N-glycosylation of the protein disulfide isomerase Pdi1 ensures full Ustilago maydis virulence

PLoS Pathog. 2019 Nov 15;15(11):e1007687. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007687. eCollection 2019 Nov.

Abstract

Fungal pathogenesis depends on accurate secretion and location of virulence factors which drive host colonization. Protein glycosylation is a common posttranslational modification of cell wall components and other secreted factors, typically required for correct protein localization, secretion and function. Thus, the absence of glycosylation is associated with animal and plant pathogen avirulence. While the relevance of protein glycosylation for pathogenesis has been well established, the main glycoproteins responsible for the loss of virulence observed in glycosylation-defective fungi have not been identified. Here, we devise a proteomics approach to identify such proteins and use it to demonstrate a role for the highly conserved protein disulfide isomerase Pdi1 in virulence. We show that efficient Pdi1 N-glycosylation, which promotes folding into the correct protein conformation, is required for full pathogenic development of the corn smut fungus Ustilago maydis. Remarkably, the observed virulence defects are reminiscent of those seen in glycosylation-defective cells suggesting that the N-glycosylation of Pdi1 is necessary for the full secretion of virulence factors. All these observations, together with the fact that Pdi1 protein and RNA expression levels rise upon virulence program induction, suggest that Pdi1 glycosylation is important for normal pathogenic development in U. maydis. Our results provide new insights into the role of glycosylation in fungal pathogenesis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Glycoproteins / genetics
  • Glycoproteins / metabolism*
  • Glycosylation
  • Plant Diseases / microbiology*
  • Protein Disulfide-Isomerases / genetics
  • Protein Disulfide-Isomerases / metabolism*
  • Proteome / analysis
  • Ustilago / enzymology
  • Ustilago / pathogenicity*
  • Virulence
  • Virulence Factors / genetics
  • Virulence Factors / metabolism*
  • Zea mays / microbiology*

Substances

  • Glycoproteins
  • Proteome
  • Virulence Factors
  • Protein Disulfide-Isomerases

Grants and funding

MMM was supported by P09- AGR-5241 Junta de Andalucía. IMS was awarded by BES-2014-069149 MINECO AEI/FEDER, UE, Spain. This work was supported by Junta de Andalucía P09- AGR-5241 grant (https://www.juntadeandalucia.es/organismos/economiaconocimientoempresasyuniversidad.html), Spanish Government BIO2013–48858-P and BIO2016-80180-P grants from MINECO AEI/FEDER, UE to JII and Ramon y Cajal program, RyC-2016-19659 to AFA (http://www.mineco.gob.es/portal/site/mineco/). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.