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2.
J Fungi (Basel) ; 8(7)2022 Jul 08.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35887473

ABSTRACT

Conditions altering the yeast cell wall lead to the activation of an adaptive transcriptional response mainly governed by the cell wall integrity (CWI) mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. Two high-throughput screenings were developed using the yTHC collection of yeast conditional mutant strains to systematically identify essential genes related to cell wall integrity, and those required for the transcriptional program elicited by cell wall stress. Depleted expression of 52 essential genes resulted in hypersensitivity to the dye Calcofluor white, with chromatin organization, Golgi vesicle transport, rRNA processing, and protein glycosylation processes, as the most highly representative functional groups. Via a flow cytometry-based quantitative assay using a CWI reporter plasmid, 97 strains exhibiting reduced gene-reporter expression levels upon stress were uncovered, highlighting genes associated with RNA metabolism, transcription/translation, protein degradation, and chromatin organization. This screening also led to the discovery of 41 strains displaying a basal increase in CWI-associated gene expression, including mainly putative cell wall-related genes. Interestingly, several members of the RSC chromatin remodelling complex were uncovered in both screenings. Notably, Rsc9 was necessary to regulate the gene expression of CWI-related genes both under stress and non-stress conditions, suggesting distinct requirements of the RSC complex for remodelling particular genes.

3.
FASEB J ; 35(9): e21778, 2021 09.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34383971

ABSTRACT

As a result of the relatively few available antifungals and the increasing frequency of resistance to them, the development of novel antifungals is increasingly important. The plant natural product poacic acid (PA) inhibits ß-1,3-glucan synthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and has antifungal activity against a wide range of plant pathogens. However, the mode of action of PA is unclear. Here, we reveal that PA specifically binds to ß-1,3-glucan, its affinity for which is ~30-fold that for chitin. Besides its effect on ß-1,3-glucan synthase activity, PA inhibited the yeast glucan-elongating activity of Gas1 and Gas2 and the chitin-glucan transglycosylase activity of Crh1. Regarding the cellular response to PA, transcriptional co-regulation was mediated by parallel activation of the cell-wall integrity (CWI) and high-osmolarity glycerol signaling pathways. Despite targeting ß-1,3-glucan remodeling, the transcriptional profiles and regulatory circuits activated by caspofungin, zymolyase, and PA differed, indicating that their effects on CWI have different mechanisms. The effects of PA on the growth of yeast strains indicated that it has a mode of action distinct from that of echinocandins, suggesting it is a unique antifungal agent.


Subject(s)
Antifungal Agents/pharmacology , Cell Wall/drug effects , Coumaric Acids/pharmacology , Glycerol/metabolism , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/drug effects , Stilbenes/pharmacology , Transcription, Genetic/drug effects , beta-Glucans/pharmacology , Caspofungin/pharmacology , Cell Wall/genetics , Cell Wall/metabolism , Chitin/pharmacology , Echinocandins/pharmacology , Fungal Proteins/genetics , Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal/drug effects , Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal/genetics , Osmolar Concentration , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genetics , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/metabolism , Signal Transduction/drug effects , Signal Transduction/genetics , Transcription, Genetic/genetics
4.
Int Microbiol ; 24(4): 649-655, 2021 Nov.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34331164

ABSTRACT

It has been 75 years since a group of pioneers founded the Spanish Society of Microbiology (SEM). Among them were, in addition to university professors and research scientists, microbiology practitioners from clinical laboratories, public health, and industry. This account describes the trajectory of the SEM, as a focal point of cooperation for the development of Microbiology in Spain during the more than seven decades of its existence. The efforts of its members resulted in everything from promoting a scientific environment to leadership of some of the activities of the Federation of European Microbiological Societies (FEMS). My interest was to frame the development of Microbiology in Spain in the context of the continuous advances of microbial studies in the world. Indeed, since the 1940s, description of and experimentation with microbial species has provided a deep understanding. Furthermore, it has furnished model systems used to establish basic concepts in Life Sciences, as well as the most appropriate technological instruments for the advancement of Omics, Systems Biology, and Synthetic Biology. Those who 75 years ago dreamed of the progress of our discipline in Spain perhaps did not imagine that the Spanish microbiologist Francisco Mojica would contribute to essential knowledge, making the acronym "CRISPR" the most used across the world of Life Sciences and Biomedicine.


Subject(s)
Laboratories, Clinical , Societies, Scientific , Humans , Microbiology , Spain
5.
Sci Rep ; 9(1): 16650, 2019 Nov 07.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31695129

ABSTRACT

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

7.
Sci Rep ; 9(1): 3186, 2019 02 28.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30816278

ABSTRACT

Post-transcriptional control of mRNA is a key event in the regulation of gene expression. From yeast to human cells, P-bodies are cytoplasmic RNA-protein aggregates that play an essential role in this process, particularly under stress conditions. In this work, we show that in the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell wall stress induces the formation of these structures. This effect is dependent on multiple elements in the Cell Wall Integrity (CWI) MAPK signalling pathway, a signal transduction cascade responsible for the maintenance of cell integrity under adverse environmental conditions. Remarkably, P-body assembly requires the catalytic activity of the MAPK of the pathway, Slt2/Mpk1. In accordance with the control exerted by this signalling pathway, the timing of P-body formation is similar to that of the activation of the CWI pathway. Noticeably, mRNAs whose expression is regulated by this pathway localize in P-bodies after the cell is exposed to stress following a temporal pattern coincident with CWI pathway activation. Moreover, when these mRNAs are overexpressed in a mutant background unable to form visible P-bodies, the cells show hypersensitivity to agents that interfere with cell wall integrity, supporting that they play a role in the mRNA lifecycle under stress conditions.


Subject(s)
Cell Wall/genetics , Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/genetics , Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins/genetics , Stress, Physiological/genetics , Cell Wall/metabolism , Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal/genetics , MAP Kinase Signaling System/genetics , Phosphorylation/genetics , RNA, Messenger/genetics , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genetics , Transcriptional Activation/genetics
8.
Biochim Biophys Acta Gene Regul Mech ; 1861(11): 1029-1039, 2018 11.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30343693

ABSTRACT

The regulation of gene expression through the cell wall integrity (CWI) pathway in yeast is mainly coordinated by the MAPK Slt2 and the transcription factor Rlm1. In this work, we elucidate a new role for Slt2 as a part of the transcriptional activation machinery that regulates CWI gene expression in response to cell wall stress. We show that Slt2 is recruited to promoters and coding regions of CWI Rlm1-dependent genes in response to stress. This phenomenon is dependent both on the activation of the MAPK and its kinase activity. Slt2 binding is also dependent on Rlm1 and SWI/SNF and SAGA complexes. During the initial steps of transcription, the catalytic activity of Slt2 on Rlm1 is critical for the binding of the activator to promoters in response to stress. In addition, Slt2 itself acts as a transactivator, as it is able to induce the transcription of CWI responsive genes when it is bound to promoters through the Rlm1 binding domain independently of its catalytic activity. Slt2 interacts with RNA Pol II in a Rlm1-dependent manner to provide further support to a role of this MAPK as an integral component of the transcriptional complexes under cell wall stress. Selective recruitment and progression of the complex Slt2-RNA Pol II from the promoters to the coding regions of Rlm1-dependent genes does not rely on Paf1, suggesting a different mechanism from that which is exerted by Slt2 on the Swi4/Swi6 (SBF)-regulated genes.


Subject(s)
Cell Wall/physiology , Chromatin/physiology , MADS Domain Proteins/physiology , Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/physiology , Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins/physiology , Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal , Stress, Physiological , Transcriptional Activation
9.
Curr Top Med Chem ; 18(16): 1375-1392, 2018.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30360714

ABSTRACT

Invasive Candidiasis (IC) poses a major public health problem worldwide. Despite the introduction of new antifungal agents and changes in clinical practices, its morbidity and mortality rates and healthcare costs remain persistently high. This is mainly because of the serious underlying conditions of infected patients (critically ill or severely immunocompromised patients) and the difficulties encountered in early diagnosing this opportunistic mycosis and initiating prompt and appropriate antifungal therapy. In the light of this great clinical challenge, the past decades have witnessed the development of diverse early detection and therapeutic intervention strategies aimed at minimizing the clinical impact and economic burden of this healthcare-associated infection caused by Candida species. Here, we review the currently available methods for IC diagnosis. These encompass (i) gold standard methods (fungal culture and tissue histopathology), (ii) pathogen-derived biomarker detection tests (PCR, protein antigens, mannan, ß-D-glucan and D-arabinitol-based assays), (iii) host-derived biomarker detection tests (Candida albicans germ tube antibodies or CAGTA, anti-mannan antibodies, other infection-specific antibodies, procalcitonin, serum amyloid A, interleukin 17, interleukin 23 and transforming growth factor ß-based assays), (iv) clinical prediction algorithms (Candida score, Candida colonization index and other prediction rules), and (v) leading-edge molecular, proteomic and immunomic technologies (such as peptide nucleic acid-fluorescent in situ hybridization or PNA-FISH, T2 magnetic resonance or T2Candida assay, and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry or MALDI-TOF MS, among others). Their strengths, utility, limitations as well as combined use to assist in the diagnosis of this life-threatening and costly fungal infection (including candidemia and deepseated candidiasis) are also discussed.


Subject(s)
Candidiasis, Invasive/diagnosis , Algorithms , Antifungal Agents/therapeutic use , Biomarkers/analysis , Candidiasis, Invasive/drug therapy , Humans
10.
Sci Rep ; 7(1): 5703, 2017 07 18.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28720901

ABSTRACT

Fungal cells trigger adaptive mechanisms to survive in situations that compromise cell wall integrity. We show here that the global transcriptional response elicited by inhibition of the synthesis of ß-1,3-glucan by caspofungin, encompasses a set of genes that are dependent on Slt2, the MAPK of the Cell Wall Integrity (CWI) pathway, and a broad group of genes regulated independently of Slt2. Genes negatively regulated by the cyclic AMP/Protein Kinase A (PKA) signaling pathway were overrepresented in the latter group. Moreover, cell wall stress mediated by inhibition of ß-1,3-glucan synthesis, but not by other cell wall interfering compounds, negatively regulated PKA signaling as indicated by the nuclear localisation of Msn2, cellular glycogen accumulation, a decrease of intracellular cAMP levels and a severe decrease in both the activation of the small GTPase Ras2 and the phosphorylation of known substrates of PKA. All these effects relied on the plasma membrane-spanning sensor of the CWI pathway Wsc1. In addition, caspofungin induced a reduction in the cytosolic pH, which was dependent on the extracellular region of Wsc1. Therefore, alterations of the ß-1,3-glucan network in the fungal cell wall, induce, through Wsc1, the activation of the CWI pathway and parallel inhibition of PKA signaling.


Subject(s)
Cell Wall/metabolism , Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genetics , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/metabolism , Signal Transduction , Antifungal Agents/pharmacology , Caspofungin/pharmacology , Cell Wall/genetics , Cyclic AMP/metabolism , Gene Expression Profiling , Glucans/biosynthesis , Phosphorylation
11.
Int Microbiol ; 20(4): 151-154, 2017 Dec.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29529325

ABSTRACT

On November 21, 2017, Professor Julio R. Villanueva died in Salamanca. Born on April 27, 1928 in Villamayor, council of Piloña (Asturias), he lived almost to the age of 90. His was an accomplished life, full of endeavors and exciting works in the world of research and teaching, which earned him very broad recognition both in Spain and the international arena. Villanueva was undoubtedly the driving force of Fundamental Microbiology in Spain. His early steps came at a time when experimental biology was arriving at an important new age, using microbial systems for experimentation that lead to general conclusions about all living beings. The unveiling of the majority of biological phenomena came from the study of microbial systems. From this context Villanueva derived his motivation - he was always known for the energy he put into all his endeavors - to promote his research and create a scientific and academic school of thought. He tried to project his passion for research at the University at all costs, in a manner that was often timely, and other times not so much, and always proclaimed that only universities that research actively deserve their titles. To this purpose, he sought out the most highly qualified and motivated graduates to invite to join his group and pursue academic careers. We, his disciples, always felt the encouragement - and also the demand - to continually train in research, as an essential requirement of being a university professor. Few mentors have encouraged the lives of so many researchers, valuing above all else their virtues and motivation, with no interest other than for them to be the best. Committed to Spain reaching the highest scientific and academic levels, he also served in important positions, such as the Rector of the University of Salamanca. In his laboratory, a critical resource for microbial studies was initiated, creating the Spanish Type Culture Collection (CECT), which continues today at the University of Valencia. His efforts in favor of promoting research were also developed in collaboration with outstanding organizations, especially the Ramón Areces Foundation. He was tireless when participating on the selection committees for diverse educational and scientific awards, highlighted by the "Premio Principe (Princesa) de Asturias" for scientific and technical research, which he chaired for several years. And finally, it is also necessary to remember his performance as "full academician" and President of the Royal National Academy of Pharmacy (Spain). Prof. Villanueva always showed special appreciation for the living world as a whole, with its immense diversity despite the unity of essential processes that occur in all living things. In taxonomy, his name was given to a biological species, not microbial but of insects: A few years ago, the INBio (an important center in global biodiversity in Costa Rica) described a new species of fly, assigning the name of Mesorhaga villanuevi. Given the name by the Australian researcher Bickel, it is a small insect collected in the foothills of the Guanacaste mountain range. Without a doubt, Prof. Villanueva appreciated this designation of the exotic species. To better understand the key aspects of his life and work, we put the different phases in context with the circumstances in which they happened.


Subject(s)
Microbiology/history , Australia , History, 20th Century , History, 21st Century , Humans , Mentors , Research Personnel , Spain , Universities
12.
Nucleic Acids Res ; 44(15): 7159-72, 2016 09 06.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27112564

ABSTRACT

The transcriptional response of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to cell wall stress is mainly mediated by the cell wall integrity (CWI) pathway through the MAPK Slt2 and the transcription factor Rlm1. Once activated, Rlm1 interacts with the chromatin remodeling SWI/SNF complex which locally alters nucleosome positioning at the target promoters. Here we show that the SAGA complex plays along with the SWI/SNF complex an important role for eliciting both early induction and sustained gene expression upon stress. Gcn5 co-regulates together with Swi3 the majority of the CWI transcriptional program, except for a group of genes which are only dependent on the SWI/SNF complex. SAGA subunits are recruited to the promoter of CWI-responsive genes in a Slt2, Rlm1 and SWI/SNF-dependent manner. However, Gcn5 mediates acetylation and nucleosome eviction only at the promoters of the SAGA-dependent genes. This process is not essential for pre-initiation transcriptional complex assembly but rather increase the extent of the remodeling mediated by SWI/SNF. As a consequence, H3 eviction and Rlm1 recruitment is completely blocked in a swi3Δ gcn5Δ double mutant. Therefore, SAGA complex, through its histone acetylase activity, cooperates with the SWI/SNF complex for the mandatory nucleosome displacement required for full gene expression through the CWI pathway.


Subject(s)
Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal , Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/metabolism , Nuclear Proteins/metabolism , Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism , Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins/metabolism , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genetics , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/metabolism , Trans-Activators/metabolism , Transcription, Genetic , Acetylation , Cell Wall/drug effects , Cell Wall/metabolism , Congo Red/toxicity , DNA, Fungal/metabolism , Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal/drug effects , Histone Acetyltransferases/chemistry , Histone Acetyltransferases/deficiency , Histone Acetyltransferases/genetics , Histone Acetyltransferases/metabolism , Histones/metabolism , MADS Domain Proteins/metabolism , Mutation , Promoter Regions, Genetic , Protein Subunits/deficiency , Protein Subunits/genetics , Protein Subunits/metabolism , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/cytology , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/drug effects , Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins/chemistry , Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins/genetics , Trans-Activators/chemistry , Trans-Activators/genetics , Transcription, Genetic/drug effects
13.
J Cell Sci ; 129(8): 1649-60, 2016 Apr 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26933180

ABSTRACT

Activation of the yeast cell wall integrity (CWI) pathway induces an adaptive transcriptional programme that is largely dependent on the transcription factor Rlm1 and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) Slt2. Upon cell wall stress, the transcription factor Rlm1 is recruited to the promoters of RLM1 and SLT2, and exerts positive-feedback mechanisms on the expression of both genes. Activation of the MAPK Slt2 by cell wall stress is not impaired in strains with individual blockade of any of the two feedback pathways. Abrogation of the autoregulatory feedback mechanism on RLM1 severely affects the transcriptional response elicited by activation of the CWI pathway. In contrast, a positive trans-acting feedback mechanism exerted by Rlm1 on SLT2 also regulates CWI output responses but to a lesser extent. Therefore, a complete CWI transcriptional response requires not only phosphorylation of Rlm1 by Slt2 but also concurrent SLT2- and RLM1-mediated positive-feedback mechanisms; sustained patterns of gene expression are mainly achieved by positive autoregulatory circuits based on the transcriptional activation of Rlm1.


Subject(s)
Cell Wall/physiology , Homeostasis , MADS Domain Proteins/metabolism , Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/metabolism , Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins/metabolism , Saccharomyces cerevisiae , Feedback, Physiological , Gene Expression Regulation , MADS Domain Proteins/genetics , Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/genetics , Phosphorylation , Promoter Regions, Genetic/genetics , Protein Binding , Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins/genetics , Signal Transduction , Transcriptional Activation
14.
Data Brief ; 6: 257-61, 2016 Mar.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26862568

ABSTRACT

The characterization of pathogen-specific antigenic proteins at the protein species level is crucial in the development and molecular optimization of novel immunodiagnostics, vaccines or immunotherapeutics for infectious diseases. The major requirements to achieve this molecular level are to obtain 100% sequence coverage and identify all post-translational modifications of each antigenic protein species. In this article, we show nearly complete sequence information for five discrete antigenic species of Candida albicans Tdh3 (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase), which have been reported to be differentially recognized both among candidemia patients and between candidemia and control patients. A comprehensive description of the top-down immunoproteomic strategy used for seroprofiling at the C. albicans protein species level in candidemia as well as for the chemical characterization of this immunogenic protein (based on high-resolution 2-DE, Western blotting, peptide mass fingerprinting, tandem mass spectrometry and de novo peptide sequencing) is also provided. The top-down characterization data on the speciation of the C. albicans immunome in candidemia presented here are related to our research article entitled "Seroprofiling at the Candida albicans protein species level unveils an accurate molecular discriminator for candidemia" (Pitarch et al., J. Proteomics, 2015, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jprot.2015.10.022).

15.
J Proteomics ; 134: 144-162, 2016 Feb 16.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26485298

ABSTRACT

Serum antibodies to specific Candida proteins have been reported as potential diagnostic biomarkers for candidemia. However, their diagnostic usefulness at the protein species level has hardly been examined. Using serological proteome analysis, we explored the IgG-antibody responses to Candida albicans protein species in candidemia and control patients. We found that 87 discrete protein species derived from 34 unique proteins were IgG-targets, although only 43 of them were differentially recognized by candidemia and control sera. An increase in the speciation of the immunome, connectivity and modularity of antigenic species co-recognition networks, and heterogeneity of antigenic species recognition patterns was associated with candidemia. IgG antibodies to certain discrete protein species were better predictors of candidemia than those to their corresponding proteins. A molecular discriminator delineated from the combined fingerprints of IgG antibodies to two distinct species of phosphoglycerate kinase and enolase accurately classified candidemia and control patients. These results provide new insight into the anti-Candida IgG-antibody response development in candidemia, and demonstrate that an immunoproteomic signature at the molecular level may be useful for its diagnosis. Our study further highlights the importance of defining pathogen-specific antigens at the chemical and molecular level for their potential application as immunodiagnostic reagents or even vaccine candidates.


Subject(s)
Antibodies, Fungal/blood , Candida albicans/metabolism , Candidemia/blood , Fungal Proteins/blood , Immunoglobulin G/blood , Adult , Aged , Candidemia/diagnosis , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged
16.
Front Microbiol ; 6: 1343, 2015.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26696967

ABSTRACT

Candida albicans is a human opportunistic fungus and it is responsible for a wide variety of infections, either superficial or systemic. C. albicans is a polymorphic fungus and its ability to switch between yeast and hyphae is essential for its virulence. Once C. albicans obtains access to the human body, the host serum constitutes a complex environment of interaction with C. albicans cell surface in bloodstream. To draw a comprehensive picture of this relevant step in host-pathogen interaction during invasive candidiasis, we have optimized a gel-free shaving proteomic strategy to identify both, human serum proteins coating C. albicans cells and fungi surface proteins simultaneously. This approach was carried out with normal serum (NS) and heat inactivated serum (HIS). We identified 214 human and 372 C. albicans unique proteins. Proteins identified in C. albicans included 147 which were described as located at the cell surface and 52 that were described as immunogenic. Interestingly, among these C. albicans proteins, we identified 23 GPI-anchored proteins, Gpd2 and Pra1, which are involved in complement system evasion and 7 other proteins that are able to attach plasminogen to C. albicans surface (Adh1, Eno1, Fba1, Pgk1, Tdh3, Tef1, and Tsa1). Furthermore, 12 proteins identified at the C. albicans hyphae surface induced with 10% human serum were not detected in other hypha-induced conditions. The most abundant human proteins identified are involved in complement and coagulation pathways. Remarkably, with this strategy, all main proteins belonging to complement cascades were identified on the C. albicans surface. Moreover, we identified immunoglobulins, cytoskeletal proteins, metabolic proteins such as apolipoproteins and others. Additionally, we identified more inhibitors of complement and coagulation pathways, some of them serpin proteins (serine protease inhibitors), in HIS vs. NS. On the other hand, we detected a higher amount of C3 at the C. albicans surface in NS than in HIS, as validated by immunofluorescence.

17.
BMC Genomics ; 16: 683, 2015 Sep 05.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26341223

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The fungal cell wall forms a compact network whose integrity is essential for cell morphology and viability. Thus, fungal cells have evolved mechanisms to elicit adequate adaptive responses when cell wall integrity (CWI) is compromised. Functional genomic approaches provide a unique opportunity to globally characterize these adaptive mechanisms. To provide a global perspective on these CWI regulatory mechanisms, we developed chemical-genomic profiling of haploid mutant budding yeast cells to systematically identify in parallel those genes required to cope with stresses interfering the cell wall by different modes of action: ß-1,3 glucanase and chitinase activities (zymolyase), inhibition of ß-1,3 glucan synthase (caspofungin) and binding to chitin (Congo red). RESULTS: Measurement of the relative fitness of the whole collection of 4786 haploid budding yeast knock-out mutants identified 222 mutants hypersensitive to caspofungin, 154 mutants hypersensitive to zymolyase, and 446 mutants hypersensitive to Congo red. Functional profiling uncovered both common and specific requirements to cope with different cell wall damages. We identified a cluster of 43 genes highly important for the integrity of the cell wall as the common "signature of cell wall maintenance (CWM)". This cluster was enriched in genes related to vesicular trafficking and transport, cell wall remodeling and morphogenesis, transcription and chromatin remodeling, signal transduction and RNA metabolism. Although the CWI pathway is the main MAPK pathway regulating cell wall integrity, the collaboration with other signal transduction pathways like the HOG pathway and the invasive growth pathway is also required to cope with the cell wall damage depending on the nature of the stress. Finally, 25 mutant strains showed enhanced caspofungin resistance, including 13 that had not been previously identified. Only three of them, wsc1Δ, elo2Δ and elo3Δ, showed a significant decrease in ß-1,3-glucan synthase activity. CONCLUSIONS: This work provides a global perspective about the mechanisms involved in cell wall stress adaptive responses and the cellular functions required for cell wall integrity. The results may be useful to uncover new potential antifungal targets and develop efficient antifungal strategies by combination of two drugs, one targeting the cell wall and the other interfering with the adaptive mechanisms.


Subject(s)
Antifungal Agents/pharmacology , Cell Wall/drug effects , Cell Wall/genetics , Fungi/drug effects , Fungi/genetics , Gene Expression Profiling , Genomics , Adaptation, Biological/genetics , Caspofungin , Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly/drug effects , Cluster Analysis , Congo Red/pharmacology , Echinocandins/pharmacology , Fungal Proteins/genetics , Fungal Proteins/metabolism , Fungi/metabolism , Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal/drug effects , Genomics/methods , Hydrolases/pharmacology , Lipid Metabolism/drug effects , Lipid Metabolism/genetics , Lipopeptides , MAP Kinase Signaling System/drug effects , Stress, Physiological/drug effects , Stress, Physiological/genetics , Transcription, Genetic/drug effects , Transcriptome
18.
J Proteome Res ; 14(1): 142-53, 2015 Jan 02.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25367658

ABSTRACT

The commensal fungus Candida albicans secretes a considerable number of proteins and, as in different fungal pathogens, extracellular vesicles (EVs) have also been observed. Our report contains the first proteomic analysis of EVs in C. albicans and a comparative proteomic study of the soluble secreted proteins. With this purpose, cell-free culture supernatants from C. albicans were separated into EVs and EV-free supernatant and analyzed by LC-MS/MS. A total of 96 proteins were identified including 75 and 61 proteins in EVs and EV-free supernatant, respectively. Out of these, 40 proteins were found in secretome by proteomic analysis for the first time. The soluble proteins were enriched in cell wall and secreted pathogenesis related proteins. Interestingly, more than 90% of these EV-free supernatant proteins were classical secretory proteins with predicted N-terminal signal peptide, whereas all the leaderless proteins involved in metabolism, including some moonlighting proteins, or in the exocytosis and endocytosis process were exclusively cargo of the EVs. We propose a model of the different mechanisms used by C. albicans secreted proteins to reach the extracellular medium. Furthermore, we tested the potential of the Bgl2 protein, identified in vesicles and EV-free supernatant, to protect against a systemic candidiasis in a murine model.


Subject(s)
Candida albicans/metabolism , Extracellular Vesicles/metabolism , Fungal Proteins/metabolism , Proteome/metabolism , Animals , Candida albicans/immunology , Candidiasis/immunology , Candidiasis/microbiology , Candidiasis/prevention & control , Cytoplasm/metabolism , Female , Fungal Proteins/immunology , Fungal Vaccines/immunology , Mice, Inbred BALB C , Proteome/immunology , Proteomics , Tandem Mass Spectrometry , Vaccination
19.
FEBS J ; 282(4): 715-31, 2015 Feb.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25495733

ABSTRACT

Covalent cross-links between chitin and glucan at the yeast cell wall are created by the transglycosylase activity of redundant proteins Crh1 and Crh2, with cleavage of ß-1,4 linkages of the chitin backbone and transfer of the generated molecule containing newly created reducing end onto the glucan acceptor. A three-dimensional structure of Crh1 was generated by homology modeling based on the crystal structure of bacterial 1,3-1,4-ß-d-glucanase, followed by site-directed mutagenesis to obtain molecular insights into how these enzymes achieve catalysis. The residues of both proteins that are involved in their catalytic and binding activities have been characterized by measuring the ability of yeast cells expressing different versions of these proteins to transglycosylate oligosaccharides derived from ß-1,3-glucan, ß-1,6-glucan and chitin to the chitin at the cell wall. Within the catalytic site, residues E134 and E138 of Crh1, as well as E166 and E170 of Crh2, corresponding to the nucleophile and general acid/base, and also the auxiliary D136 and D168 of Crh1 and Crh2, respectively, are shown to be essential for catalysis. Mutations of aromatic residues F152, Y160 and W219, located within the carbohydrate-binding cleft of the Crh1 model, also affect the transglycosylase activity. Unlike Crh1, Crh2 contains a putative carbohydrate-binding module (CBM18) of unknown function. Modeling and functional analysis of site-directed mutant residues of this CBM identified essential amino acids for protein folding and stability, as well as residues that tune the catalytic activity of Crh2.


Subject(s)
Glycoside Hydrolases/chemistry , Glycoside Hydrolases/metabolism , Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins/chemistry , Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins/metabolism , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/enzymology , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/metabolism , Cell Wall/metabolism , Chitin/metabolism , Glycoside Hydrolases/genetics , Mutagenesis, Site-Directed , Mutation , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genetics , Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins/genetics
20.
J Proteome Res ; 13(11): 5165-84, 2014 Nov 07.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25377742

ABSTRACT

Invasive candidiasis (IC) adds significantly to the morbidity and mortality of non-neutropenic patients if not diagnosed and treated early. To uncover serologic biomarkers that alone or in combination could reliably detect IC in this population, IgG antibody-reactivity profiles to the Candida albicans intracellular proteome were examined by serological proteome analysis (SERPA) and data mining procedures in a training set of 24 non-neutropenic patients. Despite the high interindividual molecular heterogeneity, unsupervised clustering analyses revealed that serum 22-IgG antibody-reactivity patterns differentiated IC from non-IC patients. Univariate analyses further highlighted that 15 out of the 22 SERPA-identified IgG antibodies could be useful candidate IC biomarkers. The diagnostic performance of one of these candidates (anti-Hsp90 IgG antibodies) was validated using an ELISA prototype in a test set of 59 non-neutropenic patients. We then formulated an IC discriminator based on the combined immunoproteomic fingerprints of this and another SERPA-detected and previously validated IC biomarker (anti-Eno1 IgG antibodies) in the training set. Its consistency was substantiated using their ELISA prototypes in the test set. Receiver-operating-characteristic curve analyses showed that this two-biomarker signature accurately identified IC in non-neutropenic patients and provided better IC diagnostic accuracy than the individual biomarkers alone. We conclude that this serum IgG antibody signature directed against C. albicans Hsp90 and Eno1, if confirmed prospectively, may be useful for IC diagnosis in non-neutropenic patients.


Subject(s)
Antibodies, Fungal/blood , Candida albicans/pathogenicity , Candidiasis, Invasive/diagnosis , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/methods , HSP90 Heat-Shock Proteins/immunology , Phosphopyruvate Hydratase/immunology , Adult , Aged , Biomarkers/blood , Blood Proteins/analysis , Candida albicans/immunology , Candidiasis, Invasive/microbiology , Case-Control Studies , Female , Fungal Proteins/genetics , Fungal Proteins/immunology , HSP90 Heat-Shock Proteins/genetics , Humans , Immunoglobulin G/blood , Immunoglobulin G/immunology , Male , Middle Aged , Neutropenia/microbiology , Proteomics/methods , Reproducibility of Results
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