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Geometrical Distribution of Cryptococcus neoformans Mediates Flower-Like Biofilm Development.

ABSTRACT: Microbial biofilms are highly structured and dynamic communities in which phenotypic diversification allows microorganisms to adapt to different environments under distinct conditions. The environmentally ubiquitous pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans colonizes many niches of the human body and implanted medical devices in the form of biofilms, an important virulence factor. A new approach was used to characterize the underlying geometrical distribution of C. neoformans cells during the adhesion stage of biofilm formation. Geometrical aspects of adhered cells were calculated from the Delaunay triangulation and Voronoi diagram obtained from scanning electron microscopy images (SEM). A correlation between increased biofilm formation and higher ordering of the underlying cell distribution was found. Mature biofilm aggregates were analyzed by applying an adapted protocol developed for ultrastructure visualization of cryptococcal cells by SEM. Flower-like clusters consisting of cells embedded in a dense layer of extracellular matrix were observed as well as distinct levels of spatial organization: adhered cells, clusters of cells and community of clusters. The results add insights into yeast motility during the dispersion stage of biofilm formation. This study highlights the importance of cellular organization for biofilm growth and presents a novel application of the geometrical method of analysis.

SUBMITTER: Lopes W

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5742216 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Geometrical Distribution of Cryptococcus neoformans Mediates Flower-Like Biofilm Development.

Lopes William W Vainstein Mendeli H MH De Sousa Araujo Glauber R GR Frases Susana S Staats Charley C CC de Almeida Rita M C RMC Schrank Augusto A Kmetzsch Lívia L Vainstein Marilene H MH

Frontiers in microbiology 20171219

Microbial biofilms are highly structured and dynamic communities in which phenotypic diversification allows microorganisms to adapt to different environments under distinct conditions. The environmentally ubiquitous pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans colonizes many niches of the human body and implanted medical devices in the form of biofilms, an important virulence factor. A new approach was used to characterize the underlying geometrical distribution of C. neoformans cells during t ...[more]

PMID: 29312225

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Project description:The fungus Cryptococcus neoformans can undergo a-α bisexual and unisexual reproduction. Completion of both sexual reproduction modes requires similar cellular differentiation processes and meiosis. Although bisexual reproduction generates equal number of a and α progeny and is far more efficient than unisexual reproduction under mating-inducing laboratory conditions, the α mating type dominates in nature. Population genetic studies suggest that unisexual reproduction by α isolates might have contributed to this sharply skewed distribution of the mating types. However, the predominance of the α mating type and the seemingly inefficient unisexual reproduction observed under laboratory conditions present a conundrum. Here, we discovered a previously unrecognized condition that promotes unisexual reproduction while suppressing bisexual reproduction. Pheromone is the principal stimulus for bisexual development in Cryptococcus. Interestingly, pheromone and other components of the pheromone pathway, including the key transcription factor Mat2, are not necessary but rather inhibitory for Cryptococcus to complete its unisexual cycle under this condition. The inactivation of the pheromone pathway promotes unisexual reproduction despite the essential role of this pathway in non-self-recognition during bisexual reproduction. Nonetheless, the requirement for the known filamentation regulator Znf2 and the expression of hyphal or basidium specific proteins remain the same for pheromone-dependent or independent sexual reproduction. Transcriptome analyses and an insertional mutagenesis screen in mat2Δ identified calcineurin being essential for this process. We further found that Znf2 and calcineurin work cooperatively in controlling unisexual development in this fungus. These findings indicate that Mat2 acts as a repressor of pheromone-independent unisexual development while serving as an activator for a-α bisexual development. The bi-functionality of Mat2 might have allowed it to act as a toggle switch for the mode of sexual development in this ubiquitous eukaryotic microbe.

Project description:UnlabelledCryptococcus neoformans is a human fungal pathogen and a major cause of fungal meningitis in immunocompromised individuals. Treatment options for cryptococcosis are limited. Of the two major antifungal drug classes, azoles are active against C. neoformans but exert a fungistatic effect, necessitating long treatment regimens and leaving open an avenue for emergence of azole resistance. Drugs of the echinocandin class, which target the glucan synthase and are fungicidal against a number of other fungal pathogens, such as Candida species, are ineffective against C. neoformans Despite the sensitivity of the target enzyme to the drug, the reasons for the innate resistance of C. neoformans to echinocandins remain unknown. To understand the mechanism of echinocandin resistance in C. neoformans, we screened gene disruption and gene deletion libraries for mutants sensitive to the echinocandin-class drug caspofungin and identified a mutation of CDC50, which encodes the β-subunit of membrane lipid flippase. We found that the Cdc50 protein localized to membranes and that its absence led to plasma membrane defects and enhanced caspofungin penetration into the cell, potentially explaining the increased caspofungin sensitivity. Loss of CDC50 also led to hypersensitivity to the azole-class drug fluconazole. Interestingly, in addition to functioning in drug resistance, CDC50 was also essential for fungal resistance to macrophage killing and for virulence in a murine model of cryptococcosis. Furthermore, the surface of cdc50Δ cells contained increased levels of phosphatidylserine, which has been proposed to act as a macrophage recognition signal. Together, these results reveal a previously unappreciated role of membrane lipid flippase in C. neoformans drug resistance and virulence.ImportanceCryptococcus neoformans is a fungal pathogen that is the most common cause of fungal meningitis, causing over 620,000 deaths annually. The treatment options for cryptococcosis are very limited. The most commonly used drugs are either fungistatic (azoles) or highly toxic (amphotericin B). Echinocandins are the newest fungicidal drug class that works well in treating candidiasis and aspergillosis, yet they are ineffective in treating cryptococcosis. In this study, we showed that the regulatory subunit of the lipid translocase (flippase), a protein that regulates the asymmetrical orientation of membrane lipids, is required for C. neoformans resistance to caspofungin, as well as for virulence during infection. This discovery identifies lipid flippase as a potential C. neoformans drug target, which plays an important role in the innate resistance of C. neoformans to echinocandins and in fungal virulence.

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Geometrical Distribution of Cryptococcus neoformans Mediates Flower-Like Biofilm Development.

Publications

Geometrical Distribution of <i>Cryptococcus neoformans</i> Mediates Flower-Like Biofilm Development.

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