Sensing and responding to hypersaline conditions and the HOG signal transduction pathway in fungi isolated from hypersaline environments : Hortaea werneckii and Wallemia ichthyophaga

Plemenitaš, Ana (author)

Sensing and responding to changes in NaCl concentration in hypersaline environments is vital for cell survival. In this paper, we identified and characterized key components of the high-osmolarity glycerol (HOG) signal transduction pathway, which is crucial in sensing hypersaline conditions in the extremely halotolerant black yeast Hortaea werneckii and in the obligate halophilic fungus Wallemia ichthyophaga. Both organisms were isolated from solar salterns, their predominating ecological niche. The identified components included homologous proteins of both branches involved in sensing high osmolarity (SHO1 and SLN1) and the homologues of mitogen-activated protein kinase module (MAPKKK Ste11, MAPKK Pbs2, and MAPK Hog1). Functional complementation of the identified gene products in S. cerevisiae mutant strains revealed some of their functions. Structural protein analysis demonstrated important structural differences in the HOG pathway components between halotolerant/halophilic fungi isolated from solar salterns, salt-sensitive S. cerevisiae, the extremely salt-tolerant H. werneckii, and halophilic W. ichthyophaga. Known and novel gene targets of MAP kinase Hog1 were uncovered particularly in halotolerant H. werneckii. Molecular studies of many salt-responsive proteins confirm unique and novel mechanisms of adaptation to changes in salt concentration.

• Language: English
• Keywords: halotolerant/halophilic fungi, Hortaea werneckii, Wallemia ichthyophaga, HOG, signal transduction pathway
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.02 - Review Article
• Organization: MF - Faculty of Medicine
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: 13 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 7, iss. 11, art. 988
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-136365
• UDC: 577
• ISSN on article: 2309-608X
• DOI: 10.3390/jof7110988
• COBISS.SI-ID: 86840579
• Publication date in RUL: 26.04.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Journal of Fungi
• Shortened title: J. Fungi
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2309-608X
• COBISS.SI-ID: 525300761

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 19.11.2021

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: halotolerantne/halofilne glive, Hortaea werneckii, Wallemia ichthyophaga

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P1-0170
• Name: Molekulski mehanizmi uravnavanja celičnih procesov v povezavi z nekaterimi boleznimi pri človeku

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Funding programme: Young Researchers