Project description:Fungal keratitis (FK) is a blinding eye disease with a high incidence in the world. At present, there is no effective treatment for this disease. At the same time, we found that animal organisms have inherent immune response mechanisms to fungal infections such as C-type lectin receptors (CLRs), which can identify fungal invaders and trigger signal transduction pathways and cellular responses to eliminate pathogens. However, previous studies mostly focused on single receptor factors, lacking a systematic analysis of the genetic factors underlying the pathogenesis of FK. Herein,we performed a transcriptomic study of FK in mice model using RNA sequencing to obtain the relevant gene expression profiles and screen the differentially expressed gene sets, signaling pathways and regulatory networks of key genetic factors in the pathogenesis of FK in mice. As a result, several marker genes of FK were identified such as Il1b and Wnt5a. Wnt signaling pathway, cGMP-PKG signaling pathway and Hippo signaling pathway were significantly enriched during fungal infection in mice cornea. In conclusion, our study may provide a novel insights into the pathogenesis of FK as well as more target sites for its drug treatment.

2021-04-24 | E-MTAB-7907 | biostudies-arrayexpress

Ustilago maydis PR-1-like protein has evolved two distinct domains for dual virulence activities

Project description:Diversification of effector function, driven by a co-evolutionary arms race, enables pathogens to establish compatible interactions with their hosts. Structurally conserved plant pathogenesis-related PR-1 and PR-1-like (PR-1L) proteins are involved in plant defense and fungal virulence, respectively. It is unclear how fungal PR-1L counteracts plant defense. Here, we show that Ustilago maydis UmPR-1La and yeast ScPRY1 with conserved phenolic detoxification functions are Ser/Thr-rich region-mediated cell-surface localization proteins. However, UmPR-1La has gained additional specialized activity in eliciting hyphal-like formation, suggesting that U. maydis deploys UmPR-1La to sense phenolics and direct their growth in plants. U. maydis also hijacks plant cathepsin B-like 3 (CatB3) to release functional CAPE-like peptides after cleaving a conserved CNYD motif of UmPR-1La to subvert plant immunity for promoting fungal virulence. Surprisingly, CatB3 avoids cleavage of plant PR-1s, despite the presence of the same conserved CNYD motif. Our work highlights that UmPR-1La has acquired additional dual roles to suppress plant defense and sustain the infection process of fungal pathogens.

2024-03-22 | PXD041022 | JPOST Repository

Human Corneal microRNA Expression Profile in Fungal Keratitis

Project description:MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, stable non-coding RNA molecules with regulatory function and marked tissue specificity that post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression, however their role in fungal keratitis remain unknown. Our purpose was to identify the miRNAs in human cornea from fungal keratitis patients and understand their key role in regulation of pathogenesis. Corneal samples from normal cadaver (n=3) and fungal keratitis (n=5) patients were pooled separately and total RNA was extracted. Deep sequencing was done using Illumina HiSeq1000 platform to identify miRNA profile. We identified seventy five differentially expressed miRNAs in fungal keratitis corneas. Select miRNAs were validated by real-time RT-PCR (Q-PCR). We predicted their role in regulating target genes in several pathways by combining miRNA target genes and pathway analysis, and mRNA expression of select target genes were further analysed by Q-PCR. MiR-21-5p, miR-223-3p, miR-146b-5p, miR-155-5p, miR-511-5p were found to be involved in inflammatory and immune responses, regulating Toll like receptor signaling pathways, which is of particular interest. MiR-451a with an increased expression in keratitis may have a role in wound healing by targeting Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF). Further, we highlighted that Neurotrophin signaling pathway may play a role in wound healing process. One novel miRNA was also detected in cornea. In conclusion, several miRNAs with high expression in fungal keratitis corneas point towards their role in regulation of pathogenesis. Further insights in understanding miRNAs role in wound healing and inflammation may help design new therapeutic strategies.

2016-07-28 | GSE64843 | GEO

Whole genome sequence for S. cerevisiae isolates.

Project description:Aim of this project is to identify biomarkers associated with fungal persistence in the host and genomic variability among strains isolated from different environments.

2016-04-30 | E-SYBR-8 | biostudies-arrayexpress

Human Corneal microRNA Expression Profile in Fungal Keratitis

2016-07-28 | E-GEOD-64843 | biostudies-arrayexpress