Cross regulation between Candida albicans catalytic and regulatory subunits of protein kinase A.

In the pathogen Candida albicans protein kinase A (PKA) catalytic subunit is encoded by two genes TPK1 and TPK2 and the regulatory subunit by one gene, BCY1. PKA mediates several cellular processes such as cell cycle regulation and the yeast to hyphae transition, a key factor for C. albicans virulence. The catalytic isoforms Tpk1p and Tpk2p share redundant functions in vegetative growth and hyphal development, though they differentially regulate glycogen metabolism, the stress response pathway and pseudohyphal formation. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae it was earlier reported that BCY1 overexpression not only increased the amount of TPK3 mRNA but also its catalytic activity. In C. albicans a significant decrease in Bcy1p expression levels was already observed in tpk2Δ null strains. In this work we showed that the upregulation in Bcy1p expression was observed in a set of strains having a TPK1 or TPK2 allele reintegrated in its own locus, as well as in strains expressing the TPKs under the control of the constitutive ACT1 promoter. To confirm the cross regulation event between Bcy1p and Tpkp expression we generated a mutant strain with the lowest PKA activity carrying one TPK1 and a unique BCY1 allele with the aim to obtain two derived strains in which BCY1 or TPK1 were placed under their own promoters inserted in the RPS10 neutral locus. We found that placing one copy of BCY1 upregulated the levels of Tpk1p and its catalytic activity; while TPK1 insertion led to an increase in BCY1 mRNA, Bcy1p and in a high cAMP binding activity. Our results suggest that C. albicans cells were able to compensate for the increased levels of either Tpk1p or Tpk2p subunits with a corresponding elevation of Bcy1 protein levels and vice versa, implying a tightly regulated mechanism to balance holoenzyme formation.

Candida albicans Tpk1p and Tpk2p isoforms differentially regulate pseudohyphal development, biofilm structure, cell aggregation and adhesins expression.

Candida albicans undergoes a reversible morphological transition from single yeast cells to pseudohyphal and hyphal filaments. In this organism, cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), coded by two catalytic subunits (TPK1 and TPK2) and one regulatory subunit (BCY1), mediates basic cellular processes, such as the yeast-to-hypha transition and cell cycle regulation. It is known that both Tpk isoforms play positive roles in vegetative growth and filamentation, although distinct roles have been found in virulence, stress response and glycogen storage. However, little is known regarding the participation of Tpk1p and/or Tpk2p in pseudohyphal development. This point was addressed using several C. albicans PKA mutants having heterozygous or homozygous deletions of TPK1 and/or TPK2 in different BCY1 genetic backgrounds. We observed that under hypha-only inducing conditions, all BCY1 heterozygous strains shifted growth toward pseudohyphal morphology; however, the pseudohypha:hypha ratio was higher in strains devoid of TPK2. Under pseudohypha-only inducing conditions, strains lacking TPK2 were prone to develop short and branched pseudohyphae. In tpk2 Δ/tpk2 Δ strains, biofilm architecture was markedly less dense, composed of short pseudohyphae and blastospores with reduced adhesion ability to abiotic material, suggesting a significant defect in cell adherence. Immunolabelling assays showed a decreased expression of adhesins Als1p and Als3p only in the tpk2 Δ/tpk2 Δ strain. Complementation of this mutant with a wild-type copy of TPK2 restored all the altered functions: pseudohyphae elongation, biofilm composition, cell aggregation and adhesins expression. Our study suggests that the Tpk2p isoform may be part of a mechanism underlying not only polarized pseudohyphal morphogenesis but also cell adherence.

Characterization of the regulatory subunit of Yarrowia lipolytica cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Evidences of a monomeric protein.

cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) catalytic (C) and regulatory (R) subunits from Yarrowia lipolytica are encoded by single genes, TPK1 and RKA1, respectively. Here we performed the heterologous expression, purification and characterization of the R subunit from Y. lipolytica yeast cells, and explored the main biochemical features of the PKA. The purified recombinant R, active and capable to interact with C subunit was used to prepare highly specific polyclonal antiserum. Sucrose-gradient centrifugation and gel filtration analysis of both recombinant and native R revealed the monomeric nature of this subunit. Hydrodynamic parameters of the holoenzyme indicated that Y. lipolytica PKA is a dimer of 90 kDa composed of an R subunit of 42 kDa and a C subunit of 39 kDa. The identification of the N-terminal sequence was carried out by mass spectrometry analysis of the purified native R subunit. The differences between N-terminal sequences of R subunits from Y. lipolytica and other organisms, particularly a short linker that spans the inhibitory site, were discussed as the possible cause of the lack of dimerization. R was identified as a type II subunit since our results indicated that it was phosphorylated in vivo by C at S124 identified by anti-phospho-PKA substrate (RRXS/T) antibody.

Regulatory role of the PKA pathway in dimorphism and mating in Yarrowia lipolytica.

Previous studies on the dimorphic transition of Yarrowia lipolytica suggested opposite roles for MAPK and PKA pathways in this phenomenon. To obtain conclusive evidences for these opposite roles we isolated and disrupted the unique gene encoding the Pka catalytic subunit (TPK1). TPK1 was regulated only at the post-transcriptional level, with Pka activity increasing during yeast-like growth. tpk1 null mutants were viable and without growth defects, but more sensitive to different stress conditions. Deltatpk1 mutants were mating-deficient, and grew constitutively in the mycelial form, whereas Deltaste11 (Mapkkk-less)/Deltatpk1 double mutants grew in the yeast form, indicating that this is the default growth pattern of the fungus. Our data confirm that MAPK and PKA pathways operate in opposition during the dimorphic behavior of Y. lipolytica, but synergic in mating. These data stress the idea that in different fungi both signal transduction systems may operate distinctly or even be antagonistic or synergic in the coordination of cell responses to different stimuli.

Catalytic isoforms Tpk1 and Tpk2 of Candida albicans PKA have non-redundant roles in stress response and glycogen storage.

Candida albicans cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) is coded by two catalytic subunits (TPK1 and TPK2) and one regulatory subunit (BCY1). In this organism the cAMP/PKA signalling pathway mediates basic cellular processes, such as the yeast-to-hyphae transition and cell cycle regulation. In the present study, we investigated the role of C. albicans PKA in response to saline, heat and oxidative stresses as well as in glycogen storage. To fine-tune the analysis, we performed the studies on several C. albicans PKA mutants having heterozygous or homozygous deletions of TPK1 and/or TPK2 in a different BCY1 genetic background. We observed that tpk1Delta/tpk1Delta strains developed a lower tolerance to saline exposure, heat shock and oxidative stress, while wild-type and tpk2Delta/tpk2Delta mutants were resistant to these stresses, indicating that both isoforms play different roles in the stress response pathway. We also found that regardless of the TPK background, heterozygous and homozygous BCY1 mutants were highly sensitive to heat treatment. Surprisingly, we observed that those strains devoid of one or both TPK1 alleles were defective in glycogen storage, while strains lacking Tpk2 accumulated higher levels of the polysaccharide, indicating that Tpk1 and Tpk2 have opposite roles in carbohydrate metabolism.

Expression levels and subcellular localization of Bcy1p in Candida albicans mutant strains devoid of one BCY1 allele results in a defective morphogenetic behavior.

We investigated expression, functionality and subcellular localization of C. albicans Bcy1p, the PKA regulatory subunit, in mutant strains having one BCY1 allele fused to a green fluorescent protein (GFP). DE-52 column chromatography of soluble extracts of yeast cells from strains bearing one BCY1 allele (fused or not to GFP) showed co-elution of Bcy1p and Bcy1p-GFP with phosphotransferase activity, suggesting that interaction between regulatory and catalytic subunits was not impaired by the GFP tag. Subcellular localization of Bcy1p-GFP supports our previous hypothesis on the nuclear localization of the regulatory subunit, which can thus tether the PKA catalytic subunit to the nucleus. Protein modeling of CaBcy1p, showed that the fusion of the GFP tag to Bcy1p C-terminus did not significantly disturb its proper folding. Bcy1p levels in mutant strains having one or both BCY1 alleles, led us to establish a direct correlation between the amount of protein and the number of alleles, indicating that deletion of one BCY1 allele is not fully compensated by overexpression of the other. The morphogenetic behavior of several C. albicans mutant strains bearing one or both BCY1 alleles, in a wild-type and in a TPK2 null genetic background, was assessed in N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) liquid medium at 37 degrees C. Strains with one BCY1 allele tagged or not, behaved similarly, displaying pseudohyphae and true hyphae. In contrast, hyphal morphology was almost exclusive in strains having both BCY1 alleles, irrespective of the GFP insertion. It can be inferred that a tight regulation of PKA activity is needed for hyphal growth.

Interactions between regulatory and catalytic subunits of the Candida albicans cAMP-dependent protein kinase are modulated by autophosphorylation of the regulatory subunit.

The cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) from Candida albicans is a tetramer composed of two catalytic subunits (C) and two type II regulatory subunits (R). To evaluate the role of a putative autophosphorylation site of the R subunit (Ser(180)) in the interaction with C, this site was mutated to an Ala residue. Recombinant wild-type and mutant forms of the R subunit were expressed in Escherichia coli and purified. The wild-type recombinant R subunit was fully phosphorylated by the purified C subunit, while the mutant form was not, confirming that Ser(180) is the target for the autophosphorylation reaction. Association and dissociation experiments conducted with both recombinant R subunits and purified C subunit showed that intramolecular phosphorylation of the R subunit led to a decreased affinity for C. This diminished affinity was reflected by an 8-fold increase in the concentration of R subunit needed to reach half-maximal inhibition of the kinase activity and in a 5-fold decrease in the cAMP concentration necessary to obtain half-maximal dissociation of the reconstituted holoenzyme. Dissociation of the mutant holoenzyme by cAMP was not affected by the presence of MgATP. Metabolic labeling of yeast cells with [(32)P]orthophosphate indicated that the R subunit exists as a serine phosphorylated protein. The possible involvement of R subunit autophosphorylation in modulating C. albicans PKA activity in vivo is discussed.

PIF-pocket as a target for C. albicans Pkh selective inhibitors.

The phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase 1, PDK1, is a master kinase that phosphorylates the activation loop of up to 23 AGC kinases. S. cerevisiae has three PDK1 orthologues, Pkh1-3, which also phosphorylate AGC kinases (e.g., Ypk, Tpk, Pkc1, and Sch9). Pkh1 and 2 are redundant proteins involved in multiple essential cellular functions, including endocytosis and cell wall integrity. Based on similarities with the budding yeast, the Pkh of fungal infectious species was postulated as a novel target for antifungals. Here, we found that depletion of Pkh eventually induces oxidative stress and DNA double-strand breaks, leading to programmed cell death. This finding supports Pkh as an antifungal target since pharmacological inhibition of Pkh would lead to the death of yeast cells, the ultimate goal of antifungals. It was therefore of interest to further investigate the possibility to develop Pkh inhibitors with selectivity for Candida Pkh that would not inhibit the human ortholog. Here, we describe C. albicans Pkh2 biochemically, structurally and by using chemical probes in comparison to human PDK1. We found that a regulatory site on the C. albicans Pkh2 catalytic domain, the PIF-pocket, diverges from human PDK1. Indeed, we identified and characterized PS77, a new small allosteric inhibitor directed to the PIF-pocket, which has increased selectivity for C. albicans Pkh2. Together, our results describe novel features of the biology of Pkh and chemical biology approaches that support the validation of Pkh as a drug target for selective antifungals.

The two main endoproteases present in dark-induced senescent wheat leaves are distinct subtilisin-like proteases.

We have previously reported the occurrence of two serine endoproteases (referred to as P1 and P2) in dark-induced senescent wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) leaves. P1 enzyme was already purified and identified as a subtilisin-like serine endoprotease (Roberts et al. in Physiol Plant 118:483-490, 2003). In this paper, we demonstrate by Western blot analysis of extracts obtained from dark-induced senescent leaves that an antiserum raised against P1 was able to recognise a second protein band of 78 kDa which corresponded to P2 activity. This result suggested that both enzymes must be structurally related. Therefore, we purified and characterised P2 activity. According to its biochemical and physical properties (inhibition by chymostatin and PMSF, broad pH range of activity, thermostability and ability to hydrolyse Suc-AAPF-pNA) P2 was classified as a serine protease with chymotrypsin-like activity. In addition, P2 was identified by mass spectrometry as a subtilisin-like protease distinct from P1. Western blot analysis demonstrated that P1 appeared in extracts from non-detached dark-induced senescent leaves but was undetectable in leaves senescing after nitrogen (N) deprivation. In contrast, P2 was already present in non-senescent leaves and showed increased levels in leaves senescing after N starvation or incubation in darkness. P1 signal was detected at late stages of ethephon or methyl jasmonate-induced senescence but was undetectable in senescent leaves from plants treated with abscisic acid. None of the three hormones have any effect on P2 protein levels. These results indicate that despite their biochemical and structural similarities, both enzymes are probably involved in different physiological roles.

Expression of TPK1 and TPK2 genes encoding PKA catalytic subunits during growth and morphogenesis in Candida albicans.

The transcript levels of Candida albicans TPK1 and TPK2 genes, encoding PKA catalytic subunits, as well as phosphotransferase activity, were measured in the parental strain CAI4 and in homozygous tpk1Delta and tpk2Delta mutants during vegetative growth and during yeast-to-mycelial transition in N-acetylglucosamine liquid inducing medium at 37 degrees C. We observed two TPK2 transcripts, a major one of 1.8 kb and a minor one of 1.4 kb, and established by 3'-RACE that they originate from the recognition of the three polyadenylation signals present in the 3' untranslated region of the gene. During vegetative growth of CAI4 strain, the expression profiles of TPK1 and TPK2 varied similarly, reaching maximal expression at the late logarithmic phase. TPK1 mRNA levels were lower than those of TPK2 at all stages measured. In the corresponding homozygous tpk mutants, mRNA levels and the expression patterns of TPK1 and TPK2 were similar to those of CAI4, suggesting that the loss of one catalytic isoform is not compensated by overexpression of the other. Changes in PKA specific activity roughly correlated with fluctuations of mRNA expression levels. During yeast-to-mycelial transition, a sharp increase in TPK1 mRNA levels and in PKA-specific activity correlated with the onset of germ-tube formation in strain tpk2Delta. We also showed that tpk1Delta strain exhibited a delayed morphogenetic shift in comparison with CAI4 and tpk2Delta strains in several liquid inducing media, reinforcing the idea that Tpk1p is important for faster germ-tube appearance.

cDNA cloning, biochemical and phylogenetic characterization of beta- and beta'-subunits of Candida albicans protein kinase CK2.

We have previously reported that Candida albicans protein kinase CK2 is composed of two distinct catalytic (alpha- and alpha'-) and two distinct regulatory (beta- and beta'-) subunits. We report here the isolation of two cDNAs clones, CaCKB1 and CaCKB2, encoding C. albicans beta- and beta'-subunits, respectively. The predicted beta- and beta'-proteins have calculated molecular masses of 34 kDa and 31 kDa and show all major features conserved in beta-subunits of other organisms, including the N-terminal autophosphorylation site, the internal acidic region and a potential metal-binding motif. The deduced amino acid sequence of C. albicans beta-subunit displays 48% identity with that of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and has an unusually long C-terminal acidic region containing a putative autophosphorylation site. C. albicans beta' shows 54% sequence identity with its S. cerevisiae homologue. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR analyses indicate that the mRNAs corresponding to both subunits are present in similar amounts in the yeast and hyphal forms of the fungus. To evaluate the biochemical properties of C. albicans beta- and beta'-subunits, both proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli and purified. Experiments performed in vitro indicate that both recombinant subunits reconstitute a fully functional holoenzyme when incubated with stoichiometric amounts of human recombinant alpha-subunit, as judged by their ability to abolish basal phosphorylation of calmodulin by human recombinant alpha-subunit and the reversion of the inhibitory effect by polylysine. In addition, both regulatory subunits can be phosphorylated by human recombinant alpha subunit. Phylogenetic analysis of beta- and beta'-proteins of C. albicans and other organisms shows that the CKB gene duplication occurred before the split of the ascomycete and basidiomycete lineages.

In vivo and in vitro phosphorylation of Candida albicans 20S proteasome.

In this paper we demonstrate that the Candida albicans 20S proteasome is in vivo phosphorylated and is a good in vitro substrate (S(0.5) 14nM) of homologous protein kinase CK2 (CK2). We identify alpha6/C2, alpha3/C9, and alpha5/Pup2 proteasome subunits as the main in vivo phosphorylated and in vitro CK2-phosphorylatable proteasome components. In vitro phosphorylation by homologous CK2 holoenzyme occurs only in the presence of polylysine, a characteristic that distinguishes the yeast proteasomes from mammalian proteasomes which are phosphorylated by CK2 in the absence of polycations. The major in vivo phosphate acceptor is the alpha3/C9 subunit, being phosphorylated in serine, both in vivo and in vitro. The phosphopeptides generated by endoproteinase Glu-C digestion from in vivo labeled alpha3/C9 subunit, from in vitro phosphorylation by homologous CK2 holoenzyme, and from the recombinant alpha3/C9 subunit phosphorylated by recombinant human CK2-alpha subunit are identical, suggesting that CK2 is likely responsible for in vivo phosphorylation of this subunit. Direct mutational analysis shows that serine 248 is the residue of the alpha3/C9 subunit phosphorylated by CK2. The in vitro stoichiometry of phosphorylation of the alpha6/C2 and alpha3/C9 proteasome subunits by CK2 can be estimated as 0.7-0.8 and 0.4-0.5 mol of phosphate per mole of subunit, respectively. These results are consistent with the relative abundance of the unphosphorylated and phosphorylated isoforms of these subunits present in the purified 20S proteasome preparation. Our demonstration of phosphorylation of C. albicans proteasome suggests that phosphorylation might be a general mechanism of regulation of proteasome activity.

Candida albicans lacking the gene encoding the regulatory subunit of protein kinase A displays a defect in hyphal formation and an altered localization of the catalytic subunit.

The fungal pathogen Candida albicans switches from a yeast-like to a filamentous mode of growth in response to a variety of environmental conditions. We examined the morphogenetic behavior of C. albicans yeast cells lacking the BCY1 gene, which encodes the regulatory subunit of protein kinase A. We cloned the BCY1 gene and generated a bcy1 tpk2 double mutant strain because a homozygous bcy1 mutant in a wild-type genetic background could not be obtained. In the bcy1 tpk2 mutant, protein kinase A activity (due to the presence of the TPK1 gene) was cyclic AMP independent, indicating that the cells harbored an unregulated phosphotransferase activity. This mutant has constitutive protein kinase A activity and displayed a defective germinative phenotype in N-acetylglucosamine and in serum-containing medium. The subcellular localization of a Tpk1-green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion protein was examined in wild-type, tpk2 null, and bcy1 tpk2 double mutant strains. The fusion protein was observed to be predominantly nuclear in wild-type and tpk2 strains. This was not the case in the bcy1 tpk2 double mutant, where it appeared dispersed throughout the cell. Coimmunoprecipitation of Bcy1p with the Tpk1-GFP fusion protein demonstrated the interaction of these proteins inside the cell. These results suggest that one of the roles of Bcy1p is to tether the protein kinase A catalytic subunit to the nucleus.

The two isoforms of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit are involved in the control of dimorphism in the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans.

We have cloned the Candida albicans TPK2 gene encoding a cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) catalytic subunit and generated a tpk2 homozygous null mutant to assess its ability to germinate in liquid media. N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc)-induced germ-tube formation was attenuated in the tpk2 strain and enhanced by compounds that are known to increase the PKA activity in situ. Germination was completely blocked in the presence of the myristoylated derivative of the heat-stable PKA inhibitor (MyrPKI). These results indicate that TPK1 acts positively in regulating the morphogenetic transition in C. albicans in the absence of the TPK2 gene. We were able to identify an mRNA from this second form of PKA in both wild-type and tpk2 null mutant cells. We found that PKA activity measured in the mutant lacking the TPK2 gene was about 10% of that displayed by the wild-type. The finding that the germinative response of tpk2 null mutant to serum was severely diminished at low serum concentrations indicates that the level of PKA is an important determinant of filamentous growth at low serum concentrations. The extent of germination attained at higher serum concentrations (5%) was similar in the wild-type and in the tpk2 null mutant strains suggesting that under these conditions germination was triggered through a PKA-independent pathway.