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Surface localization of the Yps3p protein of Histoplasma capsulatum.

ABSTRACT: The YPS3 gene of Histoplasma capsulatum encodes a protein that is both resident in the cell wall and also released into the culture medium. This protein is produced only during the pathogenic yeast phase of infection and is also expressed differently in H. capsulatum strains that differ in virulence. We investigated the cellular localization of Yps3p. We demonstrated that the cell wall fraction of Yps3p was surface localized in restriction fragment length polymorphism class 2 strains. We also established that Yps3p released into the G217B culture supernatant binds to the surface of strains that do not naturally express the protein. This binding was saturable and occurred within 5 min of exposure and occurred similarly with live and heat-killed H. capsulatum. Flow cytometric analysis of H. capsulatum after enzymatic treatments was consistent with Yps3p binding to chitin, a carbohydrate polymer that is a component of fungal cell walls. Polysaccharide binding assays demonstrated that chitin but not cellulose binds to and extracts Yps3p from culture supernatants.

SUBMITTER: Bohse ML

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1087815 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Surface localization of the Yps3p protein of Histoplasma capsulatum.

Bohse Megan L ML Woods Jon P JP

Eukaryotic cell 20050401 4

The YPS3 gene of Histoplasma capsulatum encodes a protein that is both resident in the cell wall and also released into the culture medium. This protein is produced only during the pathogenic yeast phase of infection and is also expressed differently in H. capsulatum strains that differ in virulence. We investigated the cellular localization of Yps3p. We demonstrated that the cell wall fraction of Yps3p was surface localized in restriction fragment length polymorphism class 2 strains. We also es ...[more]

PMID: 15821128

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Project description:Eukaryotic cells, including fungi, release extracellular vesicles (EVs). These lipid bilayered compartments play essential roles in cellular communication and pathogenesis. EV composition is complex and includes proteins, glycans, pigments, and RNA. RNAs with putative roles in pathogenesis have been described in EVs produced by fungi. Here we describe the RNA content in EVs produced by the G186AR and G217B strains of Histoplasma capsulatum, an important human-pathogenic fungal pathogen. A total of 124 mRNAs were identified in both strains. In this set of RNA classes, 93 transcripts were enriched in EVs from the G217B strain, whereas 31 were enriched in EVs produced by the G186AR strain. This result suggests that there are important strain-specific properties in the mRNA composition of fungal EVs. We also identified short fragments (25 to 40 nucleotides in length) that were strain specific, with a greater number identified in EVs produced by the G217B strain. Remarkably, the most highly enriched processes were stress responses and translation. Half of these fragments aligned to the reverse strand of the transcript, suggesting the occurrence of microRNA (miRNA)-like molecules in fungal EVs. We also compared the transcriptome profiles of H. capsulatum with the RNA composition of EVs, and no correlation was observed. Taking the results together, our study provided information about the RNA molecules present in H. capsulatum EVs and about the differences in composition between the strains. In addition, we found no correlation between the most highly expressed transcripts in the cell and their presence in the EVs, reinforcing the idea that the RNAs were directed to the EVs by a regulated mechanism.IMPORTANCE Extracellular vesicles (EVs) play important roles in cellular communication and pathogenesis. The RNA molecules in EVs have been implicated in a variety of processes. EV-associated RNA classes have recently been described in pathogenic fungi; however, only a few reports of studies describing the RNAs in fungal EVs are available. Improved knowledge of EV-associated RNA will contribute to the understanding of their role during infection. In this study, we described the RNA content in EVs produced by two isolates of Histoplasma capsulatum Our results add this important pathogen to the current short list of fungal species with the ability to use EVs for the extracellular release of RNA.

Project description:BackgroundA fundamental pathogenic feature of the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum is its ability to evade innate and adaptive immune defenses. Once ingested by macrophages the organism is faced with several hostile environmental conditions including iron limitation. H. capsulatum can establish a persistent state within the macrophage. A gap in knowledge exists because the identities and number of proteins regulated by the organism under host conditions has yet to be defined. Lack of such knowledge is an important problem because until these proteins are identified it is unlikely that they can be targeted as new and innovative treatment for histoplasmosis.ResultsTo investigate the proteomic response by H. capsulatum to decreasing iron availability we have created H. capsulatum protein/genomic databases compatible with current mass spectrometric (MS) search engines. Databases were assembled from the H. capsulatum G217B strain genome using gene prediction programs and expressed sequence tag (EST) libraries. Searching these databases with MS data generated from two dimensional (2D) in-gel digestions of proteins resulted in over 50% more proteins identified compared to searching the publicly available fungal databases alone. Using 2D gel electrophoresis combined with statistical analysis we discovered 42 H. capsulatum proteins whose abundance was significantly modulated when iron concentrations were lowered. Altered proteins were identified by mass spectrometry and database searching to be involved in glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, lysine metabolism, protein synthesis, and one protein sequence whose function was unknown.ConclusionWe have created a bioinformatics platform for H. capsulatum and demonstrated the utility of a proteomic approach by identifying a shift in metabolism the organism utilizes to cope with the hostile conditions provided by the host. We have shown that enzyme transcripts regulated by other fungal pathogens in response to lowering iron availability are also regulated in H. capsulatum at the protein level. We also identified H. capsulatum proteins sensitive to iron level reductions which have yet to be connected to iron availability in other pathogens. These data also indicate the complexity of the response by H. capsulatum to nutritional deprivation. Finally, we demonstrate the importance of a strain specific gene/protein database for H. capsulatum proteomic analysis.

Dataset Information

Surface localization of the Yps3p protein of Histoplasma capsulatum.

Publications

Surface localization of the Yps3p protein of Histoplasma capsulatum.

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