Malachite green (MG), N-methylated diaminotriphenylmethane, is one of the most common dyes in textile industry and has also been used as an effective antifungal agent. However, due to its negative impact on the environment and carcinogenic effects to mammalian cells, there is a significant interest in developing microbial agents to degrade this type of recalcitrant molecules. Here, an Exiguobacterium sp. MG2 was isolated from a river in Yunnan Province of China as one of the best malachite green degraders. This strain had a high decolorization capability even at the concentration of 2500 mg/l and maintained its stable activity within the pH range from 5.0 to 9.0. High-pressure liquid chromatography, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry were employed to detect the catabolic pathway of MG. Six intermediate products were identified and a potential biodegradation pathway was proposed. This pathway involves a series of reactions of N-demethylation, reduction, benzene ring-removal, and oxidation, which eventually converted N-methylated diaminotriphenylmethane into N, N-dimethylaniline that is the key precursor to MG. Furthermore, our molecular biology experiments suggested that both triphenylmethane reductase gene tmr and cytochrome P450 participated in MG degradation, consistent with their roles in the proposed pathway. Collectively, our investigation is the first report on a biodegradation pathway of triphenylmethane dye MG in bacteria.

Nematode-trapping fungi are “carnivorous” and attack their hosts using specialized trapping devices. The morphological development of these traps is the key indicator of their switch from saprophytic to predacious lifestyles. Here, the genome of the nematode-trapping fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora Fres. (ATCC24927) was reported. The genome contains 40.07 Mb assembled sequence with 11,479 predicted genes. Comparative analysis showed that A. oligospora shared many more genes with pathogenic fungi than with non-pathogenic fungi. Specifically, compared to several sequenced ascomycete fungi, the A. oligospora genome has a larger number of pathogenicity-related genes in the subtilisin, cellulase, cellobiohydrolase, and pectinesterase gene families. Searching against the pathogen-host interaction gene database identified 398 homologous genes involved in pathogenicity in other fungi. The analysis of repetitive sequences provided evidence for repeat-induced point mutations in A. oligospora. Proteomic and quantitative PCR (qPCR) analyses revealed that 90 genes were significantly up-regulated at the early stage of trap-formation by nematode extracts and most of these genes were involved in translation, amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, cell wall and membrane biogenesis. Based on the combined genomic, proteomic and qPCR data, a model for the formation of nematode trapping device in this fungus was proposed. In this model, multiple fungal signal transduction pathways are activated by its nematode prey to further regulate downstream genes associated with diverse cellular processes such as energy metabolism, biosynthesis of the cell wall and adhesive proteins, cell division, glycerol accumulation and peroxisome biogenesis. This study will facilitate the identification of pathogenicity-related genes and provide a broad foundation for understanding the molecular and evolutionary mechanisms underlying fungi-nematodes interactions.

Author Summary

The fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora has multiple lifestyles. It's not only a nematode pathogen, but also a saprophyte, a pathogen of other fungi, and a colonizer of plant roots. As a nematode pathogen, A. oligospora forms adhesive networks to capture nematodes and is a model organism for understanding the interaction between these fungi and their host nematodes. In this study, the whole genome sequence of A. oligospora was reported. Our analyses of the proteome profiles of intracellular proteins from cells treated with nematode extracts for 10 h and 48 h revealed a key set of genes involved in trap formation. The changes in protein levels for some trap formation related genes were further confirmed by qPCR. The combined genome and proteome analysis identified the major genetic and metabolic pathways involved in trap formation in A. oligospora. Our results provide the first glimpse into the genome and proteome of this fascinating group of carnivorous fungi. The data should serve as a roadmap for further investigations into the interaction between nematode-trapping fungi and their host nematodes, providing broad foundations for research on the biocontrol of pathogenic nematodes.

Objective. To analyze clinico-pathological features of Chinese patients with UPSC, and investigate roles of Her-2/neu protein expression and gene amplification in UPSC prognosis. Methods. Thirty-six patients with UPSC treated in Cancer Hospital of Fudan University from 1996 to 2006 were analysed retrospectively. Chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were performed to evaluate Her-2/neu gene amplification and protein expression respectively. Results. The median age was 63 years, and 61% (22/36) were late stages (stage III/IV). The 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year overall survival (OS) was 73.1%, 51.9% and 43.9%, respectively. Advanced stages (P = .0006) and deep myometrial invasion (P = .0138) were significantly associtated with a shorter OS. In 36 cases, 27.8% (10/36) showed 2+ staining and 8.3% (3/36) showed 3+ by IHC. Amplification of the Her-2/neu gene was observed in 11.1% (4/36) cases. The 5-year overall survival rate in Her-2/neu IHC 2 + ∼3+ and 0 ~ 1+ cases was 12.9% and 68.6% respectively. Her-2/neu protein expression 2 + ∼3+ was significantly associated with advanced surgical stage and worse overall survival (P = .03 and P = .0023, resp.). Conclusion. Chinese patients with UPSC showed characteristics of deep myometrial invasion, advanced stages and poor overall survival. Her-2/neu protein overexpression is associated with advanced stage and poor survival outcome.