Silencing of Sporothrix schenckii GP70 Reveals Its Contribution to Fungal Adhesion, Virulence, and the Host-Fungus Interaction.

Sporothrix schenckii is one of the etiological agents of sporotrichosis, a cutaneous and subcutaneous infection distributed worldwide. Like other medically relevant fungi, its cell wall is a molecular scaffold to display virulence factors, such as protective pigments, hydrolytic enzymes, and adhesins. Cell wall proteins with adhesive properties have been previously reported, but only a handful of them have been identified and characterized. One of them is Gp70, an abundant cell wall protein mainly found on the surface of yeast-like cells. Since the protein also has a role in the activity of 3-carboxy-cis,cis-muconate cyclase and its abundance is low in highly virulent strains, its role in the Sporothrix-host interaction remains unclear. Here, a set of GP70-silenced strains was generated, and the molecular and phenotypical characterization was performed. The results showed that mutants with high silencing levels showed a significant reduction in the adhesion to laminin and fibrinogen, enzyme activity, and defects in the cell wall composition, which included reduced mannose, rhamnose, and protein content, accompanied by an increment in ß-1,3-glucans levels. The cell wall N-linked glycan content was significantly reduced. These strains induced poor TNFα and IL-6 levels when interacting with human peripheral blood mononuclear cells in a dectin-1-, TLR2-, and TLR4-dependent stimulation. The IL-1ß and IL-10 levels were significantly higher and were stimulated via dectin-1. Phagocytosis and stimulation of neutrophil extracellular traps by human granulocytes were increased in highly GP70-silenced strains. Furthermore, these mutants showed virulence attenuation in the invertebrate model Galleria mellonella. Our results demonstrate that Gp70 is a versatile protein with adhesin properties, is responsible for the activity of 3-carboxy-cis,cis-muconate cyclase, and is relevant for the S. schenckii-host interaction.

Silencing of ROT2, the Encoding Gene of the Endoplasmic Reticulum Glucosidase II, Affects the Cell Wall and the Sporothrix schenckii-Host Interaction.

Sporothrix schenckii is a member of the Sporothrix pathogenic clade and one of the most common etiological agents of sporotrichosis, a subcutaneous fungal infection that affects both animal and human beings. Like other fungal pathogens, the Sporothrix cell wall is composed of structural polysaccharides and glycoproteins that are covalently modified with both N-linked and O-linked glycans. Thus far, little is known about the N-linked glycosylation pathway in this organism or its contribution to cell wall composition and interaction with the host. Here, we silenced ROT2, which encodes the catalytic subunit of the endoplasmic reticulum α-glucosidase II, a processing enzyme key for the N-linked glycan core processing. Silencing of ROT2 led to the accumulation of the Glc2Man9GlcNAC2 glycan core at the cell wall and a reduction in the total content of N-linked glycans found in the wall. However, the highly silenced mutants showed a compensatory mechanism with increased content of cell wall O-linked glycans. The phenotype of mutants with intermediate levels of ROT2 silencing was more informative, as they showed changes in the cell wall composition and exposure of ß-1.3-glucans and chitin at the cell surface. Furthermore, the ability to stimulate cytokine production by human mononuclear cells was affected, along with the phagocytosis by human monocyte-derived macrophages, in a mannose receptor-, complement receptor 3-, and TLR4-dependent stimulation. In an insect model of experimental sporotrichosis, these mutant cells showed virulence attenuation. In conclusion, S. schenckii ROT2 is required for proper N-linked glycosylation, cell wall organization and composition, and interaction with the host.

Disruption of protein rhamnosylation affects the Sporothrix schenckii-host interaction.

Sporotrichosis is a fungal disease caused by the members of the Sporothrix pathogenic clade, and one of the etiological agents is Sporothrix schenckii. The cell wall of this organism has been previously analyzed and thus far is known to contain an inner layer composed of chitin and ß -glucans, and an outer layer of glycoproteins, which are decorated with mannose and rhamnose-containing oligosaccharides. The L-rhamnose biosynthesis pathway is common in bacteria but rare in members of the Fungi kingdom. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to disrupt this metabolic route to assess the contribution of rhamnose during the S. schenckii-host interaction. We identified and silenced in S. schenckii a functional ortholog of the bacterial rmlD gene, which encodes for an essential reductase for the synthesis of nucleotide-activated L-rhamnose. RmlD silencing did not affect fungal growth or morphology but decreased cell wall rhamnose content. Compensatory, the ß-1,3-glucan levels increased and were more exposed at the cell surface. Moreover, when incubated with human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, the RmlD silenced mutants differentially stimulated cytokine production when compared with the wild-type strain, reducing TNFα and IL-6 levels and increasing IL-1 ß and IL-10 production. Upon incubation with human monocyte-derived macrophages, the silenced strains were more efficiently phagocytosed than the wild-type strain. In both cases, our data suggest that rhamnose-based oligosaccharides are ligands that interact with TLR4. Finally, our findings showed that cell wall rhamnose is required for the S. schenckii virulence in the G. mellonella model of infection.

Influences of the Culturing Media in the Virulence and Cell Wall of Sporothrix schenckii, Sporothrix brasiliensis, and Sporothrix globosa.

Sporothrix schenckii, Sporothrix brasiliensis, and Sporothrix globosa are etiological agents of sporotrichosis, a human subcutaneous mycosis. Although the protocols to evaluate Sporothrix virulence in animal models are well described, the cell preparation before inoculation is not standardized, and several culturing media are used to grow yeast-like cells. Here, we found that carbon or nitrogen limitation during fungal cell preparation negatively impacted the ability of S. schenckii and S. brasiliensis to kill Galleria mellonella larvae, but not S. globosa. The fungal growth conditions associated with the short median survival of animals were accompanied by increased hemocyte countings, phenoloxidase activity, and cytotoxicity. The fungal growth under carbon or nitrogen limitation also affected the cell wall composition of both S. schenckii and S. brasiliensis and showed increased exposure of ß-1,3-glucan at the cell surface, while those growing conditions had a minimal impact on the S.globosa wall, which had higher levels of this polysaccharide exposed on the wall regardless of the culture condition. This polysaccharide exposure was linked to the increased ability of insect hemocytes to uptake fungal cells, suggesting that this is one of the mechanisms behind the lower virulence of S.globosa or cells from the other species grown in carbon or nitrogen limitation.

Early Virulence Predictors during the Candida Species-Galleria mellonella Interaction.

Fungal infections are a serious and increasing threat for human health, and one of the most frequent etiological agents for systemic mycoses is Candida spp. The gold standard to assess Candida virulence is the mouse model of systemic candidiasis, a restrictive, expensive, and time-consuming approach; therefore, invertebrate models have been proposed as alternatives. Galleria mellonella larvae have several traits that make them good candidates to study the fungal virulence. Here, we showed that a reduction in circulating hemocytes, increased melanin production, phenoloxidase, and lactate dehydrogenase activities were observed at 12 and 24 h postinoculation of highly virulent Candidatropicalis strains, while minimal changes in these parameters were observed in low-virulent strains. Similarly, the most virulent species Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, Candida auris, Candida parapsilosis, and Candida orthopsilosis have led to significant changes in those parameters; while the low virulent species Candida guilliermondii, Candida krusei, and Candida metapsilosis induced modest variations in these immunological and cytotoxicity parameters. Since changes in circulating hemocytes, melanin production, phenoloxidase and lactate dehydrogenase activities showed a correlation with the larval median survival rates at 12 and 24 h postinoculation, we proposed them as candidates for early virulence predictors in G. mellonella.

Silencing of OCH1 unveils the role of Sporothrix schenckii N-linked glycans during the host-fungus interaction.

BACKGROUND: Sporothrix schenckii is a neglected fungal pathogen for the human being and other mammals. In several fungal systems, Och1 is a Golgi α1,6-mannosyltransferase with a key function in the synthesis of N-linked glycans; which are important elements during the host-fungus interplay. The role of OCH1 in fungal virulence seems to be species-specific, being an essential component for Candida albicans virulence and dispensable during the interaction of Aspergillus fumigatus with the host. METHODS: Here, we silenced S. schenckii OCH1 and characterized the phenotype of the mutant strains. RESULTS: The mutant strains did not show defects in the cell or colony morphology, the growth rate or the ability to undergo dimorphism; but the cell wall changed in both composition and exposure of inner components at the surface. When interacting with human monocytes, the silenced strains had a reduced ability to stimulate TNFα and IL-6 but stimulated higher levels of IL-10. The interaction with human macrophages was also altered, with reduced numbers of silenced cells phagocytosed. These strains showed virulence attenuation in both Galleria mellonella and in the mouse model of sporotrichosis. Nonetheless, the cytokine levels in infected organs did not vary significantly when compared with the wild-type strain. CONCLUSION: Our data demonstrate that OCH1 silencing affects different aspects of the S. schenckii-host interaction.

Generation of Sporothrix schenckii mutants expressing the green fluorescent protein suitable for the study of host-fungus interactions.

Sporotrichosis is an infection caused by members of the Sporothrix genus, and among them, Sporothrix schenckii is one of the etiological agents. Both, the disease and the causative agent have gained interest in the recent years, because of the report of epidemic outbreaks, and the description of the disease transmission from animals to human beings. Despite the relevance of S. schenckii in the clinical field, there are basic aspects of its biology poorly explored. So far, Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation has been reported as an alternative for genetic manipulation of this fungal pathogen. Here, we report the optimization of the transformation method and used this to generate insertional mutants that express the green fluorescent protein in S. schenckii. We obtained five mutant strains that showed mitotic stability and expression of the reporter gene. The strains displayed normal cell wall composition, and a similar ability to interact ex vivo with human monocytes and monocyte-derived macrophages. Moreover, the virulence in larvae of Galleria mellonella was similar to that obtained with the wild-type control strains. These data indicate that these fluorescent mutants with normal ability to interact with the host could be used in bioimaging to track the host-Sporothrix interaction in vivo.

Functional characterization of the Sporothrix schenckii Ktr4 and Ktr5, mannosyltransferases involved in the N-linked glycosylation pathway.

Sporothrix schenckii is one of the causative agents of the deep-seated mycosis sporotrichosis, a fungal infection with worldwide distribution. Fungus-specific molecules and biosynthetic pathways are potential targets for the development of new antifungal drugs. The MNT1/KRE2 gene family is a group of genes that encode fungus-specific Golgi-resident mannosyltransferases that participate in the synthesis of O-linked and N-linked glycans. While this family is composed of five and nine members in Candida albicans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, respectively, the S. schenckii genome contains only three putative members. MNT1 has been previously characterized as an enzyme that participates in the synthesis of both N-linked and O-linked glycans. Here, we aimed to establish the functional role of the two remaining family members, KTR4 and KTR5, in the protein glycosylation pathways by using heterologous complementation in C. albicans mutants lacking genes of the MNT1/KRE2 family. The two S. schenckii genes restored defects in the elaboration of N-linked glycans, but no complementation of mutants that synthesize truncated O-linked glycans was observed. Therefore, our results suggest that MNT1 is the sole member with a role in O-linked glycan elaboration, whereas the three family members have redundant activity in the S. schenckii N-linked glycan synthesis.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae KTR4, KTR5 and KTR7 encode mannosyltransferases differentially involved in the N- and O-linked glycosylation pathways.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a model to understand basic aspects of protein glycosylation pathways. Although these metabolic routes have been thoroughly studied, there are still knowledge gaps; among them, the role of the MNT1/KRE2 gene family. This family is composed of nine members, with only six functionally characterized. The enzymes Ktr1, Ktr3, and Mnt1/Kre2 have overlapping activities in both O-linked and N-linked glycan synthesis; while Ktr2 and Yur1 participate exclusively in the elongation of the N-linked glycan outer chain. KTR6 encodes for a phosphomannosyltransferase that synthesizes the cell wall phosphomannan. Here, we aimed to establish the functional role of KTR4, KTR5 and KTR7 in the protein glycosylation pathways, by using heterologous complementation in Candida albicans null mutants lacking members of the MNT1/KRE2 gene family. The three S. cerevisiae genes restored defects in the C. albicans N-linked glycosylation pathway. KTR5 and KTR7 partially complemented a C. albicans null mutant with defects in the synthesis of O-linked glycans, and only KTR4 fully elongated the O-linked glycans like wild-type cells. Therefore, our results suggest that the three genes have a redundant activity in the S. cerevisiae N-linked glycosylation pathway, but KTR4 plays a major role in O-linked glycan synthesis.

Role of Protein Glycosylation in Candida parapsilosis Cell Wall Integrity and Host Interaction.

Candida parapsilosis is an important, emerging opportunistic fungal pathogen. Highly mannosylated fungal cell wall proteins are initial contact points with host immune systems. In Candida albicans, Och1 is a Golgi α1,6-mannosyltransferase that plays a key role in the elaboration of the N-linked mannan outer chain. Here, we disrupted C. parapsilosis OCH1 to gain insights into the contribution of N-linked mannosylation to cell fitness and to interactions with immune cells. Loss of Och1 in C. parapsilosis resulted in cellular aggregation, failure of morphogenesis, enhanced susceptibility to cell wall perturbing agents and defects in wall composition. We removed the cell wall O-linked mannans by ß-elimination, and assessed the relevance of mannans during interaction with human monocytes. Results indicated that O-linked mannans are important for IL-1ß stimulation in a dectin-1 and TLR4-dependent pathway; whereas both, N- and O-linked mannans are equally important ligands for TNFα and IL-6 stimulation, but neither is involved in IL-10 production. Furthermore, mice infected with C. parapsilosis och1Δ null mutant cells had significantly lower fungal burdens compared to wild-type (WT)-challenged counterparts. Therefore, our data are the first to demonstrate that C. parapsilosis N- and O-linked mannans have different roles in host interactions than those reported for C. albicans.

Functional characterization of Sporothrix schenckii glycosidases involved in the N-linked glycosylation pathway.

Protein glycosylation pathways are conserved metabolic processes in eukaryotic organisms and are required for cell fitness. In fungal pathogens, the N-linked glycosylation pathway is indispensable for proper cell wall composition and virulence. In Sporothrix schenckii sensu stricto, the causative agent of sporotrichosis, little is known about this glycosylation pathway. Here, using a genome-wide screening for putative members of the glycosyl hydrolase (CAZy - GH) families 47 and 63, which group enzymes involved in the processing step during N-linked glycan maturation, we found seven homologue genes belonging to family 47 and one to family 63. The eight genes were individually expressed in C. albicans null mutants lacking either MNS1 (for members of family 47) or CWH41 (for the member of family 63). Our results indicate that SsCWH41 is the functional ortholog of CaCWH41, whereas SsMNS1 is the functional ortholog of CaMNS1. The remaining genes of family 47 encode Golgi mannosidases and endoplasmic reticulum degradation-enhancing alpha-mannosidase-like proteins (EDEMs). Since these GH families gather proteins used as target for drugs to control cell growth, identification of these genes could help in the design of antifungals that could be used to treat sporotrichosis and other fungal diseases. In addition, to our knowledge, we are the first to report that Golgi mannosidases and EDEMs are expressed and characterized in yeast cells.