Proteomic Analysis of Anti-Cancerous Scopularide Production by a Marine Microascus brevicaulis Strain and Its UV Mutant

PLoS One. 2015 Oct 13;10(10):e0140047. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0140047. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

The marine fungus Microascus brevicaulis strain LF580 is a non-model secondary metabolite producer with high yields of the two secondary metabolites scopularides A and B, which exhibit distinct activities against tumour cell lines. A mutant strain was obtained using UV mutagenesis, showing faster growth and differences in pellet formation besides higher production levels. Here, we show the first proteome study of a marine fungus. Comparative proteomics were applied to gain deeper understanding of the regulation of production and of the physiology of the wild type strain and its mutant. For this purpose, an optimised protein extraction protocol was established. In total, 4759 proteins were identified. The central metabolic pathway of strain LF580 was mapped using the KEGG pathway analysis and GO annotation. Employing iTRAQ labelling, 318 proteins were shown to be significantly regulated in the mutant strain: 189 were down- and 129 upregulated. Proteomics are a powerful tool for the understanding of regulatory aspects: The differences on proteome level could be attributed to limited nutrient availability in the wild type strain due to a strong pellet formation. This information can be applied for optimisation on strain and process level. The linkage between nutrient limitation and pellet formation in the non-model fungus M. brevicaulis is in consensus with the knowledge on model organisms like Aspergillus niger and Penicillium chrysogenum.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Agents / metabolism*
  • Aquatic Organisms / metabolism*
  • Ascomycota / growth & development
  • Ascomycota / metabolism*
  • Ascomycota / radiation effects*
  • Depsipeptides / biosynthesis*
  • Fungal Proteins / isolation & purification
  • Gene Ontology
  • Models, Biological
  • Mutation / genetics*
  • Proteome / metabolism
  • Proteomics / methods*
  • Ultraviolet Rays*

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Depsipeptides
  • Fungal Proteins
  • Proteome

Grants and funding

This study was financially supported by the European Union through the 7th Framework KBBE (http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/kbbe/about-kbbe_en.html) project MARINE FUNGI (project no. 265926). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.