Project description:Lysine lactylation (Kla) is a newly discovered histone post-translational modification (PTM), playing important roles in regulating transcription in macrophages. Increasing evidence demonstrates that lysine lactylation plays an important regulatory role in metabolic processes in both bacterial and human cells. However, little is known about the extent and function of lysine lactylation in fungi, here investigated with the black yeast Phialophora verrucosaverrucose as a model organism. WeHere, we report the first proteomic survey of this modification in P. verrucosa. We performed a global lactylation analysis of P. verrucosa using high accuracy bottom-up nano-LC-MS/MS in combination wwith the enrichment of lactylated peptides from digested cell lysates and subsequent peptide identification. In total, 636 lactylation sites on 420 lactylated proteins were identified in this pathogen, of which contained in 26 types of modification motifs. Our results show that over 85% of lactylated proteins were distributed in cytoplasm, mitochondria, and nucleus. The identified proteins were found to be involved associated toin diverse biological processes and were significantly enriched in the melanin biosynthesis process. Most strikingly, Kla was found in 23 structural constituent proteins of ribosome, indicating an impact of Kla in protein synthesis . Moreover, 12 lactylated proteins participated in fungal pathogenicity, suggesting a potential role for Kla in this process. Protein interaction network analysis suggested that a mass of protein interactions are regulated by lactylation. Together, our findings reveal widespread roles for lysine lactylation in regulating metabolism and melanin biosynthesis in P. verrucosa. Our data provide a rich resource for functional analyses of lactylation and facilitate the dissection of metabolic networks in this pathogen. The combined data sets represent the first report of the lactylome of P. verrucosa and provide a good foundation for further explorations of Kla in clinical fungal pathogens.
Project description:Phialophora as defined by its type species P. verrucosa is a genus of Chaetothyriales, and a member of the group known as 'black yeasts and relatives'. Phialophora verrucosa has been reported from mutilating human infections such as chromoblastomycosis, disseminated phaeohyphomycosis and mycetoma, while morphologically similar fungi are rather commonly isolated from the environment. Phenotypes are insufficient for correct species identification, and molecular data have revealed significant genetic variation within the complex of species currently identified as P. verrucosa or P. americana. Multilocus analysis of 118 strains revealed the existence of five reproductively isolated species apparently having different infectious potentials. Strains of the sexual morph Capronia semiimmersa cluster within P. americana. The newly defined taxa differ markedly in their predilection for the human host.
