丝状真菌全局性调控因子LaeA的研究进展

全局调控因子在丝状真菌次级代谢调控及其生长发育过程中有着重要作用。LaeA是2004年首次被发现的丝状真菌全局性调控因子。本综述介绍了LaeA在丝状真菌发育、次级代谢中的功能及其作用机制,总结了丝状真菌中已发现的laeA的同源基因,并对存在的问题及应用前景进行讨论与展望。     

丝状真菌新型全局性调控因子LaeA

全局调控在丝状真菌次级代谢调控及其生长发育过程中有着重要的作用。LaeA是2004年首次在构巢曲霉中被发现的第一个丝状真菌全局性调控因子,继而在烟曲霉、黄曲霉、产黄青霉、橘青霉中相继被报道。LaeA能够全局性调控抗生素和真菌毒素等次级代谢产物的合成,影响真菌形态分化,另外还通过影响沉默基因的表达从而调控未知代谢产物的产生,因而能为真菌中天然产物的开发提供新的重要途径。本文就其在丝状真菌中的发现、功能、作用机制及其应用等方面进行综述。     

过表达LaeA激活海洋土曲霉中isoflavipucine类化合物的合成及其抗弧菌活性研究

丝状真菌土曲霉因产生结构独特且药理活性强烈的次级代谢产物而受到真菌学家和药学家的广泛关注。然而,在丝状真菌中,大部分次级代谢基因在常规实验室培养条件下表达量较低甚至沉默。本研究通过过表达全局性调控因子LaeA试图激活一株海洋来源土曲霉中的沉默基因簇以发现新次级代谢产物。结果表明,laeA基因过表达突变中未知产物基因簇被激活,指纹图谱分析发现了2个在野生菌株不存在的化合物吸收峰。质谱和核磁共振波谱分析确证了这2个化合物为dihydroisoflavipucine类小分子,特别是化合物1的产量在突变体中高达183 mg/L。此外,抗菌活性测试发现,这2个化合物对4种病原弧菌显示了强烈的活性,特别是化合物1抗弧菌活性更强,MIC低至16μg/mL。本研究提供了一条大量合成dihydroisoflavipucine类抗生素的新路线,并证明了次级代谢调控因子LaeA在丝状真菌中的功能是高度保守的,过表达LaeA是激活丝状真菌中沉默基因簇的有效手段。     

丝状真菌中的Velvet家族蛋白

丝状真菌是重要的微生物资源,能够产生大量的小分子活性化合物,如β-内酰胺类抗生素、夫西地酸、环孢霉素和他汀类药物等。这些小分子次级代谢产物的生物合成受全局性调控因子的调控,除丝状真菌中已发现的Lae A外,还存在一类具有Velvet结构域的特殊调控因子,它们在丝状真菌的生长发育和次级代谢调控中发挥着重要的作用。本文综述了丝状真菌Velvet家族蛋白(Ve A、Vel B、Vos A和Vel C)的结构特征及其对有性生殖、无性生殖和次级代谢产物合成等方面的调控作用,并探讨了可能的分子调控机制通路,为揭示次级代谢调控网络和激活沉默基因产生新型结构的化合物提供一定的参考价值。     

中国丝状真菌次级代谢分子调控研究进展

在目前已知的具有生物活性的微生物次级代谢物中约有50%是由丝状真菌产生的,其中包括人们所熟知的青霉素、环孢菌素A以及洛伐他汀等。鉴于丝状真菌次级代谢物在农业、医药和工业上的重要价值,它们的生物合成及其分子调控一直备受关注。丝状真菌次级代谢物的生物合成是一个复杂的过程,一般涉及多步酶学反应,该过程往往受到不同水平的调控。深入了解丝状真菌次级代谢的分子调控机制,可以为其产量的提高、新骨架化合物的发掘以及隐性次级代谢物的激活奠定重要的理论基础。本文以丝状真菌次级代谢分子调控为主线,重点介绍近40年来我国科研工作者在该领域取得的研究进展,并对这一领域未来的发展进行展望。     

COP9信号小体亚基CsnE对无花果拟盘多毛孢生长发育和次级代谢的影响

COP9信号小体,又称CSN,是一个多亚基蛋白复合物,在所有真核生物体中高度保守,调控着多个重要的生物学过程.研究证明,CSN复合体的第5个亚基CsnE调控丝状真菌的生长发育和次级代谢.本研究以植物内生真菌无花果拟盘多毛孢(Pestalotiopsis fici)为研究对象,揭示了CsnE对孢子形成及次级代谢的调控作用.根据构巢曲霉中CsnE蛋白的氨基酸序列,利用BLAST进行比对,在无花果拟盘多毛孢基因组中找到与其同源的序列PfCsnE.PfcsnE基因的缺失突变株(△PfcsnE)不再产生孢子,而回补PfcsnE基因,孢子恢复产生,这表明PfCsnE对P.fici孢子的形成是必不可少的.对次级代谢产物进行分析发现,与野生型菌株(WT)相比,ΔPfcsnE菌株chloroisosulochrin产量增加,而ficiolideA产量减少.对WT和ΔpfcsnE菌株进行转录组分析发现,PfCsnE影响了8.37%的基因的表达.其中,在ΔPfcsnE菌株中涉及孢子形成的多个基因表达量下降,此外,9个次级代谢生物合成基因簇表达量上升,3个下降.综上所述,PfCsnE对P.fici孢子形成及次级代谢起到非常重要的调控作用.     

丝状真菌次级代谢产物生物合成的表观遗传调控

丝状真菌产生的次级代谢产物是新药的重要来源之一,其生物合成过程受到众多因素的调控。最近的研究表明,表观遗传对多种丝状真菌次级代谢产物的生物合成具有调控作用。DNA和组蛋白的甲基化与乙酰化修饰是目前所知的丝状真菌主要的表观遗传调控形式。通过过表达或缺失相关表观修饰基因和利用小分子表观遗传试剂改变丝状真菌染色体的修饰形式,不仅可以提高多种已知次级代谢产物产量,而且可以通过激活沉默的生物合成基因簇诱导丝状真菌产生新的未知代谢产物。丝状真菌表观遗传学正逐渐成为真菌菌株改良的新策略以及挖掘真菌次级代谢产物合成潜力的强有力手段。     

链霉菌次级代谢调控相关的双组分系统研究进展

链霉菌具有强大的次级代谢能力, 能够产生众多具有生物活性的次级代谢产物, 如目前广泛应用的抗生素、抗肿瘤药物以及免疫抑制剂等。在链霉菌中, 次级代谢产物的生物合成受到包括途径特异性、多效性以及全局性调控基因在内的多层次严格调控。关键调控基因的缺失或过表达可以显著影响次级代谢产物的生物合成, 提示对于链霉菌次级代谢重要调控基因的功能及其作用机制的研究具有巨大的潜在应用价值。其中, 作为细菌信号传导系统的双组分系统(Two-component system, TCS)一直是大家研究的关注点。越来越多的研究表明TCS在链霉菌次级代谢过程中发挥着全局性的调控功能。本文重点介绍链霉菌模式菌株——天蓝色链霉菌中TCS(包括典型TCS)、孤立的组氨酸蛋白激酶(HK)以及应答调控蛋白(RR)参与次级代谢调控的研究进展。这些TCS的功能鉴定及机制解析为工业链霉菌的定向遗传改造以提高重要次级代谢产物的含量提供了理论依据。     

丝状真菌次级代谢产物的研究现状与发展趋势

近年来,丝状真菌次级代谢产物的研究在国内外受到了极高的重视,同时也取得了较大的进展。本文对丝状真菌次级代谢产物的生物合成和调控机制以及隐性次级代谢产物生物合成基因簇的激活等方面进行了简述,同时对组合生物学给真菌次级代谢产物研究带来的机遇和挑战进行了讨论。     

黄曲霉菌主要真菌毒素次级代谢与调控的研究进展

黄曲霉菌(Aspergillus flavus)是一种腐生型好氧真菌,其次级代谢产生的黄曲霉毒素(Aflatoxin,AFT)是一种强致癌性剧毒物质。黄曲霉菌侵染农作物导致相关农产品黄曲霉毒素的污染,危及食品安全及人和动物的健康。黄曲霉菌有8条染色体,基因组大小约37 Mb,含有13 000多个功能基因,55个次级代谢基因簇,其中只明确了AFT、环匹阿尼酸(Cyclopiazonic acid,CPA)和黄曲霉震颤素(Aflatrem)3个次级代谢基因簇的特征。次级代谢基因簇的表达受不同环境条件、次级代谢调控因子、酶活性、复杂的脂氧合物转导信号及群体密度效应的调控。LaeA和VeA是抑制AFT、CPA和黄曲霉震颤素等真菌毒素生物合成的次级代谢调控因子,抑制加氧酶类(Ppo和Lox)的表达则能促进真菌毒素的合成,而其氧化产物(脂氧合物)则是真菌-寄主互作的重要信号分子。群体密度和水解酶类也影响黄曲霉菌的次级代谢,群体密度高能降低黄曲霉毒素的生成量而增加分生孢子的形成;α-淀粉酶、果胶酶、蛋白酶等酶活性的改变可以影响黄曲霉菌分生孢子萌发、菌丝生长,以及真菌毒素的次级代谢。本文系统评述了黄曲霉主要真菌毒素的次级代谢与调控的研究进展。此外,对黄曲霉次级代谢物的研究也做了进一步的评述和讨论。     

Fungus-Specific Sirtuin HstD Coordinates Secondary Metabolism and Development through Control of LaeA

The sirtuins are members of the NAD⁺-dependent histone deacetylase family that contribute to various cellular functions that affect aging, disease, and cancer development in metazoans. However, the physiological roles of the fungus-specific sirtuin family are still poorly understood. Here, we determined a novel function of the fungus-specific sirtuin HstD/Aspergillus oryzae Hst4 (AoHst4), which is a homolog of Hst4 in A. oryzae yeast. The deletion of all histone deacetylases in A. oryzae demonstrated that the fungus-specific sirtuin HstD/AoHst4 is required for the coordination of fungal development and secondary metabolite production. We also show that the expression of the laeA gene, which is the most studied fungus-specific coordinator for the regulation of secondary metabolism and fungal development, was induced in a ΔhstD strain. Genetic interaction analysis of hstD/Aohst4 and laeA clearly indicated that HstD/AoHst4 works upstream of LaeA to coordinate secondary metabolism and fungal development. The hstD/Aohst4 and laeA genes are fungus specific but conserved in the vast family of filamentous fungi. Thus, we conclude that the fungus-specific sirtuin HstD/AoHst4 coordinates fungal development and secondary metabolism via the regulation of LaeA in filamentous fungi.     

Coordination of secondary metabolism and development in fungi: the velvet family of regulatory proteins

Filamentous fungi produce a number of small bioactive molecules as part of their secondary metabolism ranging from benign antibiotics such as penicillin to threatening mycotoxins such as aflatoxin. Secondary metabolism can be linked to fungal developmental programs in response to various abiotic or biotic external triggers. The velvet family of regulatory proteins plays a key role in coordinating secondary metabolism and differentiation processes such as asexual or sexual sporulation and sclerotia or fruiting body formation. The velvet family shares a protein domain that is present in most parts of the fungal kingdom from chytrids to basidiomycetes. Most of the current knowledge derives from the model Aspergillus nidulans where VeA, the founding member of the protein family, was discovered almost half a century ago. Different members of the velvet protein family interact with each other and the nonvelvet protein LaeA, primarily in the nucleus. LaeA is a methyltransferase-domain protein that functions as a regulator of secondary metabolism and development. A comprehensive picture of the molecular interplay between the velvet domain protein family, LaeA and other nuclear regulatory proteins in response to various signal transduction pathway starts to emerge from a jigsaw puzzle of several recent studies.     

LaeA control of velvet family regulatory proteins for light-dependent development and fungal cell-type specificity

VeA is the founding member of the velvet superfamily of fungal regulatory proteins. This protein is involved in light response and coordinates sexual reproduction and secondary metabolism in Aspergillus nidulans. In the dark, VeA bridges VelB and LaeA to form the VelB-VeA-LaeA (velvet) complex. The VeA-like protein VelB is another developmental regulator, and LaeA has been known as global regulator of secondary metabolism. In this study, we show that VelB forms a second light-regulated developmental complex together with VosA, another member of the velvet family, which represses asexual development. LaeA plays a key role, not only in secondary metabolism, but also in directing formation of the VelB-VosA and VelB-VeA-LaeA complexes. LaeA controls VeA modification and protein levels and possesses additional developmental functions. The laeA null mutant results in constitutive sexual differentiation, indicating that LaeA plays a pivotal role in inhibiting sexual development in response to light. Moreover, the absence of LaeA results in the formation of significantly smaller fruiting bodies. This is due to the lack of a specific globose cell type (Hülle cells), which nurse the young fruiting body during development. This suggests that LaeA controls Hülle cells. In summary, LaeA plays a dynamic role in fungal morphological and chemical development, and it controls expression, interactions, and modification of the velvet regulators.     

The global regulator LaeA controls penicillin biosynthesis, pigmentation and sporulation, but not roquefortine C synthesis in Penicillium chrysogenum

The biosynthesis of the beta-lactam antibiotic penicillin is an excellent model for the study of secondary metabolites produced by filamentous fungi due to the good background knowledge on the biochemistry and molecular genetics of the beta-lactam producing microorganisms. The three genes (pcbAB, pcbC, penDE) encoding enzymes of the penicillin pathway in Penicillium chrysogenum are clustered, but no penicillin pathway-specific regulators have been found in the genome region that contains the penicillin gene cluster. The biosynthesis of this beta-lactam is controlled by global regulators of secondary metabolism rather than by a pathway-specific regulator. In this work we have identified the gene encoding the secondary metabolism global regulator LaeA in P. chrysogenum (PcLaeA), a nuclear protein with a methyltransferase domain. The PclaeA gene is present as a single copy in the genome of low and high-penicillin producing strains and is not located in the 56.8-kb amplified region occurring in high-penicillin producing strains. Overexpression of the PclaeA gene gave rise to a 25% increase in penicillin production. PclaeA knock-down mutants exhibited drastically reduced levels of penicillin gene expression and antibiotic production and showed pigmentation and sporulation defects, but the levels of roquefortine C produced and the expression of the dmaW involved in roquefortine biosynthesis remained similar to those observed in the wild-type parental strain. The lack of effect on the synthesis of roquefortine is probably related to the chromatin arrangement in the low expression roquefortine promoters as compared to the bidirectional pbcAB-pcbC promoter region involved in penicillin biosynthesis. These results evidence that PcLaeA not only controls some secondary metabolism gene clusters, but also asexual differentiation in P. chrysogenum.     

Metabolite profiling of fungi and yeast: from phenotype to metabolome by MS and informatics

Filamentous fungi and yeast from the genera Saccharomyces, Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Fusarium are well known for their impact on our life as pathogens, involved in food spoilage by degradation or toxin contamination, and also for their wide use in biotechnology for the production of beverages, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and enzymes. The genomes of these eukaryotic micro-organisms range from about 6000 genes in yeasts (S. cerevisiae) to more than 10,000 genes in filamentous fungi (Aspergillus sp.). Yeast and filamentous fungi are expected to share much of their primary metabolism; therefore much understanding of the central metabolism and regulation in less-studied filamentous fungi can be learned from comparative metabolite profiling and metabolomics of yeast and filamentous fungi. Filamentous fungi also have a very active and diverse secondary metabolism in which many of the additional genes present in fungi, compared with yeast, are likely to be involved. Although the 'blueprint' of a given organism is represented by the genome, its behaviour is expressed as its phenotype, i.e. growth characteristics, cell differentiation, response to the environment, the production of secondary metabolites and enzymes. Therefore the profile of (secondary) metabolites--fungal chemodiversity--is important for functional genomics and in the search for new compounds that may serve as biotechnology products. Fungal chemodiversity is, however, equally efficient for identification and classification of fungi, and hence a powerful tool in fungal taxonomy. In this paper, the use of metabolite profiling is discussed for the identification and classification of yeasts and filamentous fungi, functional analysis or discovery by integration of high performance analytical methodology, efficient data handling techniques and core concepts of species, and intelligent screening. One very efficient approach is direct infusion Mass Spectrometry (diMS) integrated with automated data handling, but a full metabolic picture requires the combination of several different analytical techniques.