Understand How Fungi Cell Wall Responds to Hypersaline Environment
EMSL Project ID
51907
Abstract
This project aims at understanding the how fungi reconstruct their cell walls at hypersaline environments. The research is underlying Functional and Systems Biology Topic 4 (FSB-4) by using EMSL's facility to characterize the construction and composition of cell structural components, in particular microbial cell walls. The primary technique is 2D/3D 13C-13C/15N correlation solid-state NMR spectroscopy, which will provide atomic level resolution for viewing the polymorphic structure and heterogenous assembly of cell wall polymers. In total, twelve uniformly 13C,15N-labeled samples will be investigated, including four species Aspergillus sydowii, Apergillus Dextruens, Aspergillus nidulans, and Hortaea werneckii, each of which were cultured at three salt concentrations. These samples have already been prepared and will allow us to compare among Aspergillus strains and across different fungal species. We will determine the polymer composition, subnanometer packing, water association, and motional characteristics of polysaccharides and proteins in the walls of intact cells. Our preliminary result of A. sydowii, collected on the 850 MHz solid-state NMR spectrometer at EMSL, have resolved the signals of many cell wall polysaccharides, including chitin, beta-glucans, alpha-glucans, galactaomannan, and galactosaminogalactan, thus demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed research. The structural information will allow us to reveal the supramolecular architecture of microbial cell walls and underpin their dependence on the surrounding environments, which aligns with the prioritized mission of BER's Biological System Research.
Project Details
Project type
Large-Scale EMSL Research
Start Date
2021-10-01
End Date
2023-09-30
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Team Members