Assuntos
Candida albicans , Quinases Dyrk , Lactobacillus , Proteínas Serina-Treonina Quinases , Proteínas Tirosina Quinases , Candida albicans/efeitos dos fármacos , Proteínas Tirosina Quinases/metabolismo , Proteínas Tirosina Quinases/genética , Proteínas Serina-Treonina Quinases/metabolismo , Proteínas Serina-Treonina Quinases/genética , Proteínas Serina-Treonina Quinases/antagonistas & inibidores , Lactobacillus/genética , Humanos , Antifúngicos/farmacologia , Inibidores de Proteínas Quinases/farmacologiaRESUMO
IMPORTANCE: Candida albicans is an opportunistic human fungal pathogen that frequently causes life-threatening infections in immunocompromised individuals. To cause disease, the fungus employs several virulence traits, including its ability to transition between yeast and filamentous states. Previous work identified a role for the kinase Yak1 in regulating C. albicans filamentation. Here, we demonstrate that Yak1 regulates morphogenesis through the canonical cAMP/PKA pathway and that this regulation is environmentally contingent, as host-relevant concentrations of CO2 bypass the requirement of Yak1 for C. albicans morphogenesis. We show a related kinase, Pom1, is important for filamentation in the absence of Yak1 under these host-relevant conditions, as deletion of both genes blocked filamentous growth under all conditions tested. Finally, we demonstrate that Yak1 is required for filamentation in a mouse model of C. albicans dermatitis using genetic and pharmacological approaches. Overall, our results expand our understanding of how Yak1 regulates an important virulence trait in C. albicans.
RESUMO
Metabolic flexibility enables fungi to invade challenging host environments. In Candida albicans, a common cause of life-threatening infections in humans, an important contributor to flexibility is alternative oxidase (Aox) activity. Dramatic induction of this activity occurs under respiratory-stress conditions, which impair the classical electron transport chain (ETC). Here, we show that deletion of the inducible AOX2 gene cripples C. albicans virulence in mice by increasing immune recognition. To investigate further, we examined transcriptional regulation of AOX2 in molecular detail under host-relevant, ETC-inhibitory conditions. We found that multiple transcription factors, including Rtg1/Rtg3, Cwt1/Zcf11, and Zcf2, bind and regulate the AOX2 promoter, conferring thousand-fold levels of inducibility to AOX2 in response to distinct environmental stressors. Further dissection of this complex promoter revealed how integration of stimuli ranging from reactive species of oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur to reduced copper availability is achieved at the transcriptional level to regulate AOX2 induction and enable pathogenesis.
Assuntos
Oxirredutases , Fatores de Transcrição , Humanos , Animais , Camundongos , Virulência/genética , Oxirredutases/genética , Oxirredutases/metabolismo , Regiões Promotoras Genéticas/genética , Fatores de Transcrição/genética , Fatores de Transcrição/metabolismo , Candida albicans/metabolismo , Proteínas Fúngicas/genética , Proteínas Fúngicas/metabolismoRESUMO
Q203 (telacebec) is an imidazopyridine amide (IPA) targeting the respiratory CIII2CIV2 supercomplex of the mycobacterial electron transport chain (ETC). Aiming for a better understanding of the molecular mechanism of action of IPA, 27 analogues were prepared through a seven-step synthetic scheme. Oxygen consumption assay was designed to test the inhibition of purified Mycobacterium smegmatis CIII2CIV2 by these compounds. The assay results generally supported structure-activity relationship information obtained from the structure of M. smegmatis CIII2CIV2 bound to Q203. The IC50 of Q203 and compound 27 was 99 ± 32 and 441 ± 138 nM, respectively. All IPAs including Q203 showed no inhibition of mitochondrial ETC, proving their selectivity against mycobacteria. In vitro Mycobacterium tuberculosis growth inhibition and M. smegmatis CIII2CIV2 binding did not correlate perfectly. These observations suggest that further investigation into the mechanisms of resistance in different mycobacterial species is needed to understand the lack of the correlation pattern between CIII2CIV2 inhibition and cellular activity.
RESUMO
Candida albicans is an opportunistic human fungal pathogen and a member of the mucosal microbiota. To survive in the host and cause disease, C. albicans utilizes several virulence traits, including the ability to respond and adapt to diverse stressors, as well as the morphogenetic switch between yeast and filamentous morphologies. While complex cellular circuitry governs these virulence attributes, the following two kinase-mediated signaling pathways play particularly critical roles in controlling these processes: the Hog1 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade and the protein kinase A (PKA) pathway. Here, we describe the construction of C. albicans strains harboring substitutions in the ATP-binding pockets of Hog1 and the catalytic subunits of PKA, Tpk1, and Tpk2 to render their activities sensitive to the addition of bulky ATP analogs. Specifically, inhibition by the ATP analog 1NM-PP1 resulted in phenotypes characteristic of the corresponding homozygous deletion mutants for each kinase gene. These strains represent a toolset for the rapid and specific inhibition of PKA and Hog1 kinase activity to further understand their roles in regulating C. albicans morphogenesis and stress responses. IMPORTANCE As an opportunistic pathogen in humans, the fungus Candida albicans relies on virulence traits to cause disease. They include the ability to transition from yeast to filamentous morphologies and the ability to grow in diverse environmental stress conditions, including nutrient limitation, as well as osmotic and heat shock. Previous work identified the following two kinases that play a critical role in regulating these responses: Hog1 and PKA. Here, we generated versions of each kinase that are sensitive to inhibition by a bulky ATP analog, 1NM-PP1. In the presence of the analog, kinase activity is inhibited rapidly and specifically, facilitating the analysis of both kinases in regulating C. albicans morphogenesis and stress responses. Together, these strains represent an important toolset to further our understanding of C. albicans biology and virulence.
Assuntos
Candida albicans , Proteínas Quinases Ativadas por Mitógeno , Humanos , Candida albicans/metabolismo , Proteínas Quinases Ativadas por Mitógeno/genética , Proteínas Quinases Ativadas por Mitógeno/metabolismo , Proteínas Quinases Dependentes de AMP Cíclico/genética , Proteínas Quinases Dependentes de AMP Cíclico/metabolismo , Homozigoto , Deleção de Sequência , Trifosfato de Adenosina/metabolismoRESUMO
Ssn3, also known as Cdk8, is a member of the four protein Cdk8 submodule within the multi-subunit Mediator complex involved in the co-regulation of transcription. In Candida albicans, the loss of Ssn3 kinase activity affects multiple phenotypes including cellular morphology, metabolism, nutrient acquisition, immune cell interactions, and drug resistance. In these studies, we generated a strain in which Ssn3 was replaced with a functional variant of Ssn3 that can be rapidly and selectively inhibited by the ATP analog 3-MB-PP1. Consistent with ssn3 null mutant and kinase dead phenotypes, inhibition of Ssn3 kinase activity promoted hypha formation. Furthermore, the increased expression of hypha-specific genes was the strongest transcriptional signal upon inhibition of Ssn3 in transcriptomics analyses. Rapid inactivation of Ssn3 was used for phosphoproteomic studies performed to identify Ssn3 kinase substrates associated with filamentation potential. Both previously validated and novel Ssn3 targets were identified. Protein phosphorylation sites that were reduced specifically upon Ssn3 inhibition included two sites in Flo8 which is a transcription factor known to positively regulate C. albicans morphology. Mutation of the two Flo8 phosphosites (threonine 589 and serine 620) was sufficient to increase Flo8-HA levels and Flo8 dependent transcriptional and morphological changes, suggesting that Ssn3 kinase activity negatively regulates Flo8.Under embedded conditions, when ssn3Δ/Δ and efg1Δ/Δ mutants were hyperfilamentous, FLO8 was essential for hypha formation. Previous work has also shown that loss of Ssn3 activity leads to increased alkalinization of medium with amino acids. Here, we show that the ssn3Δ/Δ medium alkalinization phenotype, which is dependent on STP2, a transcription factor involved in amino acid utilization, also requires FLO8 and EFG1. Together, these data show that Ssn3 activity can modulate Flo8 and its direct and indirect interactions in different ways, and underscores the potential importance of considering Ssn3 function in the control of transcription factor activities.
Assuntos
Candida albicans/patogenicidade , Quinase 8 Dependente de Ciclina/genética , Proteômica/métodos , Purinas/farmacologia , Fatores de Transcrição/metabolismo , Candida albicans/efeitos dos fármacos , Candida albicans/metabolismo , Quinase 8 Dependente de Ciclina/metabolismo , Proteínas Fúngicas/genética , Proteínas Fúngicas/metabolismo , Perfilação da Expressão Gênica , Regulação Fúngica da Expressão Gênica/efeitos dos fármacos , Hifas/efeitos dos fármacos , Hifas/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Hifas/metabolismo , Mutação com Perda de Função , Fosforilação , Fatores de Transcrição/genéticaRESUMO
Electron transfer between respiratory complexes drives transmembrane proton translocation, which powers ATP synthesis and membrane transport. The homodimeric respiratory complex III (CIII2) oxidizes ubiquinol to ubiquinone, transferring electrons to cytochrome c and translocating protons through a mechanism known as the Q cycle. The Q cycle involves ubiquinol oxidation and ubiquinone reduction at two different sites within each CIII monomer, as well as movement of the head domain of the Rieske subunit. We determined structures of Candida albicans CIII2 by cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM), revealing endogenous ubiquinone and visualizing the continuum of Rieske head domain conformations. Analysis of these conformations does not indicate cooperativity in the Rieske head domain position or ligand binding in the two CIIIs of the CIII2 dimer. Cryo-EM with the indazole derivative Inz-5, which inhibits fungal CIII2 and is fungicidal when administered with fungistatic azole drugs, showed that Inz-5 inhibition alters the equilibrium of Rieske head domain positions.
Assuntos
Candida albicans/metabolismo , Complexo III da Cadeia de Transporte de Elétrons/química , Complexo III da Cadeia de Transporte de Elétrons/metabolismo , Indazóis/farmacologia , Microscopia Crioeletrônica , Transporte de Elétrons , Proteínas Fúngicas/química , Proteínas Fúngicas/metabolismo , Indazóis/química , Modelos Moleculares , Ligação Proteica , Conformação Proteica , Domínios Proteicos , Multimerização Proteica , Ubiquinona/análogos & derivados , Ubiquinona/químicaRESUMO
The fungus Candida albicans is an opportunistic pathogen that can exploit imbalances in microbiome composition to invade its human host, causing pathologies ranging from vaginal candidiasis to fungal sepsis. Bacteria of the genus Lactobacillus are colonizers of human mucosa and can produce compounds with bioactivity against C. albicans. Here, we show that some Lactobacillus species produce a small molecule under laboratory conditions that blocks the C. albicans yeast-to-filament transition, an important virulence trait. It remains unexplored whether the compound is produced in the context of the human host. Bioassay-guided fractionation of Lactobacillus-conditioned medium linked this activity to 1-acetyl-ß-carboline (1-ABC). We use genetic approaches to show that filamentation inhibition by 1-ABC requires Yak1, a DYRK1-family kinase. Additional biochemical characterization of structurally related 1-ethoxycarbonyl-ß-carboline confirms that it inhibits Yak1 and blocks C. albicans biofilm formation. Thus, our findings reveal Lactobacillus-produced 1-ABC can prevent the yeast-to-filament transition in C. albicans through inhibition of Yak1.
Assuntos
Antifúngicos/farmacologia , Candida albicans/efeitos dos fármacos , Lactobacillus/metabolismo , Inibidores de Proteínas Quinases/farmacologia , Proteínas Serina-Treonina Quinases/antagonistas & inibidores , Proteínas Tirosina Quinases/antagonistas & inibidores , Animais , Antifúngicos/metabolismo , Biofilmes/efeitos dos fármacos , Biofilmes/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Candida albicans/genética , Candida albicans/patogenicidade , Candidíase/microbiologia , Carbolinas/metabolismo , Carbolinas/farmacologia , Farmacorresistência Fúngica/genética , Proteínas Fúngicas/genética , Proteínas Fúngicas/metabolismo , Hifas/efeitos dos fármacos , Hifas/genética , Hifas/patogenicidade , Mutação , Inibidores de Proteínas Quinases/metabolismo , Ratos , Virulência/efeitos dos fármacos , Quinases DyrkRESUMO
Candida albicans is a leading human fungal pathogen, which can cause superficial infections or life-threatening systemic disease in immunocompromised individuals. The ability to transition between yeast and filamentous forms is a major virulence trait of C. albicans, and a key regulator of this morphogenetic transition is the molecular chaperone Hsp90. To explore the mechanisms governing C. albicans morphogenesis in response to Hsp90 inhibition, we performed a functional genomic screen using the gene replacement and conditional expression collection to identify mutants that are defective in filamentation in response to the Hsp90 inhibitor, geldanamycin. We found that transcriptional repression of genes involved in mitochondrial function blocked filamentous growth in response to the concentration of the Hsp90 inhibitor used in the screen, and this was attributable to increased resistance to the compound. Further exploration revealed that perturbation of mitochondrial function reduced susceptibility to two structurally distinct Hsp90 inhibitors, geldanamycin and radicicol, such that filamentous growth was restored in the mitochondrial mutants by increasing the compound concentration. Deletion of two representative mitochondrial genes, MSU1 and SHY1, enhanced cellular efflux and reduced susceptibility to diverse intracellularly acting compounds. Additionally, screening a C. albicans efflux pump gene deletion library implicated Yor1 in the efflux of geldanamycin and Cdr1, in the efflux of radicicol. Deletion of these transporter genes restored sensitivity to Hsp90 inhibitors in MSU1 and SHY1 homozygous deletion mutants, thereby enabling filamentation. Taken together, our findings suggest that mitochondrial dysregulation elevates cellular efflux and consequently reduces susceptibility to xenobiotics in C. albicans.
Assuntos
Candida albicans/metabolismo , Farmacorresistência Fúngica , Mitocôndrias/efeitos dos fármacos , Xenobióticos/farmacologia , Candida albicans/efeitos dos fármacos , Candida albicans/genética , Proteínas Fúngicas/genética , Proteínas Fúngicas/metabolismo , Proteínas de Choque Térmico HSP90/genética , Proteínas de Choque Térmico HSP90/metabolismo , Proteínas de Membrana Transportadoras/genética , Proteínas de Membrana Transportadoras/metabolismo , Mitocôndrias/metabolismo , Proteínas Mitocondriais/genética , Proteínas Mitocondriais/metabolismoRESUMO
Candida auris is an emerging fungal pathogen that exhibits resistance to multiple drugs, including the most commonly prescribed antifungal, fluconazole. Here, we use a combinatorial screening approach to identify a bis-benzodioxolylindolinone (azoffluxin) that synergizes with fluconazole against C. auris. Azoffluxin enhances fluconazole activity through the inhibition of efflux pump Cdr1, thus increasing intracellular fluconazole levels. This activity is conserved across most C. auris clades, with the exception of clade III. Azoffluxin also inhibits efflux in highly azole-resistant strains of Candida albicans, another human fungal pathogen, increasing their susceptibility to fluconazole. Furthermore, azoffluxin enhances fluconazole activity in mice infected with C. auris, reducing fungal burden. Our findings suggest that pharmacologically targeting Cdr1 in combination with azoles may be an effective strategy to control infection caused by azole-resistant isolates of C. auris.
Assuntos
Azóis/farmacologia , Candida/patogenicidade , Oxindóis/farmacologia , Animais , Antifúngicos/análise , Antifúngicos/química , Antifúngicos/farmacologia , Azóis/análise , Azóis/química , Candida/efeitos dos fármacos , Candida/isolamento & purificação , Avaliação Pré-Clínica de Medicamentos , Sinergismo Farmacológico , Fluconazol/farmacologia , Proteínas Fúngicas/metabolismo , Deleção de Genes , Humanos , Camundongos , Oxindóis/química , Virulência/efeitos dos fármacosRESUMO
Morphogenetic transitions are prevalent in the fungal kingdom. For a leading human fungal pathogen, Candida albicans, the capacity to transition between yeast and filaments is key for virulence. For the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, filamentation enables nutrient acquisition. A recent functional genomic screen in S. cerevisiae identified Mfg1 as a regulator of morphogenesis that acts in complex with Flo8 and Mss11 to mediate transcriptional responses crucial for filamentation. In C. albicans, Mfg1 also interacts physically with Flo8 and Mss11 and is critical for filamentation in response to diverse cues, but the mechanisms through which it regulates morphogenesis remained elusive. Here, we explored the consequences of perturbation of Mfg1, Flo8, and Mss11 on C. albicans morphogenesis, and identified functional divergence of complex members. We observed that C. albicans Mss11 was dispensable for filamentation, and that overexpression of FLO8 caused constitutive filamentation even in the absence of Mfg1. Harnessing transcriptional profiling and chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled to microarray analysis, we identified divergence between transcriptional targets of Flo8 and Mfg1 in C. albicans. We also established that Flo8 and Mfg1 cooperatively bind to promoters of key regulators of filamentation, including TEC1, for which overexpression was sufficient to restore filamentation in the absence of Flo8 or Mfg1. To further explore the circuitry through which Mfg1 regulates morphogenesis, we employed a novel strategy to select for mutations that restore filamentation in the absence of Mfg1. Whole genome sequencing of filamentation-competent mutants revealed chromosome 6 amplification as a conserved adaptive mechanism. A key determinant of the chromosome 6 amplification is FLO8, as deletion of one allele blocked morphogenesis, and chromosome 6 was not amplified in evolved lineages for which FLO8 was re-located to a different chromosome. Thus, this work highlights rewiring of key morphogenetic regulators over evolutionary time and aneuploidy as an adaptive mechanism driving fungal morphogenesis.
Assuntos
Candida albicans/genética , Proteínas Fúngicas/genética , Proteínas Nucleares/genética , Proteínas de Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genética , Transativadores/genética , Candida albicans/patogenicidade , Fungos/genética , Fungos/patogenicidade , Regulação Fúngica da Expressão Gênica , Humanos , Hifas/genética , Hifas/patogenicidade , Morfogênese/genética , Complexos Multiproteicos/genética , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genética , Fatores de Transcrição/genéticaRESUMO
Farnesol, a quorum-sensing molecule, inhibits Candida albicans hyphal formation, affects its biofilm formation and dispersal, and impacts its stress response. Several aspects of farnesol's mechanism of action remain incompletely uncharacterized. Among these are a thorough accounting of the cellular receptors and transporters for farnesol. This work suggests these processes are linked through the Zn cluster transcription factors Tac1 and Znc1 and their induction of the multidrug efflux pump Cdr1. Specifically, we have demonstrated that Tac1 and Znc1 are functionally activated by farnesol through a mechanism that mimics other means of hyperactivation of Zn cluster transcription factors. This is consistent with our observation that many genes acutely induced by farnesol are dependent on TAC1, ZNC1, or both. A related molecule, 1-dodecanol, invokes a similar TAC1-ZNC1 response, while several other proposed C. albicans quorum-sensing molecules do not. Tac1 and Znc1 both bind to and upregulate the CDR1 promoter in response to farnesol. Differences in inducer and DNA binding specificity lead to Tac1 and Znc1 having overlapping, but nonidentical, regulons. Induction of genes by farnesol via Tac1 and Znc1 was inversely related to the level of CDR1 present in the cell, suggesting a model in which induction of CDR1 by Tac1 and Znc1 leads to an increase in farnesol efflux. Consistent with this premise, our results show that CDR1 expression, and its regulation by TAC1 and ZNC1, facilitates growth in the presence of high farnesol concentrations in C. albicans and in certain strains of its close relative, C. dubliniensis.
Assuntos
Antifúngicos/farmacologia , Candida albicans/efeitos dos fármacos , Farneseno Álcool/farmacologia , Proteínas Fúngicas/genética , Transcrição Gênica/efeitos dos fármacos , Ativação Transcricional/efeitos dos fármacos , Regulação para Cima/efeitos dos fármacos , Candida albicans/genética , Farmacorresistência Fúngica/efeitos dos fármacos , Farmacorresistência Fúngica/genética , Regulação Fúngica da Expressão Gênica/efeitos dos fármacos , Regulação Fúngica da Expressão Gênica/genética , Proteínas de Membrana Transportadoras/genética , Percepção de Quorum/efeitos dos fármacos , Percepção de Quorum/genética , Fatores de Transcrição/genética , Transcrição Gênica/genética , Ativação Transcricional/genética , Regulação para Cima/genética , Zinco/metabolismoRESUMO
The human fungal pathogen Candida albicans develops drug resistance after long-term exposure to azole drugs in the treatment of chronic candidiasis. Gain-of-function (GOF) mutations in the transcription factor Tac1 and the consequent expression of its targets, drug efflux pumps Cdr1 and Cdr2, are a common mechanism by which C. albicans acquires fluconazole resistance. The mechanism by which GOF mutations hyperactivate Tac1 is currently unknown. Here, we define a transcriptional activation domain (TAD) at the C terminus of Tac1. GOF mutations within the Tac1 TAD, outside the context of full-length Tac1, generally do not enhance its absolute potential as a transcriptional activator. Negative regulation of the Tac1 TAD by the Tac1 middle region is necessary for the activating effect of GOF mutations or fluphenazine to be realized. We have found that full-length Tac1, when hyperactivated by xenobiotics or GOF mutations, facilitates the recruitment of the Mediator coactivator complex to the CDR1 promoter. Azole resistance and the activation of Tac1 target genes, such as CDR1, are dependent on the Tac1 TAD and subunits of the Mediator tail module. The dependence of different Tac1 target promoters on the Mediator tail module, however, varies widely. Lastly, we show that hyperactivation of Tac1 is correlated with its Mediator-dependent phosphorylation, a potentially useful biomarker for Tac1 hyperactivation. The role of Mediator in events downstream of Tac1 hyperactivation in fluconazole-resistant clinical isolates is complex and provides opportunities and challenges for therapeutic intervention.
Assuntos
Antifúngicos/farmacologia , Azóis/farmacologia , Candida albicans/efeitos dos fármacos , Farmacorresistência Fúngica/fisiologia , Proteínas Fúngicas/metabolismo , Candida albicans/patogenicidade , Eletroforese em Gel de Poliacrilamida , Fluconazol/farmacologia , Proteínas Fúngicas/genética , Regulação Fúngica da Expressão Gênica/efeitos dos fármacos , Proteínas de Membrana Transportadoras/genética , Mutação , Regiões Promotoras Genéticas , Domínios Proteicos , Fatores de Transcrição/genética , Fatores de Transcrição/metabolismo , Xenobióticos/farmacologiaRESUMO
Long-term azole treatment of patients with chronic Candida albicans infections can lead to drug resistance. Gain-of-function (GOF) mutations in the transcription factor Mrr1 and the consequent transcriptional activation of MDR1, a drug efflux coding gene, is a common pathway by which this human fungal pathogen acquires fluconazole resistance. This work elucidates the previously unknown downstream transcription mechanisms utilized by hyperactive Mrr1. We identified the Swi/Snf chromatin remodeling complex as a key coactivator for Mrr1, which is required to maintain basal and induced open chromatin, and Mrr1 occupancy, at the MDR1 promoter. Deletion of snf2, the catalytic subunit of Swi/Snf, largely abrogates the increases in MDR1 expression and fluconazole MIC observed in MRR1GOF mutant strains. Mediator positively and negatively regulates key Mrr1 target promoters. Deletion of the Mediator tail module med3 subunit reduces, but does not eliminate, the increased MDR1 expression and fluconazole MIC conferred by MRR1GOF mutations. Eliminating the kinase activity of the Mediator Ssn3 subunit suppresses the decreased MDR1 expression and fluconazole MIC of the snf2 null mutation in MRR1GOF strains. Ssn3 deletion also suppresses MDR1 promoter histone displacement defects in snf2 null mutants. The combination of this work with studies on other hyperactive zinc cluster transcription factors that confer azole resistance in fungal pathogens reveals a complex picture where the induction of drug efflux pump expression requires the coordination of multiple coactivators. The observed variations in transcription factor and target promoter dependence of this process may make the search for azole sensitivity-restoring small molecules more complicated.
Assuntos
Membro 1 da Subfamília B de Cassetes de Ligação de ATP/genética , Antifúngicos/farmacologia , Candida albicans/efeitos dos fármacos , Farmacorresistência Fúngica/genética , Fluconazol/farmacologia , Membro 1 da Subfamília B de Cassetes de Ligação de ATP/metabolismo , Candida albicans/genética , Candida albicans/metabolismo , Farmacorresistência Fúngica/efeitos dos fármacos , Proteínas Fúngicas/genética , Proteínas Fúngicas/metabolismo , Regulação Fúngica da Expressão Gênica/efeitos dos fármacos , Histonas/metabolismo , Complexo Mediador/genética , Complexo Mediador/metabolismo , Mutação , Nucleossomos/genética , Nucleossomos/metabolismo , Regiões Promotoras GenéticasRESUMO
Filamentous growth is a hallmark of C. albicans pathogenicity compared to less-virulent ascomycetes. A multitude of transcription factors regulate filamentous growth in response to specific environmental cues. Our work, however, suggests the evolutionary history of C. albicans that resulted in its filamentous growth plasticity may be tied to a change in the general transcription machinery rather than transcription factors and their specific targets. A key genomic difference between C. albicans and its less-virulent relatives, including its closest relative C. dubliniensis, is the unique expansion of the TLO (TeLOmere-associated) gene family in C. albicans. Individual Tlo proteins are fungal-specific subunits of Mediator, a large multi-subunit eukaryotic transcriptional co-activator complex. This amplification results in a large pool of 'free,' non-Mediator associated, Tlo protein present in C. albicans, but not in C. dubliniensis or other ascomycetes with attenuated virulence. We show that engineering a large 'free' pool of the C. dubliniensis Tlo2 (CdTlo2) protein in C. dubliniensis, through overexpression, results in a number of filamentation phenotypes typically associated only with C. albicans. The amplitude of these phenotypes is proportional to the amount of overexpressed CdTlo2 protein. Overexpression of other C. dubliniensis and C. albicans Tlo proteins do result in these phenotypes. Tlo proteins and their orthologs contain a Mediator interaction domain, and a potent transcriptional activation domain. Nuclear localization of the CdTlo2 activation domain, facilitated naturally by the Tlo Mediator binding domain or artificially through an appended nuclear localization signal, is sufficient for the CdTlo2 overexpression phenotypes. A C. albicans med3 null mutant causes multiple defects including the inability to localize Tlo proteins to the nucleus and reduced virulence in a murine systemic infection model. Our data supports a model in which the activation domain of 'free' Tlo protein competes with DNA bound transcription factors for targets that regulate key aspects of C. albicans cell physiology.
Assuntos
Candida albicans/genética , Candidíase/genética , Proteínas de Ligação a Telômeros/genética , Telômero/genética , Animais , Candida albicans/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Candida albicans/patogenicidade , Candidíase/microbiologia , Candidíase/patologia , Fungos/genética , Fungos/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Fungos/patogenicidade , Regulação Fúngica da Expressão Gênica , Genômica , Humanos , Hifas/genética , Hifas/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Hifas/patogenicidade , Camundongos , Fenótipo , Proteínas de Ligação a Telômeros/biossínteseRESUMO
The animal replication-dependent (RD) histone mRNAs are coordinately regulated with chromosome replication. The RD-histone mRNAs are the only known cellular mRNAs that are not polyadenylated. Instead, the mature transcripts end in a conserved stem-loop (SL) structure. This SL structure interacts with the stem-loop binding protein (SLBP), which is involved in all aspects of RD-histone mRNA metabolism. We used several genomic methods, including high-throughput sequencing of cross-linked immunoprecipitate (HITS-CLIP) to analyze the RNA-binding landscape of SLBP. SLBP was not bound to any RNAs other than histone mRNAs. We performed bioinformatic analyses of the HITS-CLIP data that included (i) clustering genes by sequencing read coverage using CVCA, (ii) mapping the bound RNA fragment termini, and (iii) mapping cross-linking induced mutation sites (CIMS) using CLIP-PyL software. These analyses allowed us to identify specific sites of molecular contact between SLBP and its RD-histone mRNA ligands. We performed in vitro crosslinking assays to refine the CIMS mapping and found that uracils one and three in the loop of the histone mRNA SL preferentially crosslink to SLBP, whereas uracil two in the loop preferentially crosslinks to a separate component, likely the 3'hExo. We also performed a secondary analysis of an iCLIP data set to map UPF1 occupancy across the RD-histone mRNAs and found that UPF1 is bound adjacent to the SLBP-binding site. Multiple proteins likely bind the 3' end of RD-histone mRNAs together with SLBP.
Assuntos
Histonas/genética , RNA Mensageiro/genética , Animais , Sítios de Ligação/genética , Linhagem Celular , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Replicação do DNA/genética , Células HeLa , Humanos , Proteínas Nucleares/genética , Ligação Proteica/genética , Proteínas de Ligação a RNA/genética , Fatores de Poliadenilação e Clivagem de mRNA/genéticaRESUMO
Classical activation domains within DNA-bound eukaryotic transcription factors make weak interactions with coactivator complexes, such as Mediator, to stimulate transcription. How these interactions stimulate transcription, however, is unknown. The activation of reporter genes by artificial fusion of Mediator subunits to DNA binding domains that bind to their promoters has been cited as evidence that the primary role of activators is simply to recruit Mediator. We have identified potent classical transcriptional activation domains in the C termini of several tail module subunits of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida albicans, and Candida dubliniensis Mediator, while their N-terminal domains are necessary and sufficient for their incorporation into Mediator but do not possess the ability to activate transcription when fused to a DNA binding domain. This suggests that Mediator fusion proteins actually are functioning in a manner similar to that of a classical DNA-bound activator rather than just recruiting Mediator. Our finding that deletion of the activation domains of S. cerevisiae Med2 and Med3, as well as C. dubliniensis Tlo1 (a Med2 ortholog), impairs the induction of certain genes shows these domains function at native promoters. Activation domains within coactivators are likely an important feature of these complexes and one that may have been uniquely leveraged by a common fungal pathogen.
Assuntos
Candida/metabolismo , Proteínas Fúngicas/metabolismo , Regulação Fúngica da Expressão Gênica , Complexo Mediador/metabolismo , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/metabolismo , Ativação Transcricional , Candida/química , Candida/genética , Candida albicans/química , Candida albicans/genética , Candida albicans/metabolismo , DNA/metabolismo , Proteínas Fúngicas/química , Proteínas Fúngicas/genética , Galactoquinase/genética , Complexo Mediador/química , Complexo Mediador/genética , Estresse Oxidativo , Regiões Promotoras Genéticas , Estrutura Terciária de Proteína , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/química , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genética , Proteínas de Saccharomyces cerevisiae/química , Proteínas de Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genética , Proteínas de Saccharomyces cerevisiae/metabolismo , Deleção de SequênciaRESUMO
The TLO genes are a family of telomere-associated ORFs in the fungal pathogens Candida albicans and C. dubliniensis that encode a subunit of the Mediator complex with homology to Med2. The more virulent pathogen C. albicans has 15 copies of the gene whereas the less pathogenic species C. dubliniensis has only two (CdTLO1 and CdTLO2). In this study we used C. dubliniensis as a model to investigate the role of TLO genes in regulating virulence and also to determine whether TLO paralogs have evolved to regulate distinct functions. A C. dubliniensis tlo1Δ/tlo2Δ mutant is unable to form true hyphae, has longer doubling times in galactose broth, is more susceptible to oxidative stress and forms increased levels of biofilm. Transcript profiling of the tlo1Δ/tlo2Δ mutant revealed increased expression of starvation responses in rich medium and retarded expression of hypha-induced transcripts in serum. ChIP studies indicated that Tlo1 binds to many ORFs including genes that exhibit high and low expression levels under the conditions analyzed. The altered expression of these genes in the tlo1Δ/tlo2Δ null mutant indicates roles for Tlo proteins in transcriptional activation and repression. Complementation of the tlo1Δ/tlo2Δ mutant with TLO1, but not TLO2, restored wild-type filamentous growth, whereas only TLO2 fully suppressed biofilm growth. Complementation with TLO1 also had a greater effect on doubling times in galactose broth. The different abilities of TLO1 and TLO2 to restore wild-type functions was supported by transcript profiling studies that showed that only TLO1 restored expression of hypha-specific genes (UME6, SOD5) and galactose utilisation genes (GAL1 and GAL10), whereas TLO2 restored repression of starvation-induced gene transcription. Thus, Tlo/Med2 paralogs encoding Mediator subunits regulate different virulence properties in Candida spp. and their expansion may account for the increased adaptability of C. albicans relative to other Candida species.
Assuntos
Candida albicans/genética , Proteínas Fúngicas/biossíntese , Hifas/genética , Complexo Mediador/genética , Candida albicans/patogenicidade , Proteínas Fúngicas/genética , Regulação Fúngica da Expressão Gênica , Hifas/patogenicidade , Mutação , Análise de Sequência com Séries de Oligonucleotídeos , VirulênciaRESUMO
Candida albicans biofilm formation is a key virulence trait that involves hyphal growth and adhesin expression. Pyocyanin (PYO), a phenazine secreted by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, inhibits both C. albicans biofilm formation and development of wrinkled colonies. Using a genetic screen, we identified two mutants, ssn3Δ/Δ and ssn8Δ/Δ, which continued to wrinkle in the presence of PYO. Ssn8 is a cyclin-like protein and Ssn3 is similar to cyclin-dependent kinases; both proteins are part of the heterotetrameric Cdk8 module that forms a complex with the transcriptional co-regulator, Mediator. Ssn3 kinase activity was also required for PYO sensitivity as a kinase dead mutant maintained a wrinkled colony morphology in the presence of PYO. Furthermore, similar phenotypes were observed in mutants lacking the other two components of the Cdk8 module-Srb8 and Srb9. Through metabolomics analyses and biochemical assays, we showed that a compromised Cdk8 module led to increases in glucose consumption, glycolysis-related transcripts, oxidative metabolism and ATP levels even in the presence of PYO. In the mutant, inhibition of respiration to levels comparable to the PYO-treated wild type inhibited wrinkled colony development. Several lines of evidence suggest that PYO does not act through Cdk8. Lastly, the ssn3 mutant was a hyperbiofilm former, and maintained higher biofilm formation in the presence of PYO than the wild type. Together these data provide novel insights into the role of the Cdk8 module of Mediator in regulation of C. albicans physiology and the links between respiratory activity and both wrinkled colony and biofilm development.
Assuntos
Biofilmes/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Candida albicans/fisiologia , Quinase 8 Dependente de Ciclina/genética , Biofilmes/efeitos dos fármacos , Transporte Biológico/genética , Candida albicans/efeitos dos fármacos , Quinase 8 Dependente de Ciclina/metabolismo , Fermentação , Proteínas Fúngicas/genética , Proteínas Fúngicas/metabolismo , Glucose/metabolismo , Metabolômica , Mutação , Piocianina/farmacologiaRESUMO
The multisubunit eukaryotic Mediator complex integrates diverse positive and negative gene regulatory signals and transmits them to the core transcription machinery. Mutations in individual subunits within the complex can lead to decreased or increased transcription of certain subsets of genes, which are highly specific to the mutated subunit. Recent studies suggest a role for Mediator in epigenetic silencing. Using white-opaque morphological switching in Candida albicans as a model, we have shown that Mediator is required for the stability of both the epigenetic silenced (white) and active (opaque) states of the bistable transcription circuit driven by the master regulator Wor1. Individual deletions of eight C. albicans Mediator subunits have shown that different Mediator subunits have dramatically diverse effects on the directionality, frequency, and environmental induction of epigenetic switching. Among the Mediator deletion mutants analyzed, only Med12 has a steady-state transcriptional effect on the components of the Wor1 circuit that clearly corresponds to its effect on switching. The MED16 and MED9 genes have been found to be among a small subset of genes that are required for the stability of both the white and opaque states. Deletion of the Med3 subunit completely destabilizes the opaque state, even though the Wor1 transcription circuit is intact and can be driven by ectopic expression of Wor1. The highly impaired ability of the med3 deletion mutant to mate, even when Wor1 expression is ectopically induced, reveals that the activation of the Wor1 circuit can be decoupled from the opaque state and one of its primary biological consequences.