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203 Publications visible to you, out of a total of 203
An acquired mechanism of antifungal drug resistance simultaneously enables Candida albicans to escape from intrinsic host defenses.

Abstract (Expand)

The opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida albicans frequently produces genetically altered variants to adapt to environmental changes and new host niches in the course of its life-long association with … the human host. Gain-of-function mutations in zinc cluster transcription factors, which result in the constitutive upregulation of their target genes, are a common cause of acquired resistance to the widely used antifungal drug fluconazole, especially during long-term therapy of oropharyngeal candidiasis. In this study, we investigated if C. albicans also can develop resistance to the antimicrobial peptide histatin 5, which is secreted in the saliva of humans to protect the oral mucosa from pathogenic microbes. As histatin 5 has been shown to be transported out of C. albicans cells by the Flu1 efflux pump, we screened a library of C. albicans strains that contain artificially activated forms of all zinc cluster transcription factors of this fungus for increased FLU1 expression. We found that a hyperactive Mrr1, which confers fluconazole resistance by upregulating the multidrug efflux pump MDR1 and other genes, also causes FLU1 overexpression. Similarly to the artificially activated Mrr1, naturally occurring gain-of-function mutations in this transcription factor also caused FLU1 upregulation and increased histatin 5 resistance. Surprisingly, however, Mrr1-mediated histatin 5 resistance was mainly caused by the upregulation of MDR1 instead of FLU1, revealing a previously unrecognized function of the Mdr1 efflux pump. Fluconazole-resistant clinical C. albicans isolates with different Mrr1 gain-of-function mutations were less efficiently killed by histatin 5, and this phenotype was reverted when MRR1 was deleted. Therefore, antimycotic therapy can promote the evolution of strains that, as a consequence of drug resistance mutations, simultaneously have acquired increased resistance against an innate host defense mechanism and are thereby better adapted to certain host niches.

Authors: I. A. I. Hampe, J. Friedman, M. Edgerton, J. Morschhauser

Date Published: 28th Sep 2017

Publication Type: Not specified

Hessian-based quantitative image analysis of host-pathogen confrontation assays.

Abstract (Expand)

Host-fungus interactions have gained a lot of interest in the past few decades, mainly due to an increasing number of fungal infections that are often associated with a high mortality rate in the absence … of effective therapies. These interactions can be studied at the genetic level or at the functional level via imaging. Here, we introduce a new image processing method that quantifies the interaction between host cells and fungal invaders, for example, alveolar macrophages and the conidia of Aspergillus fumigatus. The new technique relies on the information content of transmitted light bright field microscopy images, utilizing the Hessian matrix eigenvalues to distinguish between unstained macrophages and the background, as well as between macrophages and fungal conidia. The performance of the new algorithm was measured by comparing the results of our method with that of an alternative approach that was based on fluorescence images from the same dataset. The comparison shows that the new algorithm performs very similarly to the fluorescence-based version. Consequently, the new algorithm is able to segment and characterize unlabeled cells, thus reducing the time and expense that would be spent on the fluorescent labeling in preparation for phagocytosis assays. By extending the proposed method to the label-free segmentation of fungal conidia, we will be able to reduce the need for fluorescence-based imaging even further. Our approach should thus help to minimize the possible side effects of fluorescence labeling on biological functions. (c) 2017 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry.

Authors: Z. Cseresnyes, K. Kraibooj, M. T. Figge

Date Published: 16th Sep 2017

Publication Type: Not specified

Deciphering the regulation of metabolism with dynamic optimization: an overview of recent advances.

Abstract (Expand)

Understanding optimality principles shaping the evolution of regulatory networks controlling metabolism is crucial for deriving a holistic picture of how metabolism is integrated into key cellular … processes such as growth, adaptation and pathogenicity. While in the past the focus of research in pathway regulation was mainly based on stationary states, more recently dynamic optimization has proved to be an ideal tool to decipher regulatory strategies for metabolic pathways in response to environmental cues. In this short review, we summarize recent advances in the elucidation of optimal regulatory strategies and identification of optimal control points in metabolic pathways. We discuss biological implications of the discovered optimality principles on genome organization and provide examples how the derived knowledge can be used to identify new treatment strategies against pathogens. Furthermore, we briefly discuss the variety of approaches for solving dynamic optimization problems and emphasize whole-cell resource allocation models as an important emerging area of research that will allow us to study the regulation of metabolism on the whole-cell level.

Authors: J. Ewald, M. Bartl, C. Kaleta

Date Published: 30th Jul 2017

Publication Type: Not specified

Modelling the host-pathogen interactions of macrophages and Candida albicans using Game Theory and dynamic optimization.

Abstract (Expand)

The release of fungal cells following macrophage phagocytosis, called non-lytic expulsion, is reported for several fungal pathogens. On one hand, non-lytic expulsion may benefit the fungus in escaping … the microbicidal environment of the phagosome. On the other hand, the macrophage could profit in terms of avoiding its own lysis and being able to undergo proliferation. To analyse the causes of non-lytic expulsion and the relevance of macrophage proliferation in the macrophage-Candida albicans interaction, we employ Evolutionary Game Theory and dynamic optimization in a sequential manner. We establish a game-theoretical model describing the different strategies of the two players after phagocytosis. Depending on the parameter values, we find four different Nash equilibria and determine the influence of the systems state of the host upon the game. As our Nash equilibria are a direct consequence of the model parameterization, we can depict several biological scenarios. A parameter region, where the host response is robust against the fungal infection, is determined. We further apply dynamic optimization to analyse whether macrophage mitosis is relevant in the host-pathogen interaction of macrophages and C. albicans For this, we study the population dynamics of the macrophage-C. albicans interactions and the corresponding optimal controls for the macrophages, indicating the best macrophage strategy of switching from proliferation to attacking fungal cells.

Authors: S. Duhring, J. Ewald, S. Germerodt, C. Kaleta, T. Dandekar, S. Schuster

Date Published: 14th Jul 2017

Publication Type: Not specified

LASSIM-A network inference toolbox for genome-wide mechanistic modeling.

Abstract (Expand)

Recent technological advancements have made time-resolved, quantitative, multi-omics data available for many model systems, which could be integrated for systems pharmacokinetic use. Here, we present … large-scale simulation modeling (LASSIM), which is a novel mathematical tool for performing large-scale inference using mechanistically defined ordinary differential equations (ODE) for gene regulatory networks (GRNs). LASSIM integrates structural knowledge about regulatory interactions and non-linear equations with multiple steady state and dynamic response expression datasets. The rationale behind LASSIM is that biological GRNs can be simplified using a limited subset of core genes that are assumed to regulate all other gene transcription events in the network. The LASSIM method is implemented as a general-purpose toolbox using the PyGMO Python package to make the most of multicore computers and high performance clusters, and is available at https://gitlab.com/Gustafsson-lab/lassim. As a method, LASSIM works in two steps, where it first infers a non-linear ODE system of the pre-specified core gene expression. Second, LASSIM in parallel optimizes the parameters that model the regulation of peripheral genes by core system genes. We showed the usefulness of this method by applying LASSIM to infer a large-scale non-linear model of naive Th2 cell differentiation, made possible by integrating Th2 specific bindings, time-series together with six public and six novel siRNA-mediated knock-down experiments. ChIP-seq showed significant overlap for all tested transcription factors. Next, we performed novel time-series measurements of total T-cells during differentiation towards Th2 and verified that our LASSIM model could monitor those data significantly better than comparable models that used the same Th2 bindings. In summary, the LASSIM toolbox opens the door to a new type of model-based data analysis that combines the strengths of reliable mechanistic models with truly systems-level data. We demonstrate the power of this approach by inferring a mechanistically motivated, genome-wide model of the Th2 transcription regulatory system, which plays an important role in several immune related diseases.

Authors: R. Magnusson, G. P. Mariotti, M. Kopsen, W. Lovfors, D. R. Gawel, R. Jornsten, J. Linde, T. E. M. Nordling, E. Nyman, S. Schulze, C. E. Nestor, H. Zhang, G. Cedersund, M. Benson, A. Tjarnberg, M. Gustafsson

Date Published: 24th Jun 2017

Publication Type: Not specified

The Snf1-activating kinase Sak1 is a key regulator of metabolic adaptation and in vivo fitness of Candida albicans.

Abstract (Expand)

The metabolic flexibility of the opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida albicans is important for colonisation and infection of different host niches. Complex regulatory networks, in which protein kinases … play central roles, link metabolism and other virulence-associated traits, such as filamentous growth and stress resistance, and thereby control commensalism and pathogenicity. By screening a protein kinase deletion mutant library that was generated in the present work using an improved SAT1 flipper cassette, we found that the previously uncharacterised kinase Sak1 is a key upstream activator of the protein kinase Snf1, a highly conserved regulator of nutrient stress responses that is essential for viability in C. albicans. The sak1Delta mutants failed to grow on many alternative carbon sources and were hypersensitive to cell wall/membrane stress. These phenotypes were mirrored in mutants lacking other subunits of the SNF1 complex and partially compensated by a hyperactive form of Snf1. Transcriptional profiling of sak1Delta mutants showed that Sak1 ensures basal expression of glyoxylate cycle and gluconeogenesis genes even in glucose-rich media and thereby contributes to the metabolic plasticity of C. albicans. In a mouse model of gastrointestinal colonisation, sak1Delta mutants were rapidly outcompeted by wild-type cells, demonstrating that Sak1 is essential for the in vivo fitness of C. albicans.

Authors: B. Ramirez-Zavala, A. Mottola, J. Haubenreisser, S. Schneider, S. Allert, S. Brunke, K. Ohlsen, B. Hube, J. Morschhauser

Date Published: 25th Mar 2017

Publication Type: Not specified

Binding of Candida albicans to Human CEACAM1 and CEACAM6 Modulates the Inflammatory Response of Intestinal Epithelial Cells.

Abstract (Expand)

Candida albicans colonizes human mucosa, including the gastrointestinal tract, as a commensal. In immunocompromised patients, C. albicans can breach the intestinal epithelial barrier and cause fatal … invasive infections. Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1; CD66a), CEACAM5 (CEA), and CEACAM6 (CD66c) are immunomodulatory receptors expressed on human mucosa and are recruited by bacterial and viral pathogens. Here we show for the first time that a fungal pathogen (i.e., C. albicans) also binds directly to the extracellular domain of human CEACAM1, CEACAM3, CEACAM5, and CEACAM6. Binding was specific for human CEACAMs and mediated by the N-terminal IgV-like domain. In enterocytic C2BBe1 cells, C. albicans caused a transient tyrosine phosphorylation of CEACAM1 and induced higher expression of membrane-bound CEACAM1 and soluble CEACAM6. Lack of the CEACAM1 receptor after short hairpin RNA (shRNA) knockdown abolished CXCL8 (interleukin-8) secretion by C2BBe1 cells in response to C. albicans In CEACAM1-competent cells, the addition of recombinant soluble CEACAM6 reduced the C. albicans-induced CXCL8 secretion.IMPORTANCE The present study demonstrates for the first time that fungal pathogens can be recognized by at least four members of the immunomodulatory CEACAM receptor family: CEACAM1, -3, -5, and -6. Three of the four receptors (i.e., CEACAM1, -5, and -6) are expressed in mucosal cells of the intestinal tract, where they are implicated in immunomodulation and control of tissue homeostasis. Importantly, the interaction of the major fungal pathogen in humans Candida albicans with CEACAM1 and CEACAM6 resulted in an altered epithelial immune response. With respect to the broad impact of CEACAM receptors on various aspects of the innate and the adaptive immune responses, in particular epithelial, neutrophil, and T cell behavior, understanding the role of CEACAMs in the host response to fungal pathogens might help to improve management of superficial and systemic fungal infections.

Authors: E. Klaile, M. M. Muller, M. R. Schafer, A. K. Clauder, S. Feer, K. A. Heyl, M. Stock, T. E. Klassert, P. F. Zipfel, B. B. Singer, H. Slevogt

Date Published: 16th Mar 2017

Publication Type: Not specified

Specific and Novel microRNAs Are Regulated as Response to Fungal Infection in Human Dendritic Cells.

Abstract (Expand)

Within the last two decades, the incidence of invasive fungal infections has been significantly increased. They are characterized by high mortality rates and are often caused by Candida albicans and … Aspergillus fumigatus. The increasing number of infections underlines the necessity for additional anti-fungal therapies, which require extended knowledge of gene regulations during fungal infection. MicroRNAs are regulators of important cellular processes, including the immune response. By analyzing their regulation and impact on target genes, novel therapeutic and diagnostic approaches may be developed. Here, we examine the role of microRNAs in human dendritic cells during fungal infection. Dendritic cells represent the bridge between the innate and the adaptive immune systems. Therefore, analysis of gene regulation of dendritic cells is of particular significance. By applying next-generation sequencing of small RNAs, we quantify microRNA expression in monocyte-derived dendritic cells after 6 and 12 h of infection with C. albicans and A. fumigatus as well as treatment with lipopolysaccharides (LPS). We identified 26 microRNAs that are differentially regulated after infection by the fungi or LPS. Three and five of them are specific for fungal infections after 6 and 12 h, respectively. We further validated interactions of miR-132-5p and miR-212-5p with immunological relevant target genes, such as FKBP1B, KLF4, and SPN, on both RNA and protein level. Our results indicate that these microRNAs fine-tune the expression of immune-related target genes during fungal infection. Beyond that, we identified previously undiscovered microRNAs. We validated three novel microRNAs via qRT-PCR. A comparison with known microRNAs revealed possible relations with the miR-378 family and miR-1260a/b for two of them, while the third one features a unique sequence with no resemblance to known microRNAs. In summary, this study analyzes the effect of known microRNAs in dendritic cells during fungal infections and proposes novel microRNAs that could be experimentally verified.

Authors: A. Dix, K. Czakai, I. Leonhardt, K. Schaferhoff, M. Bonin, R. Guthke, H. Einsele, O. Kurzai, J. Loffler, J. Linde

Date Published: 11th Mar 2017

Publication Type: Not specified

Optimality principles reveal a complex interplay of intermediate toxicity and kinetic efficiency in the regulation of prokaryotic metabolism.

Abstract (Expand)

A precise and rapid adjustment of fluxes through metabolic pathways is crucial for organisms to prevail in changing environmental conditions. Based on this reasoning, many guiding principles that govern … the evolution of metabolic networks and their regulation have been uncovered. To this end, methods from dynamic optimization are ideally suited since they allow to uncover optimality principles behind the regulation of metabolic networks. We used dynamic optimization to investigate the influence of toxic intermediates in connection with the efficiency of enzymes on the regulation of a linear metabolic pathway. Our results predict that transcriptional regulation favors the control of highly efficient enzymes with less toxic upstream intermediates to reduce accumulation of toxic downstream intermediates. We show that the derived optimality principles hold by the analysis of the interplay between intermediate toxicity and pathway regulation in the metabolic pathways of over 5000 sequenced prokaryotes. Moreover, using the lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis in Escherichia coli as an example, we show how knowledge about the relation of regulation, kinetic efficiency and intermediate toxicity can be used to identify drug targets, which control endogenous toxic metabolites and prevent microbial growth. Beyond prokaryotes, we discuss the potential of our findings for the development of antifungal drugs.

Authors: J. Ewald, M. Bartl, T. Dandekar, C. Kaleta

Date Published: 18th Feb 2017

Publication Type: Not specified

Factor H Binds to Extracellular DNA Traps Released from Human Blood Monocytes in Response to Candida albicans.

Abstract (Expand)

Upon systemic infection with human pathogenic yeast Candida albicans (C. albicans), human monocytes and polymorph nuclear neutrophilic granulocytes are the first immune cells to respond and come into … contact with C. albicans. Monocytes exert immediate candidacidal activity and inhibit germination, mediate phagocytosis, and kill fungal cells. Here, we show that human monocytes spontaneously respond to C. albicans cells via phagocytosis, decondensation of nuclear DNA, and release of this decondensed DNA in the form of extracellular traps (called monocytic extracellular traps: MoETs). Both subtypes of monocytes (CD14(++)CD16(-)/CD14(+)CD16(+)) formed MoETs within the first hours upon contact with C. albicans. MoETs were characterized by the presence of citrullinated histone, myeloperoxidase, lactoferrin, and elastase. MoETs were also formed in response to Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, indicating a general reaction of monocytes to infectious microbes. MoET induction differs from extracellular trap formation in macrophages as MoETs are not triggered by simvastatin, an inhibitor of cholesterol synthesis and inducer of extracellular traps in macrophages. Extracellular traps from both monocytes and neutrophils activate complement and C3b is deposited. However, factor H (FH) binds via C3b to the extracellular DNA, mediates cofactor activity, and inhibits the induction of the inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 beta in monocytes. Altogether, the results show that human monocytes release extracellular DNA traps in response to C. albicans and that these traps finally bind FH via C3b to presumably support clearance without further inflammation.

Authors: L. D. Halder, M. A. Abdelfatah, E. A. Jo, I. D. Jacobsen, M. Westermann, N. Beyersdorf, S. Lorkowski, P. F. Zipfel, C. Skerka

Date Published: 31st Jan 2017

Publication Type: Not specified

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