A complete nicotinate degradation pathway in the microbial eukaryote Aspergillus nidulans

Several strikingly different aerobic and anaerobic pathways of nicotinate breakdown are extant in bacteria. Here, through reverse genetics and analytical techniques we elucidated in Aspergillus nidulans , a complete eukaryotic nicotinate utilization pathway. The pathway extant in this fungus and oth...

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Published in:Communications biology 2022-07, Vol.5 (1), p.723-11, Article 723
Main Authors: Bokor, Eszter, Ámon, Judit, Varga, Mónika, Szekeres, András, Hegedűs, Zsófia, Jakusch, Tamás, Szakonyi, Zsolt, Flipphi, Michel, Vágvölgyi, Csaba, Gácser, Attila, Scazzocchio, Claudio, Hamari, Zsuzsanna
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
631/326
631/92/1643
Anaerobic microorganisms
Aspergillus nidulans
Aspergillus nidulans - genetics
Aspergillus nidulans - metabolism
Biodegradation
Biology
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Eukaryota - metabolism
Gene mapping
Life Sciences
Metabolites
Niacin - metabolism
Peptide mapping
Phylogeny
Transcription Factors - metabolism
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Summary:Several strikingly different aerobic and anaerobic pathways of nicotinate breakdown are extant in bacteria. Here, through reverse genetics and analytical techniques we elucidated in Aspergillus nidulans , a complete eukaryotic nicotinate utilization pathway. The pathway extant in this fungus and other ascomycetes, is quite different from bacterial ones. All intermediate metabolites were identified. The cognate proteins, encoded by eleven genes ( hxn ) mapping in three clusters are co-regulated by a specific transcription factor. Several enzymatic steps have no prokaryotic equivalent and two metabolites, 3-hydroxypiperidine-2,6-dione and 5,6-dihydroxypiperidine-2-one, have not been identified previously in any organism, the latter being a novel chemical compound. Hydrolytic ring opening results in α-hydroxyglutaramate, a compound not detected in analogous prokaryotic pathways. Our earlier phylogenetic analysis of Hxn proteins together with this complete biochemical pathway illustrates convergent evolution of catabolic pathways between fungi and bacteria. A novel nicotinate degradation pathway is described in Aspergillus nidulans , with metabolic products identified that were not previously found in prokaryotic species. This is the first such pathway to be described in a eukaryote.
ISSN:2399-3642
2399-3642
DOI:10.1038/s42003-022-03684-3