Characterization of transcriptome dynamics in response to contact with host cells [Phase II In Vivo]

ABSTRACT: Candida albicans is the major invasive fungal pathogen of humans, causing diseases ranging from superficial mucosal infections to disseminated, systemic infections which are often life threatening. Hematogenously disseminated candidiasis (HDC) has a 47% mortality rate despite current antifungal therapy. An increase in prevalence, as well as an increasing resistance to most of the clinically important antifungal therapies, provides a strong impetus to understand the molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis and the acquisition of drug resistance. This information holds promise to identify novel therapeutic targets. A complete and accurate characterization of how the transcriptome of C. albicans responds to its interaction with cells from the host is an absolute necessity to accomplish this goal. RNA-seq (deep-sequencing of cDNA) provides an unbiased method to define comprehensively and systematically the transcriptome of an organism. We propose a comprehensive characterization of the C. albicans transcriptome in two different human tissue culture models, using RNA-seq. Such a characterization will shed unprecedented light on how fungal pathogens sense and respond to the host environment and how the host tissue responds to fungal invasion. We performed a comprehensive characterization of the C. albicans transcriptome in two different murine models of candidiasis (HDC and oropharyngeal candidiasis (OPC)), and two different human tissue culture models, using RNA-seq. Because the two murine models accurately recapitulate the pathology that is observed in clinical cases of candidiasis, we are confident that gene expression levels will provide an accurate representation of what occurs during the course of an infection in humans. Such a characterization of the in vivo transcriptome will shed unprecedented light on how fungal pathogens sense and respond to the host environment and how the host tissue responds to fungal invasion. PRJNA211732 C. albicans strain SC5314 was used to infect mice in a murine model of systemic candidiasis as well as a murine model of oropharyngeal candidiasis. For the disseminated model, kidneys were harvested at 6 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours and 48 hours after infection. For the oropharyngeal model, tongues were harvest at 1 day, 2 days, 3 days, and 5 days after infection. Total RNA was extracted from all harvested tissues and subject to RNA-seq. We also tested 3 C. albicans mutants in the disseminated model. For the infections with the mutant strains, only 1 timepoint (24 hours post-infection) was analyzed.

ORGANISM(S): Candida albicans

SUBMITTER: Amol Shetty 

PROVIDER: E-GEOD-56092 | biostudies-arrayexpress |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-arrayexpress