黄曲霉疏水蛋白的生物信息学预测与分子特征分析

    Bioinformatics prediction and molecular characterization of hydrophobins in Aspergillus flavus

    • 摘要: 疏水蛋白是一类广泛存在于丝状真菌中的双亲性小分子蛋白质,在真菌生长及对宿主侵染过程中发挥重要作用,然而,黄曲霉中疏水蛋白的分子特性及其在农作物侵染中的作用机制尚未明确。基于基因组学与生物信息学技术,对黄曲霉模式菌株NRRL3357中的7个潜在疏水蛋白进行系统分析。结果表明:I类疏水蛋白(基因编号AFLA_060780、AFLA_014260、AFLA_098380)具有典型功能结构域和高磷酸化水平,而中间类疏水蛋白(基因编号AFLA_094600、AFLA_131460、AFLA_063080、AFLA_064900)多数表现出结构域丢失和功能特化;理化性质分析显示,其分子质量为6 461.39~27 825.35 Da,等电点为3.88~8.97,且因无规卷曲结构占比高(44.62%~66.67%),大多数蛋白表现出较强的分子柔性。综上,黄曲霉7个潜在疏水蛋白在结构特征、理化性质及可能功能上呈现明显差异,表明其在真菌生长与侵染过程中的作用具有多样性和分工性。

       

      Abstract: Hydrophobins are small amphiphilic proteins ubiquitously present in filamentous fungi, where they play essential roles in fungal growth, spore development, and host infection. To investigate the molecular characteristics and potential functions in Aspergillus flavus, seven putative hydrophobins were identified in the reference strain NRRL3357 and analyzed using integrated genomic and bioinformatics approaches. The coding sequences were retrieved from the NCBI database, while signal peptides, transmembrane regions, and GPI-anchor sites were predicted using SignalP 6.0, TMHMM, and PredGPI. The physicochemical properties of each protein, including molecular weight, theoretical isoelectric point, instability index, and hydrophobicity, were evaluated using the ExPASy ProtParam tool. Protein secondary structures were predicted with SOPMA, and three-dimensional models were constructed via homology modeling using SWISS-MODEL. Potential phosphorylation and glycosylation sites were identified using NetPhos 3.1 and NetNGlyc 1.0 to infer post-translational modification patterns. The results demonstrated that three class I hydrophobins (gene number AFLA_060780, AFLA_014260, AFLA_098380) possess complete conserved domains and exhibit high phosphorylation potential, suggesting their involvement in conidial surface hydrophobicity, spore attachment, and host recognition. Conversely, four intermediate-type hydrophobins (gene number AFLA_094600, AFLA_131460, AFLA_063080, AFLA_064900) displayed partial domain loss and diversified sequence features, indicating functional differentiation during environmental adaptation or infection. The predicted molecular weights ranged from 6.46 to 27.83 kDa, and the isoelectric points varied between 3.88 and 8.97. Secondary structure analysis revealed a predominance of random coils (45.00%-66.67%), reflecting significant molecular flexibility that may facilitate membrane assembly and surface film formation. Overall, this study provides a systematic characterization of hydrophobins in A. flavus, offering a theoretical foundation for understanding their biological roles in fungal development and infection, as well as identifying potential targets for mitigating crop contamination and aflatoxin risk.

       

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