How host-like signals drive gene expression and gene expression drives capsule growth in Cryptococcus neoformans [ep_titration]
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
ORGANISM(S): Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii
PROVIDER: GSE226637 | GEO | 2023/08/02
REPOSITORIES: GEO
Similar Datasets
Project description:Cryptococcus neoformans is a fungal pathogen with a polysaccharide capsule that becomes greatly enlarged in the mammalian host and during in vitro growth in response to host-like conditions. To understand how individual host-like signals affect capsule size and gene expression, we grew wild-type cells and cells lacking components of the cAMP pathway: Pde1, Pde2, Pkr1. We also took samples for RNA-Seq at 30, 90, 180, 1440 minutes and carried out RNA-Seq in quadruplicate. We also measured capsule thickness at 1440 min.
2023-08-02 | GSE226651 | GEO
Project description:Cryptococcus neoformans is a fungal pathogen with a polysaccharide capsule that becomes greatly enlarged in the mammalian host and during in vitro growth in response to host-like conditions. To understand how individual host-like signals affect capsule size and gene expression, we grew cells with and without all combinations of 5 signals suspected of affecting capsule size: Tissue-culture medium (DMEM or RPMI), temperature (37°C), CO2 (5%), and the addition of HEPES buffer. For each combination of conditions, we grew cultures with or without exogenous cAMP, and sampled cells for RNA-Seq at 0, 30, 90, 180, 1440 minutes and for measurement of capsule thickness at 1440 min. We also took samples for RNA-Seq at 30, 90, 180, 1440 minutes and carried out RNA-Seq in quadruplicate.
2023-08-02 | GSE226255 | GEO
Project description:Cryptococcus neoformans is a prevalent human fungal pathogen that must survive within various tissues in order to establish a human infection. We have identified the C. neoformans Rim101 transcription factor, a highly conserved pH-response regulator in many fungal species. The rim101- mutant strain displays growth defects similar to other fungal species in the presence of alkaline pH, increased salt concentrations, and iron limitation. However, the rim101- strain is also characterized by a striking defect in capsule, an important virulence-associated phenotype. This capsular defect is likely due to alterations in polysaccharide attachment to the cell surface, not in polysaccharide biosynthesis. In contrast to many other C. neoformans capsule-defective strains, the rim101- mutant is hypervirulent in animal models of cryptococcosis. Whereas Rim101 activation in other fungal species occurs through the conserved Rim pathway, we demonstrate that C. neoformans Rim101 is also activated by the cAMP/PKA pathway. We report here that C. neoformans uses PKA and the Rim pathway to regulate the localization, activation, and processing of the Rim101 transcription factor. We also demonstrate specific host- relevant activating conditions for Rim101 cleavage, showing that C. neoformans has co-opted conserved signaling pathways to respond to the specific niche within the infected host. These results establish a novel mechanism for Rim101 activation and the integration of two conserved signaling cascades in response to host environmental conditions.
2010-09-04 | GSE23929 | GEO
Project description:Cryptococcus neoformans causes meningoencephalitis and is an increasing human health threat. C. neoformans is neurotropic, and persists in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of the mammalian host during infection. In order to survive in the host, pathogenic fungi must procure nutrients such as carbon and nitrogen. To enhance our understanding of nutrient acquisition during infection by Cryptococcus species, we examined utilization of nitrogen sources available in CSF. We screened for growth and capsule production of 817 global environmental and clinical isolates on various sources of nitrogen. Capsule production was assessed using ammonium and urea in the presence or absence of benomyl to determine the relationship of urea exposure to capsule production. Since urea is metabolized to ammonia and CO2 (a known signal for capsule induction), we examined urea metabolism mutants for their response to urea regarding capsule production. Non-preferred nitrogen sources were found to greatly affect capsule production in pathogenic species of Cryptococcus. Urea induced the greatest magnitude of capsule production. Capsule induction by urea was greater in Cryptococcus gattii strains than in C. neoformans strains. In addition, both environmental and clinical strains grew robustly on uric acid, casamino acids, creatinine, and asparagine as sole nitrogen sources. While substantial growth on nitrate was not apparent at day 3, growth was apparent by day 6 for all serotypes.
2013-09-25 | GSE46829 | GEO
Project description:Cryptococcus neoformans is an opportunistic basidiomycete pathogen that is a major etiological agent of fungal meningoencephalitis leading to more than 180,000 deaths worldwide annually. For this pathogen, the polysaccharide capsule is a key virulence factor, which interferes with the phagocytosis by host innate immune cells, but its complex signaling networks remain elusive. In this study, we systematically analyzed capsule biosynthesis and signaling networks by using C. neoformans transcription factor (TF) and kinase mutant libraries under diverse capsule-inducing conditions, such as Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle’s (DME), Littman’s medium (LIT) and fetal bovine serum (FBS) medium. We found that deletion of GAT201, YAP1, BZP4, and ADA2 consistently causes capsule production defects in all tested media, indicating that they are capsule-regulating core TFs. Epistatic and expression analysis showed that Yap1 and Ada2 control Gat201 upstream, whereas Bzp4 and Gat201 regulate capsule production independently. We next searched for potential upstream kinases and found that mutants deleted of PKA1, BUD32, POS5, IRE1 or CDC2801 showed reduced capsule production under all three capsule induction conditions, whereas mutants deleted of HOG1 and IRK5 displayed enhanced capsule production. Notably, Pka1 and Irk5 controls induction of GAT201 and BZP4, respectively, under capsule induction condition. Finally, we monitored transcriptome profiles governed by Bzp4, Gat201, and Ada2 under capsule-inducing condition and demonstrated that these TFs regulate redundant and unique sets of downstream target genes. In conclusion, this study provides further insight into the complex regulatory mechanism of capsule production related signaling pathways in C. neoformans.
2022-10-18 | GSE208163 | GEO
Project description:Cryptococcus neoformans causes meningoencephalitis and is an increasing human health threat. C. neoformans is neurotropic, and persists in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of the mammalian host during infection. In order to survive in the host, pathogenic fungi must procure nutrients such as carbon and nitrogen. To enhance our understanding of nutrient acquisition during infection by Cryptococcus species, we examined utilization of nitrogen sources available in CSF. We screened for growth and capsule production of 817 global environmental and clinical isolates on various sources of nitrogen. Capsule production was assessed using ammonium and urea in the presence or absence of benomyl to determine the relationship of urea exposure to capsule production. Since urea is metabolized to ammonia and CO2 (a known signal for capsule induction), we examined urea metabolism mutants for their response to urea regarding capsule production. Non-preferred nitrogen sources were found to greatly affect capsule production in pathogenic species of Cryptococcus. Urea induced the greatest magnitude of capsule production. Capsule induction by urea was greater in Cryptococcus gattii strains than in C. neoformans strains. In addition, both environmental and clinical strains grew robustly on uric acid, casamino acids, creatinine, and asparagine as sole nitrogen sources. While substantial growth on nitrate was not apparent at day 3, growth was apparent by day 6 for all serotypes. In this study, transcription profiles of urea pathway mutants (ure1 and amt1/2) and WT Cryptococcus neoformans strains were compared in a dye-swap experiment following 1hr exposure to proline or proline + urea (.25g/L).
2013-09-25 | E-GEOD-46829 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:To understand the relationship between gene expression and capsule formation, H99 cells were cultured overnight at 37ºC in the following eight conditions: low iron medium with or without both 500 mM ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and 10 mM bathophenanthroline disulfonate (BPDS); phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) with or without 10% v/v fetal bovine serum; Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium (from Sigma) in ambient air or 5% CO2; and Littman's medium with either 0.01 µg/ml or 1 µg/ml thiamine.
2012-01-01 | GSE31911 | GEO
Project description:To understand the relationship between gene expression and capsule formation, H99 cells were cultured overnight at 37ºC in the following eight conditions: low iron medium with or without both 500 mM ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and 10 mM bathophenanthroline disulfonate (BPDS); phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) with or without 10% v/v fetal bovine serum; Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium (from Sigma) in ambient air or 5% CO2; and Littman's medium with either 0.01 µg/ml or 1 µg/ml thiamine. All samples were hybridized against a common reference pool of total RNA. Three biological replicates were performed for each growth condition, with the exception of growth in DMEM.
2012-01-01 | E-GEOD-31911 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Changing antigenic structure such as capsule polysaccharide is a common strategy for bacterial pathogen to evade host immune system. In this regard, the recent emergence of an invasive W:2a:P1.7-2,4 ST-11 strain in New Zealand, which is an uncommon pathogenic serogroup, was investigated for its genetic origins. Molecular typing of 103 meningococcal isolates with similar serotyping characteristics was undertaken to determine genetic relationships. Results indicated that the W:2a:P1.7-2,4 strain had emerged via capsule switching from an existing group C strain (C:2a:P1.7 2,4). Neither of the upstream and downstream sites of recombination could be elucidate but sequence analysis demonstrated that at least 45 kb of DNA was involved in the recombination event. This included the entire capsule gene cluster. Genomic DNA isolated from serogroup C strains (n=4) and serogroup W strains (n=4) were compared using Pan-neisseria DNA microarray.
2009-06-03 | E-MEXP-1910 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Cryptococcus neoformans is an environmental fungus and an opportunistic human pathogen. Previous studies have demonstrated major alterations in its transcriptional profile as this microorganism enters the hostile environment of the human host. To assess the role of chromatin remodeling in host-induced transcriptional responses, we identified the C. neoformans Gcn5 histone acetyltransferase and demonstrated its function by complementation studies of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The C. neoformans gcn5Δ mutant strain has defects in high-temperature growth and capsule attachment to the cell surface, in addition to increased sensitivity to FK506 and oxidative stress. Treatment of wild-type cells with the histone acetyltransferase inhibitor garcinol mimics cellular effects of the gcn5Δ mutation. Gcn5 regulates the expression of many genes that are important in responding to the specific environmental conditions encountered by C. neoformans inside the host. Accordingly, the gcn5Δ mutant is avirulent in animal models of cryptococcosis. Our study demonstrates the importance of chromatin remodeling by the conserved histone acetyltransferase Gcn5 in regulating the expression of specific genes that allow C. neoformans to respond appropriately to the human host.
2010-09-04 | GSE23948 | GEO