Dataset Information

Phenotype profiling of white-nose syndrome pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans and closely-related Pseudogymnoascus pannorum reveals metabolic differences underlying fungal lifestyles.

ABSTRACT: Background:Pseudogymnoascusdestructans, a psychrophile, causes bat white-nose syndrome (WNS). Pseudogymnoascus pannorum, a closely related fungus, causes human and canine diseases rarely. Both pathogens were reported from the same mines and caves in the United States, but only P. destructans caused WNS. Earlier genome comparisons revealed that P. pannorum contained more deduced proteins with ascribed enzymatic functions than P. destructans. Methods: We performed metabolic profiling with Biolog PM microarray plates to confirm in silico gene predictions. Results:P. pannorum utilized 78 of 190 carbon sources (41%), and 41 of 91 nitrogen compounds (43%) tested. P. destructans used 23 carbon compounds (12%) and 23 nitrogen compounds (24%). P. destructans exhibited more robust growth on the phosphorous compounds and nutrient supplements (83% and 15%, respectively) compared to P. pannorum (27% and 1%, respectively.). P. pannorum exhibited higher tolerance to osmolytes, pH extremes, and a variety of chemical compounds than P. destructans. Conclusions: An abundance of carbohydrate degradation pathways combined with robust stress tolerance provided clues for the soil distribution of P. pannorum. The limited metabolic profile of P. destructans was compatible with in silico predictions of far fewer proteins and enzymes. P. destructans ability to catabolize diverse phosphorous and nutrient supplements might be critical in the colonization and invasion of bat tissues. The present study of 1,047 different metabolic activities provides a framework for future gene-function investigations of the unique biology of the psychrophilic fungi.

SUBMITTER: Chaturvedi V

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6039956 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Similar Datasets

Project description:Mitigation of emerging infectious diseases that threaten global biodiversity requires an understanding of critical host and pathogen responses to infection. For multihost pathogens where pathogen virulence or host susceptibility is variable, host-pathogen interactions in tolerant species may identify potential avenues for adaptive evolution in recently exposed, susceptible hosts. For example, the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans causes white-nose syndrome (WNS) in hibernating bats and is responsible for catastrophic declines in some species in North America, where it was recently introduced. Bats in Europe and Asia, where the pathogen is endemic, are only mildly affected. Different environmental conditions among Nearctic and Palearctic hibernacula have been proposed as an explanation for variable disease outcomes, but this hypothesis has not been experimentally tested. We report the first controlled, experimental investigation of response to P. destructans in a tolerant, European species of bat (the greater mouse-eared bat, Myotis myotis). We compared body condition, disease outcomes and gene expression in control (sham-exposed) and exposed M. myotis that hibernated under controlled environmental conditions following treatment. Tolerant M. myotis experienced extremely limited fungal growth and did not exhibit symptoms of WNS. However, we detected no differential expression of genes associated with immune response in exposed bats, indicating that immune response does not drive tolerance of P. destructans in late hibernation. Variable responses to P. destructans among bat species cannot be attributed solely to environmental or ecological factors. Instead, our results implicate coevolution with the pathogen, and highlight the dynamic nature of the "white-nose syndrome transcriptome." Interspecific variation in response to exposure by the host (and possibly pathogen) emphasizes the importance of context in studies of the bat-WNS system, and robust characterization of genetic responses to exposure in various hosts and the pathogen should precede any attempts to use particular bat species as generalizable "model hosts."

Dataset Information

Phenotype profiling of white-nose syndrome pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans and closely-related Pseudogymnoascus pannorum reveals metabolic differences underlying fungal lifestyles.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets