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Title: A genomics-informed study of oxalate and cellulase regulation by brown rot wood-degrading fungi

Abstract

Wood-degrading fungi that selectively remove carbohydrates (brown rot) combine Fenton-based oxidation and enzymatic hydrolysis to degrade wood. These two steps are incompatible in close proximity. To explain this, brown rot fungi may stagger oxidative reactions ahead of hydrolysis, but the scale and environmental controls for such a mechanism have not been resolved in solid wood. Here, we focused on one reaction control parameter, oxalate. In coordination with Fe3+-reducing compounds (e.g., 2,5-dimethoxyhydroquinone), oxalate can either promote Fenton chemistry by mobilizing Fe3+ as mono-oxalates (facilitative) or inhibit Fenton chemistry (protective) by restricting reducibility and the formation of Fenton’s reagent as Fe3+/Fe2-(oxalate)2,3. We sectioned wood wafers colonized directionally by Postia placenta and Gloeophyllum trabeum to map end-to-end the expression of oxalate synthesis genes and to overlay enzyme activities, metabolites, and wood modifications. Near advancing hyphal fronts, oxaloacetase expression was up upregulated for both fungi, while regulation patterns of paralogous of isocitrate lyases and glyoxylate dehydrogenases varied, suggesting different physiological roles. Oxalate decarboxylase (ODC) expression in G. trabeum was induced in more decayed wood behind the hyphal front, but was constitutively expressed in all P. placenta sections. Relative ODC activities increased and oxalate levels stabilized in more decayed wood behind the hyphal front. Endoglucanasemore » (EG) activity, on the other hand, peaked for both fungi in later decay stages. These oxalate optimization patterns are in line with previous whole-block ‘spiking’ experiments tracking oxalate, but we provide here information on its genetic controls across a spatial gradient. As a complement, we also demonstrate in vitro the plausibility of a protective role for oxalate, to emphasize that these fungi might be optimizing oxalate at a given level to maximize Fenton reactions but to minimize oxidative damage.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [1];  [1]
  1. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER); National Science Foundation (NSF)
OSTI Identifier:
1538275
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1703838
Grant/Contract Number:  
SC0004012; SC0012742; 00039202
Resource Type:
Journal Article: Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Fungal Genetics and Biology
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 112; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 1087-1845
Publisher:
Elsevier
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; Fenton; reactive oxygen species; oxalate decarboxylase; wood; lignocellulose

Citation Formats

Presley, Gerald N., Zhang, Jiwei, and Schilling, Jonathan S. A genomics-informed study of oxalate and cellulase regulation by brown rot wood-degrading fungi. United States: N. p., 2016. Web. doi:10.1016/j.fgb.2016.08.004.
Presley, Gerald N., Zhang, Jiwei, & Schilling, Jonathan S. A genomics-informed study of oxalate and cellulase regulation by brown rot wood-degrading fungi. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fgb.2016.08.004
Presley, Gerald N., Zhang, Jiwei, and Schilling, Jonathan S. 2016. "A genomics-informed study of oxalate and cellulase regulation by brown rot wood-degrading fungi". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fgb.2016.08.004. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1538275.
@article{osti_1538275,
title = {A genomics-informed study of oxalate and cellulase regulation by brown rot wood-degrading fungi},
author = {Presley, Gerald N. and Zhang, Jiwei and Schilling, Jonathan S.},
abstractNote = {Wood-degrading fungi that selectively remove carbohydrates (brown rot) combine Fenton-based oxidation and enzymatic hydrolysis to degrade wood. These two steps are incompatible in close proximity. To explain this, brown rot fungi may stagger oxidative reactions ahead of hydrolysis, but the scale and environmental controls for such a mechanism have not been resolved in solid wood. Here, we focused on one reaction control parameter, oxalate. In coordination with Fe3+-reducing compounds (e.g., 2,5-dimethoxyhydroquinone), oxalate can either promote Fenton chemistry by mobilizing Fe3+ as mono-oxalates (facilitative) or inhibit Fenton chemistry (protective) by restricting reducibility and the formation of Fenton’s reagent as Fe3+/Fe2-(oxalate)2,3. We sectioned wood wafers colonized directionally by Postia placenta and Gloeophyllum trabeum to map end-to-end the expression of oxalate synthesis genes and to overlay enzyme activities, metabolites, and wood modifications. Near advancing hyphal fronts, oxaloacetase expression was up upregulated for both fungi, while regulation patterns of paralogous of isocitrate lyases and glyoxylate dehydrogenases varied, suggesting different physiological roles. Oxalate decarboxylase (ODC) expression in G. trabeum was induced in more decayed wood behind the hyphal front, but was constitutively expressed in all P. placenta sections. Relative ODC activities increased and oxalate levels stabilized in more decayed wood behind the hyphal front. Endoglucanase (EG) activity, on the other hand, peaked for both fungi in later decay stages. These oxalate optimization patterns are in line with previous whole-block ‘spiking’ experiments tracking oxalate, but we provide here information on its genetic controls across a spatial gradient. As a complement, we also demonstrate in vitro the plausibility of a protective role for oxalate, to emphasize that these fungi might be optimizing oxalate at a given level to maximize Fenton reactions but to minimize oxidative damage.},
doi = {10.1016/j.fgb.2016.08.004},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1538275}, journal = {Fungal Genetics and Biology},
issn = {1087-1845},
number = C,
volume = 112,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Aug 16 00:00:00 EDT 2016},
month = {Tue Aug 16 00:00:00 EDT 2016}
}

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Cited by: 22 works
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Works referenced in this record:

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