Assembly of the Yeast Cell Wall

Abstract

The cross-linking of polysaccharides to assemble new cell wall in fungi requires mechanisms by which a preexisting linkage is broken for each new one made, to allow for the absence of free energy sources outside the plasma membrane. Previous work showed that Crh1p and Crh2p, putative transglycosylases, are required for the linkage of chitin to β(1–3)glucose branches of β(1–6)glucan in the cell wall of budding yeast. To explore the linking reaction in vivo and in vitro, we used fluorescent sulforhodamine-linked laminari-oligosaccharides as artificial chitin acceptors. In vivo, fluorescence was detected in bud scars and at a lower level in the cell contour, both being dependent on the CRH genes. The linking reaction was also shown in digitonin-permeabilized cells, with UDP-N-acetylglucosamine as the substrate for nascent chitin production. Both the nucleotide and the Crh proteins were required here. A gas1 mutant that overexpresses Crh1p showed very high fluorescence both in intact and permeabilized cells. In the latter, fluorescence was still incorporated in patches in the absence of UDP-GlcNAc. Isolated cell walls of this strain, when incubated with sulforhodamine-oligosaccharide, also showed Crhp-dependent fluorescence in patches, which were identified as bud scars. In all three systems, binding of the fluorescent material to chitin was verified by chitinase digestion. Moreover, the cell wall reaction was inhibited by chitooligosaccharides. These results demonstrate that the Crh proteins act by transferring chitin chains to β(1–6)glucan, with a newly observed high activity in the bud scar. The importance of transglycosylation for cell wall assembly is thus firmly established. The cross-linking of polysaccharides to assemble new cell wall in fungi requires mechanisms by which a preexisting linkage is broken for each new one made, to allow for the absence of free energy sources outside the plasma membrane. Previous work showed that Crh1p and Crh2p, putative transglycosylases, are required for the linkage of chitin to β(1–3)glucose branches of β(1–6)glucan in the cell wall of budding yeast. To explore the linking reaction in vivo and in vitro, we used fluorescent sulforhodamine-linked laminari-oligosaccharides as artificial chitin acceptors. In vivo, fluorescence was detected in bud scars and at a lower level in the cell contour, both being dependent on the CRH genes. The linking reaction was also shown in digitonin-permeabilized cells, with UDP-N-acetylglucosamine as the substrate for nascent chitin production. Both the nucleotide and the Crh proteins were required here. A gas1 mutant that overexpresses Crh1p showed very high fluorescence both in intact and permeabilized cells. In the latter, fluorescence was still incorporated in patches in the absence of UDP-GlcNAc. Isolated cell walls of this strain, when incubated with sulforhodamine-oligosaccharide, also showed Crhp-dependent fluorescence in patches, which were identified as bud scars. In all three systems, binding of the fluorescent material to chitin was verified by chitinase digestion. Moreover, the cell wall reaction was inhibited by chitooligosaccharides. These results demonstrate that the Crh proteins act by transferring chitin chains to β(1–6)glucan, with a newly observed high activity in the bud scar. The importance of transglycosylation for cell wall assembly is thus firmly established. Fungal cells are endowed with a cell wall, external to the plasma membrane, which is essential for cell survival. The wall protects the cell against bursting caused by the internal turgor pressure and against mechanical injury. It also acts as a filter for large molecules that could injure the plasma membrane (1Zlotnik H. Fernández M.P. Bowers B. Cabib E. J. Bacteriol. 1984; 159: 1018-1026Crossref PubMed Google Scholar). Furthermore, the cell wall is the surface at which pathogenic fungi interact with the host, whether animal or plant, and against which host defenses are often mounted. Because the cell wall imparts shape to the fungal cell, we have used it for many years in Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model for morphogenesis (2Cabib E. Roh D.-H. Schmidt M. Crotti L.B. Varma A. J. Biol. Chem. 2001; 276: 19679-19682Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (264) Google Scholar). of and which in animal cells, the fungal cell wall is for In of the against have PubMed Scopus Google Scholar). The mechanical of the cell wall is by the linkage of to each which results in a E. Cabib E. J. Biol. 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