Deciphering the role of multiple thioredoxin fold proteins of leptospirillum sp. in oxidative stress tolerance

Thioredoxin fold proteins (TFPs) form a family of diverse proteins involved in thiol/disulfide exchange in cells from all domains of life. Leptospirillum spp. are bioleaching bacteria naturally exposed to extreme conditions like acidic pH and high concentrations of metals that can contribute to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and consequently the induction of thiol oxidative damage. Bioinformatic studies have predicted 13 genes that encode for TFP proteins in Leptospirillum spp. We analyzed the participation of individual tfp genes from Leptospirillum sp. CF-1 in the response to oxidative conditions. Genomic context analysis predicted the involvement of these genes in the general thiol-reducing system, cofactor biosynthesis, carbon fixation, cytochrome c biogenesis, signal transduction, and pilus and fimbria assembly. All tfp genes identified were transcriptionally active, although they responded differentially to ferric sulfate and diamide stress. Some of these genes confer oxidative protection to a thioredoxin-deficient Escherichia coli strain by restoring the wild-type phenotype under oxidative stress conditions. These findings contribute to our understanding of the diversity and complexity of thiol/disulfide systems, and of adaptations that emerge in acidophilic microorganisms that allow them to thrive in highly oxidative environments. These findings also give new insights into the physiology of these microorganisms during industrial bioleaching operations.Comision Nacional de Investigacion Cientifica y Tecnologica (CONICYT) CONICYT FONDECYT 1170799 1150834 1190552 Dicyt-Usach USACH 02 1743LJ/02 1744LJ USA1799/1555/149

The biosynthetic gene cluster for andrastin A in Penicillium roqueforti

© 2017 Rojas-Aedo, Gil-Durán, Del-Cid, Valdés, álamos, Vaca, García-Rico, Levicán, Tello and Chávez. Penicillium roqueforti is a filamentous fungus involved in the ripening of several kinds of blue cheeses. In addition, this fungus produces several secondary metabolites, including the meroterpenoid compound andrastin A, a promising antitumoral compound. However, to date the genomic cluster responsible for the biosynthesis of this compound in P. roqueforti has not been described. In this work, we have sequenced and annotated a genomic region of approximately 29.4 kbp (named the adr gene cluster) that is involved in the biosynthesis of andrastin A in P. roqueforti. This region contains ten genes, named adrA, adrC, adrD, adrE, adrF, adrG, adrH, adrI, adrJ and adrK. Interestingly, the adrB gene previously found in the adr cluster from P. chrysogenum, was found as a residual pseudogene in the adr cluster from P. roqueforti. RNA-mediated gene silencing of each of the ten genes resulted in s