scholarly journals The prevalence of selected genes involved in biofilm formation in Candida albicans isolated from the oral cavity

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 179-182
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Kaminska ◽  
Anna Malm ◽  
Jolanta Szymanska
Keyword(s):  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Oral Cavity ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Molecular Basis ◽  
Molecular Level ◽  
Genetic Material ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Forming Process

Abstract Introduction. C. albicans genome sequencing enables investigation of the role of particular genes in biofilm formation involving the yeast-like fungi. Aim. The aim of the study was to determine the genotypes of C. albicans isolates on the basis of the presence of the selected genes involved in biofilm formation. Material and methods. The study material included C. albicans strains isolated from the oral cavity of 654 healthy individuals. The strain biofilm-forming capacity was estimated with the MTT assay and menadione. The presence of HWP1, ALS3, TUP1, NGR1, SAM2 and CYS3 genes was investigated. Results. In total, 15 gene combinations were found, including nine gene combinations for strains with a confirmed biofilm-forming capacity, 11 – for the strains without this capacity, and five – independent of biofilm-forming capacity. A combination involving all the genes occurred in 72.5% of all biofilm-forming strains and in 53.8% of all strains that do not form biofilm. Moreover, the genetic material of 14.3% of all strains not involved in biofilm formation did not contain any of the studied genes. For one of the biofilm-species, no analyzed genes were found. Conclusions 1. The absence of correlation between gene combinations HWP1, ALS3, TUP1, NGR1, SAM2 and CYS3 and biofilm-forming capacity of the studied C. albicans strains confirms the multigenetic – and not yet fully known – molecular basis of the formation of this structure. This result corresponds to the data reported by other researchers. 2. Knowledge on the genetic foundations of biofilm formation is still developing and the list of biofilm-related genes has been considerably extended. 3. The absence of correlation between the combinations of investigated genes and the biofilm-forming capacity of the studied C. albicans strains confirms a multigenetic, basis of this structure. 4. The research on genes activated or inhibited during biofilm formation is extremely important, because it would enable the development of effective methods to disturb the biofilm forming process at the molecular level. There is a need for such methods in our clinical practice to prevent biofilm formation in the oral cavity.

scholarly journals Bacteriocin-like activity of oral Fusobacterium nucleatum isolated from human and non-human primates

1999 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 324-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elerson Gaetti-Jardim Júnior ◽  
Mario Julio Avila-Campos
Keyword(s):  
Oral Cavity ◽  
Microbial Ecology ◽  
Dental Plaque ◽  
Fusobacterium Nucleatum ◽  
Antagonistic Activity ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Bacterial Microbiota ◽  
Reference Strains

Fusobacterium nucleatum is indigenous of the human oral cavity and has been involved in different infectious processes. The production of bacteriocin-like substances may be important in regulation of bacterial microbiota in oral cavity. The ability to produce bacteriocin-like substances by 80 oral F. nucleatum isolates obtained from periodontal patients, healthy individuals and Cebus apella monkeys, was examinated. 17.5% of all tested isolates showed auto-antagonism and 78.8% iso- or hetero-antagonism. No isolate from monkey was capable to produce auto-inhibition. In this study, the antagonistic substances production was variable in all tested isolates. Most of the F. nucleatum showed antagonistic activity against tested reference strains. These data suggest a possible participation of these substances on the oral microbial ecology in humans and animals. However, the role of bacteriocins in regulating dental plaque microbiota in vivo is discussed.

scholarly journals Immunovirological parameters and cytokines in HIV infection

2012 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 663-669 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Ingrid Tasca ◽  
Sueli Aparecida Calvi ◽  
Lenice do Rosário de Souza
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Cardiovascular Diseases ◽  
Hiv Infection ◽  
Immune Activation ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Antiretroviral Therapies ◽  
The Many ◽  
Lower Morbidity

Although modern combined antiretroviral therapies (cART) result in lower morbidity and mortality and a visible improvement of clinical and laboratory parameters in HIV-infected, it is known that their long-term use contributes to appearance of the many events unrelated to AIDS such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer and osteoporosis, comorbidities which have been proposed as some of the most important that deprive the majority of infected to present an even better prognosis. This is because even with a decrease in inflammation and immune activation after drug intervention to the patient, these parameters remain higher than those shown by healthy individuals and the imbalance of cytokine profiles also persists. Therefore, evaluations of other biomarkers in clinical practice are needed to complement the exams already carried out routinely and allow more effective monitoring of HIV patients. This review aims to investigate the role of cytokines as potential markers showing studies on their behavior in various stages of HIV infection, with or without cART.

scholarly journals Role of Flagellin-Homologous Proteins in Biofilm Formation by Pathogenic Vibrio Species

mBio ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
You-Chul Jung ◽  
Mi-Ae Lee ◽  
Kyu-Ho Lee
Keyword(s):  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Specific Binding ◽  
Biological Significance ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Forming Process ◽  
Homologous Proteins ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Pathogenic Vibrio ◽  
Biofilm Matrix

ABSTRACT The pathogenic bacterium Vibrio vulnificus exhibits the ability to form biofilm, for which initiation is dependent upon swimming motility by virtue of a polar flagellum. The filament of its flagellum is composed of multiple flagellin subunits, FlaA, -B, -C, and -D. In V. vulnificus genomes, however, open reading frames (ORFs) annotated by FlaE and -F are also present. Although neither FlaE nor FlaF is involved in filament formation and cellular motility, they are well expressed and secreted to the extracellular milieu through the secretion apparatus for flagellar assembly. In the extrapolymeric matrix of V. vulnificus biofilm, significant levels of FlaEF were detected. Mutants defective in both flaE and flaF formed significantly decreased biofilms compared to the wild-type biofilm. Thus, the potential role of FlaEF during the biofilm-forming process was investigated by exogenous addition of recombinant FlaEF (rFlaEF) to the biofilm assays. The added rFlaE and rFlaF were predominantly incorporated into the biofilm matrix formed by the wild type. However, biofilms formed by a mutant defective in exopolysaccharide (EPS) biosynthesis were not affected by added FlaEF. These results raised a possibility that FlaEF specifically interact with EPS within the biofilm matrix. In vitro pulldown assays using His-tagged rFlaEF or rFlaC revealed the specific binding of EPS to rFlaEF but not to rFlaC. Taken together, our results demonstrate that V. vulnificus FlaEF, flagellin-homologous proteins (FHPs), are crucial for biofilm formation by directly interacting with the essential determinant for biofilm maturation, EPS. Further analyses performed with other pathogenic Vibrio species demonstrated both the presence of FHPs and their important role in biofilm formation. IMPORTANCE Flagellar filaments of the pathogenic Vibrio species, including V. vulnificus, V. parahaemolyticus, and V. cholerae, are composed of multiple flagellin subunits. In their genomes, however, there are higher numbers of the ORFs encoding flagellin-like proteins than the numbers of flagellin subunits required for filament assembly. Since these flagellin-homologous proteins (FHPs) are well expressed and excreted to environments via a flagellin transport channel, their extracellular role in the pathogenic Vibrio has been enigmatic. Their biological significance, which is not related with flagellar functions, has been revealed to be in maturation of biofilm structures. Among various components of the extracellular polymeric matrix produced in the V. vulnificus biofilms, the exopolysaccharides (EPS) are dominant constituents and crucial in maturation of biofilms. The enhancing role of the V. vulnificus FHPs in biofilm formation requires the presence of EPS, as indicated by highly specific interactions among two FHPs and three EPS.

scholarly journals Role of SFP1 in the Regulation of Candida albicans Biofilm Formation

PLoS ONE ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. e0129903 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsueh-Fen Chen ◽  
Chung-Yu Lan
Keyword(s):  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Biofilm Formation

scholarly journals Investigating the Function of Ddr48p in Candida albicans

2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 718-724 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. A. Cleary ◽  
N. B. MacGregor ◽  
S. P. Saville ◽  
D. P. Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Pathogenic Potential ◽  
Content Type ◽  
General Stress Response ◽  
Damage Response ◽  
Sense And Respond ◽  
Immune Defects

ABSTRACTCandidiasis now represents the fourth most frequent nosocomial infection both in the United States and worldwide.Candida albicansis an increasingly common threat to human health as a consequence of AIDS, steroid therapy, organ and tissue transplantation, cancer therapy, broad-spectrum antibiotics, and other immune defects. The pathogenic potential ofC. albicansis intimately related to certain key processes, including biofilm formation and filamentation. Ddr48p is a damage response protein that is significantly upregulated during both biofilm formation and filamentation, but its actual function is unknown. Previous studies have indicated that this protein may be essential inC. albicansbut notSaccharomyces cerevisiae. Here we examined the function of Ddr48p and investigated the role of this protein in biofilm formation and filamentation. We demonstrated that this protein is not essential inC. albicansand appears to be dispensable for filamentation. However,DDR48is required for the flocculation response stimulated by 3-aminotriazole-induced amino acid starvation. Furthermore, we examined the response of this deletion strain to a wide variety of environmental stressors and antifungal compounds. We observed several mild sensitivity or resistance phenotypes and also found that Ddr48p contributes to the DNA damage response ofC. albicans. The results of this study reveal that the role of this highly expressed protein goes beyond a general stress response and impinges on a key facet of pathogenesis, namely, the ability to sense and respond to changes in the host environment.

scholarly journals Antibody response to the 45 kDa Candida albicans antigen in an animal model and potential role of the antigen in adherence

2008 ◽  
Vol 57 (12) ◽  
pp. 1466-1472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helena Bujdáková ◽  
Ema Paulovičová ◽  
Silvia Borecká-Melkusová ◽  
Juraj Gašperík ◽  
Soňa Kucharíková ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Model ◽  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Laser Scanning Microscopy ◽  
Model Systems ◽  
Confocal Laser

The Candida antigen CR3-RP (complement receptor 3-related protein) is supposed to be a ‘mimicry’ protein because of its ability to bind antibody directed against the α subunit of the mammalian CR3 (CD11b/CD18). This study aimed to (i) investigate the specific humoral isotypic response to immunization with CR3-RP in vivo in a rabbit animal model, and (ii) determine the role of CR3-RP in the adherence of Candida albicans in vitro using the model systems of buccal epithelial cells (BECs) and biofilm formation. The synthetic C. albicans peptide DINGGGATLPQ corresponding to 11 amino-acids of the CR3-RP sequence DINGGGATLPQALXQITGVIT, determined by N-terminal sequencing, was used for immunization of rabbits to obtain polyclonal anti-CR3-PR serum and for subsequent characterization of the humoral isotypic response of rabbits. A significant increase of IgG, IgA and IgM anti-CR3-RP specific antibodies was observed after the third (P<0.01) and the fourth (P<0.001) immunization doses. The elevation of IgA levels suggested peptide immunomodulation of the IgA1 subclass, presumably in coincidence with Candida epithelial adherence. Blocking CR3-RP with polyclonal anti-CR3-RP serum reduced the ability of Candida to adhere to BECs, in comparison with the control, by up to 35 % (P<0.001), and reduced biofilm formation by 28 % (P<0.001), including changes in biofilm thickness and integrity detected by confocal laser scanning microscopy. These properties of CR3-RP suggest that it has potential for future vaccine development.

scholarly journals CO2 accelerates Candida albicans biofilm formation and reveals novel approaches to their inhibition on airway management devices

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Campbell W Gourlay ◽  
Fritz A Muhlschlegel ◽  
Daniel R Pentland
Keyword(s):  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Environmental Cues ◽  
Exhaled Breath ◽  
Forming Process ◽  
Biofilm Growth ◽  
Human Fungal Pathogen ◽  
Nutritional Immunity ◽  
Significant Extension ◽  
Dimorphic Yeast

C. albicans is the predominant human fungal pathogen worldwide and frequently colonises medical devices, such as voice prosthesis, as a biofilm. It is a dimorphic yeast that can switch between yeast and hyphal forms in response to environmental cues, a property that is essential during biofilm establishment and maturation. One such cue is elevation of CO2 levels, as observed in exhaled breath for example. However, despite the clear medical relevance the effects of high CO2 levels on C. albicans biofilm growth has not been investigated to date. Here, we show that 5% CO2 significantly enhances each stage of the C. albicans biofilm forming process; from attachment through maturation to dispersion, via stimulation of the Ras/cAMP/PKA signalling pathway. Transcriptome analysis of biofilm formation under elevated CO2 conditions revealed the activation of key biofilm formation pathways governed by the central biofilm regulators Efg1, Brg1, Bcr1 and Ndt80. Biofilms grown in under elevated CO2 conditions also exhibit increases in azole resistance, tolerance to nutritional immunity and enhanced glucose uptake capabilities. We thus characterise the mechanisms by which elevated CO2 promote C. albicans biofilm formation. We also investigate the possibility of re-purposing drugs that can target the CO2 activated metabolic enhancements observed in C. albicans biofilms. Using this approach we can significantly reduce multi-species biofilm formation in a high CO2 environment and demonstrate a significant extension of the lifespan of voice prostheses in a patient trial. Our research demonstrates a bench to bedside approach to tackle Candida albicans biofilm formation.

Role of the high-affinity reductive iron acquisition pathway of Candida albicans in prostaglandin E2 production, virulence, and interaction with Pseudomonas aeruginosa

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bonang M Mochochoko ◽  
Obinna T Ezeokoli ◽  
Olihile Sebolai ◽  
Jacobus Albertyn ◽  
Carolina H Pohl
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Prostaglandin E2 ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Iron Uptake ◽  
Iron Homeostasis ◽  
Pge2 Production ◽  
Oxidase Gene ◽  
Reductive Pathway

Abstract Components of the iron reductive pathway of Candida albicans have been implicated in the production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and virulence. However, it is unknown whether other components of this pathway influence PGE2. We investigated the role of the iron reductive pathway of C. albicans in biofilm formation, PGE2 production, and virulence in Caenorhabditis elegans. Additionally, as the co-occurrence of C. albicans and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in host tissues is frequent and involves competition for host-associated iron, we examined the effects of this interaction. Deletion of multicopper oxidase gene, FET99, and iron permease genes, FTH1 and FTH2, affected biofilm metabolic activity, and for the FTH2 mutant, also biofilm morphology. Deletion of CCC1 (vacuolar iron transporter) and CCC2 (P-type ATPase copper importer) also influenced biofilm morphology. For PGE2 production, deletion of FET99, FTH1, FTH2, CCC1, and CCC2 caused a significant reduction by monomicrobial biofilms, while FTH2deletion caused the highest reduction in polymicrobial biofilms. URA3 positive mutants of FET99 and FTH2 demonstrated attenuated virulence in C. elegans, potentially due to the inability of mutants to form hyphae in vivo. Deductively, the role of the iron reductive pathway in PGE2 synthesis is indirect, possibly due to their role in iron homeostasis. Lay Summary Iron uptake is vital for disease-causing microbes like Candida albicans. Using strains deficient in some iron-uptake genes, we show that iron-uptake genes, especially FET99 and FTH2, play a role in biofilm formation, prostaglandin production, and virulence in the nematode infection model.

scholarly journals Endometritis and pyometra in bitches: a review

2013 ◽  
Vol 58 (No. 6) ◽  
pp. 289-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Kempisty ◽  
D. Bukowska ◽  
M. Wozna ◽  
H. Piotrowska ◽  
M. Jackowska ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Basis ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Molecular Level ◽  
Altered Expression ◽  
Expression Of Genes ◽  
Clinical Stages ◽  
Compound Process ◽  
Immunological Changes

Endometritis-pyometra is the most frequent and complex pathology in domestic bitches. This process involves several immunological changes as well as molecular mechanisms responsible for inflammation in the female uterus. The various clinical stages of pyometra are associated with various symptoms. In this review, several aspects are described, including physiological and pathological mechanisms as well as molecular changes which take place during induction of endometritis-pyometra. The authors also highlight the important role of growth factors and their receptors in this process. It is well known that pyometra is a compound process which mainly involves immunological changes during inflammation. However, this review presents a new overview of this process, which includes changes at the molecular level, e.g., the altered expression of genes crucial for the development of this disease. Although pyometra is the most frequent disease of the reproductive tract in bitches, the molecular basis of this process is still not entirely understood. &nbsp;

A role of Candida albicans CDC4 in the negative regulation of biofilm formation

2015 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 247-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tzu-Ling Tseng ◽  
Wei-Chung Lai ◽  
Tai-Lin Lee ◽  
Wan Hua Hsu ◽  
Yu Wen Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Negative Regulation ◽  
Null Mutant ◽  
Auxotrophic Strain ◽  
Reduction Assay ◽  
Mutant Strains

The CDC4 gene is nonessential in Candida albicans and plays a role in suppressing filamentous growth, in contrast to its homologues, which are involved in the G1–S transition of the cell cycle. While characterizing the function of C. albicans CDC4 (CaCDC4), we found that the loss of CaCDC4 resulted in a reduction in cell flocculation, indicating a possible role for CaCDC4 in biofilm formation. To elucidate the role of CaCDC4 in biofilm formation, Cacdc4 null mutant strains were constructed by using the mini-Ura-blaster method. To create a CaCDC4 rescued strain, the plasmid p6HF-ACT1p-CaCDC4 capable of constitutively expressing CaCDC4 was introduced into the Cacdc4 homozygous null mutant. To determine the biofilm formation ability, an in vitro XTT (2,3-bis-(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-5-[(phenylamino)carbonyl]-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide) reduction assay was used. Compared with the parental auxotrophic strain BWP17, the Cacdc4 homozygous null mutant was able to enhance biofilm formation significantly. This enhancement of biofilm formation in the Cacdc4 homozygous null mutant could be reversed by constitutively expressing CaCDC4. We conclude that CaCDC4 has a role in suppressing biofilm formation in C. albicans.

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