The pbrB gene encodes a laccase required for DHN-melanin synthesis in conidia of Talaromyces (Penicillium) marneffei

Talaromyces marneffei (Basionym: Penicillium marneffei) is a significant opportunistic fungal pathogen in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus in Southeast Asia. T. marneffei cells have been shown to become melanized in vivo. Melanins are pigment biopolymers which act as a non-specifi...

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Published in:PloS one 2015-04, Vol.10 (4), p.e0122728-e0122728
Main Authors: Sapmak, Ariya, Boyce, Kylie J, Andrianopoulos, Alex, Vanittanakom, Nongnuch
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aspergillus
Aspergillus fumigatus
Aspergillus nidulans
Biopolymers
Biosynthesis
Conidia
Dihydroxyphenylalanine
Dopa
Enzymes
Fungi
Gene expression
Genes, Fungal
Genetics
Genomes
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus
Infections
Laccase
Laccase - genetics
Localization
Melanin
Melanins - biosynthesis
Microscopy, Fluorescence
Naphthols
Opportunist infection
Penicillium
Penicillium - classification
Penicillium - enzymology
Penicillium - genetics
Phylogeny
Pigments, Biological - biosynthesis
Spores, Fungal - metabolism
Synthesis
Talaromyces
Virulence
Viruses
Yeast
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Summary:Talaromyces marneffei (Basionym: Penicillium marneffei) is a significant opportunistic fungal pathogen in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus in Southeast Asia. T. marneffei cells have been shown to become melanized in vivo. Melanins are pigment biopolymers which act as a non-specific protectant against various stressors and which play an important role during virulence in fungi. The synthesis of the two most commonly found melanins in fungi, the eumelanin DOPA-melanin and the allomelanin DHN-melanin, requires the action of laccase enzymes. The T. marneffei genome encodes a number of laccases and this study describes the characterization of one of these, pbrB, during growth and development. A strain carrying a PbrB-GFP fusion shows that pbrB is expressed at high levels during asexual development (conidiation) but not in cells growing vegetatively. The pbrB gene is required for the synthesis of DHN-melanin in conidia and when deleted results in brown pigmented conidia, in contrast to the green conidia of the wild type.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0122728