Solid-state NMR Reveals the Carbon-based Molecular Architecture of Cryptococcus neoformans Fungal Eumelanins in the Cell Wall

Melanin pigments protect against both ionizing radiation and free radicals and have potential soil remediation capabilities. Eumelanins produced by pathogenic Cryptococcus neoformans fungi are virulence factors that render the fungal cells resistant to host defenses and certain antifungal drugs. Because of their insoluble and amorphous characteristics, neither the pigment bonding framework nor the cellular interactions underlying melanization of C. neoformans have yielded to comprehensive molecular-scale investigation. This study used the C. neoformans requirement of exogenous obligatory catecholamine precursors for melanization to produce isotopically enriched pigment “ghosts” and applied 2D ¹³C-¹³C correlation solid-state NMR to reveal the carbon-based architecture of intact natural eumelanin assemblies in fungal cells. We demonstrated that the aliphatic moieties of solid C. neoformans melanin ghosts include cell-wall components derived from polysaccharides and/or chitin that are associated proximally with lipid membrane constituents. Prior to development of the mature aromatic fungal pigment, these aliphatic moieties form a chemically resistant framework that could serve as the scaffold for melanin synthesis. The indole-based core aromatic moieties show interconnections that are consistent with proposed melanin structures consisting of stacked planar assemblies, which are associated spatially with the aliphatic scaffold. The pyrrole aromatic carbons of the pigments bind covalently to the aliphatic framework via glycoside or glyceride functional groups. These findings establish that the structure of the pigment assembly changes with time and provide the first biophysical information on the mechanism by which melanin is assembled in the fungal cell wall, offering vital insights that can advance the design of bioinspired conductive nanomaterials and novel therapeutics.     

Unlocking the molecular structure of fungal melanin using 13C biosynthetic labeling and solid-state NMR

Melanins are enigmatic pigments found in all biological kingdoms that are associated with a variety of functions, including microbial virulence. Despite being ubiquitous in nature, melanin pigments have long resisted atomic-level structural examination because of their insolubility and amorphous organization. Cryptococcus neoformans is a human pathogenic fungus that melanizes only when provided with exogenous substrate, thus offering a unique system for exploring questions related to melanin structure at the molecular level. We have exploited the requirement for exogenous substrate in melanin synthesis as well as the capabilities of high-resolution solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to establish the predominantly aliphatic composition of l-dopa melanin and to introduce (13)C labels that permit the identification of proximal carbons in the developing biopolymer. By swelling solid melanin samples in organic solvents and using two-dimensional heteronuclear NMR in conjunction with magic-angle spinning, we have identified chemical bonding patterns typical of alkane, alkene, alcohol, ketone, ester, and indole functional groups. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of a novel approach to determining the structure of melanin using metabolic labeling and NMR spectroscopy.     

Following fungal melanin biosynthesis with solid-state NMR: biopolymer molecular structures and possible connections to cell-wall polysaccharides

Melanins serve a variety of protective functions in plants and animals, but in fungi such as Cryptococcus neoformans they are also associated with virulence. A recently developed solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) strategy, based on the incorporation of site-specific (13)C-enriched precursors into melanin, followed by spectroscopy of both powdered and solvent-swelled melanin ghosts, was used to provide new molecular-level insights into fungal melanin biosynthesis. The side chain of an l-dopa precursor was shown to cyclize and form a proposed indole structure in C. neoformans melanin, and modification of the aromatic rings revealed possible patterns of polymer chain elongation and cross-linking within the biopolymer. Mannose supplied in the growth medium was retained as a beta-pyranose moiety in the melanin ghosts even after exhaustive degradative and dialysis treatments, suggesting the possibility of tight binding or covalent incorporation of the pigment into the polysaccharide fungal cell walls. In contrast, glucose was scrambled metabolically and incorporated into both polysaccharide cell walls and aliphatic chains present in the melanin ghosts, consistent with metabolic use as a cellular nutrient as well as covalent attachment to the pigment. The prominent aliphatic groups reported previously in several fungal melanins were identified as triglyceride structures that may have one or more sites of chain unsaturation. These results establish that fungal melanin contains chemical components derived from sources other than l-dopa polymerization and suggest that covalent linkages between l-dopa-derived products and polysaccharide components may serve to attach this pigment to cell wall structures.     

The contribution of melanin to microbial pathogenesis

Melanins are enigmatic pigments that are produced by a wide variety of microorganisms including several species of pathogenic bacteria, fungi and helminths. The study of melanin is difficult because these pigments defy complete biochemical and structural analysis. Nevertheless, the availability of new reagents in the form of monoclonal antibodies and melanin-binding peptides, combined with the application of various physical techniques, has provided insights into the process of melanization. Melanization is important in microbial pathogenesis because it has been associated with virulence in many microorganisms. Melanin appears to contribute to virulence by reducing the susceptibility of melanized microbes to host defence mechanisms. However, the interaction of melanized microbes and the host is complex and includes immune responses to melanin-related antigens. Production of melanin has also been linked to protection against environmental insults. Interference with melanization is a potential strategy for antimicrobial drug and pesticide development. The process of melanization poses fascinating problems in cell biology and provides a type of pathogenic strategy that is common to highly diverse pathogens.     

Melanin from the Nitrogen-Fixing Bacterium Azotobacter chroococcum: A Spectroscopic Characterization

Melanins, the ubiquitous hetero-polymer pigments found widely dispersed among various life forms, are usually dark brown/black in colour. Although melanins have variety of biological functions, including protection against ultraviolet radiation of sunlight and are used in medicine, cosmetics, extraction of melanin from the animal and plant kingdoms is not an easy task. Using complementary physicochemical techniques (i.e. MALDI-TOF, FTIR absorption and cross-polarization magic angle spinning solid-state ¹³C NMR), we report here the characterization of melanins extracted from the nitrogen-fixing non-virulent bacterium Azotobacter chroococcum, a safe viable source. Moreover, considering dihydroxyindole moiety as the main constituent, an effort is made to propose the putative molecular structure of the melanin hetero-polymer extracted from the bacterium. Characterization of the melanin obtained from Azotobacter chroococcum would provide an inspiration in extending research activities on these hetero-polymers and their use as protective agent against UV radiation.     

NMR studies of melanins: characterization of a soluble melanin free acid from Sepia ink.

This paper deals with the nuclear magnetic resonance characterization of a soluble derivative (melanin free acid) of Sepia melanin obtained by a peroxidative treatment of the parent (insoluble) species. High resolution 13C and 15N solid state NMR spectroscopies allow the assessment of the chemical changes occurring in the macromolecule upon solubilization. 1H and 13C NMR solution spectra are discussed in light of the results obtained from the solid state spectra. Furthermore, the coordination properties of melanin have been investigated through 27Al NMR spectroscopy and proton relaxation enhancement studies of the paramagnetic gadolinium complex of melanin free acid. Through these experiments it has been possible to evaluate the molecular reorientational time tau R (and from it an estimated molecular weight close to 20 KDa) and the strength of the metal-macromolecule interaction.     

Ultrastructural organization of eumelanin from Sepia officinalis measured by atomic force microscopy.

Atomic force microscopy is used to investigate the structural organization of eumelanin isolated from the inks sacs of the cuttlefish Sepia officinalis. Deposits of eumelanin on mica reveal a range of structures. The most prevalent structure is an aggregate comprised of particles with diameters of 100-200 nm. This morphology is consistent with published SEM images of intact granules. Mechanical manipulation of these structures using the AFM tip show that these particles, while stable, are not a fundamental structural unit but are an aggregate of smaller constituents. Images of the bulk pigments also reveal the presence of filament structures that have an average height and width of approximately 5 nm and tens of nanometers, respectively. Taken along with recent X-ray scattering and mass spectrometry experiments, the AFM data provides strong supporting evidence for the conclusion that eumelanin is comprised of small oligomeric units and that the structural morphology observed in imaging experiments reflects aggregation of these oligomeric molecules. On the basis of the types of structures observed in the AFM images, a model is proposed for the assembly of the macroscopic pigment. The diversity of functions attributed to melanin in the literature is proposed to result from the heterogeneity of aggregated structures.     

Isolation and Biophysical Study of Fruit Cuticles

The cuticle, a hydrophobic protective layer on the aerial parts of terrestrial plants, functions as a versatile defensive barrier to various biotic and abiotic stresses and also regulates water flow from the external environment.¹ A biopolyester (cutin) and long-chain fatty acids (waxes) form the principal structural framework of the cuticle; the functional integrity of the cuticular layer depends on the outer ''epicuticular'' layer as well as the blend consisting of the cutin biopolymer and ''intracuticular'' waxes.² Herein, we describe a comprehensive protocol to extract waxes exhaustively from commercial tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruit cuticles or to remove epicuticular and intracuticular waxes sequentially and selectively from the cuticle composite. The method of Jetter and Schäffer (2001) was adapted for the stepwise extraction of epicuticular and intracuticular waxes from the fruit cuticle.^3,4 To monitor the process of sequential wax removal, solid-state cross-polarization magic-angle-spinning (CPMAS) ¹³C NMR spectroscopy was used in parallel with atomic force microscopy (AFM), providing molecular-level structural profiles of the bulk materials complemented by information on the microscale topography and roughness of the cuticular surfaces. To evaluate the cross-linking capabilities of dewaxed cuticles from cultivated wild-type and single-gene mutant tomato fruits, MAS ¹³C NMR was used to compare the relative proportions of oxygenated aliphatic (CHO and CH₂O) chemical moieties.Exhaustive dewaxing by stepwise Soxhlet extraction with a panel of solvents of varying polarity provides an effective means to isolate wax moieties based on the hydrophobic characteristics of their aliphatic and aromatic constituents, while preserving the chemical structure of the cutin biopolyester. The mechanical extraction of epicuticular waxes and selective removal of intracuticular waxes, when monitored by complementary physical methodologies, provides an unprecedented means to investigate the cuticle assembly: this approach reveals the supramolecular organization and structural integration of various types of waxes, the architecture of the cutin-wax matrix, and the chemical composition of each constituent. In addition, solid-state ¹³C NMR reveals differences in the relative numbers of CHO and CH₂O chemical moieties for wild-type and mutant red ripe tomato fruits. The NMR techniques offer exceptional tools to fingerprint the molecular structure of cuticular materials that are insoluble, amorphous, and chemically heterogeneous. As a noninvasive surface-selective imaging technique, AFM furnishes an effective and direct means to probe the structural organization of the cuticular assembly on the nm-μm length scale.     

Isolation and biophysical studies of natural eumelanins: applications of imaging technologies and ultrafast spectroscopy

The major pigments found in the skin, hair, and eyes of humans and other animals are melanins. Despite significant research efforts, the current understanding of the molecular structure of melanins, the assembly of the pigment within its organelle, and the structural consequences of the association of melanins with protein and metal cations is limited. Likewise, a detailed understanding of the photochemical and photophysical properties of melanins has remained elusive. Many types of melanins have been studied to date, including natural and synthetic model pigments. Such studies are often contradictory and to some extent the diversity of systems studied may have detracted from the development of a basic understanding of the structure and function of the natural pigment. Advances in the understanding of the structure and function of melanins require careful characterization of the pigments examined so as to assure the data obtained may be relevant to the properties of the pigment in vivo. To address this issue, herein the influence of isolation procedures on the resulting structure of the pigment is examined. Sections describing the applications of new technologies to the study of melanins follow this. Advanced imaging technologies such as scanning probe microscopies are providing new insights into the morphology of the pigment assembly. Recent photochemical studies on photoreduction of cytochrome c by different mass fraction of sonicated natural melanins reveal that the photogeneration of reactive oxygen species (ROS) depends upon aggregation of melanin. Specifically, aggregation mitigates ROS photoproduction by UV-excitation, suggesting the integrity of melanosomes in tissue may play an important role in the balance between the photoprotective and photodamaging behaviors attributed to melanins. Ultrafast laser spectroscopy studies of melanins are providing insights into the time scales and mechanisms by which melanin dissipates absorbed light energy.     

Biphasic superoxide generation in potato tubers. A self-amplifying response to stress

Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cultivars differ quantitatively in their responses to mechanical stress including the ability to synthesize melanin pigments in tuber tissues. Investigations into the cellular events induced by mechanical stress on tuber tissues have shown that an early cellular response is a significant and rapid synthesis of superoxide radicals. This burst of radical production distinctively displays a reproducible biphasic pattern over time with peaks of generation at 2 and 5 h. A concomitant consequence of the generation of these free radicals is elevated levels of oxidatively modified tuber proteins. Both radical generation and protein modification vary between cultivars but both are directly proportional to the amount of melanin pigments produced. Cell-free extracts of mechanically stressed tissues, pectic fragments, and scission products generated from cell walls are able to induce superoxide generation in non-stressed tissues, indicating the participation of a biologically active factor that induces a further a phase of radical synthesis.     

High resolution magic angle spinning NMR spectroscopy used to investigate the ability of drugs to bind to synthetic melanin

Iodobenzamides are known to possess an affinity for melanoma tissue dependent on tumor pigmentation. In order to investigate the molecular interactions of drugs with melanin in vitro, a synthetic pigment swelled in deuterium buffer at physiological pH was used. The spectra of various mixtures of each Iodobenzamide (BZ) with melanin were studied at 25 degrees C by NMR under MAS conditions. The drug which interacts with the pigment exhibits linewidths greater than those observed for the free drug in solution. Line-broadening of the resonance occurred for the N-methyl group of acetylcholine or N-ethyl and aromatic groups of BZ. However, linewidths associated with methanol or hippuric acid were less altered by the presence of melanin. These observations indicate the specificity of the interaction between some drug moieties and the sites of melanin. From the concentration dependence of line-broadening, the apparent equilibrium dissociation constant (K(d)) of drug interaction with melanin was approached. It seems that the residual concentration-dependent line-broadening is caused by perturbations of ligand exchange between free and bound states and by differences in magnetic susceptibility present in the sample at the pigment-interacting drug moiety interface. Taken together, these results demonstrate the utility of this technique for investigating binding drugs.     

The role and mechanism of diacylglycerol-protein kinase C1 signaling in melanogenesis by Cryptococcus neoformans

The fungus Cryptococcus neoformans is an opportunistic human pathogen that causes a life-threatening meningoencephalitis by expression of virulence factors such as melanin, a black pigment produced by the cell wall-associated enzyme laccase. In previous studies (Heung, L. J., Luberto, C., Plowden, A., Hannun, Y. A., and Del Poeta, M. (2004) J. Biol. Chem. 279, 21144-21153) we proposed that the sphingolipid enzyme inositol-phosphoryl ceramide synthase 1 (Ipc1) regulates melanin production through the generation of diacylglycerol (DAG), which was found to activate in vitro protein kinase C1 (Pkc1). Here, we investigated the molecular mechanisms by which DAG regulates Pkc1 in vivo and the effect of this regulation on laccase activity and melanin synthesis. To this end we deleted the putative DAG binding C1 domain of C. neoformans Pkc1 and found that the C1 deletion abolished the activation of Pkc1 by DAG. Deletion of the C1 domain repressed laccase activity and, consequently, melanin production. Finally, we show that these biological effects observed in the C1 deletion mutant are mediated by alteration of cell wall integrity and displacement of laccase from the cell wall. These studies define novel molecular mechanisms addressing Pkc1-laccase regulation by the sphingolipid pathway of C. neoformans, with important implications for understanding and targeting the Ipc1-Pkc1-laccase cascade as a regulator of virulence of this important human pathogen.     

Biosynthesis of fungal melanins and their importance for human pathogenic fungi

For more than 40 years fungi have been known to produce pigments known as melanins. Predominantly these have been dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA)-melanin and dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN)-melanin. The biochemical and genetical analysis of the biosynthesis pathways have led to the identification of the genes and corresponding enzymes of the pathways. Only recently have both these types of melanin been linked to virulence in some human pathogenic and phytopathogenic fungi. The absence of melanin in human pathogenic and phytopathogenic fungi often leads to a decrease in virulence. In phytopathogenic fungi such as Magnaporthe grisea and Colletotrichum lagenarium, besides other possible functions in pathogenicity, DHN-melanin plays an essential role in generating turgor for plant appressoria to penetrate plant leaves. While the function of melanin in human pathogenic fungi such as Cryptococcus neoformans, Wangiella dermatitidis, Sporothrix schenckii, and Aspergillus fumigatus is less well defined, its role in protecting fungal cells has clearly been shown. Specifically, the ability of both DOPA- and DHN-melanins to quench free radicals is thought to be an important factor in virulence. In addition, in several fungi the production of fungal virulence factors, such as melanin, has been linked to a cAMP-dependent signaling pathway. Many of the components involved in the signaling pathway have been identified.     

Metal-ion interactions and the structural organization of Sepia eumelanin

The structural organization of melanin granules isolated from ink sacs of Sepia officinalis was examined as a function of metal ion content by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Exposing Sepia melanin granules to ethelenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) solution or to metal salt solutions changed the metal content in the melanin, but did not alter granular morphology. Thus ionic forces between the organic components and metal ions in melanin are not required to sustain the natural morphology once the granule is assembled. However, when aqueous suspensions of Sepia melanin granules of varying metal content are ultra-sonicated, EDTA-washed and Fe-saturated melanin samples lose material to the solution more readily than the corresponding Ca(II) and Mg(II)-loaded samples. The solubilized components are found to be 5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid (DHICA)-rich constituents. Associated with different metal ions, Na(I), Ca(II) and Mg(II) or Fe(III), these DHICA-rich entities form distinct two-dimensional aggregation structures when dried on the flat surface of mica. The data suggest multiply-charged ions play an important role in assisting or templating the assembly of the metal-free organic components to form the three-dimensional substructure distributed along the protein scaffold within the granule.     

Analysis of the structure of synthetic and natural melanins by solid-phase NMR

The structures of one synthetic and two natural melanins are examined by solid-state NMR using cross polarization, magic angle sample spinning, and high-power proton decoupling. The structural features of synthetic dopa melanin are compared to those of melanin from malignant melanoma cells grown in culture and sepia melanin from squid ink. Natural abundance 13C and 15N spectra show resonances consistent with known pyrrolic and indolic structures within the heterogeneous biopolymer; 13C spectra indicate the presence of aliphatic residues in all three materials. These solid-phase experiments illustrate the promise of solid-phase NMR for elucidating structural information from insoluble biomaterials.     

Melanin targets LC3-associated phagocytosis (LAP): A novel pathogenetic mechanism in fungal disease

Intracellular swelling of conidia of the major human airborne fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus results in surface exposure of immunostimulatory pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and triggers activation of a specialized autophagy pathway called LC3-associated phagocytosis (LAP) to promote fungal killing. We have recently discovered that, apart from PAMPs exposure, cell wall melanin removal during germination of A. fumigatus is a prerequisite for activation of LAP. Importantly, melanin promotes fungal pathogenicity via targeting LAP, as a melanin-deficient A. fumigatus mutant restores its virulence upon conditional inactivation of Atg5 in hematopoietic cells of mice. Mechanistically, fungal cell wall melanin selectively excludes the CYBA/p22phox subunit of NADPH oxidase from the phagosome to inhibit LAP, without interfering with signaling regulating cytokine responses. Notably, inhibition of LAP is a general property of melanin pigments, a finding with broad physiological implications.     

A 13C solid-state NMR study of the structure and auto-oxidation process of natural and synthetic melanins

This paper presents a ¹³C CP/MAS NMR study of the melanin pigments obtained through natural synthetic origins: sepia-melanin from squid ink and three synthetic 5,6-dihydroxyindole-melanins prepared using different non-enzymatic oxidation pathways. The synthetic pigments can be distinguished from natural melanin by the absence of aliphatic carbons, thereby confirming the unreacted 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine and the proteinaceous origins of the aliphatic resonances in natural eumelanin. The spectra of selected non-protonated carbon resonances and those with only protonated carbon signals led to a quantitative analysis. An auto-oxidative experiment using a synthetic melanin, over a period of 130 h, has shown an usually slow disappearance of hydrogen peroxide formed in situ. The ¹³C-NMR spectrum of the insoluble oxidized synthetic melanin compared to that before auto-oxidation clearly demonstrates that the oxidation process is associated with chemical changes within the pigment; i.e., carbonyl functional group formation and an increase of the non-protonated carbons fraction.