Structural features responsible for the biological stability of Histoplasma's virulence factor CBP

Genotypic diversity, virulence, and molecular genetic tools in Histoplasma

SUMMARYHistoplasmosis is arguably the most common fungal respiratory infection worldwide, with hundreds of thousands of new infections occurring annually in the United States alone. The infection can progress in the lung or disseminate to visceral organs and can be difficult to treat with antifungal drugs. Histoplasma, the causative agent of the disease, is a pathogenic fungus that causes life-threatening lung infections and is globally distributed. The fungus has the ability to germinate from conidia into either hyphal (mold) or yeast form, depending on the environmental temperature. This transition also regulates virulence. Histoplasma and histoplasmosis have been classified as being of emergent importance, and in 2022, the World Health Organization included Histoplasma as 1 of the 19 most concerning human fungal pathogens. In this review, we synthesize the current understanding of the ecological niche, evolutionary history, and virulence strategies of Histoplasma. We also describe general patterns of the symptomatology and epidemiology of histoplasmosis. We underscore areas where research is sorely needed and highlight research avenues that have been productive.

Pathogenicity & Virulence of Histoplasma capsulatum - a multifaceted organism adapted to intracellular environments

Histoplasmosis is a systemic mycosis caused by the thermally dimorphic fungus Histoplasma capsulatum. Although healthy individuals can develop histoplasmosis, the disease is particularly life-threatening in immunocompromised patients, with a wide range of clinical manifestations depending on the inoculum and virulence of the infecting strain. In this review, we discuss the established virulence factors and pathogenesis traits that make H. capsulatum highly adapted to a wide variety of hosts, including mammals. Understanding and integrating these mechanisms is a key step towards devising new preventative and therapeutic interventions.

Cbp1, a fungal virulence factor under positive selection, forms an effector complex that drives macrophage lysis

Intracellular pathogens secrete effectors to manipulate their host cells. Histoplasma capsulatum (Hc) is a fungal intracellular pathogen of humans that grows in a yeast form in the host. Hc yeasts are phagocytosed by macrophages, where fungal intracellular replication precedes macrophage lysis. The most abundant virulence factor secreted by Hc yeast cells is Calcium Binding Protein 1 (Cbp1), which is absolutely required for macrophage lysis. Here we take an evolutionary, structural, and cell biological approach to understand Cbp1 function. We find that Cbp1 is present only in the genomes of closely related dimorphic fungal species of the Ajellomycetaceae family that lead primarily intracellular lifestyles in their mammalian hosts (Histoplasma, Paracoccidioides, and Emergomyces), but not conserved in the extracellular fungal pathogen Blastomyces dermatitidis. We observe a high rate of fixation of non-synonymous substitutions in the Cbp1 coding sequences, indicating that Cbp1 is under positive selection. We determine the de novo structures of Hc H88 Cbp1 and the Paracoccidioides americana (Pb03) Cbp1, revealing a novel "binocular" fold consisting of a helical dimer arrangement wherein two helices from each monomer contribute to a four-helix bundle. In contrast to Pb03 Cbp1, we show that Emergomyces Cbp1 orthologs are unable to stimulate macrophage lysis when expressed in the Hc cbp1 mutant. Consistent with this result, we find that wild-type Emergomyces africanus yeast are able to grow within primary macrophages but are incapable of lysing them. Finally, we use subcellular fractionation of infected macrophages and indirect immunofluorescence to show that Cbp1 localizes to the macrophage cytosol during Hc infection, making this the first instance of a phagosomal human fungal pathogen directing an effector into the cytosol of the host cell. We additionally show that Cbp1 forms a complex with Yps-3, another known Hc virulence factor that accesses the cytosol. Taken together, these data imply that Cbp1 is a fungal virulence factor under positive selection that localizes to the cytosol to trigger host cell lysis.

How Environmental Fungi Cause a Range of Clinical Outcomes in Susceptible Hosts

Environmental fungi are globally ubiquitous and human exposure is near universal. However, relatively few fungal species are capable of infecting humans, and among fungi, few exposure events lead to severe systemic infections. Systemic infections have mortality rates of up to 90%, cost the US healthcare system $7.2 billion annually, and are typically associated with immunocompromised patients. Despite this reputation, exposure to environmental fungi results in a range of outcomes, from asymptomatic latent infections to severe systemic infection. Here we discuss different exposure outcomes for five major fungal pathogens: Aspergillus, Blastomyces, Coccidioides, Cryptococcus, and Histoplasma species. These fungi include a mold, a budding yeast, and thermal dimorphic fungi. All of these species must adapt to dramatically changing environments over the course of disease. These dynamic environments include the human lung, which is the first exposure site for these organisms. Fungi must defend themselves against host immune cells while germinating and growing, which risks further exposing microbe-associated molecular patterns to the host. We discuss immune evasion strategies during early infection, from disruption of host immune cells to major changes in fungal cell morphology.

Differentiation of the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum into a pathogen of phagocytes

Mammalian body temperature triggers differentiation of the fungal pathogen Histoplasma capsulatum into yeast cells. The Drk1 regulatory kinase and an interdependent network of Ryp transcription factors establish the yeast state. Beyond morphology, the differentiation-dependent expression program equips yeasts for invasion and survival within phagosomes. Yeast cells produce α-glucan and the Eng1 endoglucanase which hide yeasts from immune detection. Secretion of yeast phase-specific Sod3 and CatB detoxify phagocyte-derived reactive oxygen molecules. Histoplasma cells adapt to iron and zinc limitation in activated macrophages by production of siderophores and the Zrt2 transporter, respectively. Yeasts also respond to inflammation-associated hypoxia. Histoplasma pathogenicity thus relies on factors controlled by yeast differentiation as well as environment-dependent responses.

Fungal Dimorphism and Virulence: Molecular Mechanisms for Temperature Adaptation, Immune Evasion, and In Vivo Survival

The thermally dimorphic fungi are a unique group of fungi within the Ascomycota phylum that respond to shifts in temperature by converting between hyphae (22–25°C) and yeast (37°C). This morphologic switch, known as the phase transition, defines the biology and lifestyle of these fungi. The conversion to yeast within healthy and immunocompromised mammalian hosts is essential for virulence. In the yeast phase, the thermally dimorphic fungi upregulate genes involved with subverting host immune defenses. This review highlights the molecular mechanisms governing the phase transition and recent advances in how the phase transition promotes infection.

Histoplasma capsulatum surmounts obstacles to intracellular pathogenesis

The fungal pathogen Histoplasma capsulatum causes respiratory and disseminated disease, even in immunocompetent hosts. In contrast to opportunistic pathogens, which are readily controlled by phagocytic cells, H. capsulatum yeasts are able to infect macrophages, survive antimicrobial defenses, and proliferate as an intracellular pathogen. In this review, we discuss some of the molecular mechanisms that enable H. capsulatum yeasts to overcome obstacles to intracellular pathogenesis. H. capsulatum yeasts gain refuge from extracellular obstacles such as antimicrobial lung surfactant proteins by engaging the β-integrin family of phagocytic receptors to promote entry into macrophages. In addition, H. capsulatum yeasts conceal immunostimulatory β-glucans to avoid triggering signaling receptors such as the β-glucan receptor Dectin-1. H. capsulatum yeasts counteract phagocyte-produced reactive oxygen species by expression of oxidative stress defense enzymes including an extracellular superoxide dismutase and an extracellular catalase. Within the phagosome, H. capsulatum yeasts block phagosome acidification, acquire essential metals such as iron and zinc, and utilize de novo biosynthesis pathways to overcome nutritional limitations. These mechanisms explain how H. capsulatum yeasts avoid and negate macrophage defense strategies and establish a hospitable intracellular niche, making H. capsulatum a successful intracellular pathogen of macrophages.

Human SNF2L gene is regulated constitutively and inducibly in neural cells via a cAMP-response element

PURPOSE

SNF2L belongs to Imitation Switch family and plays an essential role in neural tissues and gonads. In our previous studies, we have demonstrated that the basal transcription of human SNF2L gene is regulated by two cis-elements, cAMP response element (CRE)- and Sp1-binding sites. Recent studies suggested that cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) stimulation significantly up-regulated SNF2L expression in ovarian granulose cells. These data suggested that protein kinase-mediated signal pathways might also regulate SNF2L expression in neural cells. We therefore investigated the effects of agents that activate protein kinases A on SNF2L gene expression in neural cells.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

To increase intracellular cAMP levels, all neural cells were treated with forskolin and dbcAMP, two cAMP response activators. We exmined the effects of cAMP on the promoter activity of human SNF2L gene by luciferase reporter gene assays, and further examined the effects of cAMP on endogenous SNF2L mRNA levels by qPCR.

RESULTS

Transient expression of a luciferase fusion gene under the control of the SNF2L promoter was significantly increased by treatment of rat primary neurons with forskolin or dbcAMP, but not PC12, C6 and SH-SY5Y cells. Consistently, treatment with forskolin or dbcAMP could enhance endogenous SNF2L mRNA levels also only in rat primary neurons.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that the CRE consensus sequence in the SNF2L proximal promoter most likely confers constitutive activation and regulation by cAMP in neural cells.

Structure and function of DsbA, a key bacterial oxidative folding catalyst

Since its discovery in 1991, the bacterial periplasmic oxidative folding catalyst DsbA has been the focus of intense research. Early studies addressed why it is so oxidizing and how it is maintained in its less stable oxidized state. The crystal structure of Escherichia coli DsbA (EcDsbA) revealed that the oxidizing periplasmic enzyme is a distant evolutionary cousin of the reducing cytoplasmic enzyme thioredoxin. Recent significant developments have deepened our understanding of DsbA function, mechanism, and interactions: the structure of the partner membrane protein EcDsbB, including its complex with EcDsbA, proved a landmark in the field. Studies of DsbA machineries from bacteria other than E. coli K-12 have highlighted dramatic differences from the model organism, including a striking divergence in redox parameters and surface features. Several DsbA structures have provided the first clues to its interaction with substrates, and finally, evidence for a central role of DsbA in bacterial virulence has been demonstrated in a range of organisms. Here, we review current knowledge on DsbA, a bacterial periplasmic protein that introduces disulfide bonds into diverse substrate proteins and which may one day be the target of a new class of anti-virulence drugs to treat bacterial infection.

NMR structure of a fungal virulence factor reveals structural homology with mammalian saposin B

The fungal protein CBP (calcium binding protein) is a known virulence factor with an unknown virulence mechanism. The protein was identified based on its ability to bind calcium and its prevalence as Histoplasma capsulatum's most abundant secreted protein. However, CBP has no sequence homology with other CBPs and contains no known calcium binding motifs. Here, the NMR structure of CBP reveals a highly intertwined homodimer and represents the first atomic level NMR model of any fungal virulence factor. Each CBP monomer is comprised of four alpha-helices that adopt the saposin fold, characteristic of a protein family that binds to membranes and lipids. This structural homology suggests that CBP functions as a lipid binding protein, potentially interacting with host glycolipids in the phagolysosome of host cells.

Histoplasma capsulatum pathogenesis: making a lifestyle switch

The dimorphism of Histoplasma reflects a developmental switch in morphology and lifestyle that is necessary for virulence. The dimorphism regulating kinase DRK1 and the Histoplasma WOR1 homolog RYP1 mediate the thermally induced transition to the pathogenic yeast-phase program. The genes expressed as part of this regulon influence the host-pathogen interaction to favor Histoplasma virulence. While surface localized HSP60 supports yeast attachment to host macrophages, yeast alpha-glucan polysaccharides conceal immunostimulatory cell wall beta-glucans from detection by macrophage receptors. Intramacrophage growth of yeast cells is facilitated by CBP a secreted, protease-resistant calcium-binding protein tailored to function within the phagolysosomal environment. In some Histoplasma strains, YPS3 promotes dissemination of yeast from pulmonary infection sites. The Histoplasma yeast-phase program includes additional cell surface and extracellular molecules that potentially function in further aspects of Histoplasma virulence.