Pigments contribute to the pathogenicity of many fungi, mainly by protecting fungal cells from host defence activities. Here, we have dissected the biosynthetic pathway of a tryptophan-derived pigment of the human pathogen Candida glabrata, identified key genes involved in pigment production and have begun to elucidate the possible biological function of the pigment. Using transcriptional analyses and a transposon insertion library, we have identified genes associated with pigment production. Targeted deletion mutants revealed that the pigment is a by-product of the Ehrlich pathway of tryptophan degradation: a mutant lacking a tryptophan-upregulated aromatic aminotransferase (Aro8) displayed significantly reduced pigmentation and a recombinantly expressed version of this protein was sufficient for pigment production in vitro. Pigment production is tightly regulated as the synthesis is affected by the presence of alternative nitrogen sources, carbon sources, cyclic AMP and oxygen. Growth of C. glabrata on pigment inducing medium leads to an increased resistance to hydrogen peroxide, an effect which was not observed with a mutant defective in pigmentation. Furthermore, pigmented yeast cells had a higher survival rate when exposed to human neutrophils and caused increased damage in a monolayer model of human epithelia, indicating a possible role of pigmentation during interactions with host cells.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2958.2010.07052.x | DOI Listing |
Sci Rep
January 2025
Department of Biochemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O.Box 2455, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia.
Nano-biochar considers a versatile and valuable sorbent to enhance plant productivity by improving soil environment and emerged as a novel solution for environmental remediation and sustainable agriculture in modern era. In this study, roles of foliar applied nanobiochar colloidal solution (NBS) on salt stressed tomato plants were investigated. For this purpose, NBS was applied (0%, 1% 3% and 5%) on two groups of plants (control 0 mM and salt stress 60 mM).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Environ Manage
January 2025
Department of Civil Engineering and Environmental Management, School of Computing, Engineering and Built Environment, Glasgow Caledonian University, Cowcaddens Road, Glasgow, G4 0BA, Scotland, UK.
The prevalence of antibiotics in wastewater poses risks to human and animal health, contributing to antimicrobial resistance. Although various antibiotic removal methods exist, microalgae-based technology presents a cost-effective and eco-friendly alternative; however, limited research on its long-term integration in semi-continuous wastewater treatment trials hinders our understanding of its potential effectiveness. This investigation explored the antibiotic removal capabilities of the microalga Auxenochlorella protothecoides in photobioreactors with synthetic wastewater under semi-continuous conditions over one month.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Biosci (Landmark Ed)
January 2025
Department of Food Biotechnology and Microbiology, Institute of Food Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences - SGGW, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland.
Background: This study investigated the selenium-binding capacity of the biomass of two yeast strains, American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) 7090 and CCY 20-2-26.
Methods: The studies carried out methods of bioaccumulation by yeast biomass. Inorganic selenium was added to the culture media as an aqueous solution of NaSeO at concentrations ranging from 0 to 40 mg Se/L.
Plants (Basel)
January 2025
College of Agriculture, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing 163319, China.
Melatonin (MT) is a crucial hormone that controls and positively regulates plant growth under abiotic stress, but the biochemical and physiological processes of the combination of melatonin seed initiation and exogenous spray treatments and their effects on maize germination and seedling salt tolerance are not well understood. Consequently, in this research, we utilized the maize cultivars Zhengdan 958 (ZD958) and Demeiya 1 (DMY1), which are extensively marketed in northeastern China's high-latitude cold regions, to reveal the modulating effects of melatonin on maize salinity tolerance by determining the impacts of varying concentrations of melatonin on maize seedling growth characteristics, osmoregulation, antioxidant systems, and gene expression. The findings revealed that salt stress (100 mM NaCl) significantly inhibited maize seed germination and seedling development, which resulted in significant increases in the HO and O content and decreases in the antioxidant enzyme activity and photosynthetic pigment content in maize seedlings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlants (Basel)
January 2025
College of Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong 030801, China.
The mung bean ( (Linn) Wilczek.) is a major grain crop in China, but its yield is significantly impacted by weeds. However, no pre-emergence herbicides are registered for mung bean fields in the China Pesticide Information Network.
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