Project description:The enslavement of foreign organelles by protists for metabolic gain is a common phenomenon within aquatic ecosystems. Ciliates belonging to the Mesodinium rubrum species complex are unique in that they also steal a transcriptionally active prey nucleus, the kleptokaryon, from certain cryptophytes, enabling control and replication of stolen plastids and other organelles. Here we show that kleptokaryon-containing M. rubrum undergo the process of photoacclimation, changing pigment concentrations in response to light in a manner similar to their cryptophyte prey, Geminigera cryophila. The proteome and transcriptome of the G. cryophila nucleus were analyzed in M. rubrum (i.e. kleptokaryon) and in the free-living cryptophyte under changing light conditions.
Project description:Purpose: The dermatophyte Trichophyton rubrum is an anthropophilic filamentous fungus that infects keratinized tissues and is the most common etiologic agent isolated in cases of human dermatophytoses. To better understand the molecular effects of stress responses and fungal adaptability, we evaluated the effects of acriflavine, a cytoxic drug, on T. rubrum transcriptome in a time-course assay using high-throughput RNA-seq technology. Results: RNA-seq generated approximately 200 million short reads that were mapped to the Broad Institute’s Dermatophyte Comparative Database before differential gene expression analysis. A subset of 490 genes modulated in response to stress caused T. rubrum exposure to acriflavine were identified. These genes are involved in various cellular processes such as oxidation-reduction reactions, transmembrane transport, metal ion binding, and pathogenicity. The genes involved in pathogenicity were down-regulated, suggesting that this drug interferes with virulence factors that allow the establishment and maintenance of host infection. Conclusion: The results obtained in this large-scale analysis provide insights into the molecular events underlying the stress responses of T. rubrum Acriflavine.
