Signal Transductions in Fungi 2.0

A special issue of Journal of Fungi (ISSN 2309-608X). This special issue belongs to the section "Fungal Cell Biology, Metabolism and Physiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (14 February 2023) | Viewed by 22338

Special Issue Editor

Allgemeine und Molekulare Botanik, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstr 150, 44780 Bochum, Germany
Interests: fungal morphogenesis; sexual development; secondary metabolism; gene expression; fungal signal transduction pathways
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Following the release of a successful Special Issue entitled “Signal transduction in Fungi”, The Journal of Fungi is pleased to announce a second Special Issue entitled “Signal Transductions in Fungi 2.0”.

Fungal developmental processes, such as growth, movement, cell division, and differentiation, are governed by multiple signaling transduction pathways, which are connected by intertwined networks. These networks are often represented by multi-subunit signaling complexes allowing the integration of multiple signals for coordinated cellular responses. Such responses include changes in the transcription of genes, the translation and modification of RNAs, and post-translational and conformational changes in proteins. Although considerable efforts have been made to identify upstream regulators and downstream targets of signaling complexes, our understanding of the mechanistic function of these multi-subunit complexes is still fragmentary.

This Special Issue of the Journal of Fungi welcomes all kind of reviews, perspectives, and research articles that incorporate integrative or comparative approaches in fungal systems to expand our understanding of signaling complexes and transduction pathways.

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Kück
Guest Editor

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Published Papers (13 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 3778 KiB  
Article
Only One of Three Bcs1 Homologs in Aspergillus fumigatus Confers Respiratory Growth
by Isabel Klugherz, Marion Basch, Natanya Ng, Zhaojun Zhu, Nikola Wagener and Johannes Wagener
J. Fungi 2023, 9(11), 1074; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof9111074 - 02 Nov 2023
Viewed by 967
Abstract
The mitochondrial translocase Bcs1 is required for the correct assembly of complex III of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Because of its importance, Bcs1 was recently proposed as a target for antifungal agents. The function of this AAA (ATPase Associated with diverse cellular Activities) [...] Read more.
The mitochondrial translocase Bcs1 is required for the correct assembly of complex III of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Because of its importance, Bcs1 was recently proposed as a target for antifungal agents. The function of this AAA (ATPase Associated with diverse cellular Activities) protein has been extensively characterized in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This yeast as well as previously studied mammals each encode only one homolog. In contrast, the pathogenic mold Aspergillus fumigatus encodes three putative Bcs1 homologs, none of which have been characterized to date. To study the role of these three homologs in A. fumigatus, conditional and deletion mutants of the respective genes AFUA_3G13000 (bcs1A), AFUA_4G01260 (bcs1B), and AFUA_2G14760 (bcs1C) were generated. A deletion or downregulation of bcs1A resulted in drastically reduced growth and sporulation rates and in a significantly altered susceptibility to azole antifungals. In contrast, mutants lacking Bcs1B or Bcs1C did not show any phenotypes differing from the wild type. Salicylhydroxamic acid—an inhibitor of the alternative oxidase that allows the respiratory chain to bypass complex III in some species—caused a complete growth arrest of the bcs1A deletion mutant. In a Galleria mellonella infection model, the deletion of bcs1A resulted in significantly decreased virulence. Only Bcs1A was able to partially complement a deletion of BCS1 in S. cerevisiae. The subcellular localization of Bcs1B and Bcs1C outside of mitochondria suggests that these Bcs1 homologs exert cellular functions different from that of Bcs1. Our data demonstrate that Bcs1A is the sole Bcs1 ortholog in A. fumigatus. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Signal Transductions in Fungi 2.0)
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8 pages, 2784 KiB  
Communication
Tubulin Polymerization Promoting Proteins (TPPPs) of Aphelidiomycota: Correlation between the Incidence of p25alpha Domain and the Eukaryotic Flagellum
by Ferenc Orosz
J. Fungi 2023, 9(3), 376; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof9030376 - 19 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1225
Abstract
The seven most early diverging lineages of the 18 phyla of fungi are the non-terrestrial fungi, which reproduce through motile flagellated zoospores. There are genes/proteins that are present only in organisms with flagellum or cilium. It was suggested that TPPP-like proteins (proteins containing [...] Read more.
The seven most early diverging lineages of the 18 phyla of fungi are the non-terrestrial fungi, which reproduce through motile flagellated zoospores. There are genes/proteins that are present only in organisms with flagellum or cilium. It was suggested that TPPP-like proteins (proteins containing at least one complete or partial p25alpha domain) are among them, and a correlation between the incidence of the p25alpha domain and the eukaryotic flagellum was hypothesized. Of the seven phyla of flagellated fungi, six have been known to contain TPPP-like proteins. Aphelidiomycota, one of the early-branching phyla, has some species (e.g., Paraphelidium tribonematis) that retain the flagellum, whereas the Amoeboaphelidium genus has lost the flagellum. The first two Aphelidiomycota genomes (Amoeboaphelidium protococcorum and Amoeboaphelidium occidentale) were sequenced and published last year. A BLASTP search revealed that A. occidentale does not have a TPPP, but A. protococcorum, which possesses pseudocilium, does have a TPPP. This TPPP is the ‘long-type’ which occurs mostly in animals as well as other Opisthokonta. P. tribonematis has a ‘fungal-type’ TPPP, which is found only in some flagellated fungi. These data on Aphelidiomycota TPPP proteins strengthen the correlation between the incidence of p25alpha domain-containing proteins and that of the eukaryotic flagellum/cilium. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Signal Transductions in Fungi 2.0)
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14 pages, 2331 KiB  
Article
Complementation of an Eisosomal Yeast pil1 Mutant and Characteristics of Eisosomal Distribution in Hyphae of Neurospora crassa Germinating from Two Different Spore Types
by Krisztina Kollath-Leiß, Qin Yang, Hannes Winter and Frank Kempken
J. Fungi 2023, 9(2), 147; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof9020147 - 22 Jan 2023
Viewed by 1588
Abstract
Eisosomes are plasma-membrane-associated protein complexes of fungi and algae involved in various cellular processes. The eisosome composition of the budding yeast is well described, but there is a limited number of studies only about eisosomes in filamentous fungi. In our study, we examined [...] Read more.
Eisosomes are plasma-membrane-associated protein complexes of fungi and algae involved in various cellular processes. The eisosome composition of the budding yeast is well described, but there is a limited number of studies only about eisosomes in filamentous fungi. In our study, we examined the Neurospora crassa LSP-1 protein (NcLSP1). By complementing a Saccharomyces cerevisiae Δpil1 mutant strain with nclsp1, we show the functional homology of the NcLSP1 to yeast PIL1 rather than to yeast LSP1 and hereby confirm that the NcLSP1 is an eisosomal core protein and suitable eisosomal marker. The subsequent cloning and expression of the nclsp1::trfp reporter gene construct in N. crassa allowed for a systematical investigation of the characteristics of eisosome formation and distribution in different developmental stages. In N. crassa, the hyphae germinating from sexual and asexual spores are morphologically identical and have been historically recognized as the same type of cells. Here, we demonstrate the structural differences on the cellular level between the hyphae germinating from sexual and asexual spores. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Signal Transductions in Fungi 2.0)
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23 pages, 4310 KiB  
Article
The SUMOylation Pathway Components Are Required for Vegetative Growth, Asexual Development, Cytotoxic Responses, and Programmed Cell Death Events in Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum
by Azizullah, Muhammad Noman, Yizhou Gao, Hui Wang, Xiaohui Xiong, Jiajing Wang, Dayong Li and Fengming Song
J. Fungi 2023, 9(1), 94; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof9010094 - 09 Jan 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1552
Abstract
SUMOylation is an essential protein modification process that regulates numerous crucial cellular and biochemical processes in phytopathogenic fungi, and thus plays important roles in multiple biological functions. The present study characterizes the SUMOylation pathway components, including SMT3 (SUMO), AOS1 (an E1 enzyme), UBC9 [...] Read more.
SUMOylation is an essential protein modification process that regulates numerous crucial cellular and biochemical processes in phytopathogenic fungi, and thus plays important roles in multiple biological functions. The present study characterizes the SUMOylation pathway components, including SMT3 (SUMO), AOS1 (an E1 enzyme), UBC9 (an E2 enzyme), and MMS21 (an E3 ligase), in Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum (Fon), the causative agent of watermelon Fusarium wilt, in terms of the phylogenetic relationship, gene/protein structures, and basic biological functions. The SUMOylation components FonSMT3, FonAOS1, FonUBC9, and FonMMS21 are predominantly located in the nucleus. FonSMT3, FonAOS1, FonUBC9, and FonMMS21 are highly expressed in the germinating macroconidia, but their expression is downregulated gradually in infected watermelon roots with the disease progression. The disruption of FonUBA2 and FonSIZ1 seems to be lethal in Fon. The deletion mutant strains for FonSMT3, FonAOS1, FonUBC9, and FonMMS21 are viable, but exhibit significant defects in vegetative growth, asexual reproduction, conidial morphology, spore germination, responses to metal ions and DNA-damaging agents, and apoptosis. The disruption of FonSMT3, FonAOS1, FonUBC9, and FonMMS21 enhances sensitivity to cell wall-perturbing agents, but confers tolerance to digestion by cell wall-degrading enzymes. Furthermore, the disruption of FonSMT3, FonAOS1, and FonUBC9 negatively regulates autophagy in Fon. Overall, these results demonstrate that the SUMOylation pathway plays vital roles in regulating multiple basic biological processes in Fon, and, thus, can serve as a potential target for developing a disease management approach to control Fusarium wilt in watermelon. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Signal Transductions in Fungi 2.0)
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10 pages, 717 KiB  
Communication
Data-Independent Acquisition (DIA) Is Superior for High Precision Phospho-Peptide Quantification in Magnaporthe oryzae
by Katharina Bersching, Thomas Michna, Stefan Tenzer and Stefan Jacob
J. Fungi 2023, 9(1), 63; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof9010063 - 31 Dec 2022
Viewed by 1991
Abstract
The dynamic interplay of signaling networks in most major cellular processes is characterized by the orchestration of reversible protein phosphorylation. Consequently, analytic methods such as quantitative phospho-peptidomics have been pushed forward from a highly specialized edge-technique to a powerful and versatile platform for [...] Read more.
The dynamic interplay of signaling networks in most major cellular processes is characterized by the orchestration of reversible protein phosphorylation. Consequently, analytic methods such as quantitative phospho-peptidomics have been pushed forward from a highly specialized edge-technique to a powerful and versatile platform for comprehensively analyzing the phosphorylation profile of living organisms. Despite enormous progress in instrumentation and bioinformatics, a high number of missing values caused by the experimental procedure remains a major problem, due to either a random phospho-peptide enrichment selectivity or borderline signal intensities, which both cause the exclusion for fragmentation using the commonly applied data dependent acquisition (DDA) mode. Consequently, an incomplete dataset reduces confidence in the subsequent statistical bioinformatic processing. Here, we successfully applied data independent acquisition (DIA) by using the filamentous fungus Magnaporthe oryzae as a model organism, and could prove that while maintaining data quality (such as phosphosite and peptide sequence confidence), the data completeness increases dramatically. Since the method presented here reduces the LC-MS/MS analysis from 3 h to 1 h and increases the number of phosphosites identified up to 10-fold in contrast to published studies in Magnaporthe oryzae, we provide a refined methodology and a sophisticated resource for investigation of signaling processes in filamentous fungi. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Signal Transductions in Fungi 2.0)
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15 pages, 2853 KiB  
Article
Fusarium oxysporum Casein Kinase 1, a Negative Regulator of the Plasma Membrane H+-ATPase Pma1, Is Required for Development and Pathogenicity
by Melani Mariscal, Cristina Miguel-Rojas, Concepción Hera, Tânia R. Fernandes and Antonio Di Pietro
J. Fungi 2022, 8(12), 1300; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8121300 - 15 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1550
Abstract
Like many hemibiotrophic plant pathogens, the root-infecting vascular wilt fungus Fusarium oxysporum induces an increase in the pH of the surrounding host tissue. How alkalinization promotes fungal infection is not fully understood, but recent studies point towards the role of cytosolic pH (pH [...] Read more.
Like many hemibiotrophic plant pathogens, the root-infecting vascular wilt fungus Fusarium oxysporum induces an increase in the pH of the surrounding host tissue. How alkalinization promotes fungal infection is not fully understood, but recent studies point towards the role of cytosolic pH (pHc) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling. In fungi, pHc is mainly controlled by the essential plasma membrane H+-ATPase Pma1. Here we created mutants of F. oxysporum lacking casein kinase 1 (Ck1), a known negative regulator of Pma1. We found that the ck1Δ mutants have constitutively high Pma1 activity and exhibit reduced alkalinization of the surrounding medium as well as decreased hyphal growth and conidiation. Importantly, the ck1Δ mutants exhibit defects in hyphal chemotropism towards plant roots and in pathogenicity on tomato plants. Thus, Ck1 is a key regulator of the development and virulence of F. oxysporum. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Signal Transductions in Fungi 2.0)
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12 pages, 1819 KiB  
Article
In Vitro Characterization of a Nuclear Receptor-like Domain of the Xylanase Regulator 1 from Trichoderma reesei
by Thiago M. Mello-de-Sousa, Rita Gorsche, Birgit Jovanović, Robert L. Mach and Astrid R. Mach-Aigner
J. Fungi 2022, 8(12), 1254; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8121254 - 27 Nov 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1303
Abstract
Engineering transcription factors is an interesting research target gaining increasing attention, such as in the case of industrially used organisms. With respect to sustainability, biomass-degrading saprophytic fungi, such as Trichoderma reesei, are promising industrial work horses because they exhibit a high secretory [...] Read more.
Engineering transcription factors is an interesting research target gaining increasing attention, such as in the case of industrially used organisms. With respect to sustainability, biomass-degrading saprophytic fungi, such as Trichoderma reesei, are promising industrial work horses because they exhibit a high secretory capacity of native and heterologously expressed enzymes and compounds. A single-point mutation in the main transactivator of xylanase and cellulase expressions in T. reesei Xyr1 led to a strongly deregulated and enhanced xylanase expression. Circular dichroism spectroscopy revealed a change in secondary structure caused by this mutation. According to electrophoretic mobility shift assays and determination of the equilibrium-binding constants, the DNA-binding affinity of the mutated Xyr1 was considerably reduced compared to the wild-type Xyr1. Both techniques were also used to investigate the allosteric response to carbohydrates (D-glucose-6-phosphate, D-xylose, and sophorose) signalling the repression or induction of Xyr1 target genes. The mutated Xyr1 no longer exhibited a conformational change in response to these carbohydrates, indicating that the observed deregulation is not a simple matter of a change in DNA-binding of the transactivator. Altogether, we postulate that the part of Xyr1 where the mutation is located functions as a nuclear receptor-like domain that mediates carbohydrate signals and modulates the Xyr1 transactivating activity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Signal Transductions in Fungi 2.0)
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13 pages, 2145 KiB  
Article
The Gal4-Type Transcription Factor Pro1 Integrates Inputs from Two Different MAPK Cascades to Regulate Development in the Fungal Pathogen Fusarium oxysporum
by Rafael Palos-Fernández, David Turrà and Antonio Di Pietro
J. Fungi 2022, 8(12), 1242; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8121242 - 24 Nov 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1526
Abstract
Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways control fundamental aspects of growth and development in fungi. In the soil-inhabiting ascomycete Fusarium oxysporum, which causes vascular wilt disease in more than a hundred crops, the MAPKs Fmk1 and Mpk1 regulate an array of developmental [...] Read more.
Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways control fundamental aspects of growth and development in fungi. In the soil-inhabiting ascomycete Fusarium oxysporum, which causes vascular wilt disease in more than a hundred crops, the MAPKs Fmk1 and Mpk1 regulate an array of developmental and virulence-related processes. The downstream components mediating these disparate functions are largely unknown. Here we find that the GATA-type transcription factor Pro1 integrates signals from both MAPK pathways to control a subset of functions, including quorum sensing, hyphal fusion and chemotropism. By contrast, Pro1 is dispensable for other downstream processes such as invasive hyphal growth and virulence, or response to cell wall stress. We further show that regulation of Pro1 activity by these upstream pathways occurs at least in part at the level of transcription. Besides the MAPK pathways, upstream regulators of Pro1 transcription also include the Velvet regulatory complex, the signaling protein Soft (Fso1) and the transcription factor Ste12 which was previously shown to act downstream of Fmk1. Collectively, our results reveal a role of Pro1 in integrating the outputs from different signaling pathways of F. oxysporum thereby mediating key developmental decisions in this important fungal pathogen. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Signal Transductions in Fungi 2.0)
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17 pages, 3142 KiB  
Article
Regulator of G Protein Signaling Proteins Control Growth, Development and Cellulase Production in Neurospora crassa
by Ilva E. Cabrera, Yagna Oza, Alexander J. Carrillo, Logan A. Collier, Sara J. Wright, Liande Li and Katherine A. Borkovich
J. Fungi 2022, 8(10), 1076; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8101076 - 13 Oct 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1757
Abstract
Heterotrimeric (αβγ) G protein signaling pathways are critical environmental sensing systems found in eukaryotic cells. Exchange of GDP for GTP on the Gα subunit leads to its activation. In contrast, GTP hydrolysis on the Gα is accelerated by Regulator of G protein Signaling [...] Read more.
Heterotrimeric (αβγ) G protein signaling pathways are critical environmental sensing systems found in eukaryotic cells. Exchange of GDP for GTP on the Gα subunit leads to its activation. In contrast, GTP hydrolysis on the Gα is accelerated by Regulator of G protein Signaling (RGS) proteins, resulting in a return to the GDP-bound, inactive state. Here, we analyzed growth, development and extracellular cellulase production in strains with knockout mutations in the seven identified RGS genes (rgs-1 to rgs-7) in the filamentous fungus, Neurospora crassa. We compared phenotypes to those of strains with either knockout mutations or expressing predicted constitutively activated, GTPase-deficient alleles for each of the three Gα subunit genes (gna-1Q204L, gna-2Q205L or gna-3Q208L). Our data revealed that six RGS mutants have taller aerial hyphae than wild type and all seven mutants exhibit reduced asexual sporulation, phenotypes shared with strains expressing the gna-1Q204L or gna-3Q208L allele. In contrast, Δrgs-1 and Δrgs-3 were the only RGS mutants with a slower growth rate phenotype, a defect in common with gna-1Q204L strains. With respect to female sexual development, Δrgs-1 possessed defects most similar to gna-3Q208L strains, while those of Δrgs-2 mutants resembled strains expressing the gna-1Q204L allele. Finally, we observed that four of the seven RGS mutants had significantly different extracellular cellulase levels relative to wild type. Of interest, the Δrgs-2 mutant had no detectable activity, similar to the gna-3Q208L strain. In contrast, the Δrgs-1 and Δrgs-4 mutants and gna-1Q204L and gna-2Q205L strains exhibited significantly higher cellulase activity than wild type. With the exception of sexual development, our results demonstrate the greatest number of genetic interactions between rgs-1 and gna-1 and rgs-2 and gna-3 in N. crassa. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Signal Transductions in Fungi 2.0)
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21 pages, 6127 KiB  
Article
H2O2 Induces Calcium and ERMES Complex-Dependent Mitochondrial Constriction and Division as Well as Mitochondrial Outer Membrane Remodeling in Aspergillus nidulans
by Verónica Garrido-Bazán and Jesús Aguirre
J. Fungi 2022, 8(8), 829; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8080829 - 09 Aug 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2209
Abstract
The dynamin-like protein DnmA and its receptor FisA are essential for H2O2-induced mitochondrial division in Aspergillus nidulans. Here, we show that in the absence of DnmA or FisA, mitochondria show few spontaneous transient constrictions, the frequency of which [...] Read more.
The dynamin-like protein DnmA and its receptor FisA are essential for H2O2-induced mitochondrial division in Aspergillus nidulans. Here, we show that in the absence of DnmA or FisA, mitochondria show few spontaneous transient constrictions, the frequency of which is extensively increased by H2O2 or the carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenyl hydrazone (CCCP). While H2O2-induced constrictions are transient, CCCP induces a drastic and irreversible alteration of mitochondrial filaments. H2O2 induces a gradual mitochondrial depolarization, while CCCP-induced depolarization is abrupt. The calcium chelator BAPTA-AM prevents the formation of mitochondrial constrictions induced by either H2O2 or CCCP. H2O2 also induces major rearrangements of the mitochondrial outer membrane, which remain after constrictions dissipate, as well as changes in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and nuclear morphology. Similar mitochondrial constriction, ER and nuclear morphology changes are detected during the early stages of asexual development. ER and ER-Mitochondria encounter structure (ERMES) complex—composed of proteins Mdm10, Mmm1, Mdm43 and Mdm12—are important for mitochondrial division in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. As the Mdm10 ortholog MdmB was found to be essential in A. nidulans, we evaluated its functions in ΔmdmB terminal mutants and ΔmdmB heterokaryons. ΔmdmB conidia produce a short germ tube that fails to grow further, in which inherited mitochondria become gigantic and round shaped, lacking clear contacts with the ER. In slow-growing ΔmdmB heterokaryotic mycelia, multiple hyphae contain very long mitochondria with high ROS levels, as occur in ΔdnmA and ΔfisA mutants. In this hyphae, H2O2 fails to induce mitochondrial constrictions but not outer mitochondrial membrane reshaping, indicating that these are two separate effects of H2O2. Our results indicate that H2O2 induces a generalized mitochondrial constriction response, prior to actual division, involving gradual depolarization; they also indicate that Ca2+ and the ERMES complex are critical for both mitochondrial constriction and division. This supports a view of mitochondrial dynamics as the result of a cascade of signaling events that can be initiated in vivo by H2O2. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Signal Transductions in Fungi 2.0)
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Review

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22 pages, 3615 KiB  
Review
An Anatomy of Fungal Eye: Fungal Photoreceptors and Signalling Mechanisms
by Özlem Sarikaya Bayram and Özgür Bayram
J. Fungi 2023, 9(5), 591; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof9050591 - 19 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2568
Abstract
Organisms have developed different features to capture or sense sunlight. Vertebrates have evolved specialized organs (eyes) which contain a variety of photosensor cells that help them to see the light to aid orientation. Opsins are major photoreceptors found in the vertebrate eye. Fungi, [...] Read more.
Organisms have developed different features to capture or sense sunlight. Vertebrates have evolved specialized organs (eyes) which contain a variety of photosensor cells that help them to see the light to aid orientation. Opsins are major photoreceptors found in the vertebrate eye. Fungi, with more than five million estimated members, represent an important clade of living organisms which have important functions for the sustainability of life on our planet. Light signalling regulates a range of developmental and metabolic processes including asexual sporulation, sexual fruit body formation, pigment and carotenoid production and even production of secondary metabolites. Fungi have adopted three groups of photoreceptors: (I) blue light receptors, White Collars, vivid, cryptochromes, blue F proteins and DNA photolyases, (II) red light sensors, phytochromes and (III) green light sensors and microbial rhodopsins. Most mechanistic data were elucidated on the roles of the White Collar Complex (WCC) and the phytochromes in the fungal kingdom. The WCC acts as both photoreceptor and transcription factor by binding to target genes, whereas the phytochrome initiates a cascade of signalling by using mitogen-activated protein kinases to elicit its cellular responses. Although the mechanism of photoreception has been studied in great detail, fungal photoreception has not been compared with vertebrate vision. Therefore, this review will mainly focus on mechanistic findings derived from two model organisms, namely Aspergillus nidulans and Neurospora crassa and comparison of some mechanisms with vertebrate vision. Our focus will be on the way light signalling is translated into changes in gene expression, which influences morphogenesis and metabolism in fungi. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Signal Transductions in Fungi 2.0)
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27 pages, 4649 KiB  
Review
Fusarium Photoreceptors
by Javier Pardo-Medina, M. Carmen Limón and Javier Avalos
J. Fungi 2023, 9(3), 319; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof9030319 - 04 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1595
Abstract
Light is an important modulating signal in fungi. Fusarium species stand out as research models for their phytopathogenic activity and their complex secondary metabolism. This includes the synthesis of carotenoids, whose induction by light is their best known photoregulated process. In these fungi, [...] Read more.
Light is an important modulating signal in fungi. Fusarium species stand out as research models for their phytopathogenic activity and their complex secondary metabolism. This includes the synthesis of carotenoids, whose induction by light is their best known photoregulated process. In these fungi, light also affects other metabolic pathways and developmental stages, such as the formation of conidia. Photoreceptor proteins are essential elements in signal transduction from light. Fusarium genomes contain genes for at least ten photoreceptors: four flavoproteins, one photolyase, two cryptochromes, two rhodopsins, and one phytochrome. Mutations in five of these genes provide information about their functions in light regulation, in which the flavoprotein WcoA, belonging to the White Collar (WC) family, plays a predominant role. Global transcriptomic techniques have opened new perspectives for the study of photoreceptor functions and have recently been used in Fusarium fujikuroi on a WC protein and a cryptochrome from the DASH family. The data showed that the WC protein participates in the transcriptional control of most of the photoregulated genes, as well as of many genes not regulated by light, while the DASH cryptochrome potentially plays a supporting role in the photoinduction of many genes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Signal Transductions in Fungi 2.0)
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Other

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10 pages, 1573 KiB  
Brief Report
The Calcium Chloride Responsive Type 2C Protein Phosphatases Play Synergistic Roles in Regulating MAPK Pathways in Magnaporthe oryzae
by Wilfred M. Anjago, Jules Biregeya, Mingyue Shi, Yixiao Chen, Yupeng Wang, Zonghua Wang, Yonghe Hong and Meilian Chen
J. Fungi 2022, 8(12), 1287; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8121287 - 08 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1163
Abstract
Reversible protein phosphorylation is essential in cellular signal transduction. The rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae contains six putative type 2C protein phosphatases, namely MoPtc1, MoPtc2, MoPtc5, MoPtc6, MoPtc7, and MoPtc8. The major functions of MoPtc1 and MoPtc2 have been reported recently. In this [...] Read more.
Reversible protein phosphorylation is essential in cellular signal transduction. The rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae contains six putative type 2C protein phosphatases, namely MoPtc1, MoPtc2, MoPtc5, MoPtc6, MoPtc7, and MoPtc8. The major functions of MoPtc1 and MoPtc2 have been reported recently. In this communication, we found that MoPtc1 and MoPtc2 were induced by calcium chloride. We also found that the deletion of both MoPtc1 and MoPtc2 resulted in the overstimulation of both the high-osmolarity glycerol (Hog1) and pathogenicity MAP kinase 1 (Pmk1) pathways in M. oryzae. MoPtc1 was recruited directly to Osm1 (the osmotic stress-sensitive mutant) by the adaptor protein MoNbp2 to inactivate the Osm1 during hypoosmotic stress, distinct from the budding yeast. Moreover, we showed that MoPtc1 and MoPtc2 were localized in different cellular compartments in the fungal development. Taken together, we added some new findings of type 2C protein phosphatases MoPtc1 and MoPtc2 functions to the current knowledge on the regulation of MAPK signaling pathways in M. oryzae. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Signal Transductions in Fungi 2.0)
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