The UmGcn5 gene encoding histone acetyltransferase from Ustilago maydis is involved in dimorphism and virulence

González-Prieto, Juan Manuel; Rosas-Quijano, Raymundo; Domínguez, Ángel; Ruíz-Herrera, José

doi:10.1016/j.fgb.2014.09.002

Cited by 58 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Moreover, the absence of gcn5 in B. bassiana led to a complete loss of virulence through the normal cuticle infection and a great delay in lethal action through the cuticle‐bypassing infection, highlighting an indispensability of Gcn5‐governed H3 acetylation and gene activity for the fungal virulence to the susceptible model insect. This is well in accordance with the loss of virulence or pathogenicity in the Δ gcn5 mutants of A. flavus (Lan et al ., ), C. neoformans (O'Meara et al ., ) and U. maydis (González‐Prieto et al ., ). Our data also unveil a vital role for Gcn5 in not only the biosynthesis and secretion of extracellular enzymes and Pr1 proteases presumably involved in the cuticle penetration crucial for the normal infection but also the dimorphic transition, which is essential for the rapid proliferation of fungal cells in insect haemocoel and hence determinant to the speed of host mummification to death (Wang et al ., 2016; Zhu et al ., ; Chu et al ., ; Zhang et al ., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The Gcn5 ortholog NGF‐1 in Neurospora crassa is required for the transcriptional activation of the light‐inducible gene al‐3 by H3K14 acetylation (Grimaldi et al ., ) and hence for the transduction of blue light signal via the blue light sensor WC‐1/NGF‐1 complex, which is evidently preassembled on light‐inducible promoters in the dark after exposure to light stimulation (Brenna et al ., ). Remarkable defects in hyphal growth, asexual or sexual development, and/or virulence also resulted from the deletion of gcn5 in A. fujikuroi (Rösler et al ., ), Magnaporthe oryzae (Zhang et al ., ), Ustilago maydis (González‐Prieto et al ., ) and Trichoderma reesei (Xin et al ., ). Particularly, Gcn5 was found to negatively regulate light‐ and nitrogen‐starvation–induced autophagy in M. oryzae by acetylating the autophagy protein Atg7 in phototropic response, suggesting a novel regulatory role of Gcn5 at transcriptional and post‐translational levels (Zhang et al ., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Gcn5‐dependent histone H3 acetylation and gene activity is required for the asexual development and virulence of Beauveria bassiana

Cai

Wang

et al. 2018

Environmental Microbiology

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Gcn5 is a core histone acetyltransferase that catalyzes histone H3 acetylation on N-terminal lysine residues in yeasts and was reported to catalyze H3K9/K14 acetylation required for activating asexual development in Aspergillus. Here, we report a localization of Gcn5 ortholog in the nucleus and cytoplasm of Beauveria bassiana, a fungal insect pathogen. Deletion of gcn5 led to hypoacetylated H3 at K9/14/18/27 and 97% reduction in conidiation capacity as well as severe defects in colony growth and conidial thermotolerance. Two master conidiation genes, namely brlA and abaA, were transcriptionally repressed to undetectable level in Δgcn5, but sharply upregulated in wild-type, at the beginning time of conidiation. Based on chromatin immunoprecipitation, both DNA and acetylation levels of the distal and proximal fragments of the brlA promoter bound by acetylated H3K14 alone were upregulated in wild-type, but not in Δgcn5, at the mentioned time. In Δgcn5, normal cuticle infection was abolished while virulence through cuticle-bypassing infection was greatly attenuated, accompanied by drastically reduced activities of putative cuticle-degrading enzymes, retarded dimorphic transition and transcriptional repression of associated genes. These findings unveil a novel mechanism by which Gcn5 activates asexual development pathway by acetylating H3K14 and regulates the virulence-related cellular events in B. bassiana.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gcn5‐dependent histone H3 acetylation and gene activity is required for the asexual development and virulence of Beauveria bassiana

Cai

Wang

et al. 2018

Environmental Microbiology

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“…In Trichoderma reesei , the null gcn5 mutant strain does not sporulate, and its hyphal cells are shorter and more swollen than those of the WT strain (Xin et al, 2013). Additionally, defects in hyphal development always result in dimorphic fungi, as observed for C. albicans (Chang et al, 2015), C. neoformans (O’Meara et al, 2010), and U. maydis (González-Prieto et al, 2014). However, the growth rate of the S. cerevisiae gcn5 null mutant does not differ from that of the WT strain, except under conditions of limited NH 4 NO 3 concentrations (Georgakopoulos and Thireos, 1992).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Additionally, Gcn5 is required for the pathogenesis of C. albicans in a mouse model (Chang et al, 2015). Similarly, among plant pathogens, the U. maydis gcn5 mutant is avirulent to maize plants (González-Prieto et al, 2014), while P. sojae Gcn5 is required for full virulence during infections of soybean (Zhao et al, 2015). We observed that the ability of the Δ AflgcnE mutant to infect maize seeds is inhibited ( Figure 8 ), confirming the importance of Gcn5 for the pathogenicity of this species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, Candida albicans Gcn5 is required for morphogenetic and stress responses (Chang et al, 2015). Additionally, deletion of Ustilago maydis gcn5 , which influences dimorphism and virulence, results in long mycelial cells and fuzz-like colonies (González-Prieto et al, 2014). The Aspergillus nidulans gcnE null mutant produces abnormal conidiophores (Cánovas et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Aspergillus flavus Histone Acetyltransferase AflGcnE Regulates Morphogenesis, Aflatoxin Biosynthesis, and Pathogenicity

et al. 2016

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Histone acetyltransferases (HATs) help regulate fungal development and the production of secondary metabolites. In this study, we determined that the HAT AflGcnE influenced morphogenesis and aflatoxin biosynthesis in Aspergillus flavus. We observed that AflGcnE localized to the nucleus and cytoplasm during the conidial production and germination stages, while it was located mainly in the nucleus during the hyphal development stage. Deletion of AflgcnE inhibited the growth of A. flavus and decreased the hydrophobicity of the cell surface. The ΔAflgcnE mutant exhibited a lack of asexual sporulation and was unable to generate sclerotia. Additionally, AflgcnE was required to maintain cell wall integrity and genotoxic stress responses. Importantly, the ΔAflgcnE mutant did not produce aflatoxins, which was consistent with a significant down-regulation of aflatoxin gene expression levels. Furthermore, our data revealed that AflgcnE is a pathogenicity factor required for colonizing maize seeds. In summary, we revealed that A. flavus AflGcnE is crucial for morphological development, aflatoxin biosynthesis, stress responses, and pathogenicity. Our findings help clarify the functional divergence of GcnE orthologs, and may provide a possible target for controlling A. flavus infections of agriculturally important crops.

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Adaptation of Ustilago maydis to extreme pH values: A transcriptomic analysis

Cervantes-Montelongo

Aréchiga-Carvajal

Ruíz-Herrera

2016

J. Basic Microbiol.

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Fungi are capable to adapt to environments with different pH values. Here we used microarrays to analyze the transcriptomic response of the Basidiomycota Ustilago maydis when transferred from a neutral pH medium to acidic, or alkaline media. Yeast and hyphal monomorphic mutants were used as controls, permitting the identification of 301 genes differentially regulated during the transfer from neutral to an acidic medium, of which 162 were up-regulated and 139 down-regulated. When cells were transferred to an alkaline medium, we identified 797 differentially regulated genes, 335 up-regulated, and 462 down-regulated. The category showing the highest number of regulated genes during the change to either pH, besides "unclassified," was "metabolism," indicating that a very important factor for adaptation is a change in the metabolic machinery. These data reveal that adaptation of U. maydis to environments with different pH involves a severe modification of the transcription machinery to cope with the new conditions, and that the stress by an alkaline environment is more drastic than a change to an acidic medium. The data also revealed that only a minor proportion of the identified genes are under the apparent control of the Pal/Rim pathway, indicating that pH adaptation of this fungus involves other than this cannonical pathway.

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The UmGcn5 gene encoding histone acetyltransferase from Ustilago maydis is involved in dimorphism and virulence

Cited by 58 publications

References 44 publications

Gcn5‐dependent histone H3 acetylation and gene activity is required for the asexual development and virulence of Beauveria bassiana

Gcn5‐dependent histone H3 acetylation and gene activity is required for the asexual development and virulence of Beauveria bassiana

The Aspergillus flavus Histone Acetyltransferase AflGcnE Regulates Morphogenesis, Aflatoxin Biosynthesis, and Pathogenicity

Adaptation of Ustilago maydis to extreme pH values: A transcriptomic analysis

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