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A novel class of peptide pheromone precursors in ascomycetous fungi

Journal Article · · Molecular Microbiology
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2]
  1. Vienna Univ. of Technology (Austria). Inst. of chemical Engineering. Research Area Gene Technology and Applied Biochemistry; DOE/OSTI
  2. Vienna Univ. of Technology (Austria). Inst. of chemical Engineering. Research Area Gene Technology and Applied Biochemistry
Recently, sexual development in the heterothallic ascomycete Trichoderma reesei (anamorph of Hypocrea jecorina) has been achieved and thus initiated attempts to elucidate regulation and determinants of this process. While the α-type pheromone of this fungus fits the consensus known from other fungi, the assumed a-type peptide pheromone precursor shows remarkably unusual characteristics: it comprises three copies of the motif (LI)GC(TS)VM thus constituting a CAAX domain at the C-terminus and two Kex2-protease sites. This structure shares characteristics of both a- and α-type peptide pheromone precursors. Presence of hybrid-type peptide pheromone precursor 1 (hpp1) is essential for male fertility, thus indicating its functionality as a peptide pheromone precursor, while its phosphorylation site is not relevant for this process. However, sexual development in a female fertile background is not perturbed in the absence of hpp1, which rules out a higher order function in this process. Open reading frames encoding proteins with similar characteristics to HPP1 were also found in Fusarium spp., of which Fusarium solani still retains a putative a-factor-like protein, but so far in no other fungal genome available. We therefore propose the novel class of h-type (hybrid) peptide pheromone precursors with H. jecorina HPP1 as the first member of this class.Recently, sexual development in the heterothallic ascomycete Trichoderma reesei (anamorph of Hypocrea jecorina) has been achieved and thus initiated attempts to elucidate regulation and determinants of this process. While the α-type pheromone of this fungus fits the consensus known from other fungi, the assumed a-type peptide pheromone precursor shows remarkably unusual characteristics: it comprises three copies of the motif (LI)GC(TS)VM thus constituting a CAAX domain at the C-terminus and two Kex2-protease sites. This structure shares characteristics of both a- and α-type peptide pheromone precursors. Presence of hybrid-type peptide pheromone precursor 1 (hpp1) is essential for male fertility, thus indicating its functionality as a peptide pheromone precursor, while its phosphorylation site is not relevant for this process. However, sexual development in a female fertile background is not perturbed in the absence of hpp1, which rules out a higher order function in this process. Open reading frames encoding proteins with similar characteristics to HPP1 were also found in Fusarium spp., of which Fusarium solani still retains a putative a-factor-like protein, but so far in no other fungal genome available. We therefore propose the novel class of h-type (hybrid) peptide pheromone precursors with H. jecorina HPP1 as the first member of this class.
Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER). Earth and Environmental Systems Science Division
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231
OSTI ID:
1625891
Journal Information:
Molecular Microbiology, Journal Name: Molecular Microbiology Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 77; ISSN 0950-382X
Publisher:
WileyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Additional file 2 of RGS4 impacts carbohydrate and siderophore metabolism in Trichoderma reesei dataset January 2023
Additional file 3 of RGS4 impacts carbohydrate and siderophore metabolism in Trichoderma reesei dataset January 2023
Mate-recognition and species boundaries in the ascomycetes journal December 2012
The social network: deciphering fungal language journal May 2011
Autocrine pheromone signalling regulates community behaviour in the fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum journal May 2019
ENVOY Is a Major Determinant in Regulation of Sexual Development in Hypocrea jecorina ( Trichoderma reesei ) journal May 2012
Biogenesis of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pheromone a-Factor, from Yeast Mating to Human Disease journal August 2012
The Genomes of Three Uneven Siblings: Footprints of the Lifestyles of Three Trichoderma Species journal February 2016
The phosducin-like protein PhLP1 impacts regulation of glycoside hydrolases and light response in Trichoderma reesei journal December 2011
Trichoderma reesei complete genome sequence, repeat-induced point mutation, and partitioning of CAZyme gene clusters journal July 2017
Gene regulation associated with sexual development and female fertility in different isolates of Trichoderma reesei journal May 2018
Genome-Wide Gene Expression Profiling of Fertilization Competent Mycelium in Opposite Mating Types in the Heterothallic Fungus Podospora anserina journal June 2011
Is there a Function for a Sex Pheromone Precursor?: A Predicted Link between Bacterial Redox Metabolism and Propagation of Antibiotic Resistance journal July 2019
An Overview of the Function and Maintenance of Sexual Reproduction in Dikaryotic Fungi journal March 2018

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