A cryptic pigment biosynthetic pathway uncovered by heterologous expression is essential for conidial development in Pestalotiopsis fici

Molecular Microbiology
Peng ZhangWen-Bing Yin

Abstract

Spore pigmentation is very common in the fungal kingdom. The best studied pigment in fungi is melanin which coats the surface of single cell spores. What and how pigments function in a fungal species with multiple cell conidia is poorly understood. Here, we identified and deleted a polyketide synthase (PKS) gene PfmaE and showed that it is essential for multicellular conidial pigmentation and development in a plant endophytic fungus, Pestalotiopsis fici. To further characterize the melanin pathway, we utilized an advanced Aspergillus nidulans heterologous system for the expression of the PKS PfmaE and the Pfma gene cluster. By structural elucidation of the pathway metabolite scytalone in A. nidulans, we provided chemical evidence that the Pfma cluster synthesizes DHN melanin. Combining genetic deletion and combinatorial gene expression of Pfma cluster genes, we determined that the putative reductase PfmaG and the PKS are sufficient for the synthesis of scytalone. Feeding scytalone back to the P. fici ΔPfmaE mutant restored pigmentation and multicellular adherence of the conidia. These results cement a growing understanding that pigments are essential not simply for protection of spores from biotic and abiotic stresses but also ...Continue Reading

References

May 1, 1989·Molecular & General Genetics : MGG·I B RichardsonM J Hynes
Jan 1, 1996·Annual Review of Microbiology·R J Howard, B Valent
Jun 1, 1997·Fungal Genetics and Biology : FG & B·A Aleksenko, A J Clutterbuck
May 19, 2000·Infection and Immunity·B JahnA A Brakhage
Nov 10, 2001·Annual Review of Phytopathology·Joan M HensonAlan W Day
Jun 24, 2003·Infection and Immunity·Rachael Morris-JonesAndrew J Hamilton
Aug 18, 2004·The Journal of Biological Chemistry·Isao FujiiYutaka Ebizuka
Aug 25, 2004·Chemistry & Biology·Akira Watanabe, Yutaka Ebizuka
Jan 6, 2005·Journal of the American Chemical Society·Jae-Cheol JeongJonathan S Dordick
Jun 28, 2006·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Hildur V ColotJay C Dunlap
Nov 1, 2006·Fungal Genetics and Biology : FG & B·Joshua D NosanchukGarry T Cole
Apr 3, 2010·Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology·Yi-Ming ChiangClay C C Wang
Jun 15, 2010·Eukaryotic Cell·Claire A WalkerFrank C Odds
Dec 17, 2011·Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology·Helene C Eisenman, Arturo Casadevall
Apr 12, 2012·Applied and Environmental Microbiology·Lena StudtBettina Tudzynski
Sep 25, 2012·Applied and Environmental Microbiology·Jennifer GerkeGerhard H Braus
Apr 18, 2013·PLoS Pathogens·Erwin BerthierNancy P Keller
Apr 30, 2013·Journal of the American Chemical Society·Yi-Ming ChiangBerl R Oakley
Aug 24, 2013·ACS Synthetic Biology·Zengyi ShaoHuimin Zhao
Oct 7, 2014·Current Genetics·Javier Avalos, M Carmen Limón
Dec 3, 2014·Fungal Genetics and Biology : FG & B·Yixiong ChenChengshu Wang
May 1, 2015·BMC Genomics·Jin Woo BokChengcang C Wu
Jun 30, 2015·Nature Reviews. Microbiology·Peter J Rutledge, Gregory L Challis
Nov 12, 2015·Fungal Genetics and Biology : FG & B·Franziska WankaVera Meyer
Jan 7, 2016·Frontiers in Microbiology·Joshua D NosanchukArturo Casadevall

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Dec 12, 2018·Nature Reviews. Microbiology·Nancy P Keller
Nov 4, 2017·Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology·Zihui MaWen-Bing Yin
Jun 18, 2018·Science China. Life Sciences·Wei LiWen-Bing Yin
Mar 23, 2018·Fungal biology and biotechnology·Philipp WiemannNancy P Keller
Jun 19, 2019·Science China. Life Sciences·Ruixin LiXing-Zhong Liu
Nov 5, 2020·Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology·Xinran XuWen-Bing Yin
Mar 4, 2021·Organic Letters·Liujuan ZhengShu-Ming Li
Apr 2, 2021·Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology·Rosa SagitaKristina Haslinger
Aug 21, 2021·Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology·Jonathan M PalmerNancy P Keller

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Bacterial Respiration

This feed focuses on cellular respiration in bacteria, known as bacterial respiration. Discover the latest research here.