Dataset Information

Description of a new yeast species, Malassezia japonica, and its detection in patients with atopic dermatitis and healthy subjects.

ABSTRACT: Lipophilic yeasts of the genus Malassezia are part of the normal cutaneous microflora and are considered one of the factors that trigger atopic dermatitis (AD). We isolated two strains of Malassezia from a healthy Japanese female. Analysis of the D1/D2 26S ribosomal DNA and internal transcribed spacer region sequences of the isolates suggested that they are new members of the genus Malassezia. We propose the name Malassezia japonica sp. nov. for the isolates. M. japonica is easily distinguished from the seven known lipophilic species by its ability to assimilate Tween 40 and Tween 60 and its inability to assimilate Tween 20 and Tween 80 and to grow at 40 degrees C. Furthermore, by applying transparent dressings to the skin lesions of 36 patients with AD and the skin of 22 healthy subjects, M. japonica DNA was detected by a non-culture-based method consisting of nested PCR with M. japonica species-specific primers. M. japonica DNA was detected from 12 of the 36 patients (33.3%) and 3 of the 22 healthy subjects (13.6%). Although it is not known whether M. japonica plays a role in AD, this species was part of the microflora in both patients with AD and healthy subjects.

SUBMITTER: Sugita T

PROVIDER: S-EPMC254348 | biostudies-literature | 2003 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Description of a new yeast species, Malassezia japonica, and its detection in patients with atopic dermatitis and healthy subjects.

Sugita Takashi T Takashima Masako M Kodama Minako M Tsuboi Ryoji R Nishikawa Akemi A

Journal of clinical microbiology 20031001 10

Lipophilic yeasts of the genus Malassezia are part of the normal cutaneous microflora and are considered one of the factors that trigger atopic dermatitis (AD). We isolated two strains of Malassezia from a healthy Japanese female. Analysis of the D1/D2 26S ribosomal DNA and internal transcribed spacer region sequences of the isolates suggested that they are new members of the genus Malassezia. We propose the name Malassezia japonica sp. nov. for the isolates. M. japonica is easily distinguished ...[more]

PMID: 14532205

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundThe Malassezia yeasts which belong to the physiological microflora of human skin have also been implicated in several dermatological disorders, including pityriasis versicolor (PV), atopic dermatitis (AD), and psoriasis (PS). The Malassezia genus has repeatedly been revised and it now accommodates 14 species, all but one being lipid-dependent species. The traditional, phenotype-based identification schemes of Malassezia species are fraught with interpretative ambiguities and inconsistencies, and are thus increasingly being supplemented or replaced by DNA typing methods. The aim of this study was to explore the species composition of Malassezia microflora on the skin of healthy volunteers and patients with AD and PS.MethodsSpecies characterization was performed by conventional, culture-based methods and subsequently molecular techniques: PCR-RFLP and sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) 1/2 regions and the D1/D2 domains of the 26S rRNA gene. The Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test were used for statistical analysis.ResultsMalassezia sympodialis was the predominant species, having been cultured from 29 (82.9%) skin samples collected from 17 out of 18 subjects under the study. Whereas AD patients yielded exclusively M. sympodialis isolates, M. furfur isolates were observed only in PS patients. The isolation of M. sympodialis was statistically more frequent among AD patients and healthy volunteers than among PS patients (P < 0.03). Whether this mirrors any predilection of particular Malassezia species for certain clinical conditions needs to be further evaluated. The overall concordance between phenotypic and molecular methods was quite high (65%), with the discordant results being rather due to the presence of multiple species in a single culture (co-colonization) than true misidentification. All Malassezia isolates were susceptible to cyclopiroxolamine and azole drugs, with M. furfur isolates being somewhat more drug tolerant than other Malassezia species.ConclusionsThis study provides an important insight into the species composition of Malassezia microbiota in human skin. The predominance of M. sympodialis in both normal and pathologic skin, contrasts with other European countries, reporting M. globosa and M. restricta as the most frequently isolated Malassezia species.

Project description:UNLABELLED:Malassezia commensal yeasts are associated with a number of skin disorders, such as atopic eczema/dermatitis and dandruff, and they also can cause systemic infections. Here we describe the 7.67-Mbp genome of Malassezia sympodialis, a species associated with atopic eczema, and contrast its genome repertoire with that of Malassezia globosa, associated with dandruff, as well as those of other closely related fungi. Ninety percent of the predicted M. sympodialis protein coding genes were experimentally verified by mass spectrometry at the protein level. We identified a relatively limited number of genes related to lipid biosynthesis, and both species lack the fatty acid synthase gene, in line with the known requirement of these yeasts to assimilate lipids from the host. Malassezia species do not appear to have many cell wall-localized glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) proteins and lack other cell wall proteins previously identified in other fungi. This is surprising given that in other fungi these proteins have been shown to mediate interactions (e.g., adhesion and biofilm formation) with the host. The genome revealed a complex evolutionary history for an allergen of unknown function, Mala s 7, shown to be encoded by a member of an amplified gene family of secreted proteins. Based on genetic and biochemical studies with the basidiomycete human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans, we characterized the allergen Mala s 6 as the cytoplasmic cyclophilin A. We further present evidence that M. sympodialis may have the capacity to undergo sexual reproduction and present a model for a pseudobipolar mating system that allows limited recombination between two linked MAT loci. IMPORTANCE:Malassezia commensal yeasts are associated with a number of skin disorders. The previously published genome of M. globosa provided some of the first insights into Malassezia biology and its involvement in dandruff. Here, we present the genome of M. sympodialis, frequently isolated from patients with atopic eczema and healthy individuals. We combined comparative genomics with sequencing and functional characterization of specific genes in a population of clinical isolates and in closely related model systems. Our analyses provide insights into the evolution of allergens related to atopic eczema and the evolutionary trajectory of the machinery for sexual reproduction and meiosis. We hypothesize that M. sympodialis may undergo sexual reproduction, which has important implications for the understanding of the life cycle and virulence potential of this medically important yeast. Our findings provide a foundation for the development of genetic and genomic tools to elucidate host-microbe interactions that occur on the skin and to identify potential therapeutic targets.

Dataset Information

Description of a new yeast species, Malassezia japonica, and its detection in patients with atopic dermatitis and healthy subjects.

Publications

Description of a new yeast species, Malassezia japonica, and its detection in patients with atopic dermatitis and healthy subjects.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets