Budding of melanized Cryptococcus neoformans in the presence or absence of l-dopa

Microbiology ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 149 (7) ◽  
pp. 1945-1951 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua D. Nosanchuk ◽  
Arturo Casadevall
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Cryptococcus Neoformans ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Pathogenic Fungus ◽  
Parent Cell ◽  
Daughter Cells ◽  
Substantial Progress ◽  
Mother Cells ◽  
Bud Site ◽  
Dopa Melanin

Cryptococcus neoformans is a pathogenic fungus that produces melanin when incubated in the presence of certain phenolic substrates such as l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (l-dopa). Melanin is an enigmatic polymer that is deposited in the cell wall and contributes to virulence. Substantial progress has been made in understanding the synthesis of melanin and the mechanisms by which it contributes to virulence, but relatively little is known about how melanin is rearranged during growth and budding. In this study we used transmission and scanning electron microscopy and immunofluorescence of melanized cells and melanin ‘ghosts' to study the process of melanization during replication. Budding in melanized C. neoformans results in focal disruption of cell-wall melanin at the bud site. In the presence of l-dopa, bud-related melanin defects are repaired and daughter cells are melanized. However, in the absence of substrate, mother cells cannot repair their melanin defects and daughter cells are non-melanized. Hence, melanin in the parent cell is not carried to the daughter cells, but rather is synthesized de novo in buds. These results imply that melanin remodelling occurs during cell growth in a process that involves degradation and synthesis at sites of budding.

scholarly journals Ultrastructural Study of Cryptococcus neoformans Surface During Budding Events

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glauber R. de S. Araújo ◽  
Carolina de L. Alcantara ◽  
Noêmia Rodrigues ◽  
Wanderley de Souza ◽  
Bruno Pontes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Cryptococcus Neoformans ◽  
Drug Targets ◽  
Light And Electron Microscopy ◽  
Ultrastructural Organization ◽  
Membrane Structures ◽  
Daughter Cells ◽  
Specialized Region ◽  
Mother Cells

Cryptococcus neoformans is a fungal pathogen that causes life-threatening infections in immunocompromised individuals. It is surrounded by three concentric structures that separate the cell from the extracellular space: the plasma membrane, the cell wall and the polysaccharide (PS) capsule. Although several studies have revealed the chemical composition of these structures, little is known about their ultrastructural organization and remodeling during C. neoformans budding events. Here, by combining the latest and most accurate light and electron microscopy techniques, we describe the morphological remodeling that occurs among the capsule, cell wall and plasma membrane during budding in C. neoformans. Our results show that the cell wall deforms to generate a specialized region at one of the cell’s poles. This region subsequently begins to break into layers that are slightly separated from each other and with thick tips. We also observe a reorganization of the capsular PS around the specialized regions. While daughter cells present their PS fibers aligned in the direction of budding, mother cells show a similar pattern but in the opposite direction. Also, daughter cells form multilamellar membrane structures covering the continuous opening between both cells. Together, our findings provide compelling ultrastructural evidence for C. neoformans surface remodeling during budding, which may have important implications for future studies exploring these remodeled specialized regions as drug-targets against cryptococcosis.

scholarly journals Role for Chitin and Chitooligomers in the Capsular Architecture of Cryptococcus neoformans

2009 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 1543-1553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernanda L. Fonseca ◽  
Leonardo Nimrichter ◽  
Radames J. B. Cordero ◽  
Susana Frases ◽  
Jessica Rodrigues ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Cryptococcus Neoformans ◽  
Pathogenic Fungus ◽  
Monosaccharide Composition ◽  
Altered Expression ◽  
Functional Activities ◽  
Differential Reactivity ◽  
Human Pathogenic Fungus

ABSTRACT Molecules composed of β-1,4-linked N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) and deacetylated glucosamine units play key roles as surface constituents of the human pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans. GlcNAc is the monomeric unit of chitin and chitooligomers, which participate in the connection of capsular polysaccharides to the cryptococcal cell wall. In the present study, we evaluated the role of GlcNAc-containing structures in the assembly of the cryptococcal capsule. The in vivo expression of chitooligomers in C. neoformans varied depending on the infected tissue, as inferred from the differential reactivity of yeast forms to the wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) in infected brain and lungs of rats. Chromatographic and dynamic light-scattering analyses demonstrated that glucuronoxylomannan (GXM), the major cryptococcal capsular component, interacts with chitin and chitooligomers. When added to C. neoformans cultures, chitooligomers formed soluble complexes with GXM and interfered in capsular assembly, as manifested by aberrant capsules with defective connections with the cell wall and no reactivity with a monoclonal antibody to GXM. Cultivation of C. neoformans in the presence of an inhibitor of glucosamine 6-phosphate synthase resulted in altered expression of cell wall chitin. These cells formed capsules that were loosely connected to the cryptococcal wall and contained fibers with decreased diameters and altered monosaccharide composition. These results contribute to our understanding of the role played by chitin and chitooligosaccharides on the cryptococcal capsular structure, broadening the functional activities attributed to GlcNAc-containing structures in this biological system.

scholarly journals O-Glycosylation of Axl2/Bud10p by Pmt4p Is Required for Its Stability, Localization, and Function in Daughter Cells

1999 ◽  
Vol 145 (6) ◽  
pp. 1177-1188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvia L. Sanders ◽  
Martina Gentzsch ◽  
Widmar Tanner ◽  
Ira Herskowitz
Keyword(s):  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Site Selection ◽  
Surface Proteins ◽  
Cell Type ◽  
Yeast Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Cell Surface Proteins ◽  
Daughter Cells ◽  
Mother Cells ◽  
And Function ◽  
Bud Site

Cells of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae choose bud sites in a manner that is dependent upon cell type: a and α cells select axial sites; a/α cells utilize bipolar sites. Mutants specifically defective in axial budding were isolated from an α strain using pseudohyphal growth as an assay. We found that a and α mutants defective in the previously identified PMT4 gene exhibit unipolar, rather than axial budding: mother cells choose axial bud sites, but daughter cells do not. PMT4 encodes a protein mannosyl transferase (pmt) required for O-linked glycosylation of some secretory and cell surface proteins (Immervoll, T., M. Gentzsch, and W. Tanner. 1995. Yeast. 11:1345–1351). We demonstrate that Axl2/Bud10p, which is required for the axial budding pattern, is an O-linked glycoprotein and is incompletely glycosylated, unstable, and mislocalized in cells lacking PMT4. Overexpression of AXL2 can partially restore proper bud-site selection to pmt4 mutants. These data indicate that Axl2/Bud10p is glycosylated by Pmt4p and that O-linked glycosylation increases Axl2/ Bud10p activity in daughter cells, apparently by enhancing its stability and promoting its localization to the plasma membrane.

scholarly journals Interactions among Rax1p, Rax2p, Bud8p, and Bud9p in Marking Cortical Sites for Bipolar Bud-site Selection in Yeast

2004 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. 5145-5157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pil Jung Kang ◽  
Elizabeth Angerman ◽  
Kenichi Nakashima ◽  
John R. Pringle ◽  
Hay-Oak Park
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cortex ◽  
Type I ◽  
Yeast Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Daughter Cells ◽  
Division Site ◽  
Distal Pole ◽  
Mother And Daughter ◽  
Mother Cells ◽  
Diploid Cells ◽  
Bud Site

In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, selection of the bud site determines the axis of polarized cell growth and eventual oriented cell division. Bud sites are selected in specific patterns depending on cell type. These patterns appear to depend on distinct types of marker proteins in the cell cortex; in particular, the bipolar budding of diploid cells depends on persistent landmarks at the birth-scar-distal and -proximal poles that involve the proteins Bud8p and Bud9p, respectively. Rax1p and Rax2p also appear to function specifically in bipolar budding, and we report here a further characterization of these proteins and of their interactions with Bud8p and Bud9p. Rax1p and Rax2p both appear to be integral membrane proteins. Although commonly used programs predict different topologies for Rax2p, glycosylation studies indicate that it has a type I orientation, with its long N-terminal domain in the extracytoplasmic space. Analysis of rax1 and rax2 mutant budding patterns indicates that both proteins are involved in selecting bud sites at both the distal and proximal poles of daughter cells as well as near previously used division sites on mother cells. Consistent with this, GFP-tagged Rax1p and Rax2p were both observed at the distal pole as well as at the division site on both mother and daughter cells; localization to the division sites was persistent through multiple cell cycles. Localization of Rax1p and Rax2p was interdependent, and biochemical studies showed that these proteins could be copurified from yeast. Bud8p and Bud9p could also be copurified with Rax1p, and localization studies provided further evidence of interactions. Localization of Rax1p and Rax2p to the bud tip and distal pole depended on Bud8p, and normal localization of Bud8p was partially dependent on Rax1p and Rax2p. Although localization of Rax1p and Rax2p to the division site did not appear to depend on Bud9p, normal localization of Bud9p appeared largely or entirely dependent on Rax1p and Rax2p. Taken together, the results indicate that Rax1p and Rax2p interact closely with each other and with Bud8p and Bud9p in the establishment and/or maintenance of the cortical landmarks for bipolar budding.

scholarly journals Saccharomyces spores are born prepolarized to outgrow away from spore-spore connections and penetrate the ascus wall

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lydia R. Heasley ◽  
Emily Singer ◽  
Michael A. McMurray
Keyword(s):  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Cell Wall ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Fission Yeast ◽  
Site Selection ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Diploid Cell ◽  
Break Symmetry ◽  
Local Cell ◽  
Bud Site

1.AbstractHow non-spore haploid Saccharomyces cells choose sites of budding and polarize towards pheromone signals in order to mate has been a subject of intense study. Unlike non-spore haploids, sibling spores produced via meiosis and sporulation by a diploid cell are physically interconnected and encased in a sac derived from the old cell wall of the diploid, called the ascus. Non-spore haploids bud adjacent to previous sites of budding, relying on stable cortical landmarks laid down during prior divisions, but since spore membranes are made de novo it was assumed that, as is known for fission yeast, Saccharomyces spores break symmetry and polarize at random locations. Here we show that this assumption is incorrect: Saccharomyces cerevisiae spores are born prepolarized to outgrow, prior to budding or mating, away from interspore bridges. Consequently, when spores bud within an intact ascus, their buds locally penetrate the ascus wall, and when they mate, the resulting zygotes adopt a unique morphology reflective of re-polarization towards pheromone, which we dub the derrière. Long-lived cortical foci containing the septin Cdc10 mark polarity sites, but the canonical bud site selection program is dispensable for spore polarity, thus the origin and molecular composition of these landmarks remain unknown. These findings demand further investigation of previously overlooked mechanisms of polarity establishment and local cell wall digestion, and highlight how a key step in the Saccharomyces life cycle has been historically neglected.

scholarly journals Patterns of bud-site selection in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

1995 ◽  
Vol 129 (3) ◽  
pp. 751-765 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Chant ◽  
J R Pringle
Keyword(s):  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Growth Conditions ◽  
Alpha Cells ◽  
Yeast Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Cell Cycles ◽  
Daughter Cells ◽  
Division Site ◽  
Mother Cells ◽  
Bud Site

Cells of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae select bud sites in either of two distinct spatial patterns, known as axial (expressed by a and alpha cells) and bipolar (expressed by a/alpha cells). Fluorescence, time-lapse, and scanning electron microscopy have been used to obtain more precise descriptions of these patterns. From these descriptions, we conclude that in the axial pattern, the new bud forms directly adjacent to the division site in daughter cells and directly adjacent to the immediately preceding division site (bud site) in mother cells, with little influence from earlier sites. Thus, the division site appears to be marked by a spatial signal(s) that specifies the location of the new bud site and is transient in that it only lasts from one budding event to the next. Consistent with this conclusion, starvation and refeeding of axially budding cells results in the formation of new buds at nonaxial sites. In contrast, in bipolar budding cells, both poles are specified persistently as potential bud sites, as shown by the observations that a pole remains competent for budding even after several generations of nonuse and that the poles continue to be used for budding after starvation and refeeding. It appears that the specification of the two poles as potential bud sites occurs before a daughter cell forms its first bud, as a daughter can form this bud near either pole. However, there is a bias towards use of the pole distal to the division site. The strength of this bias varies from strain to strain, is affected by growth conditions, and diminishes in successive cell cycles. The first bud that forms near the distal pole appears to form at the very tip of the cell, whereas the first bud that forms near the pole proximal to the original division site (as marked by the birth scar) is generally somewhat offset from the tip and adjacent to (or overlapping) the birth scar. Subsequent buds can form near either pole and appear almost always to be adjacent either to the birth scar or to a previous bud site. These observations suggest that the distal tip of the cell and each division site carry persistent signals that can direct the selection of a bud site in any subsequent cell cycle.

scholarly journals Vesicle-associated melanization in Cryptococcus neoformans

Microbiology ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 155 (12) ◽  
pp. 3860-3867 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helene C. Eisenman ◽  
Susana Frases ◽  
André M. Nicola ◽  
Marcio L. Rodrigues ◽  
Arturo Casadevall
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Cryptococcus Neoformans ◽  
Extracellular Vesicles ◽  
Lipid A ◽  
Pathogenic Fungus ◽  
Pathogenic Fungi ◽  
Spherical Particles ◽  
Human Pathogenic Fungus ◽  
Kinetics Of

Recently, several pathogenic fungi were shown to produce extracellular vesicles that contain various components associated with virulence. In the human pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans, these components included laccase, an enzyme that catalyses melanin synthesis. Spherical melanin granules have been observed in the cell wall of C. neoformans. Given that melanin granules have dimensions that are comparable to those of extracellular vesicles, and that metazoan organisms produce melanin in vesicular structures known as melanosomes, we investigated the role of vesicles in cryptococcal melanization. Extracellular vesicles melanized when incubated with the melanin precursor l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (l-DOPA). The kinetics of substrate incorporation into cells and vesicles was analysed using radiolabelled l-DOPA. The results indicated that substrate incorporation was different for cells and isolated vesicles. Acid-generated melanin ghosts stained with lipophilic dyes, implying the presence of associated lipid. A model for C. neoformans melanization is proposed that accounts for these observations and provides a mechanism for the assembly of melanin into relatively uniform spherical particles stacked in an orderly arrangement in the cell wall.

scholarly journals Let it bud: an ultrastructural study of Cryptococcus neoformans surface during budding events

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glauber R. de S. Araújo ◽  
Carolina de L. Alcantara ◽  
Noêmia Rodrigues ◽  
Wanderley de Souza ◽  
Bruno Pontes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Cryptococcus Neoformans ◽  
Drug Targets ◽  
Spatial Organization ◽  
Capsular Polysaccharide ◽  
Light And Electron Microscopy ◽  
Ultrastructural Organization ◽  
Membrane Structures ◽  
Daughter Cells

AbstractCryptococcus neoformans is a fungal pathogen that causes life-threatening infections in immunocompromised individuals. It is surrounded by three concentric structures that separate the cell from the extracellular space: the plasma membrane, the cell wall and the polysaccharide capsule. Although several studies have revealed the chemical composition of these structures, little is known about their ultrastructural organization and remodeling during C. neoformans budding event. Here, by combining the state-of-the-art in light and electron microscopy techniques we describe the morphological remodeling that occurs synergistically among the capsule, cell wall and plasma membrane during budding in C. neoformans. Our results show that the cell wall deforms to generate a specialized budding region at one of the cell’s poles. This region subsequently begins to break into layers that are slightly separated from each other and with thick tips. We also observe a reduction in density of the capsular polysaccharide around these specialized regions. Daughter cells present a distinct spatial organization, with polysaccharide fibers aligned in the direction of budding. In addition, to control the continuous openings between mother and daughter cells, the latter developed a strategy to shield themselves by forming multilamellar membrane structures in conjunction with their capsules. Together, our findings provide compelling ultrastructural evidence for a dynamic C. neoformans surface remodeling during budding and may have important implications for future studies exploring these remodeled specialized regions as drug-targets against cryptococcosis.

scholarly journals Fine-tuning the orientation of the polarity axis by Rga1, a Cdc42 GTPase-activating protein

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (26) ◽  
pp. 3773-3788 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristi E. Miller ◽  
Wing-Cheong Lo ◽  
Mid Eum Lee ◽  
Pil Jung Kang ◽  
Hay-Oak Park
Keyword(s):  
Cell Polarization ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Gtpase Activating Protein ◽  
Animal Cells ◽  
Daughter Cells ◽  
Division Site ◽  
Lim Domains ◽  
Mother Cells ◽  
Bud Site ◽  
Selection Of

In yeast and animal cells, signaling pathways involving small guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases) regulate cell polarization. In budding yeast, selection of a bud site directs polarity establishment and subsequently determines the plane of cell division. Rga1, a Cdc42 GTPase-activating protein, prevents budding within the division site by inhibiting Cdc42 repolarization. A protein complex including Nba1 and Nis1 is involved in preventing rebudding at old division sites, yet how these proteins and Rga1 might function in negative polarity signaling has been elusive. Here we show that Rga1 transiently localizes to the immediately preceding and older division sites by interacting with Nba1 and Nis1. The LIM domains of Rga1 are necessary for its interaction with Nba1, and loss of this interaction results in premature delocalization of Rga1 from the immediately preceding division site and, consequently, abnormal bud-site selection in daughter cells. However, such defects are minor in mother cells of these mutants, likely because the G1 phase is shorter and a new bud site is established prior to delocalization of Rga1. Indeed, our biphasic mathematical model of Cdc42 polarization predicts that premature delocalization of Rga1 leads to more frequent Cdc42 repolarization within the division site when the first temporal step in G1 is assumed to last longer. Spatial distribution of a Cdc42 GAP in coordination with G1 progression may thus be critical for fine-tuning the orientation of the polarity axis in yeast.

scholarly journals Cell Wall Targeting of Laccase of Cryptococcus neoformans during Infection of Mice

2006 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
pp. 714-722 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott R. Waterman ◽  
Moshe Hacham ◽  
John Panepinto ◽  
Guowu Hu ◽  
Soowan Shin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Fusion Protein ◽  
Cryptococcus Neoformans ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Pathogenic Fungus ◽  
Expression Studies ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Mouse Lungs

ABSTRACT Laccase is a major virulence factor of the pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans, which afflicts both immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals. In the present study, laccase was expressed in C. neoformans lac1Δ cells as a fusion protein with an N-terminal green fluorescent protein (GFP) using C. neoformans codon usage. The fusion protein was robustly localized to the cell wall at physiological pH, but it was mislocalized at low pH. Structural analysis of the laccase identified a C-terminal region unique to C. neoformans, and expression studies showed that the region was required for efficient transport to the cell wall both in vitro and during infection of mouse lungs. During infection of mice, adherence to alveolar macrophages was also associated with a partial mislocalization of GFP-laccase within cytosolic vesicles. In addition, recovery of cryptococcal cells from lungs of two strains of mice (CBA/J and Swiss Albino) later in infection was also associated with cytosolic mislocalization, but cells from the brain showed almost exclusive localization to cell walls, suggesting that there was more efficient cell wall targeting during infection of the brain. These data suggest that host cell antifungal defenses may reduce effective cell wall targeting of laccase during infection of the lung but not during infection of the brain, which may contribute to a more predominant role for the enzyme during infection of the brain.

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