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ARANTES TD, BAGAGLI E, NIÑO-VEGA G, SAN-BLAS G, THEODORO RC. Paracoccidioides brasiliensis AND Paracoccidioides lutzii, A SECRET LOVE AFFAIR. Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo 2015; 57 Suppl 19:25-30. [PMID: 26465366 PMCID: PMC4711194 DOI: 10.1590/s0036-46652015000700006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
To commemorate Prof. Carlos da Silva Lacaz's centennial anniversary, the authors have written a brief account of a few, out of hundreds, biological, ecological, molecular and phylogenetic studies that led to the arrival of Paracoccidioides lutzii, hidden for more than a century within Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. Lacaz's permanent interest in this fungus, and particularly his conviction on the benefits that research on paracoccidioidomycosis would bring to patients, were pivotal in the development of the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thales Domingos ARANTES
- Universidade Estadual Paulista, Instituto de Biociências/UNESP, Depto.
Microbiologia e Imunologia, Botucatu, SP, Brasil
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical/IMT, Laboratório de Virologia e
Micologia, Campus Universitário Lagoa Nova, Natal, RN, Brasil
| | - Eduardo BAGAGLI
- Universidade Estadual Paulista, Instituto de Biociências/UNESP, Depto.
Microbiologia e Imunologia, Botucatu, SP, Brasil
| | - Gustavo NIÑO-VEGA
- Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas (IVIC), Laboratorio
de Micología, Centro de Microbiología y Biología Celular, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Gioconda SAN-BLAS
- Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas (IVIC), Laboratorio
de Micología, Centro de Microbiología y Biología Celular, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Raquel Cordeiro THEODORO
- Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Depto. de Biologia Celular
e Genética, Campus Universitário Lagoa Nova, Natal, RN, Brasil
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Sorais F, Barreto L, Leal JA, Bernabé M, San-Blas G, Niño-Vega GA. Cell wall glucan synthases and GTPases in Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. Med Mycol 2010; 48:35-47. [PMID: 19225978 DOI: 10.3109/13693780802713356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In this report we identified orthologues of fungal AGS1, RHO1, RHO2, RAC1 and CDC42 genes in the dimorphic fungus Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. Based on its homology to known fungal sequences, P. brasiliensis Ags1 was identified as an alpha-1,3-glucan synthase, while Rho1, Rho2, Rac1 and Cdc42 proteins were classified into the Rho1, Rho2, Rac1 and Cdc42 subgroups of fungal Rho GTPases, respectively. Of them, Rho1 is one of two subunits of a putative beta-1,3-glucan synthase complex, the other being the synthase itself (Fks1), while Rho2 has been associated to the alpha-1,3-glucan synthase (Ags1). Expression studies showed that mRNAs levels of RHO2 and AGS1 kept a direct relationship but the levels of RHO1 and FKS1 did not. P. brasiliensis RHO1 successfully restored growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae rho1 mutant under restrictive temperature conditions. Chemical analyses of P. brasiliensis alpha-1,3-glucan, synthesized by Ags1p, indicated that it is essentially a linear polysaccharide, with <3% of alpha-1,4-linked glucose branches, occasionally attached as single units to the alpha-1,3-backbone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Françoise Sorais
- Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, Centro de Microbiología y Biología Celular, Caracas, Venezuela
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San-Blas G, Niño-Vega G, Iturriaga T. Paracoccidioides brasiliensis and paracoccidioidomycosis: molecular approaches to morphogenesis, diagnosis, epidemiology, taxonomy and genetics. Med Mycol 2002; 40:225-42. [PMID: 12146752 DOI: 10.1080/mmy.40.3.225.242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 167] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Paracoccidioides brasiliensis is an amenable model to study the molecular and biochemical events that lead to morphological transition in fungi, because temperature seems to be the only factor regulating this process. It is the causative agent of paracoccidioidomycosis, a systemic mycosis that affects humans and that is geographically confined to Latin America, where it constitutes one of the most prevalent deep mycoses. With the help of molecular tools, events leading to the morphological transition have been traced to genes that control cell wall glucan and chitin syntheses, and other metabolic processes such as production of heat shock proteins and ornithine decarboxylase activity. Molecular diagnosis and epidemiology of paracoccidioidomycosis are also the focus of intensive research, with several primers being proposed as specific probes for clinical and field uses. Although P. brasiliensis is refractory to cytogenetic analysis, electrophoretic methods have allowed an approximation of its genomic organization and ploidy. Finally, the recognition of P. brasiliensis as an anamorph in the phylum Ascomycota, order Onygenales, family Onygenaceae, has been accomplished by means of molecular tools. This phylogenetic placement has revised the taxonomic position of this fungus, which was traditionally included within now-abandoned higher anamorph taxa, the phylum Deuteromycota and the class Hyphomycetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gioconda San-Blas
- Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, Centro de Microbiología y Biología Celular, Caracas, Venezuela.
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Calcagno AM, Niño-Vega G, San-Blas F, San-Blas G. Geographic discrimination of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis strains by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA analysis. J Clin Microbiol 1998; 36:1733-6. [PMID: 9620409 PMCID: PMC104909 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.36.6.1733-1736.1998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis of 33 Paracoccidioides brasiliensis strains from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela produced reproducible amplification products which were sufficiently polymorphic to allow differentiation of the strains. Types generated with five primers (OPG 03, OPG 05, OPG 14, OPG 16, and OPG 18) resulted in a high discriminatory index (0.956). The discriminatory index was slightly reduced (0.940) when only two primers (OPG 3 and OPG 14) were used. A dendrogram based on these results showed a high degree of similarity among the strains, and genetic differences were expressed in clusters related to geographical regions but not to pathological features of the disease. With a few exceptions, strains were sorted into five groups by geographical origin as follows: group I, Venezuelan strains; group II, Brazilian strains; group III, Peruvian strains; group IV, Colombian strains; and group V, Argentinian strains. The group containing the most disparate strains was group V (discriminatory index, 0.633); the discriminatory index for the other four groups was 0.824. The use of primer OPG 18 by itself was sufficient to discriminate species specificity, and the use of primer OPG 14 by itself was sufficient to discriminate among the geographical locations of the strains in the sample. This method may be helpful for epidemiological studies of P. brasiliensis.
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Affiliation(s)
- A M Calcagno
- Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas, Centro de Microbiología y Biología Celular, Laboratorio de Micrología, Caracas, Venezuela
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SAN-BLAS G, MORENO B, CALCAGNO AM, SAN-BLAS F. Lysis of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis by Zygosporium geminatum. Med Mycol 1998. [DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-280x.1998.00121.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
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San-Blas G, Moreno B, Calcagno A, San-Blas F. Lysis ofParacoccidioides brasiliensisbyZygosporium geminatum. Med Mycol 1998. [DOI: 10.1080/02681219880000131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022] Open
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San-Bias G, Urbina JA, Marchán E, Contreras LM, Sorais F, San-Blas F. Inhibition of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis by ajoene is associated with blockade of phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis. MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 1997; 143 ( Pt 5):1583-1586. [PMID: 9168609 DOI: 10.1099/00221287-143-5-1583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
In Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, a dimorphic fungus pathogenic for humans, no significant differences were observed in the phospholipid species of both morphological phases. The species observed were phosphatidylcholine (PC, 30-40%), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE, 27-28%), phosphatidylserine (16-19%), phosphatidylinositol (13-17%) and sphingomyelin (3-5%). The main fatty acids found in the yeast (Y) phase were palmitate (56%), linoleate (18%) and oleate (15%), while linoleate predominated (61%) in the mycelial (M) phase, followed by palmitate (27%) and oleate (7%). In the Y phase the main free sterol was ergosta-5,22-dien-3 beta-ol (82%) plus some lanosterol (12%) and ergosterol (6%), while in the M phase, the latter predominated (88%), followed by low levels of ergosta-5,22-dien-3 beta-ol (12%). Ajoene [(E,Z)-4,5,9-trithiadodeca-1,6,11-triene 9-oxide], a platelet aggregation inhibitor derived from garlic, induced alterations in phospholipid and fatty acid proportions such that PC was reduced to about 18% in both phases and PE increased to 38% (Y phase) or 44% (M phase), suggesting inhibition of PC synthesis. Ajoene also reduced saturated fatty acids (16:0 and 18:0) from 67 to 35% in the Y phase, with a corresponding increase in the unsaturated components. This effect was not seen in the M phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gioconda San-Bias
- Institute Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas (IVIC), Centres of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Caracas 1020A, Venezuela
| | - Julio A Urbina
- Biophysics and Biochemistry Apartado 21827, Caracas 1020A, Venezuela
| | - Edgar Marchán
- Biophysics and Biochemistry Apartado 21827, Caracas 1020A, Venezuela
| | | | - Françoise Sorais
- Institute Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas (IVIC), Centres of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Caracas 1020A, Venezuela
| | - Felipe San-Blas
- Institute Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas (IVIC), Centres of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Caracas 1020A, Venezuela
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San-Blas G, Padr N RL, Alamo L, San-Blas F. Use of morphology index histograms to quantify populations of the fungal pathogen Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 1997; 143 ( Pt 1):197-202. [PMID: 9025294 DOI: 10.1099/00221287-143-1-197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
To quantify the dimorphic process in wild and mutant strains of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, we defined a morphology index (Mi) in terms of the maximum cell length (l), maximum cell diameter (d), and septal diameter (s), according to the equation Mi = 2.13 + 1.13 log10 (ls/d2), whose intercept and slope were such that Mi was around 1 for yeast (spherical) cells or 4 for hyphal (elongated) cells. This discriminatory power was used to quantify morphological population mixtures through Mi histograms. During the temperature-induced dimorphic transition (either way), mean Mi (Mi) varied linearly with time, suggesting a continuity in the process. Also, in wild strains and mutants thereof we found an inverse relationship between Mi and content of both cell wall chitin and 1,3-alpha-glucan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gioconda San-Blas
- Laboratories of Mycology, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cient�ficas (IVIC), Apartado 21827, Caracas 1020A, Venezuela
| | - Ra L Padr N
- Structural Biology, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cient�ficas (IVIC), Apartado 21827, Caracas 1020A, Venezuela
| | - Lorenzo Alamo
- Structural Biology, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cient�ficas (IVIC), Apartado 21827, Caracas 1020A, Venezuela
| | - Felipe San-Blas
- Laboratories of Mycology, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cient�ficas (IVIC), Apartado 21827, Caracas 1020A, Venezuela
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San-Blas G, Suzuki S, Hearn V, Pinel C, Kobayashi H, Mendez C, Niño G, Nishikawa A, San-Blas F, Shibata N. Fungal polysaccharides. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL AND VETERINARY MYCOLOGY : BI-MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR HUMAN AND ANIMAL MYCOLOGY 1994; 32 Suppl 1:321-8. [PMID: 7536840 DOI: 10.1080/02681219480000941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Fungal polysaccharides are cell wall components which may act as antigens or as structural substrates. As antigens, the role of mannans in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans, and of glycoproteins in Aspergillus fumigatus are discussed. Analyses on beta-glucan synthetase in Paracoccidioides brasiliensis and the inhibitory effect of Hansenula mrakii killer toxin on beta-glucan biosynthesis are also considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- G San-Blas
- Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, Centro de Microbiología y Biología Celular, Caracas
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