Journal
FUNGAL GENETICS AND BIOLOGY
Volume 152, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE
DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2021.103567
Keywords
Chernobyl isolate; Pigment; UV resistance; CRISPR-Cas9; Heterologous expression
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Funding
- NASA [NNH18ZTT001N-FG, 80NSSC19K1501]
- JPL Advanced Concept Development fund
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Fungi produce secondary metabolites that help them adapt to extreme environments, such as conidial pigment or melanin protecting them from extreme radiation. This study investigated the protective role of pigment produced by P. variotii against radiation, utilizing CRISPR-Cas9 mediated gene deletion to confirm its mechanism of action. Further identification of the pigment synthesized by the PKS gene of P. variotii contributes to understanding radiation resistance mechanisms.
Fungi produce secondary metabolites that are not directly involved in their growth, but often contribute to their adaptation to extreme environmental stimuli and enable their survival. Conidial pigment or melanin is one of the secondary metabolites produced naturally by a polyketide synthesis (PKS) gene cluster in several filamentous fungi and is known to protect these fungi from extreme radiation conditions. Several pigmented or melanized fungi have been shown to grow under extreme radiation conditions at the Chernobyl nuclear accident site. Some of these fungi, including Paecilomyces variotii, were observed to grow towards the source of radiation. Therefore, in this study, we wanted to identify if the pigment produced by P. variotii, contributes to providing protection against radiation condition. We first identified the PKS gene responsible for synthesis of pigment in P. variotii and confirmed its role in providing protection against UV irradiation through CRISPR-Cas9 mediated gene deletion. This is the first report that describes the use of CRISPR methodology to create gene deletions in P. variotii. Further, we showed that the pigment produced by this fungus, was not inhibited by DHN-melanin pathway inhibitors, indicating that the fungus does not produce melanin. We then identified the pigment synthesized by the PKS gene of P. variotii, as a naptho-pyrone Ywa1, by heterologously expressing the gene in Aspergillus nidulans. The results obtained will further aid in understanding the mechanistic basis of radiation resistance.
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