The High Osmolarity Glycerol Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase regulates glucose catabolite repression in filamentous fungi

PLoS Genet. 2020 Aug 25;16(8):e1008996. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008996. eCollection 2020 Aug.

Abstract

The utilization of different carbon sources in filamentous fungi underlies a complex regulatory network governed by signaling events of different protein kinase pathways, including the high osmolarity glycerol (HOG) and protein kinase A (PKA) pathways. This work unraveled cross-talk events between these pathways in governing the utilization of preferred (glucose) and non-preferred (xylan, xylose) carbon sources in the reference fungus Aspergillus nidulans. An initial screening of a library of 103 non-essential protein kinase (NPK) deletion strains identified several mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) to be important for carbon catabolite repression (CCR). We selected the MAPKs Ste7, MpkB, and PbsA for further characterization and show that they are pivotal for HOG pathway activation, PKA activity, CCR via regulation of CreA cellular localization and protein accumulation, as well as for hydrolytic enzyme secretion. Protein-protein interaction studies show that Ste7, MpkB, and PbsA are part of the same protein complex that regulates CreA cellular localization in the presence of xylan and that this complex dissociates upon the addition of glucose, thus allowing CCR to proceed. Glycogen synthase kinase (GSK) A was also identified as part of this protein complex and shown to potentially phosphorylate two serine residues of the HOG MAPKK PbsA. This work shows that carbon source utilization is subject to cross-talk regulation by protein kinases of different signaling pathways. Furthermore, this study provides a model where the correct integration of PKA, HOG, and GSK signaling events are required for the utilization of different carbon sources.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aspergillus nidulans / enzymology
  • Catabolite Repression / genetics
  • Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / genetics*
  • Fungi / genetics
  • Fungi / metabolism
  • Glucose / metabolism*
  • Glycerol / metabolism
  • Glycogen Synthase Kinases / genetics*
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / genetics*
  • Osmolar Concentration
  • Phosphorylation / genetics
  • Protein Interaction Maps / genetics
  • Repressor Proteins / genetics
  • Xylose / metabolism

Substances

  • Repressor Proteins
  • Xylose
  • Glycogen Synthase Kinases
  • Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases
  • Glucose
  • Glycerol

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) 2014/00789-6 and 2017/23624-0 to LJA; FAPESP 2016/07870-9 and Technical University of Munich-Institute for Advanced Study (TUMIAS) to GHG; German Research Council (DFG grant BR1502/19-1) to LL and GHB. Funding for Open Access publication supported by Göttingen University. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.