SUMMARYThe genusTrichodermacontains fungi with high relevance for humans, with applications in enzyme production for plant cell wall degradation and use in biocontrol. Here, we provide a broad, comprehensive overview of the genomic content of these species for “hot topic” research aspects, including CAZymes, transport, transcription factors, and development, along with a detailed analysis and annotation of less-studied topics, such as signal transduction, genome integrity, chromatin, photobiology, or lipid, sulfur, and nitrogen metabolism inT. reesei,T. atroviride, andT. virens, and we open up new perspectives to those topics discussed previously. In total, we covered more than 2,000 of the predicted 9,000 to 11,000 genes of eachTrichodermaspecies discussed, which is >20% of the respective gene content. Additionally, we considered available transcriptome data for the annotated genes. Highlights of our analyses include overall carbohydrate cleavage preferences due to the different genomic contents and regulation of the respective genes. We found light regulation of many sulfur metabolic genes. Additionally, a new Golgi 1,2-mannosidase likely involved inN-linked glycosylation was detected, as were indications for the ability ofTrichodermaspp. to generate hybrid galactose-containingN-linked glycans. The genomic inventory of effector proteins revealed numerous compounds unique toTrichoderma, and these warrant further investigation. We found interesting expansions in theTrichodermagenus in several signaling pathways, such as G-protein-coupled receptors, RAS GTPases, and casein kinases. A particularly interesting feature absolutely unique toT. atrovirideis the duplication of the alternative sulfur amino acid synthesis pathway.

Dolichol phosphate mannose (DPM) synthase activity, which is required in N:-glycosylation, O-mannosylation, and glycosylphosphatidylinositol membrane anchoring of protein, has been postulated to regulate the Trichoderma reesei secretory pathway. We have cloned a T.reesei cDNA that encodes a 243 amino acid protein whose amino acid sequence shows 67% and 65% identity, respectively, to the Schizosaccharomyces pombe and human DPM synthases, and which lacks the COOH-terminal hydrophobic domain characteristic of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae class of synthase. The Trichoderma dpm1 (Trdpm1) gene complements a lethal null mutation in the S.pombe dpm1(+) gene, but neither restores viability of a S.cerevisiae dpm1-disruptant nor complements the temperature-sensitivity of the S. cerevisiae dpm1-6 mutant. The T.reesei DPM synthase is therefore a member of the "human" class of enzyme. Overexpression of Trdpm1 in a dpm1(+)::his7/dpm1(+) S.pombe diploid resulted in a 4-fold increase in specific DPM synthase activity. However, neither the wild type T. reesei DPM synthase, nor a chimera consisting of this protein and the hydrophobic COOH terminus of the S.cerevisiae DPM synthase, complemented an S.cerevisiae dpm1 null mutant or gave active enzyme when expressed in E.coli. The level of the Trdpm1 mRNA in T.reesei QM9414 strain was dependent on the composition of the culture medium. Expression levels of Trdpm1 were directly correlated with the protein secretory capacity of the fungus.

In order to investigate 0-glycosylation of proteins in the fungus Trichoderma reesei QM 9414, a membrane preparation was isolated and used to study the glycosylation of endogenous proteins. Exogenously added GDP-[ U-4C]mannose was used to mannosylate both endogenous lipid and protein. The kinetics of mannosylation together with pulse-chase experiments with cold GDPmannose revealed that lipid was labelled before protein. The lipid was identified as mannosyl phosphoryl dolichol (Dol-P-Man) by TLC together with an authentic standard from yeast. Addition of tsushimycin, a specific inhibitor of Dol-P-Man synthesis, completely blocked transfer of mannose from GDP-[ U-l 4C]mannose to endogenous lipid. The mannosyl units transferred to endogenous protein could be released by p-elimination, and were shown to consist mainly of tetra-, di-and monomannosyl chains. Mannosylation of endogenous proteins occurred at a lower rate with membranes isolated from glycerol-grown cells. This could be overcome by addition of cold GDP-mannose, suggesting a limitation of endogenous GDP-mannose and/or dolichol phosphate in glycerol-grown (i.e. catabolite-repressed) cells.

To elucidate the regulation and limiting factors in the glycosylation of secreted proteins, the mpg1 and dpm1 genes from Trichoderma reesei (Hypocrea jecorina) encoding GTP:␣-D-mannose-1-phosphate guanyltransferase and dolichyl phosphate mannose synthase (DPMS), respectively, were overexpressed in T. reesei. No significant increases were observed in DPMS activity or protein secretion in dpm1-overexpressing transformants, whereas overexpression of mpg1 led to a twofold increase in GDP-mannose (GDPMan) levels. GDPMan was effectively utilized by mannnosyltransferases and resulted in hypermannosylation of secreted proteins in both N and O glycosylation. Overexpression of the mpg1 gene also increased the transcription of the dpm1 gene and DPMS activity. Our data indicate that the level of cellular GDPMan can play a major regulatory role in protein glycosylation in T. reesei.

Expression of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae DPM1 gene (coding for dolichylphosphate mannose synthase) in Trichoderma reesei (Hypocrea jecorina) increases the intensity of protein glycosylation and secretion and causes ultrastructural changes in the fungal cell wall. In the present work, we undertook further biochemical and morphological characterization of the DPM1-expressing T. reesei strains. We established that the carbohydrate composition of the fungal cell wall was altered with an increased amount of N-acetylglucosamine, suggesting an increase in chitin content. Calcofluor white staining followed by fluorescence microscopy indicated changes in chitin distribution. Moreover, we also observed a decreased concentration of mannose and alkali-soluble ␤-(1,6) glucan. A comparison of protein secretion from protoplasts with that from mycelia showed that the cell wall created a barrier for secretion in the DPM1 transformants. We also discuss the relationships between the observed changes in the cell wall, increased protein glycosylation, and the greater secretory capacity of T. reesei strains expressing the yeast DPM1 gene.The saprobic fungus Trichoderma reesei secretes a wide range of hydrolytic enzymes, such as cellulases and hemicellulases, which are widely used in the food, animal feed, and paper industries (10). Hence, stimulation of its secretory capacity is of considerable interest for biotechnology. Many, if not all, of these extracellular proteins are glycosylated. Our previous study showed a close correlation between protein secretion and the activity of dolichylphosphate mannose (DPM)-synthase (EC 2.4.1.83), a key enzyme in O glycosylation in T. reesei (15,17). We have shown that in T. reesei, DPM, which is synthesized by DPM-synthase, donates the mannosyl residue that is transferred to the hydroxyl group of serine or threonine in protein O mannosylation (16). Moreover, T. reesei DPM-synthase, like its counterpart from rat liver (3), is activated in vitro by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (18). An obligatory requirement for DPM-synthase in O mannosylation was demonstrated for Saccharomyces cerevisiae by the finding that a temperature-sensitive DPM-synthase mutant (dpm1) was completely blocked in O mannosylation of the model protein chitinase (24). Loss of DPM1 expression in yeast is lethal (24). DPM-synthase also participates in N glycosylation of protein, supplying the last four mannosyl residues during the assembly of the lipid-linked precursor oligosaccharide dolichol diphosphate-GlcNAc 2 Man 9 Glc 3 , and is required for the biosynthesis of glycosylphosphatidylinositol membrane anchors (11).Our earlier data indicated that overexpression of the S. cerevisiae DPM1 gene encoding DPM-synthase in T. reesei elevated the enzyme activity twofold and resulted in an increased level of protein secretion. The secreted proteins were glycosylated to the same extent as in the control, although at a level up to seven times higher (15).We have also isolated the dpm1 gene encoding DPM-synthase from T. reesei and tr...