Mélanie Morel-Rouhier

Professor-HDR

 

Head of the Stress response and redox regulation team

Mail : Melanie.morel@univ-lorraine.fr

Phone : +33 3 72 74 51 62

Research :

I am specialized in microbiology, and in particular fungal physiology. After obtaining a PhD in 2005, focusing on the ectomycorrhizal symbiosis, searching for the mechanisms of nitrogen uptake and transfer to the host, I worked on the characterization of heavy metal transporters in Arabidodpsis thaliana during a post-doctoral stay at CEA Cadarache. I got a position as an assistant professor in 2008 and as a professor in 2018 at Lorraine University.

My current research activities concern saprophytic fungi and how these powerful microorganisms adapt to their hostile environment. I am studying the intracellular systems of detoxification and oxidative stress response of white rot fungi. These microorganisms have the ability to completely degrade wood, thanks to efficient oxidative and enzymatic systems. During this process, many toxic compounds and oxidants are released, especially extractives that can exhibit antifungal activities. To cope with these molecules, fungi have developed various strategies. In particular, genomes of wood degraders exhibit extended multigenic families as cytochrome P450 or glutathione transferases (GSTs). By combining various approaches (molecular biology, biochemistry and physiology), we have functionally characterized many GSTs from Phanerochaete chrysosporium, showing that these enzymes are highly versatile and could exhibit various interesting activities such as ligandin for exemple. The functional diversity of GSTs and other detoxification pathways probably reflect fungal adaptation to the myriad of molecules that fungi have to cope with in their natural environment.

Teaching :

Master Microbiology : http://fst.univ-lorraine.fr/formations/master-microbiologie

Master AETPF : http://fst.univ-lorraine.fr/formations/master-agronomie-environnement-territoires-paysage-foret

Publications :

Nguyen Duy V, Fernandez-Gonzalez AJ, Roret T, Morel-Rouhier M, Gelhaye E, Sormani R. (2020) Target Of Rapamycin pathway in the white-rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium. PLoS One. 15(2):e0224776. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0224776.

Perrot T, Salzet G, Amusant N, Beauchene J, Gerardin P, Dumarcay S, Sormani R, Morel-Rouhier M and Gelhaye E. (2019) A reverse chemical ecology approach to explore wood natural durability. Microbial biotechnol doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/779629.

Schwartz M, Perrot T, Morel-Rouhier M, Mulliert G, Gelhaye E, Didierjean C, Favier F. (2019) The structure of Trametes versicolor glutathione transferase Omega 3S bound to its conjugation product glutathionyl-phenethylthiocarbamate reveals plasticity of its active site. Protein Sci. 28(6):1143-1150. doi: 10.1002/pro.3620.

Perrot T, Schwartz M, Saiag F, Salzet G, Dumarçay S, Favier F, Gérardin P, Girardet JM, Sormani R, Morel-Rouhier M, Amusant N, Didierjean C, Gelhaye E. (2018) Fungal Glutathione Transferases as Tools to Explore the Chemical Diversity of Amazonian Wood Extractives. ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 6 : 13078−13085. DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.8b02636

Fernández-González AJ, Valette N, Kohler A, Dumarçay S, Sormani R, Gelhaye E, Morel-Rouhier M. (2018) Oak extractive-induced stress reveals the involvement of new enzymes in the early detoxification response of Phanerochaete chrysosporium. Environ Microbiol. 2018 Sep 13. doi: 10.1111/1462-2920.14409.

Schwartz M, Perrot T, Deroy A, Roret T, Morel-Rouhier M, Mulliert G, Gelhaye E, Favier F, Didierjean C. (2018) Trametes versicolor glutathione transferase Xi 3, a dual Cys-GST with catalytic specificities of both Xi and Omega classes. FEBS Lett. 2018 Sep;592(18):3163-3172. doi: 10.1002/1873-3468.13224.

Schwartz M, Perrot T, Aubert E, Dumarçay S, Favier F, Gérardin P, Morel-Rouhier M, Mulliert G, Saiag F, Didierjean C, Gelhaye E. (2018) Molecular recognition of wood polyphenols by phase II detoxification enzymes of the white rot Trametes versicolor. Sci Rep. 2018 May 31;8(1):8472. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-26601-3.

Amara S, Perrot T, Navarro D, Deroy A, Benkhelfallah A, Chalak A, Daou M, Chevret D, Faulds CB, Berrin JG, Morel-Rouhier M, Gelhaye E, Record E. (2018) Enzyme activities of two recombinant heme-including peroxidases TvDyP1 and TvVP2 identified from the secretome of Trametes versicolor. Appl Environ Microbiol. pii: AEM.02826-17. doi: 10.1128/AEM.02826-17.

Valette N, Perrot T, Sormani R, Gelhaye E, Morel-Rouhier M. (2017) Antifungal activities of wood extractives. Fungal Biology Reviews. 31:113-123. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fbr.2017.01.002

Schwartz M, Didierjean C, Hecker A, Girardet JM, Morel-Rouhier M, Gelhaye E, Favier F. (2016) Crystal structure of Saccharomyces cerevisiae ECM4, a Xi-class glutathione transferase that reacts with glutathionyl-(hydro)quinones. PLoS ONE 11(10): e0164678. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0164678

Valette N, Benoit-Gelber I, Falco MD, Wiebenga A, de Vries RP, Gelhaye E, Morel-Rouhier M. (2016) Secretion of small proteins is species-specific within Aspergillus sp. Microbial Biotechnology. doi: 10.1111/1751-7915.12361.

Roret T, Thuillier A, Favier F, Gelhaye E, Didierjean C, Morel-Rouhier M. (2015) Evolutionary divergence of Ure2pA glutathione transferases in wood degrading fungi. Fungal Genetics and Biology 83:103-12. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fgb.2015.09.002

Deroy A, Saiag F, Kebbi-Benkeder Z, Touahri N, Hecker A, Morel-Rouhier M, Colin F, Dumarcay S, Gérardin P, Gelhaye E. (2015) The GSTome Reflects the Chemical Environment of White-Rot Fungi. PLoS One. 10(10):e0137083. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0137083

Calmes B, Morel-Rouhier M, Bataillé-Simoneau N, Eric Gelhaye E, Thomas Guillemette T, Philippe Simoneau P. (2015) Characterization of glutathione transferases involved in the pathogenicity of Alternaria brassicicola BMC Microbiology 18:15:123. DOI 10.1186/s12866-015-0462-0

Lallement PA, Meux E, Gualberto JM, Dumarcay S, Favier F, Didierjean C, Saul F, Haouz A, Morel-Rouhier M, Gelhaye E, Rouhier N, Hecker A (2015) Glutathionyl-hydroquinone reductases from poplar are plastidial proteins that deglutathionylate both reduced and oxidized glutathionylated quinones. FEBS Letters. 589(1):37-44. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.febslet.2014.11.021.

Jacquot JP, Couturier  J, Didierjean C, Gelhaye E, Morel-Rouhier M, Hecker A, Plomion C,  Gütle DD, Rouhier N (2014) Structural and functional characterization of tree proteins involved in redox regulation: a new frontier in forest science. Annals of Forest Science. DOI 10.1007/s13595-014-0442-9.

Thuillier A, Chibani K, Belli G, Herrero E, Dumarçay S, Gérardin P, Kohler A, Deroy A, Dhalleine T, Bchini R, Jacquot JP, Gelhaye E and Morel-Rouhier M (2014) Transcriptomic responses of Phanerochaete chrysosporium to oak acetonic extracts: focus on a new glutathione transferase. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 80(20):6316-27. doi:10.1128/AEM.02103-14

Mathieu Y, Prosper P, Favier F, Harvengt L, Didierjean C, Jacquot JP, Morel-Rouhier M and Gelhaye E (2013) Diversification of fungal specific class A glutathione transferases in saprotrophic fungi. PLoS One. 8(11):e80298. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0080298.

Thuillier A, Roret T, Favier F, Gelhaye E, Jacquot JP, Didierjean C, Morel-Rouhier M (2013) Atypical features of a Ure2p glutathione transferase from Phanerochaete chrysosporium. FEBS Letters 587(14):2125-30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.febslet.2013.05.031

Meux E, Morel M, Lamant T, Gérardin P, Jacquot JP, Dumarçay S and Gelhaye E (2013) New substrates and activity of Phanerochaete chrysosporium Omega glutathione transferases. Biochimie. 95(2):336-46. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biochi.2012.10.003

Karinou E, Compton EL, Morel M and Javelle A (2013) The Escherichia coli SLC26 homologue YchM (DauA) is a C(4)-dicarboxylic acid transporter. Molecular Microbiology 87(3):623-40. doi:10.1111/mmi.12120

Morel M, Meux E, Mathieu Y, Thuillier A, Chibani K, Harvengt L, Jacquot JP and Gelhaye E (2013) Xenomic networks variability and adaptation traits in wood decaying fungi. Microbial Biotechnology 6(3):248-63. doi:10.1111/1751-7915.12015

Mathieu Y, Prosper P, Buée M, Dumarçay S, Favier F, Gelhaye E, Gérardin P, Harvengt L, Jacquot JP, Lamant T, Meux E, Mathiot S, Didierjean C and Morel M (2012) Characterization of a Phanerochaete chrysosporium glutathione transferase reveals a novel structural and functional class with ligandin properties. Journal of Biological Chemistry 287(46):39001-11. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M112.402776

Meux E, Prosper P, Masai E, Mulliert G, Dumarçay S, Morel M, Didierjean C, Gelhaye E and Favier F (2012) Sphingobium sp. SYK-6 LigG involved in lignin degradation is structurally and biochemically related to the glutathione transferase omega class. FEBS Letters 586(22):3944-50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.febslet.2012.09.036

Thuillier A, Ngadin AA, Thion C, Billard P, Jacquot JP, Gelhaye E and Morel M (2011) Functional diversification of fungal glutathione transferases from the ure2p class. International Journal of Evolutionary Biology:938308. Epub 2011 Nov 22. doi:10.4061/2011/938308

Meux E, Proper P, Ngadin A, Didierjean C, Morel M, Dumarçay S, Lamant T, Jacquot JP, Favier F and Gelhaye E (2011) Glutathione transferases of Phanerochaete chrysosporium: a S-glutathionyl-P-hydroquinone reductase belongs to a new structural class. Journal of Biological Chemistry 286: 9162-73. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M110.194548

Morel M, Ngadin AA, Jacquot JP and Gelhaye E (2009) Reactive oxygen species in Phanerochaete chrysosporium. Relationship Between Extracellular Oxidative and Intracellular Antioxidant Systems. Advances in botanical Research Vol. 52, Burlington: Academic Press, 2009, pp. 153-186. DOI: 10.1016/S0065-2296(09)52006-X

Morel M, Ngadin AA, Droux M, Jacquot JP and Gelhaye E (2009) The fungal glutathione-S-transferase system. Evidence of new classes in the wood-degrading basidiomycete Phanerochaete chrysosporium. Cellular and Molecular Life Science 66 (23): 3711-3725. DOI 10.1007/s00018-009-0104-5

Morel M, Crouzet J, Gravot A, Auroy P, Leonhardt N, Vavasseur A and Richaud P (2009) AtHMA3, a vacuolar P1B-ATPase allowing Cd/Co/Pb/Zn detoxification in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Physiology 149:894-904. doi: 10.1104/pp.108.130294

Morel M, Kohler A, Martin F, Gelhaye E and Rouhier N (2008) Comparison of the thiol-dependent antioxidant systems in two basidiomycetes, the ectomycorrhizal Laccaria bicolor vs the saprophytic Phanerochaete chrysosporium. New Phytologist 180: 391-407. doi: 10.1111/j.1469–8137.2008.02498.x

Morel M, Jacob C, Fitz M, Wipf D, Chalot M and Brun A (2008) Characterization and regulation of PiDUR3, a permease involved in the acquisition of urea by the ectomycorrhizal fungus Paxillus involutus. Fungal Genetics and Biology 45(6):912-21. doi:10.1016/j.fgb.2008.01.002

Benjdia M, Rikirsch E, Muller T, Morel M, Corratge C, Zimmermann S, Chalot M, Frommer WB and Wipf D (2006) Peptide uptake in the ectomycorrhizal fungus Hebeloma cylindrosporum: characterization of two di- and tripeptide transporters (HcPTR2A and B). New Phytologist 170: 401-410. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2006.01672.x

Morel M, Buée M, Chalot M and Brun A (2005) The NADP dependent Glutamate dehydrogenase: a dispensable function in ectomycorrhizal fungi. New Phytologist 169: 179-190. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2005.01556.x

Morel M, Kohler A, Jacob C, Johannson T, Martin F, Chalot M and Brun A (2005) Identification of differentially-expressed genes in extraradical mycelium versus root-associated mycelium in Paxillus involutus/Betula pendula ectomycorrhizal symbiosis. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 71(1): 382-391. doi:10.1128/AEM.71.1.382–391.2005

Javelle A, Morel M, Rodriguez-Pastrana BR, Botton B, André B, Marini AM, Brun A and Chalot M (2003) Molecular characterization, function and regulation of ammonium transporters (Amt) and ammonium-metabolizing enzymes (GS, NADP-GDH) in the ectomycorrhizal fungus Hebeloma cylindrosporum. Molecular Microbiology 47(2): 411-430. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2958.2003.03303.x