Journal Article
- Zinc-binding domain mediates pleiotropic functions of Yvh1 in Cryptococcus neoformans
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Jae-Hyung Jin , Myung Kyung Choi , Hyun-Soo Cho , Yong-Sun Bahn
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J. Microbiol. 2021;59(7):658-665. Published online July 1, 2021
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-021-1287-1
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Abstract
- Yvh1 is a dual-specificity phosphatase (DUSP) that is evolutionarily
conserved in eukaryotes, including yeasts and humans.
Yvh1 is involved in the vegetative growth, differentiation,
and virulence of animal and plant fungal pathogens.
All Yvh1 orthologs have a conserved DUSP catalytic domain
at the N-terminus and a zinc-binding (ZB) domain with two
zinc fingers (ZFs) at the C-terminus. Although the DUSP domain
is implicated in the regulation of MAPK signaling in
humans, only the ZB domain is essential for most cellular
functions of Yvh1 in fungi. This study aimed to analyze the
functions of the DUSP and ZB domains of Yvh1 in the human
fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans, whose Yvh1
(CnYvh1) contains a DUSP domain at the C-terminus and
a ZB domain at the N-terminus. Notably, CnYvh1 has an extended
internal domain between the two ZF motifs in the ZB
domain. To elucidate the function of each domain, we constructed
individual domain deletions and swapping strains
by complementing the yvh1Δ mutant with wild-type (WT)
or mutated YVH1 alleles and examined their Yvh1-dependent
phenotypes, including growth under varying stress conditions,
mating, and virulence factor production. Here, we found
that the complementation of the yvh1Δ mutant with the mutated
YVH1 alleles having two ZFs of the ZB domain, but not
the DUSP and extended internal domains, restored the WT
phenotypic traits in the yvh1Δ mutant. In conclusion, the
ZB domain, but not the N-terminal DUSP domain, plays a
pivotal role in the pathobiological functions of cryptococcal
Yvh1.
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
- Enzymatic and Non-enzymatic Degradation of Poly (3-Hydroxybutyrate-co-3-Hydroxyvalerate) Copolyesters Produced by Alcaligenes sp. MT-16
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Gang Guk Choi , Hyung Woo Kim , Young Ha Rhee
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J. Microbiol. 2004;42(4):346-352.
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DOI: https://doi.org/2100 [pii]
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Abstract
- Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate), poly(3HB-co-3HV), copolyesters with a variety of 3HV contents (ranging from 17 to 60 mol%) were produced by Alcaligenes sp. MT-16 grown on a medium containing glucose and levulinic acid in various ratios, and the effects of hydrophilicity and crystallinity on the degradability of the copolyesters were evaluated. Measurements of thermo-mechanical properties and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy in the attenuated total reflectance revealed that the hydrophilicity and crystallinity of poly(3HB-co-3HV) copolyesters decreased as 3HV content in the copolyester increased. When the prepared copolyester film samples were non-enzymatically hydrolysed in 0.01 N NaOH solution, the weights of all samples were found to have undergone no changes over a period of 20 weeks. In contrast, the copolyester film samples were degraded by the action of extracellular polyhydroxybutyrate depolymerase from Emericellopsis minima W2. The overall rate of weight loss was higher in the films containing higher amounts of 3HV, suggesting that the enzymatic degradation of the copolyester is more dependent on the crystallinity of the copolyester than on its hydrophilicity. Our results suggest that the degradability characteristics of poly(3HB-co-3HV) copolyesters, as well as their thermo-mechanical properties, are greatly influenced by the 3HV content in the copolyesters.