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Collaborative Research Center / Transregio 124 "Pathogenic fungi and their human host: Networks of Interaction - FungiNet"

The yeast Candida albicans and the filamentous fungus Aspergillus fumigatus are by far the most important causes of life-threatening invasive mycoses in Europe. Despite the increasing incidence of these infections, the current diagnosis is still difficult and often too late, and options for therapies are limited. Moreover, A. fumigatus and C. albicans have developed multiple sophisticated, specific and unique pathogenicity mechanisms. Many of these mechanisms are not well understood. Research on these microorganisms therefore will discover and elucidate novel biological principles, including new regulatory and metabolic pathways.

To obtain a comprehensive insight into these medically important fungi, scientists from Jena and Würzburg have initiated the Collaborative Research Center / Transregio 124 Pathogenic fungi and their human host: Networks of Interaction - FungiNet.

The aims of this CRC/Transregio are

(1) to identify pathogenic determinants specific for each fungus,

(2) to investigate the specific roles of epithelial barriers, the mechanisms of the innate immunity and potential contributions of the adaptive immune system for/to the pathogenesis of fungal infections,

(3) to elucidate the complex mechanisms of fungal infections and identify common principles of fungal pathogenesis and

(4) to use this information for new therapeutic approaches.

For a comprehensive description and understanding of complex invasive fungal infections, we believe it is important to apply a systems biological approach as a third dimension added to the pathobiology of the pathogens and the response of the immune system. Systems biology will contribute to uncover the structure and dynamics of molecular and cellular cause-effect relations within these pathogenic interactions.

FungiNet applies three interlinked approaches to fungal pathogenesis:

A Aspergillus fumigatus: from environmental microorganism to pathogen

B Bioinformatics / Computational systems biology of infection: creation of a “virtual infection model”

C Candida albicans: from commensal to pathogen

Web page: http://www.funginet.de/home.html

Funding details:

DFG
Collaborative Research Center / Transregio 124 "Pathogenic fungi and their human host: Networks of Interaction - FungiNet"

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Contributor: Daniela Albrecht-Eckardt

Assay type: Experimental Assay Type

Technology type: Technology Type

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Standard gels
Z2
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Identification and functional characterization of Rca1, a transcription factor involved in both antifungal susceptibility and host response in Candida albicans.
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Abstract (Expand)

The identification of novel transcription factors associated with antifungal response may allow the discovery of fungus-specific targets for new therapeutic strategies. A collection of 241 Candida … albicans transcriptional regulator mutants was screened for altered susceptibility to fluconazole, caspofungin, amphotericin B, and 5-fluorocytosine. Thirteen of these mutants not yet identified in terms of their role in antifungal response were further investigated, and the function of one of them, a mutant of orf19.6102 (RCA1), was characterized by transcriptome analysis. Strand-specific RNA sequencing and phenotypic tests assigned Rca1 as the regulator of hyphal formation through the cyclic AMP/protein kinase A (cAMP/PKA) signaling pathway and the transcription factor Efg1, but also probably through its interaction with a transcriptional repressor, most likely Tup1. The mechanisms responsible for the high level of resistance to caspofungin and fluconazole observed resulting from RCA1 deletion were investigated. From our observations, we propose that caspofungin resistance was the consequence of the deregulation of cell wall gene expression and that fluconazole resistance was linked to the modulation of the cAMP/PKA signaling pathway activity. In conclusion, our large-scale screening of a C. albicans transcription factor mutant collection allowed the identification of new effectors of the response to antifungals. The functional characterization of Rca1 assigned this transcription factor and its downstream targets as promising candidates for the development of new therapeutic strategies, as Rca1 influences host sensing, hyphal development, and antifungal response.

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Enemies and brothers in arms: Candida albicans and gram-positive bacteria.
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Candida albicans is an important human opportunistic fungal pathogen which is frequently found as part of the normal human microbiota. It is well accepted that the fungus interacts with other components … of the resident microbiota and that this impacts the commensal or pathogenic outcome of C. albicans colonization. Different types of interactions, including synergism or antagonism, contribute to a complex balance between the multitude of different species. Mixed biofilms of C. albicans and streptococci are a well-studied example of a mutualistic interaction often potentiating the virulence of the individual members. In contrast, other bacteria like lactobacilli are known to antagonize C. albicans, and research has just started elucidating the mechanisms behind these interactions. This scenario is even more complicated by a third player, the host. This review focuses on interactions between C. albicans and gram-positive bacteria whose investigation will without doubt ultimately help understanding C. albicans infections.

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Proteome Analysis Reveals the Conidial Surface Protein CcpA Essential for Virulence of the Pathogenic Fungus Aspergillus fumigatus.
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Abstract (Expand)

Aspergillus fumigatus is a common airborne fungal pathogen of humans and a significant source of mortality in immunocompromised individuals. Here, we provide the most extensive cell wall proteome … profiling to date of A. fumigatus resting conidia, the fungal morphotype pertinent to first contact with the host. Using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), we identified proteins within the conidial cell wall by hydrogen-fluoride (HF)-pyridine extraction and proteins exposed on the surface using a trypsin-shaving approach. One protein, designated conidial cell wall protein A (CcpA), was identified by both methods and was found to be nearly as abundant as hydrophobic rodlet layer-forming protein RodA. CcpA, an amphiphilic protein, like RodA, peaks in expression during sporulation on resting conidia. Despite high cell wall abundance, the cell surface structure of DeltaccpA resting conidia appeared normal. However, trypsin shaving of DeltaccpA conidia revealed novel surface-exposed proteins not detected on conidia of the wild-type strain. Interestingly, the presence of swollen DeltaccpA conidia led to higher activation of neutrophils and dendritic cells than was seen with wild-type conidia and caused significantly less damage to epithelial cells in vitro In addition, virulence was highly attenuated when cortisone-treated, immunosuppressed mice were infected with DeltaccpA conidia. CcpA-specific memory T cell responses were detectable in healthy human donors naturally exposed to A. fumigatus conidia, suggesting a role for CcpA as a structural protein impacting conidial immunogenicity rather than possessing a protein-intrinsic immunosuppressive effect. Together, these data suggest that CcpA serves as a conidial stealth protein by altering the conidial surface structure to minimize innate immune recognition.IMPORTANCE The mammalian immune system relies on recognition of pathogen surface antigens for targeting and clearance. In the absence of immune evasion strategies, pathogen clearance is rapid. In the case of Aspergillus fumigatus, the successful fungus must avoid phagocytosis in the lung to establish invasive infection. In healthy individuals, fungal spores are cleared by immune cells; however, in immunocompromised patients, clearance mechanisms are impaired. Here, using proteome analyses, we identified CcpA as an important fungal spore protein involved in pathogenesis. A. fumigatus lacking CcpA was more susceptible to immune recognition and prompt eradication and, consequently, exhibited drastically attenuated virulence. In infection studies, CcpA was required for virulence in infected immunocompromised mice, suggesting that it could be used as a possible immunotherapeutic or diagnostic target in the future. In summary, our report adds a protein to the list of those known to be critical to the complex fungal spore surface environment and, more importantly, identifies a protein important for conidial immunogenicity during infection.

Authors: V. Voltersen, M. G. Blango, S. Herrmann, F. Schmidt, Thorsten Heinekamp, M. Strassburger, Thomas Krüger, P. Bacher, Jasmin Lother, Esther Weiß, Kerstin Hünniger, H. Liu, P. Hortschansky, A. Scheffold, Jürgen Löffler, S. Krappmann, S. Nietzsche, Oliver Kurzai, Hermann Einsele, Olaf Kniemeyer, S. G. Filler, U. Reichard, Axel Brakhage

Date Published: No date defined

Journal: MBio

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On the role of CEACAM receptors during systemic candidiasis
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Creator: Esther Klaile

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B4 - Automated Characterisation of Neutrophil Activation Phenotypes in Ex Vivo Human Candida Bloodstream Infections
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Creator: Jan-Philipp Praetorius

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