Light-regulated genes in Cryptococcus neoformans
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
ORGANISM(S): Cryptococcus neoformans var. neoformans
SUBMITTER: Alexander Idnurm
PROVIDER: E-GEOD-21484 | biostudies-arrayexpress |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-arrayexpress
Publications
Ferrochelatase is a conserved downstream target of the blue light-sensing White collar complex in fungi.
Idnurm Alexander A Heitman Joseph J
Microbiology (Reading, England) 20100520 Pt 8
Light is a universal signal perceived by organisms, including fungi, in which light regulates common and unique biological processes depending on the species. Previous research has established that conserved proteins, originally called White collar 1 and 2 from the ascomycete Neurospora crassa, regulate UV/blue light sensing. Homologous proteins function in distant relatives of N. crassa, including the basidiomycetes and zygomycetes, which diverged as long as a billion years ago. Here we conduct ...[more]
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Project description:The RNA interference (RNAi) mediated by homology-dependent degradation of the target mRNA with small RNA molecules plays a key role in controlling transcription and translation processes in a number of eukaryotic organisms. The RNAi machinery is also evolutionarily conserved in a wide variety of fungal species, including pathogenic fungi. To elucidate the physiological functions of the RNAi pathway in Cryptococcus neoformans that causes fungal meningitis, here we performed genetic analyses for genes encoding Argonaute (AGO1 and AGO2), RdRP (RDP1), and Dicers (DCR1 and DCR2) in both serotype A and D C. neoformans. The present study shows that Ago1, Rdp1, and Dcr2 are the major components of the RNAi process occurring in C. neoformans. However, the RNAi machinery is not involved in regulation of production of two virulence factors (capsule and melanin), sexual differentiation, and diverse stress response. To further gain insights into the global regulatory circuit governed by the RNAi pathway, comparative transcriptome analysis using the serotype A and D RNAi mutants was performed. Notably, an increase in transcript abundance of active transposons, such as T2 and T3, was observed in the rdp1? mutant. Therefore, this study can improve our understanding of the role of the RNAi genes in human fungal pathogens including C. neoformans. This SuperSeries is composed of the following subset Series: GSE21176: Molecular and Functional Characterization of the role of RNA silencing components in Cryptococcus neoformans [RNAi_Serotype A] GSE21177: Molecular and Functional Characterization of the role of RNA silencing components in Cryptococcus neoformans [RNAi_Serotype D] Refer to individual Series
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Project description:The cAMP-pathway plays a central role in regulation of growth, differentiation, and virulence of human pathogenic fungi, including Cryptococcus neoformans. Three major upstream signaling regulators of the adenylyl cyclase (Cac1), Ras, Aca1 (Adenylyl cyclase-associated protein 1) and G-alpha subunit protein (Gpa1), have been identified to control the cAMP-pathway in C. neoformans, but their functional relationship remains elusive. Here we performed genome-wide transcriptome analysis with C. neoformans ras1, gpa1, cac1, aca1, and pka1 pka2 mutants by DNA microarray. The aca1, gpa1, cac1, and pka1 pka2 mutants displayed similar transcriptome patterns to each other whereas the ras1 mutant exhibited distinctive transcriptome patterns compared to WT and the cAMP mutants. Interestingly, a number of environmental stress response genes are differentially modulated in the ras1 and cAMP mutants. In fact, the Ras1-signaling pathway was found to be involved in osmotic and genotoxic stress response, and maintenance of cell wall integrity via the Cdc24-dependent signaling pathway. Through this microarray analysis, we have identified a number of cAMP-dependent genes, including GRE2, HSP12, ENA1, TCO2, PKP2, CAT1, in C. neoformans. Notably, a majority of ergosterol biosynthesis genes were found to be upregulated in the cAMP mutants. Interestingly, the gpa1, cac1, and pka1 mutants, but not the aca1 and pka2 mutants were hypersensitive to amphotericin B, but resistant to fluconazole. In conclusion, we demonstrated in this study that the Ras1- and cAMP-signaling pathways are involved in stress response and sterol biosynthesis of C. neoformans. There are more than 95% of genome homology between JEC21 and H99. Therefore 100 slides of JEC21 (cryptococcus neoformans var. neoformans serotype D) 70-mer oligo are used in this analysis, 3 biological replicate experiments are performed, total RNAs are extracted with 6 strains from H99 (H99 Wild type strain (Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii serotype A), ras1Î, aca1Î, gpa1Î, cac1Î, pka1Îpka2Î), We use the mixed all of total RNAs from this experiment as a control RNA. We use Cy5 as Sample dye and Cy3 as a control dye. several sample are dye swaped.
2010-05-22 | E-GEOD-17338 | biostudies-arrayexpress
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2012-08-23 | E-GEOD-40303 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:The ability to sense and adapt to a hostile host environment is a crucial element for virulence of pathogenic fungi, including Cryptococcus neoformans. These cellular responses are evoked by diverse signaling cascades, including the stress-activated HOG pathway. Despite previous analysis of central components of the HOG pathway, its downstream signaling network is poorly characterized in C. neoformans. Here we performed comparative transcriptome analysis with HOG signaling mutants to explore stress-regulated genes and their correlation with the HOG pathway in C. neoformans. In this study we not only provide important insights into remodeling patterns of global gene expression for counteracting external stresses, but also elucidated novel characteristics of the HOG pathway in C. neoformans. First, inhibition of the HOG pathway increases expression of ergosterol biosynthesis genes and cellular ergosterol content, conferring a striking synergistic antifungal activity with amphotericin B and providing an excellent opportunity to develop a novel therapeutic method for treatment of cryptococcosis. Second, a number of cadmium-sensitive genes are differentially regulated by the HOG pathway, and their mutation causes resistance to cadmium. Finally, we have discovered novel stress-defense and HOG-dependent genes, which encodes a sodium/potassium efflux pump, protein kinase, multidrug transporter system, and elements of the ubiquitin-dependent system. There is more than 95% genome homology between JEC21 (Cryptococcus neoformans var. neoformans serotype D) and H99 (Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii serotype A). Therefore, 100 slides of JEC21 70-mer oligo arrays are used in this analysis. 3 biological replicate experiments are performed. Total RNAs are extracted under 3 conditions (1M NaCl, 20ug/ul Fludioxonil, 2.5mM Hydrogen peroxide) at 3 time points (0time, 30min, 60min) with 4 strains from H99 (wild type, hog1Î , ssk1Î , skn7Î). We use a mix of all the total RNAs from this experiment as the control RNA. We use Cy5 as the sample dye and Cy3 as the control dye. Several samples are dye swapped.
2010-05-17 | E-GEOD-16692 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:BACKGROUND: Lithospermum erythrorhizon, popularly known as Gromwell, is a perennial herb belonging to the family of Boraginaceae and its extract is known to have diverse pharmacological, cosmetic, and nutritional values for human. Nevertheless the biological influence of Gromwell extract on general physiology of eukaryotic cells remains unknown. In this study, we for the first time performed a global transcriptome analysis by using DNA microarray analysis to identify genes affected by the addition of Gromwell extract (GE) by using a eukaryotic microorganism, basidiomycete fungus Cryptococcus neoformans, as a model system. RESULTS: The transcriptome analysis revealed that a total of 1932 genes are differentially regulated in a statistically significant manner and expressions of 715 genes are up- (315 genes) or down-regulated (457 genes) more than twofold upon GE treatment. In response to GE treatment, genes involved in signal transduction genes are immediately regulated and the evolutionarily conserved set of genes involved in the core cellular functions, including DNA replication, RNA transcription/processing, and protein translation/processing, are generally upregulated. In contrast, a number of genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism and transport, inorganic ion transport and metabolism, post-translational modification/protein turnover/chaperone functions, and signal transduction are downregulated by the GE treatment. Among the GE-responsive genes that are also evolutionarily conserved in the human genome, we confirmed expression patterns of YSA1, TPO2, FET5 (CFO1), and PZF1 by Northern blot analysis. Based on the functional characterization of some GE-responsive genes through phenotypic analysis of gene knockout mutants, we found that GE treatment may promote cellular tolerance against a variety of environmental stresses in eukaryotes. CONCLUSIONS: A significant portion of the Cryptococcus genome is affected in expression levels by treatment of GE, implying that the general physiology of eukaryotic cells is significantly affected by the GE treatment. There are more than 95% of genome homology between JEC21 and H99. Therefore 6 slides of JEC21 (Cryptococcus neoformans var. neoformans serotype D) 70-mer oligo are used in this analysis, 3 biological replicate experiments are performed, total RNAs are extracted from H99 (H99 Wild type strain (Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii serotype A)) with 6.4 mg/ml Gromwell extract in 0, 10, 30, 60 min. We use the mixed all of total RNAs from this experiment as a control RNA. We use Cy3 as Sample dye and Cy5 as a control dye.
2013-01-10 | E-GEOD-43370 | biostudies-arrayexpress