The role of Alg13 N-acetylglucosaminyl transferase in the expression of pathogenic features of Candida albicans.

Background: The pathogenic potential of Candida albicans depends on adhesion to the host cells mediated by highly glycosylated adhesins, hyphae formation and growth of biofilm. These factors require effective N-glycosylation of proteins. Here, we present consequences of up- and down- regulation of the newly identified ALG13 gene encoding N-acetylglucosaminyl transferase, a potential member of the Alg7p/Alg13p/Alg14p complex catalyzing the first two initial reactions in the N-glycosylation process. Methods: We constructed C. albicans strain alg13∆::hisG/TRp-ALG13 with one allele of ALG13 disrupted and the other under the control of a regulatable promoter, TRp. Gene expression and enzyme activity were measured using RT-qPCR and radioactive substrate. Cell wall composition was estimated by HPLC DIONEX. Protein glycosylation status was analyzed by electrophoresis of HexNAcase, a model N-glycosylated protein in C. albicans. Results: Both decreased and elevated expression of ALG13 changed expression of all members of the complex and resulted in a decreased activity of Alg7p and Alg13p and under-glycosylation of HexNAcase. The alg13 strain was also defective in hyphae formation and growth of biofilm. These defects could result from altered expression of genes encoding adhesins and from changes in the carbohydrate content of the cell wall of the mutant. General significance: This work confirms the important role of protein N-glycosylation in the pathogenic potential of C. albicans

The essential endoplasmic reticulum chaperone Rot1 is required for protein N- and O-glycosylation in yeast

Abstract Rot1 is an essential yeast protein originally shown to be implicated in such diverse processes such as β-1,6-glucan synthesis, actin cytoskeleton dynamics, or lysis of autophagic bodies. More recently also a role as a molecular chaperone has been discovered. Here we report that Rot1 interacts in a synthetic manner with Ost3, one of the nine subunits of the oligosaccharyltransferase complex, the key enzyme of N-glycosylation. Deletion of OST3 in the rot1-1 mutant causes a temperature sensitive phenotype as well as sensitivity towards compounds interfering with cell wall biogenesis such as Calcofluor White, caffeine, Congo Red and hygromycin B, whereas deletion of OST6, a functional homolog of OST3, has no effect. Oligosaccharyltransferase activity in vitro determined in membranes from rot1-1ost3∆ cells was found to be decreased to 45% compared to wild-type membranes, and model glycoproteins of N-glycosylation, like carboxypeptidase CPY, Gas1 or DPAP B, displayed an underglycosylation pattern. By affinity chromatography a physical interaction between Rot1 and Ost3 was demonstrated. Moreover, Rot1 was found to be involved also in the Omannosylation process, as glycosylation of distinct glycoproteins of this type were affected as well. Altogether the data extend the role of Rot1 as a chaperone required to ensure proper glycosylation

Candida albicans; exploring glycosylation pathway in the search of targets for antimicrobial agents and yeast to hyphae transition

Microbial cell wall is mostly synthesized by the glycosylated proteins with the distinct enzymatic activity. In this review we have concentrated on the description of the certain steps of glycosylation and their effect on the cell wall integrity and yeast to hyphae transition, the process enhancing the pathogenic properties of C.albicans. The glycoproteins play an invaluable role in C. albicans virulence and they modulate adhesive, invasive, morphogenetic and immune stimulating properties of the pathogen as well as its susceptibility to the antifungal agents. Therefore, understanding of C. albicans glycobiology might let us expand the arsenal in the war against fungal enemies. The early stages of N-, O-glycans and GPI-anchor synthesis requires dolichol - the lipid carrier of sugar residues. Diminished supply of dolichol causes series of defects in C. albicans cells, among which aberrant protein glycosylation is the most evident. Furthermore, the relations between the cell wall composition and integrity, resistance to some antifungal and cell wall disturbing agents and dolichol dependent glycosylation are observed. Moreover relevance of these reactions for the morphological differentiation of C.albicans is described

Inhibition of Dephosphorylation of Dolichyl Diphosphate Alters the Synthesis of Dolichol and Hinders Protein N-Glycosylation and Morphological Transitions in Candida albicans

The essential role of dolichyl phosphate (DolP) as a carbohydrate carrier during protein N-glycosylation is well established. The cellular pool of DolP is derived from de novo synthesis in the dolichol branch of the mevalonate pathway and from recycling of DolPP after each cycle of N-glycosylation, when the oligosaccharide is transferred from the lipid carrier to the protein and DolPP is released and then dephosphorylated. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the dephosphorylation of DolPP is known to be catalyzed by the Cwh8p protein. To establish the role of the Cwh8p orthologue in another distantly related yeast species, Candida albicans, we studied its mutant devoid of the CaCWH8 gene. A double Cacwh8∆/Cacwh8∆ strain was constructed by the URA-blaster method. As in S. cerevisiae, the mutant was impaired in DolPP recycling. This defect, however, was accompanied by an elevation of cis-prenyltransferase activity and higher de novo production of dolichols. Despite these compensatory changes, protein glycosylation, cell wall integrity, filamentous growth, and biofilm formation were impaired in the mutant. These results suggest that the defects are not due to the lack of DolP for the protein N-glycosylation but rather that the activity of oligosacharyltransferase could be inhibited by the excess DolPP accumulating in the mutant

The essential endoplasmic reticulum chaperone Rot1 is required for protein N- and O-glycosylation in yeast

Rot1 is an essential yeast protein originally shown to be implicated in such diverse processes such as β-1,6-glucan synthesis, actin cytoskeleton dynamics, or lysis of autophagic bodies. More recently also a role as a molecular chaperone has been discovered. Here we report that Rot1 interacts in a synthetic manner with Ost3, one of the nine subunits of the oligosaccharyltransferase complex, the key enzyme of N-glycosylation. Deletion of OST3 in the rot1-1 mutant causes a temperature sensitive phenotype as well as sensitivity towards compounds interfering with cell wall biogenesis such as Calcofluor White, caffeine, Congo Red and hygromycin B, whereas deletion of OST6, a functional homolog of OST3, has no effect. Oligosaccharyltransferase activity in vitro determined in membranes from rot1-1ost3Δ cells was found to be decreased to 45% compared to wild-type membranes, and model glycoproteins of N-glycosylation, like carboxypeptidase CPY, Gas1 or DPAP B, displayed an underglycosylation pattern. By affinity chromatography a physical interaction between Rot1 and Ost3 was demonstrated. Moreover, Rot1 was found to be involved also in the Omannosylation process, as glycosylation of distinct glycoproteins of this type were affected as well. Altogether the data extend the role of Rot1 as a chaperone required to ensure proper glycosylation. Keywords: ROT1/ N‐glycosylation/ O‐glycosylation/ oligosaccharyltransferase/ dolichol/ Saccharomyces cerevisiae Downloaded from http://glycob.oxfordjournals.org/ at Instytut Biochemii i Biofizyki PAN on April 17, 201

Impact of Yeast Glycosylation Pathway on Cell Integrity and Morphology, Glycosylation, Stefana Petrescu (Ed.), ISBN: 978-953-51-0771-2, InTech, Available from: http://www.intechopen.com/books/glycosylation/impact-of-yeast-glycosylation-pathway-on-cell-integrity-and-morphology

Protein glycosylation is a multi step reaction, well conserved in the eukaryotic cells. In N-glycosylation reactions dolichyl phosphate (DolP) serves as a lipid acceptor of sugar residues forming DolPPGlcNAc2Man9Glc3. Dolichyl phosphate mannose (DolPMan) is also a substrate for protein O-glycosylation, where it serves as a donor of the first mannose to be attached to hydroxyl groups of serine or treonine. DolPMan is also involved in the synthesis of the sugar part of glycosylphosphatidyl inositol anchor in yeast and other eukaryotes. Its remnant structure is responsible for the attachment of a large group of glycoproteins to the glucan polymers of the cell wall . Thus, a functional link could be predicted between the dolichol biosynthetic (mevalonate) pathway and subsequent N-glycosylation and O-mannosylation, cell wall assembly and/or fungus–host interaction. Moreover, on the basis of the data presented in this chapter, it can be assumed that the glycosylation pathway in yeast and fungi offers many levels of regulation, which might influence the final quality and quantity of cell wall glycoproteins and consequently cell surface immunogenicity. In this work we concentrate on early glycosylation defects, resulting from the impaired synthesis of dolichol (Dol) and dolichyl phosphate (DolP) or DolPP oligosaccharide (DolPPGlcNAc2Man9Glc3) assembly, and their effect on the cell integrity and morphology

Dolichol phosphate mannose synthase from the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans is a multimeric enzyme.

Background: Dolichol phosphate mannose synthase (DPMS) is a key enzyme in N- and O-linked glycosylations and glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchor synthesis. DPMS generates DPM, the substrate for mentioned processes, by the transfer of mannosyl residue from GDP-Man to dolichol phosphate. Here we describe the role of DPMS for Candida albicans physiology with emphasis on the cell wall composition and morphogenesis. Methods: C. albicans genes for DPMS subunits were cloned, tagged and expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The C. albicans strains with controlled expression of DPM genes were constructed and analyzed. Gene expression and enzyme activities were measured using RT-PCR and radioactive substrate. Sensitivities against chemical agents were tested with microdilution method. The composition of the cell wall was estimated by HPLC. Glycosylation status of the marker protein was analyzed by Western blot. Morphological differentiation of the strains was checked on the media promoting hyphae and chlamydospore formation. Results: We demonstrate that C. albicans DPMS consists of three interacting subunits, among which Dpm1 and Dpm3 are indispensable, whereas Dpm2 increases enzymatic activity. Lowered expression of DPMS genes results in decreased DPMS activity, increased susceptibility to cell wall perturbing agents and in altered cell wall composition. Mutants Tetp-DPM1 and Tetp-DPM3 show defective protein glycosylation and are impaired in hyphae and chlamydospore formation. Major conclusion: DPMS from C. albicans, opposite to S. cerevisiae, belongs to the family of DPMS with multimeric protein structure. General significance: This work provides important data about factors required for a proper protein glycosylation and for morphogenesis of pathogenic yeast C. albicans