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The transcriptional response of Cryptococcus neoformans to ingestion by Acanthamoeba castellanii and murine macrophages

ABSTRACT: Virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans for mammals was proposed to emerge from evolutionary pressures on its natural environment by protozoan predators, which selected for strategies that allow survival within macrophages. In fact, Acanthamoeba castellanii ingests yeast cells, which then replicate intracellularly. In addition, most fungal factors needed to establish infection in the mammalian host are also important for survival within the amoeba. To better understand the origin of C. neoformans virulence, we compared the transcriptional profile of yeast cells internalized by amoebae and murine macrophages after 6 h of infection. Our results showed 656 and 293 genes whose expression changed at least two-fold in response to the intracellular environments of amoebae and macrophages, respectively. Among the genes common to both groups, we focused on the ORF CNAG_05662, which was potentially related to sugar transport. We constructed a mutant strain and evaluated its ability to grow on various carbon sources. The results showed that this gene, named PTP1 (Polyol Transporter Protein 1), is involved in the transport of 5- and 6-carbon polyols but its absence had no effect on virulence. Overall, our results are consistent with the hypothesis that mammalian virulence originated from fungal-protozoal interactions and provide a better understanding of how C. neoformans adapts to the mammalian host.

ORGANISM(S): Cryptococcus neoformans

PROVIDER: GSE45027 | GEO | 2013/03/14

SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA192974

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:The interaction of Cryptococcus neoformans with phagocytic cells of the innate immune system is a key step in disseminated disease leading to meningoencephalitis in immunocompromised individuals. Transcriptional profiling of cryptococcal cells harvested from cell culture medium or from macrophages found differential expression of metabolic and other functions during fungal adaptation to the intracellular environment by SAGE analysis. We focused on the ACL1 gene for ATP-citrate lyase, which converts citrate to acetyl-CoA, because this gene showed elevated transcript levels in macrophages and because of the importance of acetyl-CoA as a central metabolite. Mutants lacking ACL1 showed delayed growth on medium containing glucose, reduced cellular levels of acetyl-CoA, defective production of virulence factors, increased susceptibility to the antifungal drug fluconazole and decreased survival within macrophages. Importantly, acl1 mutants were unabl e to cause disease in a murine inhalation model, a phenotype that was more extreme than other mutants with defects in acetyl-CoA production (e.g., an acetyl-CoA synthetase mutant). Loss of virulence is likely due to perturbation of critical physiological interconnections between virulence factor expression and metabolism in C. neoformans. Phylogenetic analysis and structural modeling of cryptococcal Acl1 identified three indels unique to fungal protein sequences; these differences may provide opportunities for the development of pathogen-specific inhibitors. SAGE analysis of C. neoformans cells isolated from macrophages The murine macrophage-like cell line J774A.1 was maintained at 37°C in 10% CO2 in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated fetal calf serum (FBS), 1% nonessential amino acids, 100 µg mL-1 penicillin-streptomycin, and 4 mM L-glutamine (Invitrogen). Cryptococcus cells were opsonized with monoclonal antibody 18B7 against capsule (1 µg mL-1), and macrophages were treated with recombinant mouse gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) (50 U mL-1) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (0.3 µg mL-1) prior to co-incubation at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 1:1. Macrophages were inoculated with H99 cells and washed after 1 h of inoculation to remove unattached, extracellular fungal cells. After 6 h of incubation, sterile, ice-cold distilled H2O was applied to each well to lyse the macrophages, and the fungal cells (4 x 107) were harvested by centrifugation. H99 control cells were prepared by growth under the same condition but without macrophages, and 108 cell s were harvested.