2D-immunoblotting analysis of Sporothrix schenckii cell wall

We utilized two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting (2D-immunoblotting) with anti-Sporothrix schenckii antibodies to identify antigenic proteins in cell wall preparations obtained from the mycelial and yeast-like morphologies of the fungus. Results showed that a 70-kDa glycoprotein (Gp70) was the major antigen detected in the cell wall of both morphologies and that a 60-kDa glycoprotein was present only in yeast-like cells. In addition to the Gp70, the wall from filament cells showed four proteins with molecular weights of 48, 55, 66 and 67 kDa, some of which exhibited several isoforms. To our knowledge, this is the first 2D-immunoblotting analysis of the S. schenckii cell wall.

Purification and biochemica characterisation of endoplasmic reticulum á 1-2-mannosidase from Sporothrix schenckiil

Alpha 1,2-mannosidases from glycosyl hydrolase family 47 participate in N-glycan biosynthesis. In filamentous fungi and mammalian cells, á1,2-mannosidases are present in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi complex and are required to generate complex N-glycans. However, lower eukaryotes such Saccharomyces cerevisiae contain only one á1,2-mannosidase in the lumen of the ER and synthesise high-mannose N-glycans. Little is known about the N-glycan structure and the enzyme machinery involved in the synthesis of these oligosaccharides in the dimorphic fungus Sporothrix schenckii. Here, a membrane-bound á-mannosidase from S. schenckii was solubilised using a high-temperature procedure and purified by conventional methods of protein isolation. Analytical zymograms revealed a polypeptide of 75 kDa to be responsible for enzyme activity and this purified protein was recognised by anti-á1,2-mannosidase antibodies. The enzyme hydrolysed Man9GlcNAc2 into Man8GlcNAc2 isomer B and was inhibited preferentially by 1-deoxymannojirimycin. This á1,2-mannosidase was localised in the ER, with the catalytic domain within the lumen of this compartment. These properties are consistent with an ER-localised á1,2-mannosidase of glycosyl hydrolase family 47. Our results also suggested that in contrast to other filamentous fungi, S. schenckii lacks Golgi á1,2-mannosidases and therefore, the processing of N-glycans by á1,2-mannosidases is similar to that present in lower eukaryotes.

Heterologous expression and biochemical characterization of an alpha 1, 2-mannosidase encoded by the Candida albicans MNS1 gene

Protein glycosylation pathways, commonly found in fungal pathogens, offer an attractive new area of study for the discovery of antifungal targets. In particular, these post-translational modifications are required for virulence and proper cell wall assembly in Candida albicans, an opportunistic human pathogen. The C. albicans MNS1 gene is predicted to encode a member of the glycosyl hydrolase family 47, with 1,2-mannosidase activity. In order to characterise its activity, we first cloned the C. albicans MNS1 gene into Escherichia coli, then expressed and purified the enzyme. The recombinant Mns1 was capable of converting a Man9GlcNAc2 N-glycan core into Man8GlcNAc2 isomer B, but failed to process a Man5GlcNAc2-Asn N-oligosaccharide. These properties are similar to those displayed by Mns1 purified from C. albicansmembranes and strongly suggest that the enzyme is an ±1,2-mannosidase that is localised to the endoplasmic reticulum and involved in the processing of N-linked mannans. Polyclonal antibodies specifically raised against recombinant Mns1 also immunoreacted with the soluble ±1,2-mannosidases E-I and E-II, indicating that Mns1 could share structural similarities with both soluble enzymes. Due to the high degree of similarity between the members of family 47, it is conceivable that these antibodies may recognise ±1,2-mannosidases in other biological systems as well.

Actividad quitinolitica en extractos libres de celulas miceliales de Mucor rouxii / Chitinolytic activity in cell-free extracts from mycelial cells of Mucor rouxii

Se detectó actividad de quitinasa en el citosol, en una fracción mixta de membranas y en la fracción de paredes celulares del micelio de M. rouxii. en todos los casos, la actividad quitinolítica fué mucho más efectiva contra quitina naciente que ccontra quitina preformada. Los resultados mostraron que la pérdida en la síntesis de la quitina cuando una fracción mixta de membranas se incuba a 28-C, no se debe aun aumento en la depolimerización del polímero naciente por quitinasas endogenas. La incubación con digitonina extrajo actividad de quitinasa de las paredes celulares, pero no de la fracción mixta de membranas. No se conocen aún las implicaciones fisiológicas de la distribución de actividad de quitinasa en las diferentes fracciones subcelulares del micelo de M. rouxii