Functional Characterization of an Aspergillus fumigatus Calcium Transporter (PmcA) that Is Essential for Fungal Infection

Aspergillus fumigatus is a primary and opportunistic pathogen, as well as a major allergen, of mammals. The Ca+2-calcineurin pathway affects virulence, morphogenesis and antifungal drug action in A. fumigatus. Here, we investigated three components of the A. fumigatus Ca+2-calcineurin pathway, pmcA,-B, and -C, which encode calcium transporters. We demonstrated that CrzA can directly control the mRNA accumulation of the pmcA-C genes by binding to their promoter regions. CrzA-binding experiments suggested that the 5′-CACAGCCAC-3′ and 5′-CCCTGCCCC-3′ sequences upstream of pmcA and pmcC genes, respectively, are possible calcineurin-dependent response elements (CDREs)-like consensus motifs. Null mutants were constructed for pmcA and -B and a conditional mutant for pmcC demonstrating pmcC is an essential gene. The ΔpmcA and ΔpmcB mutants were more sensitive to calcium and resistant to manganese and cyclosporin was able to modulate the sensitivity or resistance of these mutants to these salts, supporting the interaction between calcineurin and the function of these transporters. The pmcA-C genes have decreased mRNA abundance into the alveoli in the ΔcalA and ΔcrzA mutant strains. However, only the A. fumigatus ΔpmcA was avirulent in the murine model of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis

Caracterização funcional dos elementos de transcrição do gene da glicogênio sintase (gsn) de Neurospora crassa

As células eucarióticas são capazes de responder e de se adaptar a diferentes condições ambientais estressantes tais como o choque térmico, modulando sua atividade metabólica. Na levedura Saccharomyces cerevisiae o choque térmico é conhecido por induzir múltiplos genes relacionados a esta forma de estresse, através dos elementos transativadores Hsf1p (Heat Shock Protein) e Msn2/4p, os quais se ligam, respectivamente, às seqüências consensos HSE e STRE, ativando a transcrição. A seqüência nucleotídica do gene da glicogênio sintase (gsn) de Neurospora crassa foi previamente isolada em nosso laboratório e uma análise da expressão gênica mostrou que a transcrição do gene foi diminuída na situação de choque térmico (30 para 45ºC). Uma análise da região 5' flanqueadora revelou a presença dos elementos de DNA CRE, HSE e STRE tanto na região promotora do gene quanto na 5'-UTR. Neste trabalho, nós investigamos o envolvimento destes elementos de DNA na regulação da transcrição na condição de choque térmico, através de ensaios de mobilidade em gel (EMSA) usando como sondas, fragmentos de DNA contendo os elementos transcricionais citados anteriormente. Para isto, foram utilizados como fonte de proteínas extratos nucleares brutos ou fracionados em coluna de Heparina-Sepharose, preparados a partir de micélios coletados antes e após choque térmico (amostras HS30). Os resultados obtidos mostraram a presença de proteínas capazes de reconhecer e ligar aos elementos de DNA testados sob a condição estressante analisada. A especificidade das bandas de mobilidade reduzida foi confirmada por diferentes ensaios de competição, tais como 1) adição prévia de sondas de DNA não marcadas antes da reação de ligação, 2) adição de oligonucleotídeo de DNA dupla fita contendo o elemento STRE do promotor gsn como competidor específico, 3) utilização...Eukaryotic cells respond and adapt to environmental stressing conditions such as heat shock, by modulating metabolic responses to counteract them. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae heat shock activates multiple stressing related genes by the trans acting elements Hsfp (Heat shock factors) and Msn2/4p, which bind to the cis regulatory elements HSE (Heat Shock Element) and STRE (Stress Responsive Element), respectively, and activates the gene transcription. We have previously isolated the gene encoding the Neurospora crassa glycogen synthase (gsn) and demonstrated that the gene transcription was decreased under heat shock (30 to 45ºC). An analysis of the gsn 5' flanking region showed the presence of the DNA elements CRE, HSE, and STRE, in the promoter region and in the 5'-untranslated region. In this work we investigated the involvement of these DNA elements in gene transcription regulation under heat shock condition by performing electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA) using, as probes, DNA fragments containing the regulatory elements, and crude or Heparin-Sepharose fractionated nuclear extracts prepared from mycelia collected before and after 30 min of heat shock (HS30 sample). Ours results showed the presence of nuclear proteins capable to recognize and bind to the DNA regulatory elements under heat stress. The specificity of the DNA shifts were confirmed by using 1) unlabelled DNA probes as specific competitor, 2) the gsn promoter STRE double-stranded oligonucleotide as specific competitor, 3) a mutated gsn promoter STRE probe, and 4) the HSE unlabelled probe in a cross-reaction competition assay with the gsn promoter STRE probe. The involvement of the regulatory CRE elements in the modulation of the gsn gene transcription was investigated by using EMSA in the wild type strain, and also in two N. crassa mutant strains defective in the cAMP-signaling pathway: one having hyperactive...(Complete abstract click electronic access below)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES

Genomic organization of the Neurospora crassa gsn gene: possible involvement of the STRE and HSE elements in the modulation of transcription during heat shock

Glycogen synthase, an enzyme involved in glycogen biosynthesis, is regulated by phosphorylation and by the allosteric ligand glucose-6-phosphate (G6P). In addition, enzyme levels can be regulated by changes in gene expression. We recently cloned a cDNA for glycogen synthase (gsn) from Neurospora crassa, and showed that gsn transcription decreased when cells were exposed to heat shock (shifted from 30degreesC to 45degreesC). In order to understand the mechanisms that control gsn expression, we isolated the gene, including its 5' and 3' flanking regions, from the genome of N. crassa. An ORF of approximately 2.4 kb was identified, which is interrupted by four small introns (II-V). Intron I (482 bp) is located in the 5'UTR region. Three putative Transcription Initiation Sites (TISs) were mapped, one of which lies downstream of a canonical TATA-box sequence (5'-TGTATAAA-3'). Analysis of the 5'-flanking region revealed the presence of putative transcription factor-binding sites, including Heat Shock Elements (HSEs) and STress Responsive Elements (STREs). The possible involvement of these motifs in the negative regulation of gsn transcription was investigated using Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assays (EMSA) with nuclear extracts of N. crassa mycelium obtained before and after heat shock, and DNA fragments encompassing HSE and STRE elements from the 5'-flanking region. While elements within the promoter region are involved in transcription under heat shock, elements in the 5'UTR intron may participate in transcription during vegetative growth. The results thus suggest that N. crassa possesses trans-acting elements that interact with the 5'-flanking region to regulate gsn transcription during heat shock and vegetative growth

Ambient pH Controls Glycogen Levels by Regulating Glycogen Synthase Gene Expression in Neurospora crassa. New Insights into the pH Signaling Pathway

Glycogen is a polysaccharide widely distributed in microorganisms and animal cells and its metabolism is under intricate regulation. Its accumulation in a specific situation results from the balance between glycogen synthase and glycogen phosphorylase activities that control synthesis and degradation, respectively. These enzymes are highly regulated at transcriptional and post-translational levels. The existence of a DNA motif for the Aspergillus nidulans pH responsive transcription factor PacC in the promoter of the gene encoding glycogen synthase (gsn) in Neurospora crassa prompted us to investigate whether this transcription factor regulates glycogen accumulation. Transcription factors such as PacC in A. nidulans and Rim101p in Saccharomyces cerevisiae play a role in the signaling pathway that mediates adaptation to ambient pH by inducing the expression of alkaline genes and repressing acidic genes. We showed here that at pH 7.8 pacC was overexpressed and gsn was down-regulated in wild-type N. crassa coinciding with low glycogen accumulation. In the pacC(KO) strain the glycogen levels and gsn expression at alkaline pH were, respectively, similar to and higher than the wild-type strain at normal pH (5.8). These results characterize gsn as an acidic gene and suggest a regulatory role for PACC in gsn expression. The truncated recombinant protein, containing the DNA-binding domain specifically bound to a gsn DNA fragment containing the PacC motif. DNA-protein complexes were observed with extracts from cells grown at normal and alkaline pH and confirmed by ChIP-PCR analysis. The PACC present in these extracts showed equal molecular mass, indicating that the protein is already processed at normal pH, in contrast to A. nidulans. Together, these results show that the pH signaling pathway controls glycogen accumulation by regulating gsn expression and suggest the existence of a different mechanism for PACC activation in N. crassa.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

A systematic approach to identify STRE-binding proteins of the gsn glycogen synthase gene promoter in Neurospora crassa

The gene encoding glycogen synthase in Neurospora crassa (gsn) is transcriptionally down-regulated when mycelium is exposed to a heat shock from 30 to 45 degrees C. The gsn promoter has one stress response element (STRE) motif that is specifically bound by heat shock activated nuclear proteins. In this work, we used biochemical approaches together with mass spectrometric analysis to identify the proteins that bind to the STRE motif and could participate in the gsn transcription regulation during heat shock. Crude nuclear extract of heat-shocked mycelium was prepared and fractionated by affinity chromatography. The fractions exhibiting DNA-binding activity were identified by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) using as probe a DNA fragment containing the STRE motif DNA-protein binding activity was confirmed by Southwestern analysis. The molecular mass (MM) of proteins was estimated by fractionating the crude nuclear extract by SDS-PAGE followed by EMSA analysis of the proteins corresponding to different MM intervals. Binding activity was detected at the 30-50 MM kDa interval. Fractionation of the crude nuclear proteins by IEF followed by EMSA analysis led to the identification of two active fractions belonging to the pIs intervals 3.54-4.08 and 6.77-7.31. The proteins comprising the MM and pI intervals previously identified were excised from a 2-DE gel, and subjected to mass spectrometric analysis (MALDI-TOF/TOF) after tryptic digestion. The proteins were identified by search against the MIPS and MIT N. crassa databases and five promising candidates were identified. Their structural characteristics and putative roles in the gsn transcription regulation are discussed

A Genome-wide Screen for Neurospora crassa Transcription Factors Regulating Glycogen Metabolism

Transcription factors play a key role in transcription regulation as they recognize and directly bind to defined sites in promoter regions of target genes, and thus modulate differential expression. The overall process is extremely dynamic, as they have to move through the nucleus and transiently bind to chromatin in order to regulate gene transcription. To identify transcription factors that affect glycogen accumulation in Neurospora crassa, we performed a systematic screen of a deletion strains set generated by the Neurospora Knockout Project and available at the Fungal Genetics Stock Center. In a wild-type strain of N. crassa, glycogen content reaches a maximal level at the end of the exponential growth phase, but upon heat stress the glycogen content rapidly drops. The gene encoding glycogen synthase (gsn) is transcriptionally down-regulated when the mycelium is exposed to the same stress condition. We identified 17 deleted strains having glycogen accumulation profiles different from that of the wild-type strain under both normal growth and heat stress conditions. Most of the transcription factors identified were annotated as hypothetical protein, however some of them, such as the PacC, XlnR, and NIT2 proteins, were biochemically well-characterized either in N. crassa or in other fungi. The identification of some of the transcription factors was coincident with the presence of DNA-binding motifs specific for the transcription factors in the gsn 5'-flanking region, and some of these DNA-binding motifs were demonstrated to be functional by Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay (EMSA) experiments. Strains knocked-out in these transcription factors presented impairment in the regulation of gsn expression, suggesting that the transcription factors regulate glycogen accumulation by directly regulating gsn gene expression. Five selected mutant strains showed defects in cell cycle progression, and two transcription factors were light-regulated. The results indicate that there are connections linking different cellular processes, such as metabolism control, biological clock, and cell cycle progression. Molecular & Cellular Proteomics 10: 10.1074/mcp.M111.007963, 1-13, 2011.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES

<i>pacC</i> gene knockout and phenotypic analysis of the mutant strain.

<p>(A) Schematic illustration of the <i>pacC</i> gene knockout strategy. (B) Diagnostic PCR for validation of the <i>pacC</i> knockout was performed by using 0090-F1 and 0090-R4 oligonucleotides (<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0044258#pone-0044258-t001" target="_blank">Table 1</a>). (C) Linear growth analysis. Apical extension of basal hyphae was determined in race tubes, as described in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0044258#s4" target="_blank">Material and Methods</a>. The results shown are the average of three independent experiments. (D) Melanization. Strains were cultured in 250 mL flasks containing VM medium for 10 days (3 days at 30°C in the dark and 7 days at room temperature in ambient light/dark). Melanization can be visualized as brown pigment formation in the <i>pacC^KO</i> strain. (E) Radial growth analysis. Basal hyphae growth was examined after cultivating the strains on plates containing solid VM medium, as described in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0044258#s4" target="_blank">Material and Methods</a>. Growth was expressed as colony diameter.</p

Binding of recombinant PACC to the <i>gsn</i> promoter.

<p>(A) Upper panel, schematic representation of the <i>pacC</i> probe and the specific competitor oligo <i>pacC</i>. Lower panels, gel shift analysis using increasing amounts of recombinant PACC in the presence of specific competitors and polyclonal anti-PACC antibody. Lanes 1, 5 and 9, <i>pacC</i> probe, no protein added. Lanes 2, 6 and 10, gel shift analysis using 1.0, 2.0 and 5.0 µg of recombinant PACC. Lanes 3 and 7, gel shift analysis in the presence of the 146 bp specific competitor. Lanes 4 and 8, gel shift analysis using the specific competitor oligo <i>pacC</i>. Lanes 11 to 13, supershift assay using 5.0, 10.0 and 20.0 µL of anti-PACC antibody (1∶500). (B) Upper panel, schematic representation of the mutated m<i>pacC</i> probe. Lower panel, gel shift with wild-type and mutated probes. Analysis using different concentrations of recombinant PACC in the presence and in the absence of competitors. Lane 1 and 3, <i>pacC</i> and m<i>pacC</i> probes, respectively, no protein added. Lanes O, gel origin; SC, specific competitor; FP, free probe.</p