CCH1或MID1基因缺失对白念珠菌药物耐受性及致病性的影响

CCH1和MID1基因编码的钙闸门是外源钙进入细胞内的重要通道,Ca2+作为细胞内重要的第2信使分子,其浓度的升高可激活相应的途径参与各种细胞反应过程。该研究将利用钙通路CCH1和MID1基因的单缺失菌株,并构建其相应的回补菌株,研究CCH1或MID1基因缺失后对白念珠菌药物耐受性和致病性的影响作用。通过药物平板敏感性试验和微量液基稀释法比较不同菌株对唑类药物敏感性的变化,进一步添加钙通道阻滞剂和钙离子螯合剂来分析钙离子浓度变化对药物作用的影响,结果发现CCH1或MID1基因的缺失明显对氟康唑和伊曲康唑表现出敏感性,且药物作用受到钙离子浓度变化的调节。最后建立小鼠感染模型分析不同菌株的毒力变化差异,确定CCH1或MID1基因的缺失显著减弱了白念珠菌的致病性。     

脂肪醇氧化酶基因缺失对热带假丝酵母生理功能的影响

为考察热带假丝酵母(Candida tropicalis)脂肪醇氧化酶(FAO)基因缺失对菌株自身的影响,利用同源重组的方法敲除或回补FAO1和FAO2基因,研究突变株的生长情况和胞内脂肪醇氧化酶活性变化,并进-步评价细胞利用烷烃合成脂肪醇的能力.结果表明:成功构建了基因缺失突变株FTYT(ΔFAO11/ΔFAO12)...     

酿酒酵母BJ3505 NHX1基因突变株的构建及功能验证

构建酿酒酵母NHX1基因单缺失突变株,验证其在酿酒酵母BJ3505抵抗逆境及液胞融合中的功能。利用同源重组技术构建BJ3505 NHX1基因的插入失活突变株BJ3505Δnhx1,并构建互补菌株BJ3505Δnhx1-C,对酿酒酵母NHX1基因在逆境胁迫及液胞融合中的功能进行验证研究。结果表明:与互补菌株BJ3505Δnhx1-C和野生型相比,突变株BJ3505Δnhx1抗逆能力减弱,液胞融合受影响,导致多液胞存在。利用同源重组法成功的构建了NHX1基因缺失突变株;酿酒酵母NHX1作为重要的离子反向转运体,在酿酒酵母BJ3505抵抗外界胁迫环境和液胞融合过程中发挥着重要的作用。     

白念珠菌铁通透酶基因CaFTH1的功能研究

[目的]白念珠菌CaFTH1是一种铁通透酶编码基因.为了研究CaFTH1对胞内铁代谢和液泡功能的影响,构建fth1△/△单基因缺失菌株和fth1△/△fet33△/△双基因缺失菌株.[方法]利用生物信息学软件对CaFTH1进行序列比对和分析;通过实时荧光定量PCR技术研究铁离子丰度对CaFTH1表达的影响;利用PCR介导的同源重组方法构建基因缺失菌株;利用原子吸收光谱方法测定基因缺失菌株胞内铁含量的变化,并对基因缺失菌株在缺铁条件和菌丝诱导条件下的生长状况进行研究;通过代谢转换实验,研究CaFTH1对细胞液泡功能的影响.[结果]序列比对结果表明白念珠菌CaFth1蛋白属于铁通透酶Ftr1超家族,与酿酒酵母液泡膜蛋白ScFth1具有最高的同源性.铁匮乏条件会诱导CaFTH1的表达,而富铁条件则会抑制其表达.白念珠菌CaFTH1的缺失会导致胞内铁含量的降低,fth1△/△突变菌株基础上CaFET33的缺失则会进一步降低胞内铁含量.在缺铁条件下,fth1△/△fet33△/△双基因缺失菌株在一定程度上表现出代谢转换能力的缺陷.另外,在某些固体菌丝诱导培养条件下,fth1△/△fet33△/△缺失菌株菌落表面形成褶皱能力显著增强;而在液体菌丝诱导条件下,则表现为增强的菌丝聚集能力.[结论]CaFTH1是一种低铁应答基因,在维持白念珠菌胞内铁离子稳态及液泡功能方面具有重要作用.CaFTH1和CaFET33基因的双缺失会对白念珠菌的菌落形态和菌丝聚集产生影响.     

ompC突变造成大肠杆菌在碱性条件下对渗透压敏感

大肠杆菌DH42突变株碱性条件下对高渗透压敏感。采用mini-Tn5转座突变质粒,同源重组构建突变菌株和DNA片段亚克隆等技术确定了造成大肠杆菌DH42在碱性条件下,对高渗透压敏感的原因是ompC基因突变。通过P1转导,构建了大肠杆菌D9（W3110 ompC：：kan）菌株。比较D9菌株和DH42菌株在不同pH和不同盐浓度条件下的生长,发现大肠杆菌ompC基因是大肠杆菌在碱性条件下应对高渗透压环境胁迫的必须基因。     

酿酒酵母Mbp1缺陷型菌株的构建及其乙醇发酵特性

【目的】研究酿酒酵母(Saccharomyces cerevisiae)工业菌株Mbp1基因的功能,探讨Mbp1基因对酿酒酵母乙醇发酵性能的影响。【方法】以酿酒酵母MF1015为出发菌株,用PCR方法构建Mbp1基因敲除组件Loxp-KanMX-Loxp,将敲除组件转化两种配型的酿酒酵母单倍体,通过单倍体复倍获得敲除Mbp1基因的二倍体突变菌株,研究突变菌株形态变化及乙醇发酵特性。【结果】敲除Mbp1基因后突变菌株生长曲线无显著变化,出芽率降低,细胞体积增大19.2%,对饥饿更敏感,较早出现假菌丝。甘蔗糖蜜在静置条件下发酵,突变菌株的乙醇产量明显低于野生型;在130 r/min的条件下发酵,突变菌株和野生型发酵液中的乙醇产量基本相同。【结论】Mbp1基因缺失使酿酒酵母的乙醇发酵能力下降并影响细胞的形态分化。     

巴斯德毕赤酵母Orm1蛋白在细胞生长和内质网功能维持方面的功能

【目的】鉴定巴斯德毕赤酵母ORM1基因;研究ORM1基因缺失对毕赤酵母生长、内质网压力应答、细胞钙稳态调节和活性氧水平等方面的影响。【方法】利用生物信息学软件对毕赤酵母Orm1蛋白进行序列比对和分析;利用PCR介导的同源重组法构建orm1Δ缺失菌株,将回补质粒p IB1-ORM1转入orm1Δ菌株构建回补菌株;研究ORM1基因缺失对毕赤酵母生长的影响;以Fluo-3 AM染色法测定胞质钙含量;以DCFH-DA染色法分析胞内活性氧水平;以实时荧光定量PCR技术研究ORM1基因缺失对毕赤酵母非折叠蛋白应答、钙稳态和抗氧化系统基因表达的影响;使用试剂盒分析毕赤酵母抗氧化系统过氧化氢酶(CAT)和超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)活性及谷胱甘肽(GSH)的含量。【结果】在毕赤酵母基因组数据库中比对出酿酒酵母Orm1和Orm2的同源蛋白,并将该蛋白编码基因命名为ORM1;毕赤酵母ORM1基因缺失导致细胞生长受到明显抑制,对衣霉素引起的内质网压力敏感性增强,非折叠蛋白应答激活,细胞钙稳态紊乱,活性氧积累,抗氧化系统激活。【结论】由于非折叠蛋白应答、钙稳态调节、活性氧积累等均与内质网功能息息相关,因此,巴斯德毕赤酵母ORM1基因编码的Orm1蛋白在细胞生长及内质网正常功能的维持过程中发挥重要作用。     

丝裂原活化蛋白激酶基因CfMKK1调控果生炭疽菌的生长发育和致病力

【目的】由果生炭疽菌引起的炭疽病是油茶的主要病害,造成油茶产量下降。本文研究果生炭疽菌中丝裂原活化蛋白激酶CfMkk1的生物学功能,旨在为解析油茶炭疽病菌的致病机理提供依据。【方法】根据同源重组原理构建CfMKK1基因敲除载体片段,采用PEG介导法将载体导入原生质体中筛选获得突变体菌株DCfmkk1;PCR扩增果生炭疽菌含有启动子的CfMKK1基因回补片段,构建回补载体pYF11::CfMKK1;采用PEG介导法把回补载体转化至突变体的原生质体中,荧光筛选回补菌株ΔCfmkk1-C。测定野生型菌株、突变体菌株DCfmkk1及基因回补菌株ΔCfmkk1-C在营养生长、附着胞形成、胁迫应答和致病力等生物学表型。【结果】与野生型和回补菌株相比,CfMKK1基因敲除突变体ΔCfmkk1菌丝生长速率明显减缓;在含刚果红的PDA培养基上菌丝生长受到明显抑制,无法穿透玻璃纸,丧失了侵染寄主的能力;而且无法形成附着胞。【结论】研究结果表明CfMKK1基因参与调控油茶果生炭疽菌的生长发育、附着胞形成、致病力以及响应外界胁迫过程。     

趋磁细菌AMB-1生物矿化相关蛋白Mms6参与磁小体的合成

【目的】研究趋磁细菌AMB-1生物矿化相关蛋白Mms6与磁小体合成的关系。【方法】在液体静置培养条件和好氧条件下对AMB-1进行培养,分析基因mms6在不同培养条件下转录水平的变化;对基因mms6进行基因敲除,分析突变株的生长和产磁变化。【结果】基因mms6的转录水平随着磁小体的合成逐渐升高;mms6的突变导致菌株在液体静置培养条件下趋磁性降低约50%,但不会影响菌株的生长水平。【结论】基因mms6参与了趋磁细菌AMB-1胞内磁小体的合成。     

Bt群体信号应答因子nprR基因的缺失对cry1Ac基因表达的影响

摘要：【目的】研究群体信号应答蛋白编码基因nprR在苏云金芽胞杆菌（Bacillus thuringiensis,Bt）HD-73菌株晶体蛋白形成过程中的作用。【方法】通过同源重组,构建了HD-73 nprR基因缺失突变菌株HD73（ΔnprR ）。利用启动子-lacZ融合、SDS-PAGE方法,测定不同培养基中nprR基因转录活性及nprR基因缺失对cry1Ac转录及表达的影响。【结果】启动子转录活性分析表明,在LB和SSM培养基中nprR基因从对数期结束（T0）开始表达,稳定期持续表达。在LB培养基中,nprR基因的缺失使cry1Ac基因在生长过渡期和稳定期前期转录活性显著提高,同时HD73（ΔnprR ）菌株Cry蛋白生成量也明显高于出发菌株HD-73,但是在芽胞形成释放后,Cry蛋白的表达没有明显的区别。【结论】在丰富培养基中苏云金芽胞杆菌nprR基因的缺失在生长过渡期和稳定期前期能够提高cry1Ac基因转录和表达,从而缩短了cry基因表达时间,并且Cry蛋白总产量与出发菌株相当。     

Alkaline stress triggers an immediate calcium fluctuation in Candida albicans mediated by Rim101p and Crz1p transcription factors

In the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans, environmental pH has profound effects on morphogenesis and response to extracellular pH is clearly relevant to the pathogenicity of this fungus. Yeast cells have evolved a complex network of mechanisms in response to the environmental pH and they often require the integration of the Rim101 and calcineurin/Crz1 signaling pathways. Ca(2+) burst is a common cellular response when cells are exposed to environmental stresses; therefore, in this study, we asked whether it follows the same case under alkaline stress and whether this calcium change is regulated by Rim101p and Crz1p. We confirmed the calcium influx was activated by KOH stimuli using a flow cytometry-based method, but it was obviously abolished in cells lacking MID1 or CCH1. We also found that alkaline pH-induced activation of the PHO89 promoter was blocked without the same gene; moreover, the response was Crz1p- and Rim101p-dependent. Finally, we investigated the regulation role of Rim101p and Crz1p in calcium influx through MID1, CCH1 and YVC1 genes, which were all downregulated in rim101Δ/Δ and crz1Δ/Δ mutants. The important role of calcium influx in the alkaline stress response and its regulation suggested a potential integration effect of Rim101 and Crz1 signaling pathways in C. albicans.     

Roles of Cch1 and Mid1 in Morphogenesis, Oxidative Stress Response and Virulence in Candida albicans

Ca²⁺ channel Cch1, and its subunit Mid1, has been suggested as the protein complex responsible for mediating Ca²⁺ influx, which is often employed by fungal cells to maintain cell survival. The abilities of morphological switch and response to stress conditions are closely related to pathogenicity in Candida albicans. Cch1 and Mid1 activity are required for virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans and Claviceps purpurea, respectively. To investigate whether Cch1 and Mid1 also play a role in the virulence of C. albicans, we constructed cch1Δ/Δ and mid1Δ/Δ mutant strains for functional analysis of CCH1 and MID1. Although both of the mutants displayed the ability of yeast-to-hypha transition, they were defective in hyphae maintenance and invasive growth. Interestingly, deletion of CCH1 or MID1 in C. albicans led to an obvious defect phenotype in oxidative stress response. Moreover, the virulence of the mutants was reduced in a mouse model. Our results demonstrated that Cch1 and Mid1 activity are related to the virulence of C. albicans and may provide a new antifungal target.     

A homolog of mammalian, voltage-gated calcium channels mediates yeast pheromone-stimulated Ca2+ uptake and exacerbates the cdc1(Ts) growth defect.

Previous studies attributed the yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) cdc1(Ts) growth defect to loss of an Mn2+-dependent function. In this report we show that cdc1(Ts) temperature-sensitive growth is also associated with an increase in cytosolic Ca2+. We identified two recessive suppressors of the cdc1(Ts) temperature-sensitive growth which block Ca2+ uptake and accumulation, suggesting that cytosolic Ca2+ exacerbates or is responsible for the cdc1(Ts) growth defect. One of the cdc1(Ts) suppressors is identical to a gene, MID1, recently implicated in mating pheromone-stimulated Ca2+ uptake. The gene (CCH1) corresponding to the second suppressor encodes a protein that bears significant sequence similarity to the pore-forming subunit (alpha1) of plasma membrane, voltage-gated Ca2+ channels from higher eukaryotes. Strains lacking Mid1 or Cch1 protein exhibit a defect in pheromone-induced Ca2+ uptake and consequently lose viability upon mating arrest. The mid1delta and cch1delta mutants also display reduced tolerance to monovalent cations such as Li+, suggesting a role for Ca2+ uptake in the calcineurin-dependent ion stress response. Finally, mid1delta cch1delta double mutants are, by both physiological and genetic criteria, identical to single mutants. These and other results suggest Mid1 and Cch1 are components of a yeast Ca2+ channel that may mediate Ca2+ uptake in response to mating pheromone, salt stress, and Mn2+ depletion.     

Amiodarone induces a caffeine-inhibited,MID1-depedent rise in free cytoplasmic calcium in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Calcium signalling is involved in myriad cellular processes such as mating morphogenesis. Mating in yeast induces changes in cell morphology with a concomitant increase in calcium uptake that is dependent on the MID1 and CCH1 genes. Mid1p and Cch1p are believed to function in a capacitive calcium entry (CCE)-like process. Amiodarone alters mammalian calcium channel activity but, despite its clinical importance, its molecular mechanisms are not clearly defined. We have shown previously that amiodarone has fungicidal activity against a broad array of fungi. We show here that amiodarone causes a dramatic increase in cytoplasmic calcium ([Ca2+]cyt) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The majority of this increase is dependent on extracellular Ca2+ nonetheless, a significant increase in [Ca2+]cyt is still induced by amiodarone when no uptake of extracellular Ca2+ can occur. The influx of extracellular Ca2+ may be a direct effect of amiodarone on a membrane transporter or may be by a CCE mechanism. Uptake of the extracellular Ca2+ is inhibited by caffeine and reduced in strains deleted for the mid1 gene, but not in cells deleted for cch1. Our data are the first demonstrating control of yeast calcium channels by amiodarone and caffeine.     

Molecular cloning in yeast by in vivo homologous recombination of the yeast putative alpha1 subunit of the voltage-gated calcium channel

Saccharomyces cerevisiae has only one gene encoding a putative voltage-gated Ca2+ channel pore-forming subunit, CCH1, which is not possible to be cloned by conventional molecular cloning techniques using Escherichia coli. Here, we report the successful cloning of CCH1 in yeast by in vivo homologous recombination without using E. coli. Overexpression of the cloned CCH1 or MID1 alone, which encodes a putative stretch-activated Ca2+ channel component, does not increase Ca2+ uptake activity, but co-overexpression results in a 2- to 3-fold increase. Overexpression of CCH1 does not substantially complement the lethality and low Ca2+ uptake activity of a mid1 mutant and vice versa. These results indicate that co-overproduction of Cch1 and Mid1 is sufficient to increase Ca2+ uptake activity.     

Cch1 mediates calcium entry in Cryptococcus neoformans and is essential in low-calcium environments

The ability of Cryptococcus neoformans to grow at the mammalian body temperature (37 degrees C to 39 degrees C) is a well-established virulence factor. Growth of C. neoformans at this physiological temperature requires calcineurin, a Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase. When cytosolic calcium concentrations are low ( approximately 50 to 100 nM), calcineurin is inactive and becomes active only when cytosolic calcium concentrations rise ( approximately 1 to 10 microM) through the activation of calcium channels. In this study we analyzed the function of Cch1 in C. neoformans and found that Cch1 is a Ca(2+)-permeable channel that mediates calcium entry in C. neoformans. Analysis of the Cch1 protein sequence revealed differences in the voltage sensor (S4 regions), suggesting that Cch1 may have diminished voltage sensitivity or possibly an alternative gating mechanism. The inability of the cch1 mutant to grow under conditions of limited extracellular calcium concentrations ([Ca(2+)](extracellular), approximately 100 nM) suggested that Cch1 was required for calcium uptake in low-calcium environments. These results are consistent with the role of ScCch1 in mediating high-affinity calcium uptake in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Although the growth defect of the cch1 mutant under conditions of limited [Ca(2+)](extracellular) ( approximately 100 nM) became more severe with increasing temperature (25 degrees C to 38.5 degrees ), this temperature sensitivity was not observed when the cch1 mutant was grown on rich medium ([Ca(2+)](extracellular), approximately 0.140 mM). Accordingly, the cch1 mutant strain displayed only attenuated virulence when tested in the mouse inhalation model of cryptococcosis, further suggesting that C. neoformans may have a limited requirement for Cch1 and that this requirement appears to include ion stress tolerance.     

Adaptation to environmental pH: integrating the Rim101 and calcineurin signal transduction pathways

The ability to appropriately respond to environmental conditions is critical for the survival of simple microbes and for development of complex multicellular organisms. Sensing and responding to a given environmental condition requires the integration of numerous signals through one or more signal transduction pathways. This leads to changes in gene expression, and potentially post-translational modifications, that favour growth in the given environment. In the fungus Candida albicans, an important opportunistic pathogen, environmental pH has profound effects on morphology and proper adaptation to extracellular pH is critical for pathogenesis. Here, we demonstrate that the Rim101/PacC pH-sensing pathway acts in parallel to Crz1, via calcineurin, to adapt to alkaline pH. We also show that the Rim101 pathway acts in parallel to Crz2, independent of calcineurin, to adapt to high lithium concentrations and to repress filamentation at acidic pH. Our studies also revealed a novel requirement for Crz1, Crz2 and calcineurin for growth at acidic pH. From these studies, we propose that the Crz1 homologue Crz2 is calcineurin-independent, but like Crz1, acts in parallel to promote specific Rim101-dependent processes. These results establish and begin to dissect the complex interactions between important signal transduction pathways in C. albicans, which are critical for virulence.