Treffer: Inhibition of respiration prompts commitment to unisexual reproduction in Cryptococcus deneoformans.

Title:
Inhibition of respiration prompts commitment to unisexual reproduction in Cryptococcus deneoformans.
Authors:
Yao X; State Key Laboratory of Microbial Diversity and Innovative Utilization, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China., Tian X; State Key Laboratory of Microbial Diversity and Innovative Utilization, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China., Liu H; State Key Laboratory of Microbial Diversity and Innovative Utilization, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China., He GJ; State Key Laboratory of Microbial Diversity and Innovative Utilization, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China., Chen L; State Key Laboratory of Microbial Diversity and Innovative Utilization, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China., Shen L; State Key Laboratory of Microbial Diversity and Innovative Utilization, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China., Teng J; State Key Laboratory of Microbial Diversity and Innovative Utilization, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China., Chen X; State Key Laboratory of Microbial Diversity and Innovative Utilization, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China., Hussein M; Botany & Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt., Gherbawy Y; Botany & Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt., Wang L; State Key Laboratory of Microbial Diversity and Innovative Utilization, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China., Lin X; Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA; Department of Microbiology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA. Electronic address: xiaorong.lin@uga.edu., Hu P; State Key Laboratory of Microbial Diversity and Innovative Utilization, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. Electronic address: hupj@im.ac.cn.
Source:
Cell reports [Cell Rep] 2025 Dec 23; Vol. 44 (12), pp. 116603. Date of Electronic Publication: 2025 Nov 22.
Publication Type:
Journal Article
Language:
English
Journal Info:
Publisher: Cell Press Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101573691 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2211-1247 (Electronic) NLM ISO Abbreviation: Cell Rep Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s):
Original Publication: [Cambridge, MA] : Cell Press, c 2012-
MeSH Terms:
Cryptococcus*/physiology , Cryptococcus*/genetics , Cryptococcus*/metabolism , Reproduction, Asexual*, Fungal Proteins/metabolism ; Fungal Proteins/genetics ; Reproduction ; Mutation/genetics ; Cell Respiration
Contributed Indexing:
Keywords: CP: microbiology; Cryptococcus deneoformans; cell cycle; respiration; sexual reproduction
Substance Nomenclature:
0 (Fungal Proteins)
Entry Date(s):
Date Created: 20251123 Date Completed: 20251230 Latest Revision: 20251230
Update Code:
20251230
DOI:
10.1016/j.celrep.2025.116603
PMID:
41275490
Database:
MEDLINE

Weitere Informationen

In the human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus deneoformans, sexual reproduction facilitates evolution and adaptation. This fungus can undergo two sexual modes: α × a sexual reproduction and unisexual reproduction (without mating partner cooperation), with α-unisexual reproduction predominating. However, the mechanism driving commitment to α-unisexual reproduction has remained elusive. Here, through a multilayered genetic screen of transfer DNA (T-DNA) insertional mutants, we identified several mutants with enhanced unisexual reproduction but impaired α × a heterothallic mating. Genome sequencing of these mutants revealed that the T-DNA insertions are enriched in genes involved in respiration. Consistently, pharmacological inhibition of respiration recapitulated this phenotype. This respiratory-inhibition-prompted selection for unisexual development requires the filamentation activator Znf2, which directly inhibits the cyclin Cln1, resulting in cell-cycle arrest in the G2/M phase, which promotes unisexual development but functionally excludes α × a heterothallic mating. Collectively, our findings uncover a mechanism that commits unisexual reproduction through respiratory inhibition.
(Copyright © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests.