A putative pheromone signaling pathway is dispensable for self-fertility in the homothallic ascomycete Gibberella zeae

Kim, Hee-Kyoung; Lee, Theresa; Yun, Sung-Hwan

doi:10.1016/j.fgb.2008.05.008

Cited by 49 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 33 publications

(62 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…In contrast, transcription of pheromone receptor genes was shown to be mating type independent in heterothallic N. crassa (63). However, both pheromone genes and their cognate receptor genes are constitutively expressed in S. macrospora and in other homothallic ascomycetes (41,57,60,63). In an earlier study, we showed that single-pheromone and -receptor mutant strains are not impaired in vegetative or sexual development.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…In homothallic G. zeae, the GzPPG1 transcript was not detected in strains with the MAT1-1-specific or MAT1-2-specific genes deleted. However, the GzPPG2 transcript increased in the ⌬MAT1 strain (41). Because all three MAT1-1-specific genes have been deleted in the ⌬MAT1 strain, it is not clear whether upregulation of GzPPG2 was caused by the deletion of MAT1-1-1, MAT1-1-2, or MAT1-1-3 (45).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Functional Characterization of MAT1 - 1 -Specific Mating-Type Genes in the Homothallic Ascomycete Sordaria macrospora Provides New Insights into Essential and Nonessential Sexual Regulators

Klix¹,

et al. 2010

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Mating-type genes in fungi encode regulators of mating and sexual development. Heterothallic ascomycete species require different sets of mating-type genes to control nonself-recognition and mating of compatible partners of different mating types. Homothallic (self-fertile) species also carry mating-type genes in their genome that are essential for sexual development. To analyze the molecular basis of homothallism and the role of mating-type genes during fruiting-body development, we deleted each of the three genes, SmtA-1 (MAT1-1-1), SmtA-2 (MAT1-1-2), and SmtA-3 (MAT1-1-3), contained in the MAT1-1 part of the mating-type locus of the homothallic ascomycete species Sordaria macrospora. Phenotypic analysis of deletion mutants revealed that the PPF domain protein-encoding gene SmtA-2 is essential for sexual reproduction, whereas the ␣ domain protein-encoding genes SmtA-1 and SmtA-3 play no role in fruiting-body development. By means of crossspecies microarray analysis using Neurospora crassa oligonucleotide microarrays hybridized with S. macrospora targets and quantitative real-time PCR, we identified genes expressed under the control of SmtA-1 and SmtA-2. Both genes are involved in the regulation of gene expression, including that of pheromone genes.Sex, one mechanism of the genetic diversity of species, is ubiquitous across kingdoms. To avoid self-crossing, genetic barriers have evolved that prevent selfing, and these often culminate in sexual dimorphism. In filamentous ascomycetes, sexual dimorphism is almost nonexistent, and in many cases individuals are hermaphrodites. Here, sex is determined genetically by a sex-specific region in the genome known as the mating-type locus (MAT) (10).Fungi exhibit two different sexual life styles, homothallism (self-fertility) and heterothallism (self-sterility) (46). This phenomenon was first discovered by Blakeslee in the group of zygomycetes, a lineage that diverged early within the fungal kingdom (5). Only recently was the sequence of the matingtype locus of Phycomyces blakesleeanus (Zygomycota) discovered (36). It was shown that each mating-type locus contains one single gene coding for a protein with a high-mobility group (HMG) (31) (Fig. 1). Both genes show low-level amino acid similarity and confer the ability to mate as either a MAT (Ϫ) or a MAT (ϩ) strain.Similarly, heterothallic ascomycetes contain a single matingtype locus with two alternate alleles. The DNA sequences at the mating-type locus in individuals of different mating types show almost no homology. To emphasize the dissimilarity between and the different origins of the genes of different matingtype loci, they have been termed idiomorphs instead of alleles (49).In ascomycetes, mating is best characterized at the molecular level in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The MAT idiomorphs, MATa and MAT␣, encode regulatory proteins which, in combination with other transcription factors, are responsible for a distinct pattern of expression in the three yeast cell types: haploid MATa and MAT␣ cells and d...

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Functional Characterization of MAT1 - 1 -Specific Mating-Type Genes in the Homothallic Ascomycete Sordaria macrospora Provides New Insights into Essential and Nonessential Sexual Regulators

Klix¹,

et al. 2010

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…9). GzPPG1 and GzPRE1, which encode a-factor pheromone and alpha factor pheromone receptor, respectively (Kim et al, 2008), were downregulated in the DFgVelB strain, although the reduced hybridization signals of GzPRE1 were not statistically significant (P50.2). These two genes were also downregulated in the DMAT1-2 and DGzGPA1 strains, respectively (Fig.…”

Section: Microarray Analysesmentioning

confidence: 93%

FgVelB globally regulates sexual reproduction, mycotoxin production and pathogenicity in the cereal pathogen Fusarium graminearum

et al. 2012

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The velvet genes are conserved in ascomycetous fungi and function as global regulators of differentiation and secondary metabolism. Here, we characterized one of the velvet genes, designated FgVelB, in the plant-pathogenic fungus Fusarium graminearum, which causes fusarium head blight in cereals and produces mycotoxins within plants. FgVelB-deleted (DFgVelB) strains produced fewer aerial mycelia with less pigmentation than those of the wildtype (WT) during vegetative growth. Under sexual development conditions, the DFgVelB strains produced no fruiting bodies but retained male fertility, and conidiation was threefold higher compared with the WT strain. Production of trichothecene and zearalenone was dramatically reduced compared with the WT strain. In addition, the DFgVelB strains were incapable of colonizing host plant tissues. Transcript analyses revealed that FgVelB was highly expressed during the sexual development stage, and may be regulated by a mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade. Microarray analysis showed that FgVelB affects regulatory pathways mediated by the mating-type loci and a G-protein alpha subunit, as well as primary and secondary metabolism. These results suggest that FgVelB has diverse biological functions, probably by acting as a member of a possible velvet protein complex, although identification of the FgVelB-FgVeA complex and the determination of its roles require further investigation.

show abstract

“…Species of the Ascomycetes for which putative prenylated precursors have been reported in the literature include the following: the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe (69)(70)(71)266), the human pathogen Candida albicans (79), the filamentous fungi Neurospora crassa (31,138) and Sordaria macrospora (176,205), the chestnut blight fungus Cryphonectria parasitica (282), the rice blast pathogen Magnathorpe grisea (242), the white blight pathogen Gibberella zeae (139,158), and the cellulase producer Hypocrea jecorina (238). For H. jecorina, the precursor is unusual, sharing commonalities with S. cerevisiae a-factor and ␣-factor precursors.…”

Section: Lipophilic Pheromones Are Common Among Fungimentioning

confidence: 99%

Biogenesis of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pheromone a -Factor, from Yeast Mating to Human Disease

Michaelis¹,

Barrowman²

2012

Microbiol Mol Biol Rev

106

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SUMMARY The mating pheromone a -factor secreted by Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a farnesylated and carboxylmethylated peptide and is unusually hydrophobic compared to other extracellular signaling molecules. Mature a -factor is derived from a precursor with a C-terminal CAAX motif that directs a series of posttranslational reactions, including prenylation, endoproteolysis, and carboxylmethylation. Historically, a -factor has served as a valuable model for the discovery and functional analysis of CAAX-processing enzymes. In this review, we discuss the three modules comprising the a -factor biogenesis pathway: (i) the C-terminal CAAX-processing steps carried out by Ram1/Ram2, Ste24 or Rce1, and Ste14; (ii) two sequential N-terminal cleavage steps, mediated by Ste24 and Axl1; and (iii) export by a nonclassical mechanism, mediated by the ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporter Ste6. The small size and hydrophobicity of a -factor present both challenges and advantages for biochemical analysis, as discussed here. The enzymes involved in a -factor biogenesis are conserved from yeasts to mammals. Notably, studies of the zinc metalloprotease Ste24 in S. cerevisiae led to the discovery of its mammalian homolog ZMPSTE24, which cleaves the prenylated C-terminal tail of the nuclear scaffold protein lamin A. Mutations that alter ZMPSTE24 processing of lamin A in humans cause the premature-aging disease progeria and related progeroid disorders. Intriguingly, recent evidence suggests that the entire a -factor pathway, including all three biogenesis modules, may be used to produce a prenylated, secreted signaling molecule involved in germ cell migration in Drosophila . Thus, additional prenylated signaling molecules resembling a -factor, with as-yet-unknown roles in metazoan biology, may await discovery.

show abstract

A putative pheromone signaling pathway is dispensable for self-fertility in the homothallic ascomycete Gibberella zeae

Cited by 49 publications

References 33 publications

Functional Characterization of MAT1 - 1 -Specific Mating-Type Genes in the Homothallic Ascomycete Sordaria macrospora Provides New Insights into Essential and Nonessential Sexual Regulators

Functional Characterization of MAT1 - 1 -Specific Mating-Type Genes in the Homothallic Ascomycete Sordaria macrospora Provides New Insights into Essential and Nonessential Sexual Regulators

FgVelB globally regulates sexual reproduction, mycotoxin production and pathogenicity in the cereal pathogen Fusarium graminearum

Biogenesis of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pheromone a -Factor, from Yeast Mating to Human Disease

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About