggest shared contributions to the regulation of temperature, cell wall, and other stresses. In summary, we show that Grx4 is also a key regulator of the responses to a variety of stress conditions in addition to its roles in iron homeostasis in C. neoformans.


2010 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 1609-1619 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ki-Young Kim ◽  
Andrew W. Truman ◽  
Stefanie Caesar ◽  
Gabriel Schlenstedt ◽  
David E. Levin

The yeast SBF transcription factor is a heterodimer comprised of Swi4 and Swi6 that has a well defined role in cell cycle-specific transcription. SBF serves a second function in the transcriptional response to cell wall stress in which activated Mpk1 mitogen-activated protein kinase of the cell wall integrity signaling pathway forms a complex with Swi4, the DNA binding subunit of SBF, conferring upon Swi4 the ability to bind DNA and activate transcription of FKS2. Although Mpk1–Swi4 complex formation and transcriptional activation of FKS2 does not require Mpk1 catalytic activity, Swi6 is phosphorylated by Mpk1 and must be present in the Mpk1-Swi4 complex for transcriptional activation of FKS2. Here, we find that Mpk1 regulates Swi6 nucleocytoplasmic shuttling in a biphasic manner. First, formation of the Mpk1-Swi4 complex recruits Swi6 to the nucleus for transcriptional activation. Second, Mpk1 negatively regulates Swi6 by phosphorylation on Ser238, which inhibits nuclear entry. Ser238 neighbors a nuclear localization signal (NLS) whose function is blocked by phosphorylation at Ser238 in a manner similar to the regulation by Cdc28 of another Swi6 NLS, revealing a mechanism for the integration of multiple signals to a single endpoint. Finally, the Kap120 β-importin binds the Mpk1-regulated Swi6 NLS but not the Cdc28-regulated NLS.


2007 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 521-532 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricija Hawle ◽  
Danielle Horst ◽  
Jan Paul Bebelman ◽  
Xiao Xian Yang ◽  
Marco Siderius ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae utilizes rapidly responding mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling cascades to adapt efficiently to a changing environment. Here we report that phosphorylation of Cdc37p, an Hsp90 cochaperone, by casein kinase 2 controls the functionality of two MAPK cascades in yeast. These pathways, the high-osmolarity glycerol (HOG) pathway and the cell integrity (protein kinase C) MAPK pathway, mediate adaptive responses to high osmotic and cell wall stresses, respectively. Mutation of the phosphorylation site Ser14 in Cdc37p renders cells sensitive to osmotic stress and cell wall perturbation by calcofluor white. We found that levels of the MAPKs Hog1p and Slt2p (Mpk1p) in cells are reduced in a cdc37-S14A mutant, and consequently downstream responses mediated by Hog1p and Slt2p are compromised. Furthermore, we present evidence that Hog1p and Slt2p both interact in a complex with Cdc37p in vivo, something that has not been reported previously. The interaction of Hsp90, Slt2p, and Hog1p with Cdc37p depends on the phosphorylation status of Cdc37p. In fact, our biochemical data show that the osmosensitive phenotype of the cdc37-S14A mutant is due to the loss of the interaction between Cdc37p, Hog1p, and Hsp90. Likewise, during cell wall stress, the interaction of Slt2p with Cdc37p and Hsp90 is crucial for Slt2p-dependent downstream responses, such as the activation of the transcription factor Rlm1p. Interestingly, phosphorylated Slt2p, but not phosphorylated Hog1p, has an increased affinity for Cdc37p. Together these observations suggest that Cdc37p acts as a regulator of MAPK signaling.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meihua Xie ◽  
Jiangliu Yang ◽  
Kexin Jiang ◽  
Na Bai ◽  
Meichen Zhu ◽  
...  

The cell wall integrity (CWI) pathway is composed of three mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), Bck1, Mkk1/2, and Slt2, and is one of the main signaling pathways for fungal pathogenesis, cell wall synthesis, and integrity maintenance. In this study, we characterized orthologs of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Bck1 and Mkk1 in the nematode-trapping (NT) fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora by multiple phenotypic comparison, and the regulation of conidiation and cell wall synthesis was analyzed using real-time PCR (RT-PCR). Both ΔAoBck1 and ΔAoMkk1 mutants showed severe defects in vegetative growth, cell nucleus number, and stress resistance. Both the mutants were unable to produce spores, and the transcription of several genes associated with sporulation and cell wall biosynthesis was markedly downregulated during the conidiation stage. Further, cell walls of the ΔAoBck1 and ΔAoMkk1 mutants were severely damaged, and the Woronin body failed to respond to cellular damage. In particular, the mutants lost the ability to produce mycelial traps for nematode predation. Taken together, AoBck1 and AoMkk1 play a conserved role in mycelial growth and development, CWI, conidiation, multi-stress tolerance, trap formation, and pathogenicity. We highlighted the role of AoBck1 and AoMkk1 in regulating the Woronin body response to cellular damage and cell nucleus development in A. oligospora.


2022 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 77
Author(s):  
Chaohui Li ◽  
Weibo Sun ◽  
Shulin Cao ◽  
Rongxian Hou ◽  
Xiaogang Li ◽  
...  

Colletotrichum fructicola, the causal agent of pear anthracnose, causes significant annual economic losses. Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades are highly conserved signal transduction pathways that play a crucial role in mediating cellular responses to environmental and host signals in plant pathogenic fungi. In this study, we identified an ortholog of the FUS3/KSS1-related MAPK gene, CfMK1, and characterized its function in C. fructicola. The Cfmk1 deletion mutants exhibited poorly developed aerial hyphae, autolysis, no conidial mass or perithecia on solid plates. However, the conidiation of the Cfmk1 mutant in PDB liquid medium was normal compared with that of the wild type (WT). Conidia of the Cfmk1 mutant exhibited a reduced germination rate on glass slides or plant surfaces. The Cfmk1 deletion mutants were unable to form appressoria and lost the capacity to penetrate plant epidermal cells. The ability of the Cfmk1 mutants to infect pear leaves and fruit was severely reduced. Moreover, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis of the WT and Cfmk1 mutant was performed, and the results revealed 1886 upregulated and 1554 downregulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the mutant. The DEGs were significantly enriched in cell wall and pathogenesis terms, which was consistent with the defects of the Cfmk1 mutant in cell wall integrity and plant infection. Overall, our data demonstrate that CfMK1 plays critical roles in the regulation of aerial hyphal growth, asexual and sexual reproduction, autolysis, appressorium formation, and pathogenicity.


2016 ◽  
Vol 62 (10) ◽  
pp. 836-850 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zafer Dallal Bashi ◽  
Sanjaya Gyawali ◽  
Diana Bekkaoui ◽  
Cathy Coutu ◽  
Leora Lee ◽  
...  

Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) play a central role in transferring signals and regulating gene expression in response to extracellular stimuli. An ortholog of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell wall integrity MAPK was identified in the phytopathogenic fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Disruption of the S. sclerotiorum Smk3 gene severely reduced virulence on intact host plant leaves but not on leaves stripped of cuticle wax. This was attributed to alterations in hyphal apical dominance leading to the inability to aggregate and form infection cushions. The mutation also caused loss of the ability to produce sclerotia, increased aerial hyphae formation, and altered hyphal hydrophobicity and cell wall integrity. Mutants had slower radial expansion rates on solid media but more tolerance to elevated temperatures. Loss of the SMK3 cell wall integrity MAPK appears to have impaired the ability of S. sclerotiorum to sense its surrounding environment, leading to misregulation of a variety of functions. Many of the phenotypes were similar to those observed in S. sclerotiorum adenylate cyclase and SMK1 MAPK mutants, suggesting that these signaling pathways co-regulate aspects of fungal growth, physiology, and pathogenicity.


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