Developmental Roles of the Hog1 Protein Phosphatases of the Maize Pathogen <i>Cochliobolus heterostrophus</i>
Protein phosphorylation cascades are universal in cell signaling. While kinome diversity allows specific phosphorylation events, relatively few phosphatases dephosphorylate key signaling proteins. Fungal mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPK), in contrast to their mammalian counterparts, often sho...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Fungi |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/7/2/83 |
| _version_ | 1797407038549000192 |
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| author | Rina Zuchman Roni Koren Benjamin A. Horwitz |
| author_facet | Rina Zuchman Roni Koren Benjamin A. Horwitz |
| author_sort | Rina Zuchman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Protein phosphorylation cascades are universal in cell signaling. While kinome diversity allows specific phosphorylation events, relatively few phosphatases dephosphorylate key signaling proteins. Fungal mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPK), in contrast to their mammalian counterparts, often show detectable basal phosphorylation levels. Dephosphorylation, therefore, could act as a signal. In <i>Cochliobolus heterostrophus</i>, the Dothideomycete causing Southern corn leaf blight, ferulic acid (FA)—an abundant phenolic found in plant host cell walls—acts as a signal to rapidly dephosphorylate the stress-activated MAP kinase Hog1 (High Osmolarity Glycerol 1). In order to identify the protein phosphatases responsible, we constructed mutants in Hog1 phosphatases predicted from the genome by homology to yeast and other species. We found that <i>Cochliobolus heterostrophus</i> mutants lacking PtcB, a member of the PP2C family, exhibited altered growth, sporulation, and attenuated dephosphorylation in response to FA. The loss of the dual-specificity phosphatase CDC14 led to slow growth, decreased virulence, and attenuated dephosphorylation. Mutants in two predicted tyrosine phosphatase genes PTP1 and PTP2 showed normal development and virulence. Our results suggest that a network of phosphatases modulate Hog1’s dual phosphorylation levels. The mutants we constructed in this work provide a starting point to further unravel the signaling hierarchy by which exposure to FA leads to stress responses in the pathogen. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:35:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-59fb21f9bc624e139faa56eacc227884 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2309-608X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:35:28Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Fungi |
| spelling | doaj.art-59fb21f9bc624e139faa56eacc2278842023-12-03T14:48:39ZengMDPI AGJournal of Fungi2309-608X2021-01-01728310.3390/jof7020083Developmental Roles of the Hog1 Protein Phosphatases of the Maize Pathogen <i>Cochliobolus heterostrophus</i>Rina Zuchman0Roni Koren1Benjamin A. Horwitz2Faculty of Biology, Technion–Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, IsraelFaculty of Biology, Technion–Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, IsraelFaculty of Biology, Technion–Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, IsraelProtein phosphorylation cascades are universal in cell signaling. While kinome diversity allows specific phosphorylation events, relatively few phosphatases dephosphorylate key signaling proteins. Fungal mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPK), in contrast to their mammalian counterparts, often show detectable basal phosphorylation levels. Dephosphorylation, therefore, could act as a signal. In <i>Cochliobolus heterostrophus</i>, the Dothideomycete causing Southern corn leaf blight, ferulic acid (FA)—an abundant phenolic found in plant host cell walls—acts as a signal to rapidly dephosphorylate the stress-activated MAP kinase Hog1 (High Osmolarity Glycerol 1). In order to identify the protein phosphatases responsible, we constructed mutants in Hog1 phosphatases predicted from the genome by homology to yeast and other species. We found that <i>Cochliobolus heterostrophus</i> mutants lacking PtcB, a member of the PP2C family, exhibited altered growth, sporulation, and attenuated dephosphorylation in response to FA. The loss of the dual-specificity phosphatase CDC14 led to slow growth, decreased virulence, and attenuated dephosphorylation. Mutants in two predicted tyrosine phosphatase genes PTP1 and PTP2 showed normal development and virulence. Our results suggest that a network of phosphatases modulate Hog1’s dual phosphorylation levels. The mutants we constructed in this work provide a starting point to further unravel the signaling hierarchy by which exposure to FA leads to stress responses in the pathogen.https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/7/2/83protein phosphatasesplant pathogenplant phenolicsferulic acidplant defensesignaling pathways |
| spellingShingle | Rina Zuchman Roni Koren Benjamin A. Horwitz Developmental Roles of the Hog1 Protein Phosphatases of the Maize Pathogen <i>Cochliobolus heterostrophus</i> Journal of Fungi protein phosphatases plant pathogen plant phenolics ferulic acid plant defense signaling pathways |
| title | Developmental Roles of the Hog1 Protein Phosphatases of the Maize Pathogen <i>Cochliobolus heterostrophus</i> |
| title_full | Developmental Roles of the Hog1 Protein Phosphatases of the Maize Pathogen <i>Cochliobolus heterostrophus</i> |
| title_fullStr | Developmental Roles of the Hog1 Protein Phosphatases of the Maize Pathogen <i>Cochliobolus heterostrophus</i> |
| title_full_unstemmed | Developmental Roles of the Hog1 Protein Phosphatases of the Maize Pathogen <i>Cochliobolus heterostrophus</i> |
| title_short | Developmental Roles of the Hog1 Protein Phosphatases of the Maize Pathogen <i>Cochliobolus heterostrophus</i> |
| title_sort | developmental roles of the hog1 protein phosphatases of the maize pathogen i cochliobolus heterostrophus i |
| topic | protein phosphatases plant pathogen plant phenolics ferulic acid plant defense signaling pathways |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/7/2/83 |
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