Virulence function of the <i>Ustilago maydis</i> sterol carrier protein 2

Krombach, Sina; Reißmann, Stefanie; Kreibich, Saskia; Bochen, Florian; Kahmann, Regine

doi:10.1111/nph.15268

Cited by 37 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 79 publications

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“…Second, I did not consider unconventionally secreted (effector) proteins in my analysis, although there are several reports of unconventionally secreted effector proteins that play important roles in virulence [51][52][53]. Such proteins could be identified in silico with SecretomeP [54,55].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Protein type and lifestyle contribute to the evolution of low complexity regions in proteins of plant colonizing fungi

Schweizer¹

2020

Preprint

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Background: Interactions between plants and fungi range from mutual symbiosis to parasitism. Fungi secrete proteins (termed effectors) to establish different forms of interactions with host plants. Such proteins are thought to coevolve with their molecular plant targets, and this can favor the emergence of novel alleles of fungal effector proteins. Low complexity regions in protein sequences are abundant in eukaryotes and were shown to contribute to the formation of novel protein sequences. This suggests that low complexity regions may play a role in the evolution of effector proteins. Several effector proteins with low complexity regions were functionally characterized in plant colonizing fungi that showed diverse lifestyles and belonged to different taxonomic groups. To investigate if low complexity regions in fungal effector proteins could contribute to the evolution of different plant-fungus interaction types, I employed publicly available genomic data from 121 species of plant colonizing fungi representing six different lifestyles and three phyla. I classified proteins in each species as cytoplasmic, secreted-non effector or effector protein and predicted low complexity regions in all protein sequences.Results: I found that the fraction of proteins that contain a low complexity region differs between cytoplasmic and secreted proteins. Moreover, the fraction of a protein sequence that spans a low complexity region differed on average between cytoplasmic and secreted proteins. Inferring homologous relationships between effector proteins revealed that this fraction is higher in recent compared to ancestral proteins, suggesting that low complexity regions contribute to the formation of novel effector alleles. Furthermore, a principal component analysis and the results of a generalized linear model showed that the lifestyle of different fungi contributes to the evolution of low complexity regions. Likewise, the relative position of low complexity regions differed between cytoplasmic and secreted proteins, between ancestral and recent effector proteins, and between effectors of different lifestyles.Conclusions: Protein type and lifestyle contribute to the evolution of low complexity regions in proteins of plant colonizing fungi, but molecular and evolutionary mechanisms explaining the differences between different protein types and proteins of different lifestyles remain to be elucidated.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Protein type and lifestyle contribute to the evolution of low complexity regions in proteins of plant colonizing fungi

Schweizer¹

2020

Preprint

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“…maydis strains were grown at 28°C in liquid YEPSL medium (0.4% yeast extract, 0.4% peptone, 2% sucrose) or on PD solid medium (2.4% Potato Dextrose broth, 2% agar). Stress assays were performed as described in (Krombach et al 2018). Transformation and selection of U. maydis transformants followed published procedures (Kämper et al 2006).…”

Section: Strains Growth Conditions and Virulence Assaysmentioning

confidence: 99%

The insertion of a mitochondrial selfish element into the nuclear genome and its consequences

Dutheil

Münch

Schotanus

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Homing endonucleases (HE) are enzymes capable of cutting DNA at highly specific target sequences, the repair of the generated double-strand break resulting in the insertion of the HE-encoding gene (“homing” mechanism). HEs are present in all three domains of life and viruses; in eukaryotes, they are mostly found in the genomes of mitochondria and chloroplasts, as well as nuclear ribosomal RNAs. We here report the case of a HE that accidentally integrated into a telomeric region of the nuclear genome of the fungal maize pathogen Ustilago maydis. We show that the gene has a mitochondrial origin, but its original copy is absent from the U. maydis mitochondrial genome, suggesting a subsequent loss or a horizontal transfer from a different species. The telomeric HE underwent mutations in its active site and lost its original start codon. A potential other start codon was retained downstream, but we did not detect any significant transcription of the newly created open reading frame, suggesting that the inserted gene is not functional. Besides, the insertion site is located in a putative RecQ helicase gene, truncating the C-terminal domain of the protein. The truncated helicase is expressed during infection of the host, together with other homologous telomeric helicases. This unusual mutational event altered two genes: the integrated HE gene subsequently lost its homing activity, while its insertion created a truncated version of an existing gene, possibly altering its function. As the insertion is absent in other field isolates, suggesting that it is recent, the U. maydis 521 reference strain offers a snapshot of this singular mutational event.

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“…10 Unconventional secretion of proteins has been reported and can be hijacked by researchers to secrete non-post-translationally modified proteins in U. maydis liquid culture. [11][12][13] The underlying mechanism is still poorly understood and has not yet been tested in a biotechnology setting in planta. [13][14][15] Compared to its host, U. maydis has a small genome and is readily transformed.…”

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confidence: 99%

Application of the pathogen Trojan horse approach in maize (Zea mays)

Linde

Egger

Timofejeva

et al. 2018

Plant Signaling & Behavior

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Maize, Zea mays, the second-most-widely-grown crop, yields 20 % of all consumed calories worldwide. 1 Despite its agronomic importance, research progress is limited by costly transformation. We recently described the Trojan horse method as a useful tool to study maize proteins in situ that circumvents timeand space-consuming whole plant transformation. The Trojan horse approach uses the protein-folding and secretory properties of the corn smut fungus Ustilago maydis to secrete maize proteins from fungal cells into the maize apoplast. Here, we discuss the timing and location of U. maydis during infection and the protein secretion site in relation to anther anatomy. This spatiotemporal analysis enables the study of apoplastic anther proteins in various premeiotic anther developmental stages, and could be adapted for larger screens. ARTICLE HISTORY

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Virulence function of the Ustilago maydis sterol carrier protein 2

Cited by 37 publications

References 79 publications

Protein type and lifestyle contribute to the evolution of low complexity regions in proteins of plant colonizing fungi

Protein type and lifestyle contribute to the evolution of low complexity regions in proteins of plant colonizing fungi

The insertion of a mitochondrial selfish element into the nuclear genome and its consequences

Application of the pathogen Trojan horse approach in maize (Zea mays)

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