Remarkably Simple Sequence Requirement of the M-Factor Pheromone of<i>Schizosaccharomyces pombe</i>

Seike, Taisuke; Yamagishi, Yoshikazu; Iio, Hideo; Nakamura, Taro; Shimoda, Chikashi

doi:10.1534/genetics.112.140483

Cited by 18 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Precursor proteins synthesized from these mfm genes are processed by as yet unidentified proteolytic enzymes to produce the same nonapeptide. Comprehensive mutagenesis has demonstrated that the primary sequence of the C-terminal half of M-factor is important for recognition by Map3 [17]. Both Mam2 and Map3 are heterotrimeric GTP-binding protein-coupled receptors containing 7 transmembrane domains.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distal and Proximal Actions of Peptide Pheromone M-Factor Control Different Conjugation Steps in Fission Yeast

2013

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Mating pheromone signaling is essential for conjugation between haploid cells of P-type (P-cells) and haploid cells of M-type (M-cells) in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. A peptide pheromone, M-factor, produced by M-cells is recognized by the receptor of P-cells. An M-factor-less mutant, in which the M-factor-encoding genes are deleted, is completely sterile. In liquid culture, sexual agglutination was not observed in the mutant, but it could be recovered by adding exogenous synthetic M-factor, which stimulated expression of the P-type-specific cell adhesion protein, Map4. Exogenous M-factor, however, failed to recover the cell fusion defect in the M-factor-less mutant. When M-factor-less cells were added to a mixture of wild-type P- and M-cells, marked cell aggregates were formed. Notably, M-factor-less mutant cells were also incorporated in these aggregates. In this mixed culture, P-cells conjugated preferentially with M-cells secreting M-factor, and rarely with M-factor-less M-cells. The kinetics of mating parameters in liquid culture revealed that polarized growth commenced from the contact region of opposite mating-type cells. Taken together, these findings indicate that M-factor at a low concentration induces adhesin expression, leading to initial cell-cell adhesion in a type of “distal pheromone action”, but M-factor that is secreted directly in the proximity of the adhered P-cells may be necessary for cell fusion in a type of “proximal pheromone action”.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distal and Proximal Actions of Peptide Pheromone M-Factor Control Different Conjugation Steps in Fission Yeast

2013

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“…(A) Strategy for creating a novel mating-type pair. The first step was the comprehensive amino acid substitution of mating pheromone M factor by in vitro site-directed mutagenesis as described previously (18). Among 152 single residue-substituted missense mutants, 35 sterile M-factor mutants were selected (shown in B).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…If the modified pheromone (a ligand) and the receptor protein are structurally fit and ligand-induced activation of the receptor can be attained, the resulting modified versions of mating-competent cells might constitute a novel reproductive group. Owing to the small size of M factor (9 aa), a full set of single residue-substituted missense mutants of the mfm1 gene (coding for M factor) was previously successfully generated (18). Thorough screening of the 152 mfm1 mutants identified 35 sterile ones that might produce nonfunctional M-factor peptides.…”

Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thorough screening of the 152 mfm1 mutants identified 35 sterile ones that might produce nonfunctional M-factor peptides. These mutant peptides were detected in culture filtrates, indicating that they are likely to be defective in molecular interaction with their specific receptor, Map3 (18).…”

Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mating pheromones play essential roles in sexual maturation, attraction of opposite mating-type cells (cell agglutination), copulation (cell fusion), and mate choice (14,(17)(18)(19). For S. pombe, all of the genes encoding the mating pheromones, receptors, and components of the signal transduction cascade emanating from the activated receptors have been identified and thoroughly investigated (11).…”

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Molecular coevolution of a sex pheromone and its receptor triggers reproductive isolation in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Seike

Nakamura

Shimoda

2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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The diversification of sex pheromones is regarded as one of the causes of prezygotic isolation that results in speciation. In the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the molecular recognition of a peptide pheromone by its receptor plays an essential role in sexual reproduction. We considered that molecular coevolution of a peptide-mating pheromone, M factor, and its receptor, Map3, might be realized by experimentally diversifying these proteins. Here, we report the successful creation of novel mating-type pairs by searching for map3 suppressor mutations that rescued the sterility of M-factor mutants that were previously isolated. Several strong suppressors were found to also recognize WT M factor. The substituted residues of these Map3 suppressors were mapped to F204, F214, and E249, which are likely to be critical residues for M-factor recognition. These critical residues were systematically substituted with each of the other amino acids by in vitro mutagenesis. Ultimately, we successfully obtained three novel mating-type pairs constituting reproductive groups. These novel mating-type pairs could not conjugate with WT maters. Furthermore, no flow of chromosomally integrated drug-resistance genes occurred between the novel and the WT mating pairs, showing that each experimentally created reproductive group [e.g., M factor(V5H) and Map3(F214H)] was isolated from the WT group. In conclusion, we have succeeded in creating an artificial reproductive group that is isolated from the WT group. In keeping with the biological concept of species, the artificial reproductive group is a new species.fission yeast | mating pheromone | G-protein-coupled receptor | reproductive isolation | speciation S peciation is the most critical step in evolution (1). A new species branches off from an original species when a group of individuals is isolated reproductively (termed "reproductive isolation") (2). Chemical communication between the two sexes is important in both attracting individuals of the opposite sex and the courtship reaction. Pheromone diversification may be a possible mechanism underlying reproductive isolation.Female-attracting peptide pheromones of newts are providing a promising means to explore this mechanism. A decapeptide called sodefrin was first identified during the analysis of a cDNA library of the abdominal gland of the red-bellied newt Cynops pyrrhogaster (3, 4). A closely related newt, the sword-tailed newt Cynops ensicauda, produces a similar peptide pheromone named Silefrin (5). Interestingly, a sodefrin variant, aonirin, was found in the Nara area of Japan; 1 of 10 amino acids in aonirin differs from those in sodefrin, the prototype peptide (Table 1) (6). This variant peptide was found to not be effective in attracting females in the Niigata and Chiba areas of Japan (7). It was, thus, speculated that altering the primary structure of the female-attracting peptide of the red-bellied newt and coevolution of the corresponding receptor protein may lead to reproductive isolation. To verify this speculati...

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New approaches in bioprocess‐control: Consortium guidance by synthetic cell‐cell communication based on fungal pheromones

Hennig

Wenzel

Haas

et al. 2018

Engineering in Life Sciences

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Bioconversions in industrial processes are currently dominated by single‐strain approaches. With the growing complexity of tasks to be carried out, microbial consortia become increasingly advantageous and eventually may outperform single‐strain fermentations. Consortium approaches benefit from the combined metabolic capabilities of highly specialized strains and species, and the inherent division of labor reduces the metabolic burden for each strain while increasing product yields and reaction specificities. However, consortium‐based designs still suffer from a lack of available tools to control the behavior and performance of the individual subpopulations and of the entire consortium. Here, we propose to implement novel control elements for microbial consortia based on artificial cell–cell communication via fungal mating pheromones. Coupling to the desired output is mediated by pheromone‐responsive gene expression, thereby creating pheromone‐dependent communication channels between different subpopulations of the consortia. We highlight the benefits of artificial communication to specifically target individual subpopulations of microbial consortia and to control e.g. their metabolic profile or proliferation rate in a predefined and customized manner. Due to the steadily increasing knowledge of sexual cycles of industrially relevant fungi, a growing number of strains and species can be integrated into pheromone‐controlled sensor‐actor systems, exploiting their unique metabolic properties for microbial consortia approaches.

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Remarkably Simple Sequence Requirement of the M-Factor Pheromone ofSchizosaccharomyces pombe

Cited by 18 publications

References 39 publications

Distal and Proximal Actions of Peptide Pheromone M-Factor Control Different Conjugation Steps in Fission Yeast

Distal and Proximal Actions of Peptide Pheromone M-Factor Control Different Conjugation Steps in Fission Yeast

Molecular coevolution of a sex pheromone and its receptor triggers reproductive isolation in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

New approaches in bioprocess‐control: Consortium guidance by synthetic cell‐cell communication based on fungal pheromones

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