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10 Publications visible to you, out of a total of 10
High-Throughput Profiling of Candida auris Isolates Reveals Clade-Specific Metabolic Differences.

Abstract (Expand)

Candida auris, a multidrug-resistant human fungal pathogen that causes outbreaks of invasive infections, emerged as four distinct geographical clades. Previous studies identified genomic and proteomic … differences in nutrient utilization on comparison to Candida albicans, suggesting that certain metabolic features may contribute to C. auris emergence. Since no high-throughput clade-specific metabolic characterization has been described yet, we performed a phenotypic screening of C. auris strains from all 4 clades on 664 nutrients, 120 chemicals, and 24 stressors. We identified common and clade- or strain-specific responses, including the preferred utilization of various dipeptides as nitrogen source and the inability of the clade II isolate AR 0381 to withstand chemical stress. Further analysis of the metabolic properties of C. auris isolates showed robust growth on intermediates of the tricarboxylic acid cycle, such as citrate and succinic and malic acids. However, there was reduced or no growth on pyruvate, lactic acid, or acetate, likely due to the lack of the monocarboxylic acid transporter Jen1, which is conserved in most pathogenic Candida species. Comparison of C. auris and C. albicans transcriptomes of cells grown on alternative carbon sources and dipeptides as a nitrogen source revealed common as well as species-unique responses. C. auris induced a significant number of genes with no ortholog in C. albicans, e.g., genes similar to the nicotinic acid transporter TNA1 (alternative carbon sources) and to the oligopeptide transporter (OPT) family (dipeptides). Thus, C. auris possesses unique metabolic features which could have contributed to its emergence as a pathogen. IMPORTANCE Four main clades of the emerging, multidrug-resistant human pathogen Candida auris have been identified, and they differ in their susceptibilities to antifungals and disinfectants. Moreover, clade- and strain-specific metabolic differences have been identified, but a comprehensive overview of nutritional characteristics and resistance to various stressors is missing. Here, we performed high-throughput phenotypic characterization of C. auris on various nutrients, stressors, and chemicals and obtained transcriptomes of cells grown on selected nutrients. The generated data sets identified multiple clade- and strain-specific phenotypes and induction of C. auris-specific metabolic genes, showing unique metabolic properties. The presented work provides a large amount of information for further investigations that could explain the role of metabolism in emergence and pathogenicity of this multidrug-resistant fungus.

Authors: P. Brandt, M. H. Mirhakkak, L. Wagner, D. Driesch, A. Moslinger, P. Fander, S. Schauble, G. Panagiotou, S. Vylkova

Date Published: 15th Jun 2023

Publication Type: Journal

Pathogen-specific innate immune response patterns are distinctly affected by genetic diversity.

Abstract (Expand)

Innate immune responses vary by pathogen and host genetics. We analyze quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) and transcriptomes of monocytes from 215 individuals stimulated by fungal, Gram-negative or … Gram-positive bacterial pathogens. We identify conserved monocyte responses to bacterial pathogens and a distinct antifungal response. These include 745 response eQTLs (reQTLs) and corresponding genes with pathogen-specific effects, which we find first in samples of male donors and subsequently confirm for selected reQTLs in females. reQTLs affect predominantly upregulated genes that regulate immune response via e.g., NOD-like, C-type lectin, Toll-like and complement receptor-signaling pathways. Hence, reQTLs provide a functional explanation for individual differences in innate response patterns. Our identified reQTLs are also associated with cancer, autoimmunity, inflammatory and infectious diseases as shown by external genome-wide association studies. Thus, reQTLs help to explain interindividual variation in immune response to infection and provide candidate genes for variants associated with a range of diseases.

Authors: A. Hader, S. Schauble, J. Gehlen, N. Thielemann, B. C. Buerfent, V. Schuller, T. Hess, T. Wolf, J. Schroder, M. Weber, K. Hunniger, J. Loffler, S. Vylkova, G. Panagiotou, J. Schumacher, O. Kurzai

Date Published: 5th Jun 2023

Publication Type: Journal

Lactobacillus rhamnosus colonisation antagonizes Candida albicans by forcing metabolic adaptations that compromise pathogenicity.

Abstract (Expand)

Intestinal microbiota dysbiosis can initiate overgrowth of commensal Candida species - a major predisposing factor for disseminated candidiasis. Commensal bacteria such as Lactobacillus rhamnosus can … antagonize Candida albicans pathogenicity. Here, we investigate the interplay between C. albicans, L. rhamnosus, and intestinal epithelial cells by integrating transcriptional and metabolic profiling, and reverse genetics. Untargeted metabolomics and in silico modelling indicate that intestinal epithelial cells foster bacterial growth metabolically, leading to bacterial production of antivirulence compounds. In addition, bacterial growth modifies the metabolic environment, including removal of C. albicans' favoured nutrient sources. This is accompanied by transcriptional and metabolic changes in C. albicans, including altered expression of virulence-related genes. Our results indicate that intestinal colonization with bacteria can antagonize C. albicans by reshaping the metabolic environment, forcing metabolic adaptations that reduce fungal pathogenicity.

Authors: R. Alonso-Roman, A. Last, M. H. Mirhakkak, J. L. Sprague, L. Moller, P. Grossmann, K. Graf, R. Gratz, S. Mogavero, S. Vylkova, G. Panagiotou, S. Schauble, B. Hube, M. S. Gresnigt

Date Published: 9th Jun 2022

Publication Type: Journal

Candida albicans SR-Like Protein Kinases Regulate Different Cellular Processes: Sky1 Is Involved in Control of Ion Homeostasis, While Sky2 Is Important for Dipeptide Utilization.

Abstract (Expand)

Protein kinases play a crucial role in regulating cellular processes such as growth, proliferation, environmental adaptation and stress responses. Serine-arginine (SR) protein kinases are highly conserved … in eukaryotes and regulate fundamental processes such as constitutive and alternative splicing, mRNA processing and ion homeostasis. The Candida albicans genome encodes two (Sky1, Sky2) and the Candida glabrata genome has one homolog (Sky1) of the human SR protein kinase 1, but their functions have not yet been investigated. We used deletion strains of the corresponding genes in both fungi to study their cellular functions. C. glabrata and C. albicans strains lacking SKY1 exhibited higher resistance to osmotic stress and toxic polyamine concentrations, similar to Saccharomyces cerevisiae sky1Delta mutants. Deletion of SKY2 in C. albicans resulted in impaired utilization of various dipeptides as the sole nitrogen source. Subsequent phosphoproteomic analysis identified the di- and tripeptide transporter Ptr22 as a potential Sky2 substrate. Sky2 seems to be involved in Ptr22 regulation since overexpression of PTR22 in the sky2Delta mutant restored the ability to grow on dipeptides and made the cells more susceptible to the dipeptide antifungals Polyoxin D and Nikkomycin Z. Altogether, our results demonstrate that C. albicans and C. glabrata Sky1 protein kinases are functionally similar to Sky1 in S. cerevisiae, whereas C. albicans Sky2, a unique kinase of the CTG clade, likely regulates dipeptide uptake via Ptr22.

Authors: P. Brandt, F. Gerwien, L. Wagner, T. Kruger, B. Ramirez-Zavala, M. H. Mirhakkak, S. Schauble, O. Kniemeyer, G. Panagiotou, A. A. Brakhage, J. Morschhauser, S. Vylkova

Date Published: 23rd May 2022

Publication Type: Journal

Metabolic modeling predicts specific gut bacteria as key determinants for Candida albicans colonization levels.

Abstract (Expand)

Candida albicans is a leading cause of life-threatening hospital-acquired infections and can lead to Candidemia with sepsis-like symptoms and high mortality rates. We reconstructed a genome-scale C. … albicans metabolic model to investigate bacterial-fungal metabolic interactions in the gut as determinants of fungal abundance. We optimized the predictive capacity of our model using wild type and mutant C. albicans growth data and used it for in silico metabolic interaction predictions. Our analysis of more than 900 paired fungal-bacterial metabolic models predicted key gut bacterial species modulating C. albicans colonization levels. Among the studied microbes, Alistipes putredinis was predicted to negatively affect C. albicans levels. We confirmed these findings by metagenomic sequencing of stool samples from 24 human subjects and by fungal growth experiments in bacterial spent media. Furthermore, our pairwise simulations guided us to specific metabolites with promoting or inhibitory effect to the fungus when exposed in defined media under carbon and nitrogen limitation. Our study demonstrates that in silico metabolic prediction can lead to the identification of gut microbiome features that can significantly affect potentially harmful levels of C. albicans.

Authors: M. H. Mirhakkak, S. Schauble, T. E. Klassert, S. Brunke, P. Brandt, D. Loos, R. V. Uribe, F. Senne de Oliveira Lino, Y. Ni, S. Vylkova, H. Slevogt, B. Hube, G. J. Weiss, M. O. A. Sommer, G. Panagiotou

Date Published: 15th Dec 2020

Publication Type: Not specified

Active neutrophil responses counteract Candida albicans burn wound infection of ex vivo human skin explants.

Abstract (Expand)

Burn wounds are highly susceptible sites for colonization and infection by bacteria and fungi. Large wound surface, impaired local immunity, and broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy support growth of … opportunistic fungi such as Candida albicans, which may lead to invasive candidiasis. Currently, it remains unknown whether depressed host defenses or fungal virulence drive the progression of burn wound candidiasis. Here we established an ex vivo burn wound model, where wounds were inflicted by applying preheated soldering iron to human skin explants, resulting in highly reproducible deep second-degree burn wounds. Eschar removal by debridement allowed for deeper C. albicans penetration into the burned tissue associated with prominent filamentation. Active migration of resident tissue neutrophils towards the damaged tissue and release of pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1beta accompanied the burn. The neutrophil recruitment was further increased upon supplementation of the model with fresh immune cells. Wound area and depth decreased over time, indicating healing of the damaged tissue. Importantly, prominent neutrophil presence at the infected site correlated to the limited penetration of C. albicans into the burned tissue. Altogether, we established a reproducible burn wound model of candidiasis using ex vivo human skin explants, where immune responses actively control the progression of infection and promote tissue healing.

Authors: C. von Muller, F. Bulman, L. Wagner, D. Rosenberger, A. Marolda, O. Kurzai, P. Eissmann, I. D. Jacobsen, B. Perner, P. Hemmerich, S. Vylkova

Date Published: 11th Dec 2020

Publication Type: Not specified

Catch the wave: Metabolomic analyses in human pathogenic fungi.

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: P. Brandt, E. Garbe, S. Vylkova

Date Published: 21st Aug 2020

Publication Type: Not specified

Clinical Candida albicans Vaginal Isolates and a Laboratory Strain Show Divergent Behaviors during Macrophage Interactions.

Abstract (Expand)

Typically, established lab strains are widely used to study host-pathogen interactions. However, to better reflect the infection process, the experimental use of clinical isolates has come more into … focus. Here, we analyzed the interaction of multiple vaginal isolates of the opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida albicans, the most common cause of vulvovaginal candidiasis in women, with key players of the host immune system: macrophages. We tested several strains isolated from asymptomatic or symptomatic women with acute and recurrent infections. While all clinical strains showed a response similar to the commonly used lab strain SC5314 in various in vitro assays, they displayed remarkable differences during interaction with macrophages. This coincided with significantly reduced beta-glucan exposure on the cell surface, which appeared to be a shared property among the tested vaginal strains for yeast extract/peptone/dextrose-grown cells, which is partly lost when the isolates faced vaginal niche-like nutrient conditions. However, macrophage damage, survival of phagocytosis, and filamentation capacities were highly strain-specific. These results highlight the high heterogeneity of C. albicans strains in host-pathogen interactions, which have to be taken into account to bridge the gap between laboratory-gained data and disease-related outcomes in an actual patient.IMPORTANCE Vulvovaginal candidiasis is one of the most common fungal infections in humans with Candida albicans as the major causative agent. This study is the first to compare clinical vaginal isolates of defined patient groups in their interaction with macrophages, highlighting the vastly different outcomes in comparison to a laboratory strain using commonly applied virulence-determining assays.

Authors: F. Gerwien, C. Dunker, P. Brandt, E. Garbe, I. D. Jacobsen, S. Vylkova

Date Published: 19th Aug 2020

Publication Type: Not specified

The Transcription Factor Stp2 Is Important for Candida albicans Biofilm Establishment and Sustainability.

Abstract (Expand)

The fungal pathogen Candida albicans forms polymorphic biofilms where hyphal morphogenesis and metabolic adaptation are tightly coordinated by a complex intertwined network of transcription factors. … The sensing and metabolism of amino acids play important roles during various phases of biofilm development - from adhesion to maturation. Stp2 is a transcription factor that activates the expression of amino acid permease genes and is required for environmental alkalinization and hyphal growth in vitro and during macrophage phagocytosis. While it is well established that Stp2 is activated in response to external amino acids, its role in biofilm formation remains unknown. In addition to widely used techniques, we applied newly developed approaches for automated image analysis to quantify Stp2-regulated filamentation and biofilm growth. Our results show that in the stp2Delta deletion mutant adherence to abiotic surfaces and initial germ tube formation were strongly impaired, but formed mature biofilms with cell density and morphological structures comparable to the control strains. Stp2-dependent nutrient adaptation appeared to play an important role in biofilm development: stp2Delta biofilms formed under continuous nutrient flow displayed an overall reduction in biofilm formation, whereas under steady conditions the mutant strain formed biofilms with lower metabolic activity, resulting in increased cell survival and biofilm longevity. A deletion of STP2 led to increased rapamycin susceptibility and transcriptional activation of GCN4, the transcriptional regulator of the general amino acid control pathway, demonstrating a connection of Stp2 to other nutrient-responsive pathways. In summary, the transcription factor Stp2 is important for C. albicans biofilm formation, where it contributes to adherence and induction of morphogenesis, and mediates nutrient adaption and cell longevity in mature biofilms.

Authors: B. Bottcher, B. Hoffmann, E. Garbe, T. Weise, Z. Cseresnyes, P. Brandt, S. Dietrich, D. Driesch, M. T. Figge, S. Vylkova

Date Published: 20th May 2020

Publication Type: Not specified

Ahr1 and Tup1 Contribute to the Transcriptional Control of Virulence-Associated Genes in Candida albicans.

Abstract (Expand)

The capacity of Candida albicans to reversibly change its morphology between yeast and filamentous stages is crucial for its virulence. Formation of hyphae correlates with the upregulation of genes … ALS3 and ECE1, which are involved in pathogenicity processes such as invasion, iron acquisition, and host cell damage. The global repressor Tup1 and its cofactor Nrg1 are considered to be the main antagonists of hyphal development in C. albicans However, our experiments revealed that Tup1, but not Nrg1, was required for full expression of ALS3 and ECE1 In contrast to NRG1, overexpression of TUP1 was found to inhibit neither filamentous growth nor transcription of ALS3 and ECE1 In addition, we identified the transcription factor Ahr1 as being required for full expression of both genes. A hyperactive version of Ahr1 bound directly to the promoters of ALS3 and ECE1 and induced their transcription even in the absence of environmental stimuli. This regulation worked even in the absence of the crucial hyphal growth regulators Cph1 and Efg1 but was dependent on the presence of Tup1. Overall, our results show that Ahr1 and Tup1 are key contributors in the complex regulation of virulence-associated genes in the different C. albicans morphologies.IMPORTANCE Candida albicans is a major human fungal pathogen and the leading cause of systemic Candida infections. In recent years, Als3 and Ece1 were identified as important factors for fungal virulence. Transcription of both corresponding genes is closely associated with hyphal growth. Here, we describe how Tup1, normally a global repressor of gene expression as well as of filamentation, and the transcription factor Ahr1 contribute to full expression of ALS3 and ECE1 in C. albicans hyphae. Both regulators are required for high mRNA amounts of the two genes to ensure functional relevant protein synthesis and localization. These observations identified a new aspect of regulation in the complex transcriptional control of virulence-associated genes in C. albicans.

Authors: S. Ruben, E. Garbe, S. Mogavero, D. Albrecht-Eckardt, D. Hellwig, A. Hader, T. Kruger, K. Gerth, I. D. Jacobsen, O. Elshafee, S. Brunke, K. Hunniger, O. Kniemeyer, A. A. Brakhage, J. Morschhauser, B. Hube, S. Vylkova, O. Kurzai, R. Martin

Date Published: 28th Apr 2020

Publication Type: Not specified

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