scholarly journals Transcription Profiling ofCandida albicansCells Undergoing the Yeast-to-Hyphal Transition

2002 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 3452-3465 ◽  
Author(s):  
André Nantel ◽  
Daniel Dignard ◽  
Catherine Bachewich ◽  
Doreen Harcus ◽  
Anne Marcil ◽  
...  

The ability of the pathogenic fungus Candida albicans to switch from a yeast to a hyphal morphology in response to external signals is implicated in its pathogenicity. We used glass DNA microarrays to investigate the transcription profiles of 6333 predicted ORFs in cells undergoing this transition and their responses to changes in temperature and culture medium. We have identified several genes whose transcriptional profiles are similar to those of known virulence factors that are modulated by the switch to hyphal growth caused by addition of serum and a 37°C growth temperature. Time course analysis of this transition identified transcripts that are induced before germ tube initiation and shut off later in the developmental process. A strain deleted for the Efg1p and Cph1p transcription factors is defective in hyphae formation, and its response to serum and increased temperature is almost identical to the response of a wild-type strain grown at 37°C in the absence of serum. Thus Efg1p and Cph1p are needed for the activation of the transcriptional program that is induced by the presence of serum.

1978 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 55 ◽  
Author(s):  
AW Sweeney

An Australian isolate of the fungus Culicinomyces grows best on nutrient medium without additional salt. Conidial germination and hyphal growth are progressively reduced as the salinity of the culture medium is increased, with very restricted growth at 1.5 times the salinity of sea water. In the laboratory, the fungus will kill mosquito larvae reared at a salinity half that of sea water, but not those reared in sea water, and it appears that the ability of conidia to invade the infection sites of the gut is impaired under the latter conditions.


2005 ◽  
Vol 4 (7) ◽  
pp. 1203-1210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brice Enjalbert ◽  
Malcolm Whiteway

ABSTRACT Candida albicans is a pathogenic fungus able to change morphology in response to variations in its growth environment. Simple inoculation of stationary cells into fresh medium at 37°C, without any other manipulations, appears to be a powerful but transient inducer of hyphal formation; this process also plays a significant role in classical serum induction of hyphal formation. The mechanism appears to involve the release of hyphal repression caused by quorum-sensing molecules in the growth medium of stationary-phase cells, and farnesol has a strong but incomplete role in this process. We used DNA microarray technology to study both the resumption of growth of Candida albicans cells and molecular regulation involving farnesol. Maintaining farnesol in the culture medium during the resumption of growth both delays and reduces the induction of hypha-related genes yet triggers expression of genes encoding drug efflux components. The persistence of farnesol also prevents the repression of histone genes during hyphal growth and affects the expression of putative or demonstrated morphogenesis-regulating cyclin genes, such as HGC1, CLN3, and PCL2. The results suggest a model explaining the triggering of hyphae in the host based on quorum-sensing molecules.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. 3777
Author(s):  
Yong-Ho Choi ◽  
Sang-Cheol Jun ◽  
Min-Woo Lee ◽  
Jae-Hyuk Yu ◽  
Kwang-Soo Shin

The APSES family proteins are transcription factors (TFs) with a basic helix-loop-helix domain, known to regulate growth, development, secondary metabolism, and other biological processes in Aspergillus species. In the genome of the human opportunistic pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus, five genes predicted to encode APSES TFs are present. Here, we report the characterization of one of these genes, called mbsA (Afu7g05620). The deletion (Δ) of mbsA resulted in significantly decreased hyphal growth and asexual sporulation (conidiation), and lowered mRNA levels of the key conidiation genes abaA, brlA, and wetA. Moreover, ΔmbsA resulted in reduced spore germination rates, elevated sensitivity toward Nikkomycin Z, and significantly lowered transcripts levels of genes associated with chitin synthesis. The mbsA deletion also resulted in significantly reduced levels of proteins and transcripts of genes associated with the SakA MAP kinase pathway. Importantly, the cell wall hydrophobicity and architecture of the ΔmbsA asexual spores (conidia) were altered, notably lacking the rodlet layer on the surface of the ΔmbsA conidium. Comparative transcriptomic analyses revealed that the ΔmbsA mutant showed higher mRNA levels of gliotoxin (GT) biosynthetic genes, which was corroborated by elevated levels of GT production in the mutant. While the ΔmbsA mutant produced higher amount of GT, ΔmbsA strains showed reduced virulence in the murine model, likely due to the defective spore integrity. In summary, the putative APSES TF MbsA plays a multiple role in governing growth, development, spore wall architecture, GT production, and virulence, which may be associated with the attenuated SakA signaling pathway.


2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frans M. Klis ◽  
Chris G. de Koster ◽  
Stanley Brul

ABSTRACTBionumbers and bioestimates are valuable tools in biological research. Here we focus on cell wall-related bionumbers and bioestimates of the budding yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiaeand the polymorphic, pathogenic fungusCandida albicans. We discuss the linear relationship between cell size and cell ploidy, the correlation between cell size and specific growth rate, the effect of turgor pressure on cell size, and the reason why using fixed cells for measuring cellular dimensions can result in serious underestimation ofin vivovalues. We further consider the evidence that individual buds and hyphae grow linearly and that exponential growth of the population results from regular formation of new daughter cells and regular hyphal branching. Our calculations show that hyphal growth allowsC. albicansto cover much larger distances per unit of time than the yeast mode of growth and that this is accompanied by strongly increased surface expansion rates. We therefore predict that the transcript levels of genes involved in wall formation increase during hyphal growth. Interestingly, wall proteins and polysaccharides seem barely, if at all, subject to turnover and replacement. A general lesson is how strongly most bionumbers and bioestimates depend on environmental conditions and genetic background, thus reemphasizing the importance of well-defined and carefully chosen culture conditions and experimental approaches. Finally, we propose that the numbers and estimates described here offer a solid starting point for similar studies of other cell compartments and other yeast species.


mSphere ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Poppy C. S. Sephton-Clark ◽  
Jose F. Muñoz ◽  
Elizabeth R. Ballou ◽  
Christina A. Cuomo ◽  
Kerstin Voelz

ABSTRACTRhizopus delemaris an invasive fungal pathogen responsible for the frequently fatal disease mucormycosis. Germination, a crucial mechanism by which infectious spores ofRhizopus delemarcause disease, is a key developmental process that transforms the dormant spore state into a vegetative one. The molecular mechanisms that underpin this transformation may be key to controlling mucormycosis; however, the regulation of germination remains poorly understood. This study describes the phenotypic and transcriptional changes that take place over the course of germination. This process is characterized by four distinct stages: dormancy, isotropic swelling, germ tube emergence, and hyphal growth. Dormant spores are shown to be transcriptionally unique, expressing a subset of transcripts absent in later developmental stages. A large shift in the expression profile is prompted by the initiation of germination, with genes involved in respiration, chitin, cytoskeleton, and actin regulation appearing to be important for this transition. A period of transcriptional consistency can be seen throughout isotropic swelling, before the transcriptional landscape shifts again at the onset of hyphal growth. This study provides a greater understanding of the regulation of germination and highlights processes involved in transformingRhizopus delemarfrom a single-cellular to multicellular organism.IMPORTANCEGermination is key to the growth of many organisms, including fungal spores. Mucormycete spores exist abundantly within the environment and germinate to form hyphae. These spores are capable of infecting immunocompromised individuals, causing the disease mucormycosis. Germination from spore to hyphae within patients leads to angioinvasion, tissue necrosis, and often fatal infections. This study advances our understanding of how spore germination occurs in the mucormycetes, identifying processes we may be able to inhibit to help prevent or treat mucormycosis.


Author(s):  
Juan Li ◽  
Xueling Su ◽  
Yueqing Cao ◽  
Yuxian Xia

Filamentous fungi conduct two types of conidiation, typical conidiation from mycelia and microcycle conidiation (MC). Fungal conidiation can shift between the two patterns, which involved a large number of genes in the regulation of this process. In this study, we investigated the role of a dipeptidase gene pepdA in conidiation pattern shift in Metarhizium acridum , which is upregulated in MC pattern compared to typical conidiation. Results showed that disruption of the pepdA resulted in a shift of conidiation pattern from MC to typical conidiation. Metabolomic analyses of amino acids showed that the levels of 19 amino acids significantly changed in Δ pepdA mutant. The defect of MC in Δ pepdA can be rescued when nonpolar amino acids, α-alanine, β-alanine or proline, were added into s ucrose y east extract a gar (SYA) medium. Digital gene expression profiling analysis revealed that PEPDA mediated transcription of sets of genes which were involved in hyphal growth and development, sporulation, cell division, and amino acid metabolism. Our results demonstrated that PEPDA played important roles in the regulation of MC by manipulating the levels of amino acids in M. acridum . IMPORTANCE Conidia, as the asexual propagules in many fungi, are start and end of fungal lifecycle. In entomopathogenic fungi, conidia are the infective form essential for their pathogenicity. Filamentous fungi conduct two types of conidiation, typical conidiation from mycelia and microcycle conidiation. The mechanisms of the shift between the two conidiation patterns remain to be elucidated. In this study, we demonstrated that the dipeptidase PEPDA, a key enzyme from the insect-pathogenic fungus Metarhizium acridum for the hydrolysis of dipeptides, is associated with a shift of conidiation pattern. The conidiation pattern of the Δ pepdA mutant was restored when supplemented with the nonpolar amino acids rather than polar amino acids. Therefore, this report highlights that the dipeptidase PEPDA regulates MC by manipulating the levels of amino acids in M. acridum.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 615 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liming Zhao ◽  
Barry Alto ◽  
Dongyoung Shin

Aedes aegypti (L.) is the primary vector of chikungunya, dengue, yellow fever, and Zika viruses. The leucine-rich repeats (LRR)-containing domain is evolutionarily conserved in many proteins associated with innate immunity in invertebrates and vertebrates, as well as plants. We focused on the AaeLRIM1 and AaeAPL1 gene expressions in response to Zika virus (ZIKV) and chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection using a time course study, as well as the developmental expressions in the eggs, larvae, pupae, and adults. RNA-seq analysis data provided 60 leucine-rich repeat related transcriptions in Ae. aegypti in response to Zika virus (Accession number: GSE118858, accessed on: August 22, 2018, GEO DataSets). RNA-seq analysis data showed that AaeLRIM1 (AAEL012086-RA) and AaeAPL1 (AAEL009520-RA) were significantly upregulated 2.5 and 3-fold during infection by ZIKV 7-days post infection (dpi) of an Ae. aegypti Key West strain compared to an Orlando strain. The qPCR data showed that LRR-containing proteins related genes, AaeLRIM1 and AaeAPL1, and five paralogues were expressed 100-fold lower than other nuclear genes, such as defensin, during all developmental stages examined. Together, these data provide insights into the transcription profiles of LRR proteins of Ae. aegypti during its development and in response to infection with emergent arboviruses.


1980 ◽  
Vol 152 (5) ◽  
pp. 1236-1247 ◽  
Author(s):  
C A Rouzer ◽  
W A Scott ◽  
A L Hamill ◽  
Z A Cohn

A method for the radiochemical assay of LTC production by mouse peritoneal macrophages in vitro is presented. The method involves labeling macrophages in culture with [5,6,8,9,11,12,14,15-3H]20:4 followed by stimulation of arachidonic acid (20:4) release under the experimental conditions desired. Radiolabeled leukotriene C (LTC) is recovered from the culture medium by extraction and silicic acid chromatography in 40% yield with full retention of biological activity. Because this LTC is radiochemically pure, the quantity of LTC release may be estimated from the amount of radioactivity in the sample. Use of the radioassay to study parameters affecting LTC synthesis by macrophages indicated that the time course of LTC synthesis and its relationship to the dose of a phagocytic stimulus (zymosan) were very similar to those of prostaglandin (PG) release. LTC release was also similar to that of PG in that lower levels of both metabolites were produced by Corynebacterium parvum-elicited macrophages than by resident cells. Finally, LTC release was stimulated in response to a challenge with antigen-antibody complexes, but lower maximal levels were attained than those with zymosan. The data presented here are consistent with the hypothesis that challenge of macrophages with a phagocytic stimulus leads to the release of 20:4 by an inducible phospholipase. Cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase then compete for the released 20:4, leading to the production of PG, hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids, and LTC.


Plant Disease ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 102 (5) ◽  
pp. 886-891 ◽  
Author(s):  
Menglong Cong ◽  
Shun He ◽  
Hongju Ma ◽  
Guoqing Li ◽  
Fuxing Zhu

The ascomycete plant-pathogenic fungus Botrytis cinerea infects more than 1,400 plant species worldwide. Stimulatory effects of sublethal doses of fungicides on plant pathogens are of close relevance to disease management. In the present study, stimulatory effects of carbendazim on the virulence of B. cinerea to cucumber plants were investigated. Spraying carbendazim on cucumber plants at 3 to 200 μg/ml had stimulatory effects on the virulence of carbendazim-resistant isolates of B. cinerea and the maximum percent stimulations were 16.7 and 13.5% for isolates HBtom451 and HBstr491, respectively. Preconditioned mycelia (i.e., mycelia grown on potato dextrose agar [PDA] amended with carbendazim at concentrations of 10, 50, or 200 μg/ml) also showed increased virulence, and the maximum percent stimulations for isolates HBtom451 and HBstr491 were 7.9 and 9.5%, respectively. Compared with mycelia grown on PDA without carbendazim, virulence stimulation magnitudes of spraying carbendazim on leaves increased moderately but the concentrations of carbendazim that elicited the maximum stimulation increased 20- and 8-fold for preconditioned isolates HBtom451 and HBstr491, respectively. The time course of infection indicated that virulence stimulation was mediated by a direct stimulation mechanism. Studies of the physiological mechanism for stimulation demonstrated that carbendazim had no significant effects on tolerance to hydrogen peroxide, or on oxalic acid production in B. cinerea. These studies will deepen our understanding of quantitative features of hormetic effects of sublethal doses of fungicides on plant pathogens.


Pathogens ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 902
Author(s):  
Hee-Soo Park ◽  
Min-Ju Kim ◽  
Jae-Hyuk Yu ◽  
Kwang-Soo Shin

The heterotrimeric G-protein (G-protein) signaling pathway is one of the most important signaling pathways that transmit external signals into the inside of the cell, triggering appropriate biological responses. The external signals are sensed by various G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and transmitted into G-proteins consisting of the α, β, and γ subunits. Regulators of G-protein signaling (RGSs) are the key controllers of G-protein signaling pathways. GPCRs, G-proteins, and RGSs are the primary upstream components of the G-protein signaling pathway, and they are highly conserved in most filamentous fungi, playing diverse roles in biological processes. Recent studies characterized the G-protein signaling components in the opportunistic pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus. In this review, we have summarized the characteristics and functions of GPCRs, G-proteins, and RGSs, and their regulatory roles in governing fungal growth, asexual development, germination, stress tolerance, and virulence in A. fumigatus.


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