Filamentation is Associated with Reduced Pathogenicity of Multiple Non-albicans Candida Species
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
PROVIDER: PRJNA554699 | ENA |
REPOSITORIES: ENA
Dataset's files
| Action | DRS | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SRR9689960_1.fastq.gz | Fastqsanger.gz | |||
| SRR9689960_2.fastq.gz | Fastqsanger.gz | |||
| SRR9689961_1.fastq.gz | Fastqsanger.gz | |||
| SRR9689961_2.fastq.gz | Fastqsanger.gz | |||
| SRR9689962_1.fastq.gz | Fastqsanger.gz |
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Project description:Candidiasis affects a wide variety of immunocompromised individuals, including HIV/AIDS patients and cancer patients on chemotherapy. Candida albicans, a major human fungal pathogen, accounts for about 50% of all cases, while the remainder are caused by the less pathogenic non-albicans Candida species (NACS). These species are believed to be less pathogenic, in part, because they do not filament as readily or robustly as C. albicans, although definitive evidence is lacking. To address this question, we used strains for two NACS, Candida tropicalis and Candida parapsilosis, that are genetically engineered to constitutively express the key transcriptional regulator UME6 and drive strong filamentation both in vitro and during infection in vivo. Unexpectedly, both strains showed a dramatic reduction in organ fungal burden and clearance of infection in response to UME6 expression. Consistent with these findings, we observed that a C. tropicalis hyperfilamentous mutant was significantly reduced and a filamentation-defective mutant was slightly increased for organ fungal burden. Comprehensive immune profiling did not reveal any significant changes in the host immune response to UME6 expression in the NACS. Interestingly, however, whole-genome transcriptional profiling indicated that while genes important for filamentation were induced by UME6 expression in C. tropicalis and C. parapsilosis, other genes involved in a variety of processes important for pathogenesis were strongly down-regulated. Our findings are significant because they suggest fundamental evolutionary differences in the relationship between morphology and pathogenicity among Candida species and that NACS do not necessarily possess the same virulence properties as C. albicans.
2019-10-01 | GSE134321 | GEO
Project description:Following antifungal treatment, Candida albicans, and other human pathogenic fungi can undergo microevolution, which leads to the emergence of drug resistance. However, the capacity for microevolutionary adaptation of fungi goes beyond the development of drug resistance. Here we used an experimental microevolution approach to show that one of the central pathogenicity mechanisms of C. albicans, the yeast-to-hyphae transition, can be subject to experimental evolution. The C. albicans cph1Δ/efg1Δ mutant is non-filamentous, as central signalling pathways linking environmental cues to hypha formation are disrupted. We subjected this mutant to constant selection pressure in the hostile environment of the macrophage phagosome. In a comparatively short time-frame, the mutant evolved the ability to escape macrophages by filamentation. To investigate the transcriptional response underlying the yeast-to-filament transition in the evolved strain, we applied RNA-Seq technology. Furthermore, RNA-Seq data were used to identify SNPs, which are specific for the evolved strain.
2015-03-31 | GSE56174 | GEO
Project description:The ability of the human pathogenic fungus Candida albicans to switch between yeast-like and filamentous forms of growth has long been linked to pathogenesis. Numerous environmental conditions, including growth at high temperatures, nutrient limitation, and exposure to serum, can trigger this morphological switch and are frequently used in in vitro models to identify genes with roles in filamentation. Previous work has suggested that differences exist between the various in vitro models both in the genetic requirements for filamentation and transcriptional responses to distinct filamentation-inducing media. We compared 10 in vitro models for filamentation and found broad genetic and transcriptomic differences between model systems. Methods: Total RNA was extracted from yeast or filamentous cells grown in liquid media or on solid plates. Samples were tested in biological triplicates. RNASeq libraries were generated beginning with 1.8 ng of total RNA following standardized protocols with the TruSeq RNA v2 kit (Illumina, San Diego). Libraries were diluted to a concentration of 6.0 picomoles and sequenced on a HiSeq2500 and 100 bp single reads were generated. Two lanes were used for each sample.
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Project description:The yeast-filament transition is essential for the virulence of a variety of fungi that are pathogenic to humans. N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), a ubiquitous molecule in both the environment and host, is one of the most potent inducers of filamentation in Candida albicans and thermally dimorphic fungi such as Histoplasma capsulatum and Blastomyces dermatitidis. However, GlcNAc suppresses rather than promotes filamentation in Candida tropicalis, a fungal species that is closely related to C. albicans. Furthermore, we discover that glucose induces filamentous growth in C. tropicalis. Mutation and overexpression assays demonstrate that the conserved cAMP signaling pathway plays a central role in the regulation of filamentation in C. tropicalis. Activation of this pathway promotes filamentation in C. tropicalis, while inactivation of this pathway results in a serious growth defect in filamentation. By screening an overexpression library of 154 transcription factors, we have identified approximately 40 regulators of filamentous growth in C. tropicalis. Although most of the regulators (e.g., Tec1, Gat2, Nrg1, Sfl1, Sfl2, and Ash1) demonstrate a conserved role in the regulation of filamentation, similar to their homologs in C. albicans or S. cerevisiae, some of them are specific to C. tropicalis. For example, Czf1 and Efh1 repress filamentation, while Wor1, Zcf3, and Hcm1 promote filamentation in C. tropicalis. Bcr1, Aaf1, and Csr1 play a specific role in the process of GlcNAc-regulated filamentation. Our findings indicate that multiple interconnected signaling pathways are involved in the regulation of filamentation in C. tropicalis. These mechanisms have conserved and divergent features among different Candida species.
2016-07-01 | GSE73340 | GEO
Project description:Following antifungal treatment, Candida albicans, and other human pathogenic fungi can undergo microevolution, which leads to the emergence of drug resistance. However, the capacity for microevolutionary adaptation of fungi goes beyond the development of drug resistance. Here we used an experimental microevolution approach to show that one of the central pathogenicity mechanisms of C. albicans, the yeast-to-hyphae transition, can be subject to experimental evolution. The C. albicans cph1?/efg1? mutant is non-filamentous, as central signalling pathways linking environmental cues to hypha formation are disrupted. We subjected this mutant to constant selection pressure in the hostile environment of the macrophage phagosome. In a comparatively short time-frame, the mutant evolved the ability to escape macrophages by filamentation. To investigate the transcriptional response underlying the yeast-to-filament transition in the evolved strain, we applied RNA-Seq technology. Furthermore, RNA-Seq data were used to identify SNPs, which are specific for the evolved strain. For both strains, the cph1?/efg1? mutant and the Evo-strain, two conditions, one promotes yeast growth the other filamentous growth, were investigated. For each condition three biological replicates were analysed.
2015-03-31 | E-GEOD-56174 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:The yeast-filament transition is essential for the virulence of a variety of fungi that are pathogenic to humans. N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), a ubiquitous molecule in both the environment and host, is one of the most potent inducers of filamentation in Candida albicans and thermally dimorphic fungi such as Histoplasma capsulatum and Blastomyces dermatitidis. However, GlcNAc suppresses rather than promotes filamentation in Candida tropicalis, a fungal species that is closely related to C. albicans. Furthermore, we discover that glucose induces filamentous growth in C. tropicalis. Mutation and overexpression assays demonstrate that the conserved cAMP signaling pathway plays a central role in the regulation of filamentation in C. tropicalis. Activation of this pathway promotes filamentation in C. tropicalis, while inactivation of this pathway results in a serious growth defect in filamentation. By screening an overexpression library of 154 transcription factors, we have identified approximately 40 regulators of filamentous growth in C. tropicalis. Although most of the regulators (e.g., Tec1, Gat2, Nrg1, Sfl1, Sfl2, and Ash1) demonstrate a conserved role in the regulation of filamentation, similar to their homologs in C. albicans or S. cerevisiae, some of them are specific to C. tropicalis. For example, Czf1 and Efh1 repress filamentation, while Wor1, Zcf3, and Hcm1 promote filamentation in C. tropicalis. Bcr1, Aaf1, and Csr1 play a specific role in the process of GlcNAc-regulated filamentation. Our findings indicate that multiple interconnected signaling pathways are involved in the regulation of filamentation in C. tropicalis. These mechanisms have conserved and divergent features among different Candida species. Total RNA profiles of cells grown in Lee's glucose or Lee's GlcNAc medium.
2016-07-01 | E-GEOD-73340 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:The opportunistic pathogenic fungus Candida albicans can cause devastating infections in severely compromised patients. Its ability to undergo a morphogenetic transition from yeast to filamentous forms allows it to penetrate tissues and cause damage, and the expression of a number of pathogenetic mechanisms are also coordinately regulated with this yeast-to-hyphae conversion. Therefore, it is widely considered that filamentation represents one of the main virulence factors of C. albicans. We have previously identified N-[3-(allyloxy)-phenyl]-4-methoxybenzamide (compound 9029936) as the lead compound in a series of small molecule inhibitors of C. albicans filamentation, and characterized its activity, both in vitro and in vivo, as a promising candidate for the development of alternative anti-virulence strategies for the treatment of C. albicans infections. Here we have performed RNA sequencing analysis of samples obtained from C. albicans cells grown under filament-inducing conditions in the presence or absence of this compound. Overall treatment with compound 9029936 resulted in 618 up-regulated and 702 down-regulated genes. Not surprisingly some of the top down-regulated genes included well characterized genes associated with filamentation and virulence such as SAP5, ECE1 (candidalysin), and ALS3, as well as genes that impact metal chelation and utilization. Gene ontology analysis revealed an over-representation of cell adhesion, iron transport, filamentation, biofilm formation, and pathogenesis processes among down-regulated genes as result of treatment with this leading compound. Interestingly, the top up-regulated genes pointed to an enhancement of vesicular transport pathways, and in particular SNARE interactions.
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Project description:At human body temperature, the fungal pathogen Candida albicans can transition from yeast to filamentous morphologies in response to host-relevant cues. Additionally, elevated temperatures encountered during febrile episodes can independently induce C. albicans filamentation. However, the underlying genetic pathways governing this developmental transition in response to elevated temperature remain largely unexplored. Here, we conducted a functional genomic screen to unravel the genetic mechanisms orchestrating C. albicans filamentation specifically in response to elevated temperature, implicating 45% of genes associated with the spliceosome or pre-mRNA splicing in this process. Employing RNA-Seq to elucidate the relationship between mRNA splicing and filamentation, we identified greater levels of intron retention in filaments compared to yeast, which correlated with reduced expression of the affected genes. Intriguingly, homozygous deletion of a gene encoding a spliceosome component important for filamentation (PRP19) caused even greater levels of intron retention compared with wild-type and globally dysregulated gene expression. This suggests that intron retention is a mechanism for fine-tuning gene expression during filamentation, with perturbations of the spliceosome exacerbating this process and blocking filamentation. Overall, this study unveils a novel biological process governing C. albicans filamentation, providing new insights into the complex regulation of this key virulence trait.
2024-05-28 | GSE262764 | GEO
Project description:Clinical isolates of the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans show significant variation in their ability to undergo in vitro filamentation. In this study, we show that Nrg1, a key repressor of filamentation and filament specific gene expression in standard laboratory strain, has strain dependent functions, especially during infection.
2024-01-20 | GSE253732 | GEO
Project description:The ability of the fungus Candida albicans to filament and form biofilms contributes to its burden as a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections. Biofilm development involves an interconnected transcriptional regulatory network (TRN) consisting of nine transcription factors (TFs) that bind both to their own regulatory regions and to those of the other network TFs. Here, we show that seven of the nine TFs in the C. albicans biofilm network contain prion-like domains (PrLDs) that have been linked to the ability to form phase-separated condensates. Construction of PrLD mutants in four biofilm TFs reveals that these domains are essential for filamentation and biofilm formation in C. albicans. Moreover, biofilm PrLDs promote the formation of phase-separated condensates in the nuclei of live cells, and PrLD mutations that abolish phase separation (such as the removal of aromatic residues) also prevent biofilm formation. Biofilm TF condensates can selectively recruit other TFs through PrLD-PrLD interactions and can co-recruit RNA polymerase II, implicating condensate formation in the assembly of active transcriptional complexes. Finally, we show that PrLD mutations that block the phase separation of biofilm TFs also prevent filamentation in an in vivo model of gastrointestinal colonization. Together, these studies associate transcriptional condensates with the regulation of filamentation and biofilm formation in C. albicans, and highlight how targeting of PrLD-PrLD interactions could prevent pathogenesis by this species.
2023-11-20 | GSE245897 | GEO