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Daneshnia F, Floyd DJ, Ryan AP, Ghahfarokhy PM, Ebadati A, Jusuf S, Munoz J, Jeffries NE, Elizabeth Yvanovich E, Apostolopoulou A, Perry AM, Lass-Flörl C, Birinci A, Hilmioğlu-Polat S, Ilkit M, Butler G, Nobile CJ, Arastehfar A, Mansour MK. Evaluation of outbreak persistence caused by multidrug-resistant and echinocandin-resistant Candida parapsilosis using multidimensional experimental and epidemiological approaches. Emerg Microbes Infect 2024; 13:2322655. [PMID: 38380673 PMCID: PMC10916928 DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2024.2322655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Candida parapsilosis is known to cause severe and persistent outbreaks in clinical settings. Patients infected with multidrug-resistant C. parapsilosis (MDR Cp) isolates were identified in a large Turkish hospital from 2017-2020. We subsequently identified three additional patients infected with MDR Cp isolates in 2022 from the same hospital and two echinocandin-resistant (ECR) isolates from a single patient in another hospital. The increasing number of MDR and ECR isolates contradicts the general principle that the severe fitness cost associated with these phenotypes could prevent their dominance in clinical settings. Here, we employed a multidimensional approach to systematically assess the fitness costs of MDR and ECR C. parapsilosis isolates. Whole-genome sequencing revealed a novel MDR genotype infecting two patients in 2022. Despite severe in vitro defects, the levels and tolerances of the biofilms of our ECR and MDR isolates were generally comparable to those of susceptible wild-type isolates. Surprisingly, the MDR and ECR isolates showed major alterations in their cell wall components, and some of the MDR isolates consistently displayed increased tolerance to the fungicidal activities of primary human neutrophils and were more immunoevasive during exposure to primary human macrophages. Our systemic infection mouse model showed that MDR and ECR C. parapsilosis isolates had comparable fungal burden in most organs relative to susceptible isolates. Overall, we observed a notable increase in the genotypic diversity and frequency of MDR isolates and identified MDR and ECR isolates potentially capable of causing persistent outbreaks in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farnaz Daneshnia
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Daniel J. Floyd
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Adam P. Ryan
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Pegah Mosharaf Ghahfarokhy
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, School of Natural Sciences, University of California – Merced, Merced, CA, USA
- Health Sciences Research Institute, University of California – Merced, Merced, CA, USA
| | - Arefeh Ebadati
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, School of Natural Sciences, University of California – Merced, Merced, CA, USA
| | - Sebastian Jusuf
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Julieta Munoz
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, School of Natural Sciences, University of California – Merced, Merced, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Anna Apostolopoulou
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Austin M. Perry
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, School of Natural Sciences, University of California – Merced, Merced, CA, USA
| | - Cornelia Lass-Flörl
- Medical University Innsbruck, Institute of Hygiene and Medical Microbiology, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Asuman Birinci
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Samsun, Türkiye
| | | | - Macit Ilkit
- Division of Mycology, Faculty of Medicine, Çukurova University, Adana, Türkiye
| | - Geraldine Butler
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Clarissa J. Nobile
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, School of Natural Sciences, University of California – Merced, Merced, CA, USA
- Health Sciences Research Institute, University of California – Merced, Merced, CA, USA
| | - Amir Arastehfar
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michael K. Mansour
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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2
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Anderson MZ, Dietz SM. Evolution and strain diversity advance exploration of Candida albicans biology. mSphere 2024; 9:e0064123. [PMID: 39012122 PMCID: PMC11351040 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00641-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Fungi were some of the earliest organismal systems used to explore mutational processes and its phenotypic consequences on members of a species. Yeasts that cause significant human disease were quickly incorporated into these investigations to define the genetic and phenotypic drivers of virulence. Among Candida species, Candida albicans has emerged as a model for studying genomic processes of evolution because of its clinical relevance, relatively small genome, and ability to tolerate complex chromosomal changes. Here, we describe major recent findings that used evolution of strains from defined genetic backgrounds to delineate mutational and adaptative processes and include how nascent exploration into naturally occurring variation is contributing to these conceptual frameworks. Ultimately, efforts to discern adaptive mechanisms used by C. albicans will continue to divulge new biology and can better inform treatment regimens for the increasing prevalence of fungal disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Z. Anderson
- Department of Medical Genetics, Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin—Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Center for Genomic Science Innovation, University of Wisconsin—Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Siobhan M. Dietz
- Cellular and Molecular Pathology Graduate Program, University of Wisconsin—Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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3
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Aylward J, Wilson AM, Visagie CM, Spraker J, Barnes I, Buitendag C, Ceriani C, Del Mar Angel L, du Plessis D, Fuchs T, Gasser K, Krämer D, Li W, Munsamy K, Piso A, Price JL, Sonnekus B, Thomas C, van der Nest A, van Dijk A, van Heerden A, van Vuuren N, Yilmaz N, Duong TA, van der Merwe NA, Wingfield MJ, Wingfield BD. IMA Genome - F19 : A genome assembly and annotation guide to empower mycologists, including annotated draft genome sequences of Ceratocystis pirilliformis, Diaporthe australafricana, Fusarium ophioides, Paecilomyces lecythidis, and Sporothrix stenoceras. IMA Fungus 2024; 15:12. [PMID: 38831329 PMCID: PMC11149380 DOI: 10.1186/s43008-024-00142-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The pace at which Next Generation Sequence data is being produced continues to accelerate as technology improves. As a result, such data are increasingly becoming accessible to biologists outside of the field of bioinformatics. In contrast, access to training in the methods of genome assembly and annotation are not growing at a similar rate. In this issue, we report on a Genome Assembly Workshop for Mycologists that was held at the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI) at the University of Pretoria, South Africa and make available the 12 draft genome sequences emanating from the event. With the aim of making the process of genome assembly and annotation more accessible to biologists, we provide a step-by-step guide to both genome assembly and annotation, intended to encourage and empower mycologists to use genome data in their research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janneke Aylward
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
- Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7602, South Africa
| | - Andi M Wilson
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
| | - Cobus M Visagie
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
| | - Joseph Spraker
- Hexagon Bio, 1490 O'Brien Dr, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA
| | - Irene Barnes
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
| | - Carla Buitendag
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
| | - Callin Ceriani
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
| | - Lina Del Mar Angel
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
| | - Deanné du Plessis
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
| | - Taygen Fuchs
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
| | - Katharina Gasser
- Department of Crop Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Institute of Plant Protection, Konrad Lorenz-Strasse 24, Tulln an Der Donau, 3430, Vienna, Austria
| | - Daniella Krämer
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
| | - WenWen Li
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
| | - Kiara Munsamy
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
| | - Anja Piso
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
| | - Jenna-Lee Price
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
| | - Byron Sonnekus
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
| | - Chanel Thomas
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
| | - Ariska van der Nest
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
| | - Alida van Dijk
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
| | - Alishia van Heerden
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
| | - Nicole van Vuuren
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
| | - Neriman Yilmaz
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
| | - Tuan A Duong
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
| | - Nicolaas A van der Merwe
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
| | - Michael J Wingfield
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
| | - Brenda D Wingfield
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa.
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4
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Pattini VC, Polaquini CR, Lemes TH, Brizzotti-Mazuchi NS, Sardi JDCO, Paziani MH, Kress MRVZ, de Almeida MTG, Regasini LO. Antifungal activity of 3,3'-dimethoxycurcumin (DMC) against dermatophytes and Candida species. Lett Appl Microbiol 2024; 77:ovae019. [PMID: 38499446 DOI: 10.1093/lambio/ovae019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
Dermatomycosis is an infection with global impacts caused especially by dermatophytes and Candida species. Current antifungal therapies involve drugs that face fungal resistance barriers. This clinical context emphasizes the need to discover new antifungal agents. Herein, the antifungal potential of 10 curcumin analogs was evaluated against four Candida and four dermatophyte species. The most active compound, 3,3'-dimethoxycurcumin, exhibited minimum inhibitory concentration values ranging from 1.9‒62.5 to 15.6‒62.5 µg ml-1 against dermatophytes and Candida species, respectively. According to the checkerboard method, the association between DMC and terbinafine demonstrated a synergistic effect against Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Epidermophyton floccosum. Ergosterol binding test indicated DMC forms a complex with ergosterol of Candida albicans, C. krusei, and C. tropicalis. However, results from the sorbitol protection assay indicated that DMC had no effect on the cell walls of Candida species. The in vivo toxicity, using Galleria mellonella larvae, indicated no toxic effect of DMC. Altogether, curcumin analog DMC was a promising antifungal agent with a promising ability to act against Candida and dermatophyte species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veridianna Camilo Pattini
- Institute of Biosciences, Humanities and Exact Sciences, São Paulo State University, São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo 15054-000, Brazil
| | - Carlos Roberto Polaquini
- Institute of Biosciences, Humanities and Exact Sciences, São Paulo State University, São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo 15054-000, Brazil
| | - Thiago Henrique Lemes
- Institute of Biosciences, Humanities and Exact Sciences, São Paulo State University, São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo 15054-000, Brazil
| | | | | | - Mário Henrique Paziani
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Marcia Regina von Zeska Kress
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
| | | | - Luis Octávio Regasini
- Institute of Biosciences, Humanities and Exact Sciences, São Paulo State University, São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo 15054-000, Brazil
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5
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Selmecki A. Recurrent copy number variations in the human fungal pathogen Candida parapsilosis. mBio 2023; 14:e0071323. [PMID: 37787545 PMCID: PMC10653803 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00713-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Candida parapsilosis is an opportunistic fungal pathogen with increasing incidence in hospital settings worldwide; however, we lack a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms promoting its virulence and drug resistance. Bergin et al. systematically quantify the frequency and effect of copy number variation (CNV) across 170 diverse clinical and environmental isolates of C. parapsilosis (Bergin SA, Zhao F, Ryan AP, Müller CA, Nieduszynski CA, Zhai B, Rolling T, Hohl TM, Morio F, Scully J, Wolfe KH, Butler G, 2022, mBio, https://doi.org/10.1128/mbio.01777-22). Using a combination of both short- and long-read whole genome sequencing techniques, they determine the structure and copy number of two CNVs that arose recurrently throughout the evolution of these isolates. Each CNV predominantly amplifies one coding sequence (ARR3 or RTA3); however, the amplitude and recombination breakpoints are variable across the isolates. Amplification of RTA3 correlates with drug resistance and deletion causes drug susceptibility. This study highlights the need for further research into the mechanisms and dynamics of CNV formation and the impact of these CNVs on virulence and drug resistance across diverse fungal pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Selmecki
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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6
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Satala D, Karkowska-Kuleta J, Bras G, Rapala-Kozik M, Kozik A. Candida parapsilosis cell wall proteins-CPAR2_404800 and CPAR2_404780-Are adhesins that bind to human epithelial and endothelial cells and extracellular matrix proteins. Yeast 2023; 40:377-389. [PMID: 36851809 DOI: 10.1002/yea.3847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Revised: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023] Open
Abstract
One of the initial steps necessary for the development of Candida infections is the adherence to the host tissues and cells. Recent transcriptomic studies suggest that, in Candida parapsilosis-a fungal infectious agent that causes systemic candidiasis in immunosuppressed individuals-the adhesion is mediated by pathogen cell-exposed proteins belonging to the agglutinin-like sequence (Als) family. However, to date, the actual interactions of individual members of this family with human cells and extracellular matrix (ECM) have not been characterized in detail. In the current study, we focused attention on two of these C. parapsilosis Als proteins-CPAR2_404800 and CPAR2_404780-that were proteomically identified in the fungal cell wall of yeasts grown in the media suitable for culturing human epithelial and endothelial cells. Both proteins were extracted from the cell wall and purified, and using a microplate binding assay and a fluorescence microscopic analysis were shown to adhere to human cells of A431 (epithelial) and HMEC-1 (endothelial) lines. The human extracellular matrix components that are also plasma proteins-fibronectin and vitronectin-enhanced these interactions, and also could directly bind to CPAR2_404800 and CPAR2_404780 proteins, with a high affinity (KD in a range of 10-7 to 10-8 M) as determined by surface plasmon resonance measurements. Our findings highlight the role of proteins CPAR2_404800 and CPAR2_404780 in adhesion to host cells and proteins, contributing to the knowledge of the mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions during C. parapsilosis-caused infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorota Satala
- Department of Comparative Biochemistry and Bioanalytics, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Krakow, Poland
| | - Justyna Karkowska-Kuleta
- Department of Comparative Biochemistry and Bioanalytics, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Krakow, Poland
| | - Grazyna Bras
- Department of Comparative Biochemistry and Bioanalytics, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Krakow, Poland
| | - Maria Rapala-Kozik
- Department of Comparative Biochemistry and Bioanalytics, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Krakow, Poland
| | - Andrzej Kozik
- Department of Analytical Biochemistry, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Krakow, Poland
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7
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Daneshnia F, de Almeida Júnior JN, Ilkit M, Lombardi L, Perry AM, Gao M, Nobile CJ, Egger M, Perlin DS, Zhai B, Hohl TM, Gabaldón T, Colombo AL, Hoenigl M, Arastehfar A. Worldwide emergence of fluconazole-resistant Candida parapsilosis: current framework and future research roadmap. THE LANCET. MICROBE 2023; 4:e470-e480. [PMID: 37121240 PMCID: PMC10634418 DOI: 10.1016/s2666-5247(23)00067-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 50.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 02/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Candida parapsilosis is one of the most commen causes of life-threatening candidaemia, particularly in premature neonates, individuals with cancer of the haematopoietic system, and recipients of organ transplants. Historically, drug-susceptible strains have been linked to clonal outbreaks. However, worldwide studies started since 2018 have reported severe outbreaks among adults caused by fluconazole-resistant strains. Outbreaks caused by fluconazole-resistant strains are associated with high mortality rates and can persist despite strict infection control strategies. The emergence of resistance threatens the efficacy of azoles, which is the most widely used class of antifungals and the only available oral treatment option for candidaemia. The fact that most patients infected with fluconazole-resistant strains are azole-naive underscores the high potential adaptability of fluconazole-resistant strains to diverse hosts, environmental niches, and reservoirs. Another concern is the multidrug-resistant and echinocandin-tolerant C parapsilosis isolates, which emerged in 2020. Raising awareness, establishing effective clinical interventions, and understanding the biology and pathogenesis of fluconazole-resistant C parapsilosis are urgently needed to improve treatment strategies and outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farnaz Daneshnia
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - João N de Almeida Júnior
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; Clinical Laboratory, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Macit Ilkit
- Division of Mycology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Çukurova, Adana, Türkiye
| | - Lisa Lombardi
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Austin M Perry
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, School of Natural Sciences, University of California Merced, Merced, CA, USA; Quantitative and Systems Biology Graduate Program, University of California Merced, Merced, CA, USA
| | - Marilyn Gao
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, School of Natural Sciences, University of California Merced, Merced, CA, USA
| | - Clarissa J Nobile
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, School of Natural Sciences, University of California Merced, Merced, CA, USA; Health Sciences Research Institute, University of California Merced, Merced, CA, USA
| | - Matthias Egger
- Division of Infectious Diseases, ECMM Excellence Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - David S Perlin
- Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack Meridian Health, Nutley, NJ, USA; Department of Medical Sciences, Hackensack School of Medicine, Nutley, NJ, USA; Georgetown University Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Bing Zhai
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Tobias M Hohl
- Infectious Disease Service, Department of Medicine and Human Oncology, and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA; Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA
| | - Toni Gabaldón
- Life Sciences Programme, Supercomputing Center, Barcelona, Spain; Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Barcelona, Spain; Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies, Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Arnaldo Lopes Colombo
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Martin Hoenigl
- Division of Infectious Diseases, ECMM Excellence Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria; Bio TechMed, Graz, Austria; Translational Medical Mycology Research Group, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
| | - Amir Arastehfar
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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8
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Daneshnia F, Hilmioğlu-Polat S, Ilkit M, Fuentes D, Lombardi L, Binder U, Scheler J, Hagen F, Mansour MK, Butler G, Lass-Flörl C, Gabaldon T, Arastehfar A. Whole-genome sequencing confirms a persistent candidaemia clonal outbreak due to multidrug-resistant Candida parapsilosis. J Antimicrob Chemother 2023:7143692. [PMID: 37100456 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkad112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Although perceived as a rare clinical entity, recent studies have noted the emergence of MDR C. parapsilosis (MDR-Cp) isolates from single patients (resistant to both azole and echinocandins). We previously reported a case series of MDR-Cp isolates carrying a novel FKS1R658G mutation. Herein, we identified an echinocandin-naive patient infected with MDR-Cp a few months after the previously described isolates. WGS and CRISPR-Cas9 editing were used to explore the origin of the new MDR-Cp isolates, and to determine if the novel mutation confers echinocandin resistance. METHODS WGS was applied to assess the clonality of these isolates and CRISPR-Cas9 editing and a Galleria mellonella model were used to examine whether FKS1R658G confers echinocandin resistance. RESULTS Fluconazole treatment failed, and the patient was successfully treated with liposomal amphotericin B (LAMB). WGS proved that all historical and novel MDR-Cp strains were clonal and distant from the fluconazole-resistant outbreak cluster in the same hospital. CRISPR-Cas9 editing and G. mellonella virulence assays confirmed that FKS1R658G confers echinocandin resistance in vitro and in vivo. Interestingly, the FKS1R658G mutant showed a very modest fitness cost compared with the parental WT strain, consistent with the persistence of the MDR-Cp cluster in our hospital. CONCLUSIONS Our study showcases the emergence of MDR-Cp isolates as a novel threat in clinical settings, which undermines the efficacy of the two most widely used antifungal drugs against candidiasis, leaving only LAMB as a last resort. Additionally, surveillance studies and WGS are warranted to effectively establish infection control and antifungal stewardship strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farnaz Daneshnia
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114USA
- Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, 1012 WX, The Netherlands
| | | | - Macit Ilkit
- Division of Mycology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Çukurova, Adana, Turkey
| | - Diego Fuentes
- Comparative Genomics group, Life Sciences department, Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS), Carrer de Jordi Girona, 29, 31, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
- Comparative Genomics group, Mechanisms of Disease Programme, Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB), Carrer Baldiri Reixac 10, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lisa Lombardi
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Ulrike Binder
- Medical University Innsbruck, Institute of Hygiene and Medical Microbiology, Schöpfstrasse 41, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Jakob Scheler
- Medical University Innsbruck, Institute of Hygiene and Medical Microbiology, Schöpfstrasse 41, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Ferry Hagen
- Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, 1012 WX, The Netherlands
- Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, Utrecht, 3584CT, The Netherlands
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, 3584CX, The Netherlands
| | - Michael K Mansour
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115USA
| | - Geraldine Butler
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Cornelia Lass-Flörl
- Medical University Innsbruck, Institute of Hygiene and Medical Microbiology, Schöpfstrasse 41, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Toni Gabaldon
- Comparative Genomics group, Life Sciences department, Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS), Carrer de Jordi Girona, 29, 31, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
- Comparative Genomics group, Mechanisms of Disease Programme, Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB), Carrer Baldiri Reixac 10, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Pg. Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica En Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Amir Arastehfar
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115USA
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9
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Mnichowska-Polanowska M, Adamowicz M, Wojciechowska-Koszko I, Kisiel A, Wojciuk B, Jarosz K, Dołęgowska B. Molecular Investigation of the Fatal Bloodstream Candida orthopsilosis Infection Case following Gastrectomy. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24076541. [PMID: 37047514 PMCID: PMC10094972 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24076541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2023] [Revised: 03/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Candida orthopsilosis represents a closely related cryptic genospecies of Candida parapsilosis complex-misidentified in routine diagnostic assays. This is emerging in settings where central venous catheters, invasive medical interventions, and echinocandin treatments are most likely to be used. A 59-year-old, non-neutropenic male patient, was admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) due to respiratory distress syndrome, following a partial gastrectomy. As a result of duodenal stump leakage, re-laparotomy was required, abdominal drains were provided and central line catheters were exchanged. Multiple isolates of Candida orthopsilosis drawn from consecutive blood cultures were identified, despite ongoing echinocandin therapy and confirmed in vitro echinocandins susceptibility of the isolated strain. Species identification was verified via ITS region sequencing. Herein, we report the well-documented—per clinical data and relevant laboratory diagnosis—first case of a bloodstream infection caused by Candida orthopsilosis in Poland.
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10
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El-Sakhawy MA, M Donia AER, Kobisi ANA, Abdelbasset WK, Saleh AM, Ibrahim AM, Negm RM. Oral Candidiasis of Tobacco Smokers: A Literature Review. Pak J Biol Sci 2023; 26:1-14. [PMID: 37129200 DOI: 10.3923/pjbs.2023.1.14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The mouth is a vital point of entry into the human body, the health of the mouth entails mental, physical as well as social well-being. Studying diseases, microbiota and environmental conditions of the mouth is important to maintain oral health and all body. The smoke of tobacco cigarettes is one of the worst habits that affect the health of the mouth and the body. Therefore, this review has been conducted to study the effect of smoking on the balance of the oral microbiota and the opportunistic organisms, one of the most important of them <i>Candida</i>. Although a few studies have found that cigarette smoking does not influence carriage by <i>Candida</i> significantly. However, most of the studies had results completely contrary to that, smoking cigarettes affect <i>Candida</i> pathogenic characteristics such as a transition from yeast to hyphal form, biofilm formation and, virulence-related gene expressions. Tobacco is not only an inducer of the transition process but it considers an excellent medium for this process. Furthermore, smoking was significantly associated with <i>Candida</i> pathogenicity in patients with clinically suspected oral leukoplakia and smoking worsens oral candidiasis and dampens epithelial cell defense response. Nicotine significantly altered the composition and proportion of yeast cells, as well as the extracellular polysaccharide amounts which increase biofilm matrix and thickness which could promote oral candidiasis. Smoking has the potential to alter the oral condition and cause severe oxidative stress, thereby damaging the epithelial barrier of the mouth. These oxidative molecules during smoking activate epithelial cells proteins called oxidative stress-sensing proteins. If some of these proteins induced, widely thought to have anti-inflammatory properties, inhibit the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines and are linked to inflammation and oxidative stress is thought to be a possible therapeutic objective and a crucial regulator for smoking-related oral diseases and mouth candidiasis for instance leukoplakia. Also, it is transported into the cell nucleus in the existence of additional electrophilic chemicals to activate antioxidant enzyme gene expression. Therefore, smoking cigarettes destroys oral health and consequently destroys the health of the whole body.
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11
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Bergin SA, Zhao F, Ryan AP, Müller CA, Nieduszynski CA, Zhai B, Rolling T, Hohl TM, Morio F, Scully J, Wolfe KH, Butler G. Systematic Analysis of Copy Number Variations in the Pathogenic Yeast Candida parapsilosis Identifies a Gene Amplification in RTA3 That is Associated with Drug Resistance. mBio 2022; 13:e0177722. [PMID: 36121151 PMCID: PMC9600344 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01777-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
We analyzed the genomes of 170 C. parapsilosis isolates and identified multiple copy number variations (CNVs). We identified two genes, RTA3 (CPAR2_104610) and ARR3 (CPAR2_601050), each of which was the target of multiple independent amplification events. Phylogenetic analysis shows that most of these amplifications originated only once. For ARR3, which encodes a putative arsenate transporter, 8 distinct CNVs were identified, ranging in size from 2.3 kb to 10.5 kb with 3 to 23 copies. For RTA3, 16 distinct CNVs were identified, ranging in size from 0.3 kb to 4.5 kb with 2 to ~50 copies. One unusual amplification resulted in a DUP-TRP/INV-DUP structure similar to some human CNVs. RTA3 encodes a putative phosphatidylcholine (PC) floppase which is known to regulate the inward translocation of PC in Candida albicans. We found that an increased copy number of RTA3 correlated with resistance to miltefosine, an alkylphosphocholine drug that affects PC metabolism. Additionally, we conducted an adaptive laboratory evolution experiment in which two C. parapsilosis isolates were cultured in increasing concentrations of miltefosine. Two genes, CPAR2_303950 and CPAR2_102700, coding for putative PC flippases homologous to S. cerevisiae DNF1 gained homozygous protein-disrupting mutations in the evolved strains. Overall, our results show that C. parapsilosis can gain resistance to miltefosine, a drug that has recently been granted orphan drug designation approval by the United States Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of invasive candidiasis, through both CNVs or loss-of-function alleles in one of the flippase genes. IMPORTANCE Copy number variations (CNVs) are an important source of genomic diversity that have been associated with drug resistance. We identify two unusual CNVs in the human fungal pathogen Candida parapsilosis. Both target a single gene (RTA3 or ARR3), and they have occurred multiple times in multiple isolates. The copy number of RTA3, a putative floppase that controls the inward translocation of lipids in the cell membrane, correlates with resistance to miltefosine, a derivative of phosphatidylcholine (PC) that was originally developed as an anticancer drug. In 2021, miltefosine was designated an orphan drug by the United States Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of invasive candidiasis. Importantly, we find that resistance to miltefosine is also caused by mutations in flippases, which control the outward movement of lipids, and that many C. parapsilosis isolates are prone to easily acquiring an increased resistance to miltefosine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean A. Bergin
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Fang Zhao
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Adam P. Ryan
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Carolin A. Müller
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Conrad A. Nieduszynski
- Earlham Institute, Norwich, United Kingdom
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Bing Zhai
- Infectious Disease Service, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA
- Immunology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA
- Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Thierry Rolling
- Infectious Disease Service, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA
- Immunology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Tobias M. Hohl
- Infectious Disease Service, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA
- Immunology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
| | - Florent Morio
- Nantes Université, CHU de Nantes, Cibles et Médicaments des Infections et de l'Immunité, IICiMed, Nantes, France
| | - Jillian Scully
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Kenneth H. Wolfe
- School of Medicine, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Geraldine Butler
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
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12
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Odiba AS, Durojaye OA, Ezeonu IM, Mgbeahuruike AC, Nwanguma BC. A New Variant of Mutational and Polymorphic Signatures in the ERG11 Gene of Fluconazole-Resistant Candida albicans. Infect Drug Resist 2022; 15:3111-3133. [PMID: 35747333 PMCID: PMC9213107 DOI: 10.2147/idr.s360973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Resistance to antifungal drugs for treating Candida infections remains a major concern globally despite the range of medications available. Most of these drugs target key proteins essential to the life cycle of the organism. An enzyme essential for fungal cell membrane integrity, lanosterol 14–α demethylase (CYP51), is encoded by the ERG11 gene in Candida species. This enzyme is the target of azole–based drugs. The organism has, however, devised molecular adaptations to evade the activity of these drugs. Materials and Methods Classical methods were employed to characterize clinical isolates sampled from women and dogs of reproductive age. For fluconazole efficacy studies, CLSI guidelines on drug susceptibility testing were used. To understand the susceptibility pattern, various molecular and structural analytic approaches, including sequencing, in silico site-directed mutagenesis, and protein-ligand profiling, were applied to the ERG11 gene and CYP51 protein sequences. Several platforms, comprising Clustal Omega, Pymol plugin manager, Pymol molecular visualizer, Chimera–curated Dynameomics rotamer library, protein–ligand interaction profiler, Charmm36 force field, GROMACS, Geneious, and Mega7, were employed for this analysis. Results The following Candida species distribution was obtained: 37.84% C. albicans, 8.12% C. glabrata, 10.81% C. krusei, 5.41% C. tropicalis, and 37.84% of other unidentified Candida species. Two codons in the nucleotide sequence of the wild-type (CTC and CCA) coding for LEU–370 and PRO–375, respectively, were mutated to L370S and P375H in the resistant strain. The mutation stabilized the protein at the expense of the heme moiety. We found that the susceptible isolate from dogs (Can–iso–029/dog) is closely related to the most resistant isolate from humans. Conclusion Taken together, our results showed new mutations in the heme-binding pocket of caCYP51 that explain the resistance to fluconazole exhibited by the Candida isolates. So far, the L370S and P375H resistance-linked mutations have not been previously reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arome Solomon Odiba
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, 410001, Nigeria.,Department of Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, 410001, Nigeria
| | - Olanrewaju Ayodeji Durojaye
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Coal City University, Emene, Enugu State, Nigeria.,Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, People's Republic of China.,MOE Key Laboratory of Membraneless Organelle and Cellular Dynamics, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, People's Republic of China
| | - Ifeoma Maureen Ezeonu
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, 410001, Nigeria
| | - Anthony Christian Mgbeahuruike
- Department of Veterinary Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, 410001, Nigeria
| | - Bennett Chima Nwanguma
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, 410001, Nigeria.,Department of Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, 410001, Nigeria
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13
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Arastehfar A, Ünal N, Hoşbul T, Alper Özarslan M, Sultan Karakoyun A, Polat F, Fuentes D, Gümral R, Turunç T, Daneshnia F, Perlin DS, Lass-Flörl C, Gabaldón T, Ilkit M, Nguyen MH. Candidemia Among Coronavirus Disease 2019 Patients in Turkey Admitted to Intensive Care Units: A Retrospective Multicenter Study. Open Forum Infect Dis 2022; 9:ofac078. [PMID: 35345665 PMCID: PMC8903397 DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofac078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background We evaluated the epidemiology of candidemia among coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). Methods We conducted a retrospective multicenter study in Turkey between April and December 2020. Results Twenty-eight of 148 enrolled patients developed candidemia, yielding an incidence of 19% and incidence rate of 14/1000 patient-days. The probability of acquiring candidemia at 10, 20, and 30 days of ICU admission was 6%, 26%, and 50%, respectively. More than 80% of patients received antibiotics, corticosteroid, and mechanical ventilation. Receipt of a carbapenem (odds ratio [OR] = 6.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.6-22.3, P = .008), central venous catheter (OR = 4.3, 95% CI = 1.3-14.2, P = .02), and bacteremia preceding candidemia (OR = 6.6, 95% CI = 2.1-20.1, P = .001) were independent risk factors for candidemia. The mortality rate did not differ between patients with and without candidemia. Age (OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.01-1.09, P = .02) and mechanical ventilation (OR = 61, 95% CI = 15.8-234.9, P < .0001) were independent risk factors for death. Candida albicans was the most prevalent species overall. In Izmir, Candida parapsilosis accounted for 50% (2 of 4) of candidemia. Both C parapsilosis isolates were fluconazole nonsusceptible, harbored Erg11-Y132F mutation, and were clonal based on whole-genome sequencing. The 2 infected patients resided in ICUs with ongoing outbreaks due to fluconazole-resistant C parapsilosis. Conclusions Physicians should be aware of the elevated risk for candidemia among patients with COVID-19 who require ICU care. Prolonged ICU exposure and ICU practices rendered to COVID-19 patients are important contributing factors to candidemia. Emphasis should be placed on (1) heightened infection control in the ICU and (2) developing antibiotic stewardship strategies to reduce irrational antimicrobial therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Arastehfar
- Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack Meridian Health, Nutley, New Jersey, USA
| | - Nevzat Ünal
- University of Health Sciences, Adana City Training and Research Hospital, Laboratory of Medical Microbiology, Adana, Turkey
| | - Tuğrul Hoşbul
- Department of Microbiology, Gulhane Training and Research Hospital, University of Health Sciences, Ankara, Turkey
| | | | | | - Furkan Polat
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Diego Fuentes
- Life Sciences Programme, Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS), Barcelona, Spain
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ramazan Gümral
- Department of Microbiology, Gulhane Training and Research Hospital, University of Health Sciences, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Tuba Turunç
- University of Health Sciences, Adana Faculty of Medicine, Adana City Training and Research Hospital, Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Adana, Turkey
| | - Farnaz Daneshnia
- Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack Meridian Health, Nutley, New Jersey, USA
| | - David S Perlin
- Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack Meridian Health, Nutley, New Jersey, USA
| | - Cornelia Lass-Flörl
- Division of Hygiene and Medical Microbiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Toni Gabaldón
- Life Sciences Programme, Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS), Barcelona, Spain
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
- Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Macit Ilkit
- Division of Mycology, Faculty of Medicine, Çukurova University, Adana, Turkey
| | - M Hong Nguyen
- Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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14
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Candidemia among Hospitalized Pediatric Patients Caused by Several Clonal Lineages of Candida parapsilosis. J Fungi (Basel) 2022; 8:jof8020183. [PMID: 35205937 PMCID: PMC8880282 DOI: 10.3390/jof8020183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Revised: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Candida parapsilosis is the second most common cause of candidemia in some geographical areas and in children in particular. Yet, the proportion among children varies, for example, from 10.4% in Denmark to 24.7% in Tehran, Iran. As this species is also known to cause hospital outbreaks, we explored if the relatively high number of C. parapsilosis pediatric cases in Tehran could in part be explained by undiscovered clonal outbreaks. Among 56 C. parapsilosis complex isolates, 50 C. parapsilosis were genotyped by Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) fingerprinting and microsatellite typing and analyzed for nucleotide polymorphisms by FKS1 and ERG11 sequencing. AFLP fingerprinting grouped Iranian isolates in two main clusters. Microsatellite typing separated the isolates into five clonal lineages, of which four were shared with Danish isolates, and with no correlation to the AFLP patterns. ERG11 and FKS1 sequencing revealed few polymorphisms in ERG11 leading to amino-acid substitutions (D133Y, Q250K, I302T, and R398I), with no influence on azole-susceptibilities. Collectively, this study demonstrated that there were no clonal outbreaks at the Iranian pediatric ward. Although possible transmission of a diverse C. parapsilosis community within the hospital cannot be ruled out, the study also emphasizes the necessity of applying appropriately discriminatory methods for outbreak investigation.
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15
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O’Brien CE, Zhai B, Ola M, Bergin SA, Ó Cinnéide E, O’Connor Í, Rolling T, Miranda E, Babady NE, Hohl TM, Butler G. Identification of a novel Candida metapsilosis isolate reveals multiple hybridization events. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2022; 12:jkab367. [PMID: 34791169 PMCID: PMC8727981 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkab367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Candida metapsilosis is a member of the Candida parapsilosis species complex, a group of opportunistic human pathogens. Of all the members of this complex, C. metapsilosis is the least virulent, and accounts for a small proportion of invasive Candida infections. Previous studies established that all C. metapsilosis isolates are hybrids, originating from a single hybridization event between two lineages, parent A and parent B. Here, we use MinION and Illumina sequencing to characterize a C. metapsilosis isolate that originated from a separate hybridization. One of the parents of the new isolate is very closely related to parent A. However, the other parent (parent C) is not the same as parent B. Unlike C. metapsilosis AB isolates, the C. metapsilosis AC isolate has not undergone introgression at the mating type-like locus. In addition, the A and C haplotypes are not fully collinear. The C. metapsilosis AC isolate has undergone loss of heterozygosity with a preference for haplotype A, indicating that this isolate is in the early stages of genome stabilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caoimhe E O’Brien
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Bing Zhai
- Infectious Disease Service, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Immunology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Mihaela Ola
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Sean A Bergin
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Eoin Ó Cinnéide
- School of Medicine, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Ísla O’Connor
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Thierry Rolling
- Infectious Disease Service, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Immunology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Edwin Miranda
- Infectious Disease Service, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Immunology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - N Esther Babady
- Infectious Disease Service, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Immunology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Tobias M Hohl
- Infectious Disease Service, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Immunology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10007, USA
| | - Geraldine Butler
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland
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16
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West PT, Peters SL, Olm MR, Yu FB, Gause H, Lou YC, Firek BA, Baker R, Johnson AD, Morowitz MJ, Hettich RL, Banfield JF. Genetic and behavioral adaptation of Candida parapsilosis to the microbiome of hospitalized infants revealed by in situ genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics. MICROBIOME 2021; 9:142. [PMID: 34154658 PMCID: PMC8215838 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-021-01085-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Candida parapsilosis is a common cause of invasive candidiasis, especially in newborn infants, and infections have been increasing over the past two decades. C. parapsilosis has been primarily studied in pure culture, leaving gaps in understanding of its function in a microbiome context. RESULTS Here, we compare five unique C. parapsilosis genomes assembled from premature infant fecal samples, three of which are newly reconstructed, and analyze their genome structure, population diversity, and in situ activity relative to reference strains in pure culture. All five genomes contain hotspots of single nucleotide variants, some of which are shared by strains from multiple hospitals. A subset of environmental and hospital-derived genomes share variants within these hotspots suggesting derivation of that region from a common ancestor. Four of the newly reconstructed C. parapsilosis genomes have 4 to 16 copies of the gene RTA3, which encodes a lipid translocase and is implicated in antifungal resistance, potentially indicating adaptation to hospital antifungal use. Time course metatranscriptomics and metaproteomics on fecal samples from a premature infant with a C. parapsilosis blood infection revealed highly variable in situ expression patterns that are distinct from those of similar strains in pure cultures. For example, biofilm formation genes were relatively less expressed in situ, whereas genes linked to oxygen utilization were more highly expressed, indicative of growth in a relatively aerobic environment. In gut microbiome samples, C. parapsilosis co-existed with Enterococcus faecalis that shifted in relative abundance over time, accompanied by changes in bacterial and fungal gene expression and proteome composition. CONCLUSIONS The results reveal potentially medically relevant differences in Candida function in gut vs. laboratory environments, and constrain evolutionary processes that could contribute to hospital strain persistence and transfer into premature infant microbiomes. Video abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick T. West
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA USA
| | - Samantha L. Peters
- Graduate School of Genome Science and Technology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN USA
- Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN USA
| | - Matthew R. Olm
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305 USA
| | | | - Haley Gause
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA USA
| | - Yue Clare Lou
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA USA
| | - Brian A. Firek
- Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA USA
| | - Robyn Baker
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA USA
| | - Alexander D. Johnson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305 USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA USA
| | - Michael J. Morowitz
- Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA USA
| | - Robert L. Hettich
- Graduate School of Genome Science and Technology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN USA
- Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN USA
| | - Jillian F. Banfield
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA USA
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA USA
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA USA
- Earth Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA USA
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17
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Németh T, D Nosanchuk J, Vagvolgyi C, Gacser A. Enhancing the chemical transformation of Candida parapsilosis. Virulence 2021; 12:937-950. [PMID: 33729086 PMCID: PMC7993187 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2021.1893008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Candida parapsilosis is a leading cause of invasive mycoses and the major cause of nosocomial fungaemia amongst low and very low birth weight neonates. However, the molecular and physiological characteristics of this fungus remain understudied. To advance our knowledge about the pathobiology of this pathogen, we sought to develop and validate an effective method for chemical transformation of C. parapsilosis. Chemical transformation is the primary procedure for introducing foreign DNA into Candida yeast as it requires no special equipment, although its performance efficacy drops rapidly when the size of the transforming DNA increases. To define optimal conditions for chemical transformation in C. parapsilosis, we selected a leucine auxotroph laboratory strain. We identified optimal cell density for transformation, incubation times, inclusion of specific enhancing chemicals, and size and amounts of DNA fragments that resulted in maximized transformation efficiency. We determined that the inclusion of dimethyl sulfoxide was beneficial, but dithiothreitol pretreatment reduced colony recovery. As a result, the modified protocol led to a 20–55-fold increase in transformation efficiency, depending on the size of the transforming fragment. We validated the modified methodology with prototrophic isolates and demonstrated that the new approach resulted in the recovery of significantly more transformants in 5 of 6 isolates. Additionally, we identified a medium in which transformation competent yeast cells could safely be maintained at −80°C for up to 6 weeks that reduces laboratory work and shortens the overall procedure. These modifications will significantly aid further investigations into the genetic basis for virulence in C. parapsilosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tibor Németh
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Joshua D Nosanchuk
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Csaba Vagvolgyi
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Attila Gacser
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary.,MTA-SZTE Lendület Mycobiome Research Group, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
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18
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Abstract
Candida parapsilosis has emerged as a frequent cause of invasive candidiasis with increasing evidence of unique biological features relative to C. albicans As it adapts to conditions within a mammalian host, rapid changes in gene expression are necessary to facilitate colonization and persistence in this environment. Adhesion of the organism to biological surfaces is a key first step in this process and is the focus of this study. Building on previous observations showing the importance of a member of the ALS gene family in C. parapsilosis adhesion, three clinical isolates were cultured under two conditions that mimic the mammalian host and promote adhesion, incubation at 37°C in tissue culture medium 199 or in human plasma. Transcriptional profiles using RNA-seq were obtained in these adhesion-inducing conditions and compared to profiles following growth in yeast media that suppress adhesion to identify gene expression profiles associated with adhesion. Overall gene expression profiles among the three strains were similar in both adhesion-inducing conditions and distinct from adhesion-suppressing conditions. Pairwise analysis among the three growth conditions identified 133 genes that were differentially expressed at a cutoff of ±4-fold, with the most upregulated genes significantly enriched in iron acquisition and transmembrane transport, while the most downregulated genes were enriched in oxidation-reduction processes. Gene family enrichment analysis identified gene families with diverse functions that may have an important role in this important step for colonization and disease.IMPORTANCE Invasive Candida infections are frequent complications of the immunocompromised and are associated with substantive morbidity and mortality. Although C. albicans is the best-studied species, emerging infections by non-albicans Candida species have led to increased efforts to understand aspects of their pathogenesis that are unique from C. albicans C. parapsilosis is a frequent cause of invasive infections, particularly among premature infants. Recent efforts have identified important virulence mechanisms that have features distinct from C. albicans C. parapsilosis can exist outside a host environment and therefore requires rapid modifications when it encounters a mammalian host to prevent its clearance. An important first step in the process is adhesion to host surfaces. This work takes a global, nonbiased approach to investigate broad changes in gene expression that accompany efficient adhesion. As such, biological pathways and individual protein targets are identified that may be amenable to manipulation to reduce colonization and disease from this organism.
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Pál SE, Tóth R, Nosanchuk JD, Vágvölgyi C, Németh T, Gácser A. A Candida parapsilosis Overexpression Collection Reveals Genes Required for Pathogenesis. J Fungi (Basel) 2021; 7:jof7020097. [PMID: 33572958 PMCID: PMC7911391 DOI: 10.3390/jof7020097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Revised: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Relative to the vast data regarding the virulence mechanisms of Candida albicans, there is limited knowledge on the emerging opportunistic human pathogen Candida parapsilosis. The aim of this study was to generate and characterize an overexpression mutant collection to identify and explore virulence factors in C. parapsilosis. With the obtained mutants, we investigated stress tolerance, morphology switch, biofilm formation, phagocytosis, and in vivo virulence in Galleria mellonella larvae and mouse models. In order to evaluate the results, we compared the data from the C. parapsilosis overexpression collection analysis to the results derived from previous deletion mutant library characterizations. Of the 37 overexpression C. parapsilosis mutants, we identified eight with altered phenotypes compared to the controls. This work is the first report to identify CPAR2_107240, CPAR2_108840, CPAR2_302400, CPAR2_406400, and CPAR2_602820 as contributors to C. parapsilosis virulence by regulating functions associated with host-pathogen interactions and biofilm formation. Our findings also confirmed the role of CPAR2_109520, CPAR2_200040, and CPAR2_500180 in pathogenesis. This study was the first attempt to use an overexpression strategy to systematically assess gene function in C. parapsilosis, and our results demonstrate that this approach is effective for such investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sára E. Pál
- Department of Microbiology, University of Szeged, Közép Fasor, 6726 Szeged, Hungary; (S.E.P.); (R.T.); (C.V.); (T.N.)
| | - Renáta Tóth
- Department of Microbiology, University of Szeged, Közép Fasor, 6726 Szeged, Hungary; (S.E.P.); (R.T.); (C.V.); (T.N.)
| | - Joshua D. Nosanchuk
- Departments of Medicine and Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA;
| | - Csaba Vágvölgyi
- Department of Microbiology, University of Szeged, Közép Fasor, 6726 Szeged, Hungary; (S.E.P.); (R.T.); (C.V.); (T.N.)
| | - Tibor Németh
- Department of Microbiology, University of Szeged, Közép Fasor, 6726 Szeged, Hungary; (S.E.P.); (R.T.); (C.V.); (T.N.)
| | - Attila Gácser
- Department of Microbiology, University of Szeged, Közép Fasor, 6726 Szeged, Hungary; (S.E.P.); (R.T.); (C.V.); (T.N.)
- MTA-SZTE Lendület Mycobiome Research Group, University of Szeged, 6726 Szeged, Hungary
- Correspondence:
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20
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Guo L, Dou X, Zou R, Guo X, Liu X, Tang H. The mycobiome in murine intestine is more perturbed by food arsenic exposure than in excreted feces. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 753:141871. [PMID: 32891997 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2020] [Revised: 08/19/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Arsenic is a global pollutant that can accumulate in rice and has been confirmed to disturb the gut microbiome. By contrast, the influence on the gut mycobiome is seldom concerned because fungi comprise a numerically small proportion of the whole gut microcommunity. To expand the detection of the mycobiome in different gut sections of mammals and investigate the influence of food arsenic on the gut mycobiome in the digestive tract, we treated mice with feeds containing different compositions of arsenic species (7.3% sodium arsenate, 72.7% sodium arsenite, 1.0% sodium monomethylarsonate, and 19.0% sodium dimethylarsinate) in rice at a total arsenic dose of 30 mg/kg. After 60 days of exposure, the feces of four different sites, the ileum, cecum, colon, and excreted feces, were collected and analyzed by internal transcribed spacer gene sequencing. Among the samples, the major fungal phyla were Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Zygomycota; the top 10 fungal genera were Aspergillus, Verticillium, Penicillium, Cladosporium, Alternaria, Fusarium, Ophiocordyceps, Trametes, Mucor, and Nigrospora. In control mice, along the murine digestive tract, the mycobial richness and composition were significantly changed; Aspergillus and Penicillium possessed the higher ability to be stabilized in the murine gut, and larger proportions of positive correlations were observed among the major fungi. After arsenic exposure, the fungal composition was more disturbed in the intestinal tract than in feces. Along the digestive tract, arsenic can trigger larger mycobial variations, and the sensitivities of major fungi to arsenic were changed. Thus, the murine intestinal spatial mycobiota are more perturbed than excreted fecal mycobiota after food arsenic exposure. Feces are insufficient to be selected as a representative of the gut mycobiota in arsenic exposure studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lianxian Guo
- Dongguan Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine, School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, China
| | - Xinghao Dou
- Dongguan Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine, School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, China
| | - Rong Zou
- Dongguan Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine, School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, China
| | - Xuming Guo
- Dongguan Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine, School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, China
| | - Xiaoshan Liu
- Dongguan Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine, School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, China.
| | - Huanwen Tang
- Dongguan Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine, School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, China.
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21
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Candida parapsilosis Colony Morphotype Forecasts Biofilm Formation of Clinical Isolates. J Fungi (Basel) 2021; 7:jof7010033. [PMID: 33430377 PMCID: PMC7827155 DOI: 10.3390/jof7010033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Revised: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Candida parapsilosis is a frequent cause of fungal bloodstream infections, especially in critically ill neonates or immunocompromised patients. Due to the formation of biofilms, the use of indwelling catheters and other medical devices increases the risk of infection and complicates treatment, as cells embedded in biofilms display reduced drug susceptibility. Therefore, biofilm formation may be a significant clinical parameter, guiding downstream therapeutic choices. Here, we phenotypically characterized 120 selected isolates out of a prospective collection of 215 clinical C. parapsilosis isolates, determining biofilm formation, major emerging colony morphotype, and antifungal drug susceptibility of the isolates and their biofilms. In our isolate set, increased biofilm formation capacity was independent of body site of isolation and not predictable using standard or modified European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) drug susceptibility testing protocols. In contrast, biofilm formation was strongly correlated with the appearance of non-smooth colony morphotypes and invasiveness into agar plates. Our data suggest that the observation of non-smooth colony morphotypes in cultures of C. parapsilosis may help as an indicator to consider the initiation of anti-biofilm-active therapy, such as the switch from azole- to echinocandin- or polyene-based strategies, especially in case of infections by potent biofilm-forming strains.
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22
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Gómez-Molero E, Willis JR, Dudakova A, Carreté L, Weig M, Groß U, Gácser A, Gabaldón T, Bader O. Phenotypic Variability in a Coinfection With Three Independent Candida parapsilosis Lineages. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:1994. [PMID: 32983018 PMCID: PMC7481391 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2019] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The human pathogenic yeast Candida parapsilosis has gained significant importance over the past decades as one of the principal causes of fungal bloodstream infections. Isolates of C. parapsilosis are known to be able to switch between several different colony morphologies in vitro, which are correlated with different cell shapes, altered cell surface properties, and thus different capacities to form biofilms on indwelling medical devices. In a set of six clinical specimens from a single surgery patient yielding stable smooth- as well as crepe-morphology isolates, we investigated the differences between five of them on a phenotypic and genomic level. In contrast to the initial assumption that they were switched forms of a clonal strain, karyotyping and genome sequencing showed that the patient was colonized by at least three distinct linages. Statistical analysis placed these groups distantly across the population of C. parapsilosis. Interestingly the single blood culture isolate was of smooth morphology and matched with an isolate from the patient’s nose of similar morphology. Strong variation between the isolates was seen in adhesin-encoding genes, where repeat regions showed significant variation in length and repeat-numbers, most strikingly in HWP1 of the smooth isolates. Although no differences in drug susceptibility were evident, the high phylogenetic distance separating the individual strains highlights the need for testing of multiple colonies in routine practice. The absence of biofilm formation in the blood stream isolate indicates a lack of respective adhesins in the cell wall, in turn pointing toward lack of adhesion as a positively contributing factor for dissemination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilia Gómez-Molero
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jesse R Willis
- Comparative Genomics Group, CRG-Centre for Genomic Regulation, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anna Dudakova
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Laia Carreté
- Comparative Genomics Group, CRG-Centre for Genomic Regulation, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Michael Weig
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Uwe Groß
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Attila Gácser
- Department of Microbiology, University of Szeged Interdisciplinary Excellence Centre, Szeged, Hungary.,MTA-SZTE Lendület Mycobiome Research Group, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Toni Gabaldón
- Comparative Genomics Group, CRG-Centre for Genomic Regulation, Barcelona, Spain.,Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain.,ICREA, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Oliver Bader
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
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23
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A Biodegradable Antifungal-Loaded Sol-Gel Coating for the Prevention and Local Treatment of Yeast Prosthetic-Joint Infections. MATERIALS 2020; 13:ma13143144. [PMID: 32679668 PMCID: PMC7411966 DOI: 10.3390/ma13143144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Revised: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Fungal prosthetic-joint infections are rare but devastating complications following arthroplasty. These infections are highly recurrent and expose the patient to the development of candidemia, which has high mortality rates. Patients with this condition are often immunocompromised and present several comorbidities, and thus pose a challenge for diagnosis and treatment. The most frequently isolated organisms in these infections are Candida albicans and Candida parapsilosis, pathogens that initiate the infection by developing a biofilm on the implant surface. In this study, a novel hybrid organo-inorganic sol-gel coating was developed from a mixture of organopolysiloxanes and organophosphite, to which different concentrations of fluconazole or anidulafungin were added. Then, the capacity of these coatings to prevent biofilm formation and treat mature biofilms produced by reference and clinical strains of C. albicans and C. Parapsilosis was evaluated. Anidulafungin-loaded sol-gel coatings were more effective in preventing C. albicans biofilm formation, while fluconazole-loaded sol-gel prevented C. parapsilosis biofilm formation more effectively. Treatment with unloaded sol-gel was sufficient to reduce C. albicans biofilms, and the sol-gels loaded with fluconazole or anidulafungin slightly enhanced this effect. In contrast, unloaded coatings stimulated C. parapsilosis biofilm formation, and loading with fluconazole reduced these biofilms by up to 99%. In conclusion, these coatings represent a novel therapeutic approach with potential clinical use to prevent and treat fungal prosthetic-joint infections.
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24
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Ola M, O'Brien CE, Coughlan AY, Ma Q, Donovan PD, Wolfe KH, Butler G. Polymorphic centromere locations in the pathogenic yeast Candida parapsilosis. Genome Res 2020; 30:684-696. [PMID: 32424070 PMCID: PMC7263194 DOI: 10.1101/gr.257816.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2019] [Accepted: 04/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Centromeres pose an evolutionary paradox: strongly conserved in function but rapidly changing in sequence and structure. However, in the absence of damage, centromere locations are usually conserved within a species. We report here that isolates of the pathogenic yeast species Candida parapsilosis show within-species polymorphism for the location of centromeres on two of its eight chromosomes. Its old centromeres have an inverted-repeat (IR) structure, whereas its new centromeres have no obvious structural features but are located within 30 kb of the old site. Centromeres can therefore move naturally from one chromosomal site to another, apparently spontaneously and in the absence of any significant changes in DNA sequence. Our observations are consistent with a model in which all centromeres are genetically determined, such as by the presence of short or long IRs or by the ability to form cruciforms. We also find that centromeres have been hotspots for genomic rearrangements in the C. parapsilosis clade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mihaela Ola
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Caoimhe E O'Brien
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Aisling Y Coughlan
- School of Medicine, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Qinxi Ma
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Paul D Donovan
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Kenneth H Wolfe
- School of Medicine, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Geraldine Butler
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
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25
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Iron Metabolism, Pseudohypha Production, and Biofilm Formation through a Multicopper Oxidase in the Human-Pathogenic Fungus Candida parapsilosis. mSphere 2020; 5:5/3/e00227-20. [PMID: 32404511 PMCID: PMC7227767 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00227-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
C. parapsilosis is the second or third most common opportunistic human-pathogenic Candida species, being responsible for severe fungal infections among immunocompromised patients, especially low-birth-weight infants (0 to 2 years of age). Among the major virulence factors that pathogenic fungi possess is the ability to compete with the host for essential micronutrients, including iron. Accessible iron is required for the maintenance of several metabolic processes. In order to obtain accessible iron from the host, pathogenic fungi have developed several iron acquisition and metabolic mechanisms. Although C. parapsilosis is a frequent cause of invasive candidiasis, little is known about what iron metabolic processes this fungus possesses that could contribute to the species’ virulent behavior. In this study, we identified the multicopper oxidase FET3 gene that regulates iron homeostasis maintenance and also plays important roles in the morphology of the fungus as well as in biofilm formation, two additional factors in fungal virulence. Among all the essential micronutrients, iron plays an important role in mammalian biology. It is also essential for pathogens infecting mammalian hosts, including bacteria, fungi, and protozoans. As the availability of accessible iron is limited within the mammalian host, several human-pathogenic fungal pathogens, such as Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans, Candida glabrata, and Aspergillus fumigatus, have developed various iron uptake mechanisms. Although Candida parapsilosis is the second or third most common non-albicans Candida species associated with systemic and superficial Candida infections in immunocompromised patients, the mechanisms of iron uptake and homoeostasis remain unknown in this fungus. In the current report, we show that a homologue of the multicopper oxidase gene FET3 is present in the genome of C. parapsilosis (CPAR2_603600) and plays a significant role in iron acquisition. We found that homozygous deletion mutants of CPAR2_603600 showed defects under low-iron conditions and were also sensitive to various stressors. Our results also revealed that the levels of pseudohypha formation and biofilm formation were reduced in the null mutants compared to the wild type. This phenotypic defect could be partially rescued by supplementation with excess iron in the growth medium. The expression levels of the orthologues of various iron metabolism-related genes were also altered in the mutants compared to the parental strain. In conclusion, our report describes the role of CPAR2_603600 in iron homoeostasis maintenance as well as morphology and biofilm formation regulation in this pathogenic fungus. IMPORTANCEC. parapsilosis is the second or third most common opportunistic human-pathogenic Candida species, being responsible for severe fungal infections among immunocompromised patients, especially low-birth-weight infants (0 to 2 years of age). Among the major virulence factors that pathogenic fungi possess is the ability to compete with the host for essential micronutrients, including iron. Accessible iron is required for the maintenance of several metabolic processes. In order to obtain accessible iron from the host, pathogenic fungi have developed several iron acquisition and metabolic mechanisms. Although C. parapsilosis is a frequent cause of invasive candidiasis, little is known about what iron metabolic processes this fungus possesses that could contribute to the species’ virulent behavior. In this study, we identified the multicopper oxidase FET3 gene that regulates iron homeostasis maintenance and also plays important roles in the morphology of the fungus as well as in biofilm formation, two additional factors in fungal virulence.
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26
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Abstract
Opportunistic pathogens such as Candida species can use carboxylic acids, like acetate and lactate, to survive and successfully thrive in different environmental niches. These nonfermentable substrates are frequently the major carbon sources present in certain human body sites, and their efficient uptake by regulated plasma membrane transporters plays a critical role in such nutrient-limited conditions. Here, we cover the physiology and regulation of these proteins and their potential role in Candida virulence. Opportunistic pathogens such as Candida species can use carboxylic acids, like acetate and lactate, to survive and successfully thrive in different environmental niches. These nonfermentable substrates are frequently the major carbon sources present in certain human body sites, and their efficient uptake by regulated plasma membrane transporters plays a critical role in such nutrient-limited conditions. Here, we cover the physiology and regulation of these proteins and their potential role in Candida virulence. This review also presents an evolutionary analysis of orthologues of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Jen1 lactate and Ady2 acetate transporters, including a phylogenetic analysis of 101 putative carboxylate transporters in twelve medically relevant Candida species. These proteins are assigned to distinct clades according to their amino acid sequence homology and represent the major carboxylic acid uptake systems in yeast. While Jen transporters belong to the sialate:H+ symporter (SHS) family, the Ady2 homologue members are assigned to the acetate uptake transporter (AceTr) family. Here, we reclassify the later members as ATO (acetate transporter ortholog). The new nomenclature will facilitate the study of these transporters, as well as the analysis of their relevance for Candida pathogenesis.
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27
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Genomic evidence for a hybrid origin of the yeast opportunistic pathogen Candida albicans. BMC Biol 2020; 18:48. [PMID: 32375762 PMCID: PMC7204223 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-020-00776-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2019] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Opportunistic yeast pathogens of the genus Candida are an important medical problem. Candida albicans, the most prevalent Candida species, is a natural commensal of humans that can adopt a pathogenic behavior. This species is highly heterozygous and cannot undergo meiosis, adopting instead a parasexual cycle that increases genetic variability and potentially leads to advantages under stress conditions. However, the origin of C. albicans heterozygosity is unknown, and we hypothesize that it could result from ancestral hybridization. We tested this idea by analyzing available genomes of C. albicans isolates and comparing them to those of hybrid and non-hybrid strains of other Candida species. Results Our results show compelling evidence that C. albicans is an evolved hybrid. The genomic patterns observed in C. albicans are similar to those of other hybrids such as Candida orthopsilosis MCO456 and Candida inconspicua, suggesting that it also descends from a hybrid of two divergent lineages. Our analysis indicates that most of the divergence between haplotypes in C. albicans heterozygous blocks was already present in a putative heterozygous ancestor, with an estimated 2.8% divergence between homeologous chromosomes. The levels and patterns of ancestral heterozygosity found cannot be fully explained under the paradigm of vertical evolution and are not consistent with continuous gene flux arising from lineage-specific events of admixture. Conclusions Although the inferred level of sequence divergence between the putative parental lineages (2.8%) is not clearly beyond current species boundaries in Saccharomycotina, we show here that all analyzed C. albicans strains derive from a single hybrid ancestor and diverged by extensive loss of heterozygosity. This finding has important implications for our understanding of C. albicans evolution, including the loss of the sexual cycle, the origin of the association with humans, and the evolution of virulence traits.
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28
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Wang J, Hu W, Yang H, Chen F, Shu Y, Zhang G, Liu J, Liu Y, Li H, Guo L. Arsenic concentrations, diversity and co-occurrence patterns of bacterial and fungal communities in the feces of mice under sub-chronic arsenic exposure through food. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2020; 138:105600. [PMID: 32120061 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.105600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2019] [Revised: 02/09/2020] [Accepted: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Arsenic, a global pollutant and a threshold-free primary carcinogen, can accumulate in rice. Previous studies have focused on arsenic poisoning in drinking water and the effects on gut microbes. The research on arseniasis through food, which involves the bio-transformation of arsenic, and the related changes in gut microbiome is insufficient. METHOD Mice were exposed from animal feed prepared with four arsenic species (iAsIII, iAsV, MMA, and DMA) at a dose of 30 mg/kg according to the arsenic species proportion in rice for 30 days and 60 days. The levels of total arsenic (tAs) and arsenic species in mice feces and urine samples were determined using ICP-MS and HPLC-ICP-MS, respectively. 16S rRNA and ITS gene sequencing were conducted on microbial DNA extracted from the feces samples. RESULTS At 30 days and 60 days exposure, the tAs levels excreted from urine were 0.0092 and 0.0093 mg/day, and tAs levels in feces were 0.0441 and 0.0409 mg/day, respectively. We found significant differences in arsenic species distribution in urine and feces (p < 0.05). In urine, the predominant arsenic species were iAsIII (23% and 14%, respectively), DMA (55% and 70%, respectively), and uAs (unknown arsenic, 14% and 10%, respectively). In feces, the proportion of major arsenic species (iAsV, 26% and 21%; iAsIII, 16% and 15%; MMA, 14% and 14%; DMA, 19% and 19%; and uAs, 22% and 29%, respectively) were evenly distributed. Microbiological analysis (MRPP test, α- and β-diversities) showed that diversity of gut bacteria was significantly related to arsenic exposure through food, but diversity of gut fungi is less affected. Manhattan plot and LEfSe analysis showed that arsenic exposure significantly changes microbial taxa, which might be directly associated with arsenic metabolism and diseases mediated by arsenic exposure, such as Deltaproteobacteria, Polynucleobacter, Saccharomyces, Candida, Amanitaceae, and Fusarium. Network analysis was used to identify the changing hub taxa in feces along with arsenic exposure. Function predicting analysis indicated that arsenic exposure might also significantly increase differential metabolic pathways and would disturb carbohydrates, lipid, and amino acids metabolism of gut bacteria. CONCLUSIONS The results demonstrate that subchronic arsenic exposure via food significantly changes the gut microbiome, and the toxicity of arsenic in food, especially in staples, should be comprehensively evaluated in terms of the disturbance of microbiome, and feces might be the main pathway through which arsenic from food exposure is excreted and bio-transformed, providing a new insight into the investigation of bio-detoxification for arseniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiating Wang
- Dongguan Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine, School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, China.
| | - Wei Hu
- Dongguan Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine, School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, China.
| | - Huilin Yang
- Nanchang Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources Exploitation & Utilization from Poyang Lake Wetland, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, China.
| | - Fubin Chen
- Dongguan Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine, School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, China.
| | - Yanling Shu
- Dongguan Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine, School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, China.
| | - Guiwei Zhang
- Shenzhen Academy of Metrology and Quality Inspection, Shenzhen 518000, China.
| | - Jizhen Liu
- Dongguan Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine, School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, China.
| | - Yungang Liu
- Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, 1023 S. Shatai Road, Guangzhou 510515, China.
| | - Huawen Li
- Dongguan Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine, School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, China.
| | - Lianxian Guo
- Dongguan Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine, School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, China.
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High-resolution mycobiota analysis reveals dynamic intestinal translocation preceding invasive candidiasis. Nat Med 2020; 26:59-64. [PMID: 31907459 PMCID: PMC7005909 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-019-0709-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 185] [Impact Index Per Article: 46.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2019] [Accepted: 11/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The intestinal microbiota is a complex community of bacteria, archaea, viruses, protists and fungi1,2. While the composition of bacterial constituents has been linked to immune homeostasis and to infectious susceptibility3–7, the role of non-bacterial constituents and of cross-kingdom microbial interactions in these processes is poorly understood2,8. Fungi represent a major cause of infectious morbidity and mortality in immune-compromised individuals, though the relationship of intestinal fungi (i.e., the mycobiota) with fungal bloodstream infections (BSI) remains undefined9. We integrated an optimized bioinformatics pipeline with high-resolution mycobiota sequencing and comparative genomic analyses of fecal and blood specimens from recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (allo-HCT). Patients with Candida BSI experienced a prior marked intestinal expansion of pathogenic Candida species; this expansion consisted of a complex dynamic between multiple species and subspecies with a stochastic translocation pattern into the bloodstream. The intestinal expansion of pathogenic Candida species was associated with a significant loss in bacterial burden and diversity, particularly in the anaerobes. Thus, simultaneous analysis of intestinal fungi and bacteria identifies dysbiosis states across kingdoms that may promote fungal translocation and facilitate invasive disease. These findings support microbiota-driven approaches to identify patients at risk for fungal BSI for pre-emptive therapeutic intervention.
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Correlating Genotype and Phenotype in the Asexual Yeast Candida orthopsilosis Implicates ZCF29 in Sensitivity to Caffeine. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2019; 9:3035-3043. [PMID: 31352406 PMCID: PMC6723125 DOI: 10.1534/g3.119.400348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Candida orthopsilosis is diploid asexual yeast that causes human disease. Most C. orthopsilosis isolates arose from at least four separate hybridizations between related, but not identical, parents. Here, we used population genomics data to correlate genotypic and phenotypic variation in 28 C. orthopsilosis isolates. We used cosine similarity scores to identify 65 variants with potential high-impact (deleterious effects) that correlated with specific phenotypes. Of these, 19 were Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) that changed stop or start codons, or splice sites. One variant resulted in a premature stop codon in both alleles of the gene ZCF29 in C. orthopsilosis isolate 185, which correlated with sensitivity to nystatin and caffeine. We used CRISPR-Cas9 editing to introduce this polymorphism into two resistant C. orthopsilosis isolates. Introducing the stop codon resulted in sensitivity to caffeine and to ketoconazole, but not to nystatin. Our analysis shows that it is possible to associate genomic variants with phenotype in asexual Candida species, but that only a small amount of genomic variation can be easily explored.
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Gunasegar S, Himratul-Aznita WH. Nicotine enhances the thickness of biofilm and adherence of Candida albicans ATCC 14053 and Candida parapsilosis ATCC 22019. FEMS Yeast Res 2019; 19:5195522. [PMID: 30476044 DOI: 10.1093/femsyr/foy123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2018] [Accepted: 11/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Candida albicans ATCC 14053 and Candida parapsilosis ATCC 22019 hyphal-wall protein 1 (HWP1) are involved in hyphae formation and pathogenesis. The transcriptional agglutinin-like sequence 3 (ALS3) genes in both species are responsible for the development of biofilm and colonization on tooth surfaces. Therefore, we investigated the expression of HWP1 and ALS3 quantitatively in C. albicans and C. parapsilosis and examined the biofilm structure upon exposure to various nicotine concentrations. In vitro, biofilms of Candida species were developed directly on slides using the Lab-Tek Chamber Slide System and visualized by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to measure HWP1 and ALS3 expression in C. albicans ATCC 14053 and C. parapsilosis ATCC 22019. The results indicated that nicotine multiplied the number of yeast cells and increased the extracellular polysaccharides of Candida species. We also found that 1-2 mg/mL nicotine could enhance the formation of biofilm. The findings also revealed that the expression of HWP1 and ALS3 in Candida species were increased as the nicotine concentration increased. Therefore, nicotine influences the biofilm development of oral-associated C. albicans ATCC 14053 and C. parapsilosis ATCC 22019.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shan Gunasegar
- Department of Oral and Craniofacial Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Wan Harun Himratul-Aznita
- Department of Oral and Craniofacial Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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Oh SH, Smith B, Miller AN, Staker B, Fields C, Hernandez A, Hoyer LL. Agglutinin-Like Sequence ( ALS) Genes in the Candida parapsilosis Species Complex: Blurring the Boundaries Between Gene Families That Encode Cell-Wall Proteins. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:781. [PMID: 31105652 PMCID: PMC6499006 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2019] [Accepted: 03/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The agglutinin-like sequence (Als) proteins are best-characterized in Candida albicans and known for their role in adhesion of the fungal cell to host and abiotic surfaces. ALS sequences are often misassembled in whole-genome sequence data because each species has multiple ALS loci that contain similar sequences, most notably tandem copies of highly conserved repeated sequences. The Candida parapsilosis species complex includes Candida parapsilosis, Candida orthopsilosis, and Candida metapsilosis, three distinct but closely related species. Using publicly available genome resources, de novo genome assemblies, and laboratory experimentation including Sanger sequencing, five ALS genes were characterized in C. parapsilosis strain CDC317, three in C. orthopsilosis strain 90-125, and four in C. metapsilosis strain ATCC 96143. The newly characterized ALS genes shared similar features with the well-known C. albicans ALS family, but also displayed unique attributes such as novel short, imperfect repeat sequences that were found in other genes encoding fungal cell-wall proteins. Evidence of recombination between ALS sequences and other genes was most obvious in CmALS2265, which had the 5' end of an ALS gene and the repeated sequences and 3' end from the IFF/HYR family. Together, these results blur the boundaries between the fungal cell-wall families that were defined in C. albicans. TaqMan assays were used to quantify relative expression for each ALS gene. Some measurements were complicated by the assay location within the ALS gene. Considerable variation was noted in relative gene expression for isolates of the same species. Overall, however, there was a trend toward higher relative gene expression in saturated cultures rather than younger cultures. This work provides a complete description of the ALS genes in the C. parapsilosis species complex and a toolkit that promotes further investigations into the role of the Als proteins in host-fungal interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soon-Hwan Oh
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Brooke Smith
- Department of Biology, Millikin University, Decatur, IL, United States
| | | | - Bart Staker
- Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Christopher Fields
- Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Alvaro Hernandez
- Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Lois L. Hoyer
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
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Characterization of the Candida orthopsilosis agglutinin-like sequence (ALS) genes. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0215912. [PMID: 31017950 PMCID: PMC6481836 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0215912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2018] [Accepted: 04/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Agglutinin like sequence (Als) cell-wall proteins play a key role in adhesion and virulence of Candida species. Compared to the well-characterized Candida albicans ALS genes, little is known about ALS genes in the Candida parapsilosis species complex. Three incomplete ALS genes were identified in the genome sequence for Candida orthopsilosis strain 90–125 (GenBank assembly ASM31587v1): CORT0C04210 (named CoALS4210), CORT0C04220 (CoALS4220) and CORT0B00800 (CoALS800). To complete the gene sequences, new data were derived from strain 90–125 using Illumina (short-read) and Oxford Nanopore (long-read) methods. Long-read sequencing analysis confirmed the presence of 3 ALS genes in C. orthopsilosis 90–125 and resolved the gaps located in repetitive regions of CoALS800 and CoALS4220. In the new genome assembly (GenBank PQBP00000000), the CoALS4210 sequence was slightly longer than in the original assembly. C. orthopsilosis Als proteins encoded features well-known in C. albicans Als proteins such as a secretory signal peptide, N-terminal domain with a peptide-binding cavity, amyloid-forming region, repeated sequences, and a C-terminal site for glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor addition that, in yeast, suggest localization of the proteins in the cell wall. CoAls4210 and CoAls800 lacked the classic C. albicans Als tandem repeats, instead featuring short, imperfect repeats with consensus motifs such as SSSEPP and GSGN. Quantitative RT-PCR showed differential regulation of CoALS genes by growth stage in six genetically diverse C. orthopsilosis clinical isolates, which also exhibited length variation in the ALS alleles, and strain-specific gene expression patterns. Overall, long-read DNA sequencing methodology was instrumental in generating an accurate assembly of CoALS genes, thus revealing their unconventional features and first insights into their allelic variability within C. orthopsilosis clinical isolates.
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Abstract
Patients with suppressed immunity are at the highest risk for hospital-acquired infections. Among these, invasive candidiasis is the most prevalent systemic fungal nosocomial infection. Over recent decades, the combined prevalence of non-albicans Candida species outranked Candida albicans infections in several geographical regions worldwide, highlighting the need to understand their pathobiology in order to develop effective treatment and to prevent future outbreaks. Candida parapsilosis is the second or third most frequently isolated Candida species from patients. Besides being highly prevalent, its biology differs markedly from that of C. albicans, which may be associated with C. parapsilosis' increased incidence. Differences in virulence, regulatory and antifungal drug resistance mechanisms, and the patient groups at risk indicate that conclusions drawn from C. albicans pathobiology cannot be simply extrapolated to C. parapsilosis Such species-specific characteristics may also influence their recognition and elimination by the host and the efficacy of antifungal drugs. Due to the availability of high-throughput, state-of-the-art experimental tools and molecular genetic methods adapted to C. parapsilosis, genome and transcriptome studies are now available that greatly contribute to our understanding of what makes this species a threat. In this review, we summarize 10 years of findings on C. parapsilosis pathogenesis, including the species' genetic properties, transcriptome studies, host responses, and molecular mechanisms of virulence. Antifungal susceptibility studies and clinician perspectives are discussed. We also present regional incidence reports in order to provide an updated worldwide epidemiology summary.
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Role of the Inducible Adhesin CpAls7 in Binding of Candida parapsilosis to the Extracellular Matrix under Fluid Shear. Infect Immun 2018; 86:IAI.00892-17. [PMID: 29378793 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00892-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2017] [Accepted: 01/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The yeast Candida parapsilosis is an increasingly common cause of systemic fungal infections among immunocompromised individuals, including premature infants. Adhesion to host surfaces is an important step in pathogenesis, but this process has not been extensively studied in this organism. A microfluidics assay was developed to test the ability of C. parapsilosis to adhere to immobilized host extracellular matrix proteins under physiological fluid shear conditions. Growth in mammalian tissue culture medium at 37°C for 3 to 6 h led to the induction of an adhesive phenotype at shear forces of 1 to 5 dynes/cm2 in some isolates of C. parapsilosis Glutamic acid, proline, and calcium appeared to be the minimally necessary requirements for increased adhesion in these assays. To determine whether genes homologous to the ALS gene family of C. albicans were important for the adhesive phenotype, the expression levels of 5 homologous C. parapsilosis genes were quantified by using quantitative PCR (qPCR) under conditions leading to increased adhesion. CPAR2_404800 (CpALS7) and CPAR2_404780 showed increased expression levels compared to those in control yeast. The extent of adhesion was variable among different isolates, and linear regression identified the expression of CpALS7 but not CPAR2_404780 as having a strong positive correlation with adhesion. A homozygous CpALS7 deletion strain was deficient in adhesion, whereas the expression of CpALS7 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae resulted in increased adhesion. Together, these data provide strong evidence that CpAls7 aids in the adherence of C. parapsilosis to the extracellular matrix under shear forces and support its previously reported role in virulence.
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Mixão V, Gabaldón T. Hybridization and emergence of virulence in opportunistic human yeast pathogens. Yeast 2017; 35:5-20. [PMID: 28681409 PMCID: PMC5813172 DOI: 10.1002/yea.3242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2017] [Revised: 06/27/2017] [Accepted: 06/28/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Hybridization between different species can result in the emergence of new lineages and adaptive phenotypes. Occasionally, hybridization in fungal organisms can drive the appearance of opportunistic lifestyles or shifts to new hosts, resulting in the emergence of novel pathogens. In recent years, an increasing number of studies have documented the existence of hybrids in diverse yeast clades, including some comprising human pathogens. Comparative and population genomics studies performed on these clades are enabling us to understand what roles hybridization may play in the evolution and emergence of a virulence potential towards humans. Here we survey recent genomic studies on several yeast pathogenic clades where hybrids have been identified, and discuss the broader implications of hybridization in the evolution and emergence of pathogenic lineages. © 2017 The Authors. Yeast published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verónica Mixão
- Centre for Genomic Regulation, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona, 08003, Spain.,Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Toni Gabaldón
- Centre for Genomic Regulation, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona, 08003, Spain.,Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003, Barcelona, Spain.,Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Pg. Lluís Companys 23, 08010, Barcelona, Spain
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Abstract
This article provides an overview of sexual reproduction in the ascomycetes, a phylum of fungi that is named after the specialized sacs or "asci" that hold the sexual spores. They have therefore also been referred to as the Sac Fungi due to these characteristic structures that typically contain four to eight ascospores. Ascomycetes are morphologically diverse and include single-celled yeasts, filamentous fungi, and more complex cup fungi. The sexual cycles of many species, including those of the model yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe and the filamentous saprobes Neurospora crassa, Aspergillus nidulans, and Podospora anserina, have been examined in depth. In addition, sexual or parasexual cycles have been uncovered in important human pathogens such as Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus, as well as in plant pathogens such as Fusarium graminearum and Cochliobolus heterostrophus. We summarize what is known about sexual fecundity in ascomycetes, examine how structural changes at the mating-type locus dictate sexual behavior, and discuss recent studies that reveal that pheromone signaling pathways can be repurposed to serve cellular roles unrelated to sex.
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Lombardi L, Turner SA, Zhao F, Butler G. Gene editing in clinical isolates of Candida parapsilosis using CRISPR/Cas9. Sci Rep 2017; 7:8051. [PMID: 28808289 PMCID: PMC5556056 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-08500-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2017] [Accepted: 07/10/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Candida parapsilosis is one of the most common causes of candidiasis, particularly in the very young and the very old. Studies of gene function are limited by the lack of a sexual cycle, the diploid genome, and a paucity of molecular tools. We describe here the development of a plasmid-based CRISPR-Cas9 system for gene editing in C. parapsilosis. A major advantage of the system is that it can be used in any genetic background, which we showed by editing genes in 20 different isolates. Gene editing is carried out in a single transformation step. The CAS9 gene is expressed only when the plasmid is present, and it can be removed easily from transformed strains. There is theoretically no limit to the number of genes that can be edited in any strain. Gene editing is increased by homology-directed repair in the presence of a repair template. Editing by non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) also occurs in some genetic backgrounds. Finally, we used the system to introduce unique tags at edited sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Lombardi
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Siobhán A Turner
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Fang Zhao
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Geraldine Butler
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
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Abastabar M, Hosseinpoor S, Hedayati MT, Shokohi T, Valadan R, Mirhendi H, Mohammadi R, Aghili SR, Rahimi N, Aslani N, Haghani I, Gholami S. Hyphal wall protein 1 gene: A potential marker for the identification of different Candida species and phylogenetic analysis. Curr Med Mycol 2016; 2:1-8. [PMID: 28959789 PMCID: PMC5611690 DOI: 10.18869/acadpub.cmm.2.4.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Hyphal wall protein 1 (HWP1) is an important adhesin which usually is expressed on the germ tube and hyphal surface produced by different Candida species. The hyphal wall protein-coding gene (HWP1) was evaluated as a novel identification and phylogenetic marker in Candida tropicalis, C. orthopsilosis, C. parapsilosis and C. glabrata. MATERIALS AND METHODS Initially, four specific primer pairs were designed, and the target was amplified and finally sequenced. A total of 77 Candida isolates from four different species were included in the study. Consensus sequences were used for the evaluation of phylogenetic tree using the CLC Genome Workbench, GENEIOUS, and MEGA softwares and the levels of nucleotide and amino acid polymorphism were assessed. RESULTS According to the results, the specific amplified fragments of HWP1 gene were useful for the differentiation of four species. Intra-species variation was observed only in C. tropicalis with two DNA types. The phylogenetic tree of Candida species based on the HWP1 gene showed consistency in topology with those inferred from other gene sequences. CONCLUSION We found that HWP1 gene was an excellent marker for the identification of non-albicansCandida species as well as the phylogenetic analysis of the most clinically significant Candida species.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Abastabar
- Invasive Fungi Research Center (IFRC), Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.,Department of Medical Mycology and Parasitology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - S Hosseinpoor
- Student Research Committee, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - M T Hedayati
- Invasive Fungi Research Center (IFRC), Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.,Department of Medical Mycology and Parasitology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - T Shokohi
- Invasive Fungi Research Center (IFRC), Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.,Department of Medical Mycology and Parasitology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - R Valadan
- Molecular and Cell Biology Research Center (MCBRC), Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Mazandaran, Iran.,Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Mazandaran, Iran
| | - H Mirhendi
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - R Mohammadi
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.,Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - S R Aghili
- Invasive Fungi Research Center (IFRC), Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.,Department of Medical Mycology and Parasitology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - N Rahimi
- Department of Medical Mycology and Parasitology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - N Aslani
- Department of Medical Mycology and Parasitology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - I Haghani
- Department of Medical Mycology and Parasitology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - S Gholami
- Department of Medical Mycology and Parasitology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
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Multiple Origins of the Pathogenic Yeast Candida orthopsilosis by Separate Hybridizations between Two Parental Species. PLoS Genet 2016; 12:e1006404. [PMID: 27806045 PMCID: PMC5091853 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2016] [Accepted: 10/04/2016] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Mating between different species produces hybrids that are usually asexual and stuck as diploids, but can also lead to the formation of new species. Here, we report the genome sequences of 27 isolates of the pathogenic yeast Candida orthopsilosis. We find that most isolates are diploid hybrids, products of mating between two unknown parental species (A and B) that are 5% divergent in sequence. Isolates vary greatly in the extent of homogenization between A and B, making their genomes a mosaic of highly heterozygous regions interspersed with homozygous regions. Separate phylogenetic analyses of SNPs in the A- and B-derived portions of the genome produces almost identical trees of the isolates with four major clades. However, the presence of two mutually exclusive genotype combinations at the mating type locus, and recombinant mitochondrial genomes diagnostic of inter-clade mating, shows that the species C. orthopsilosis does not have a single evolutionary origin but was created at least four times by separate interspecies hybridizations between parents A and B. Older hybrids have lost more heterozygosity. We also identify two isolates with homozygous genomes derived exclusively from parent A, which are pure non-hybrid strains. The parallel emergence of the same hybrid species from multiple independent hybridization events is common in plant evolution, but is much less documented in pathogenic fungi. The genus Candida is one of the leading causes of fungal morbidity in humans. Many pathogenic Candida species are diploid, and do not have have a full sexual cycle. The evolutionary origin of Candida orthopsilosis is unclear. Here, we use whole genome sequencing of 27 C. orthopsilosis isolates from around the world to show that C. orthopsilosis arose from hybridization (or mating) of two distinct parental species. Unusually, the hybridization event did not occur only once; we identify at least four events, and we suggest that hybridization is ongoing. The “species” C. orthopsilosis therefore does not have one single origin. We have identified one of the parental lineages involved, but the other remains elusive. Our results suggest that inter-species hybridization has an evolutionary advantage. However, unlike in plant pathogens, it does not appear to result in increased virulence of C. orthopsilosis.
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Gabaldón T, Naranjo-Ortíz MA, Marcet-Houben M. Evolutionary genomics of yeast pathogens in the Saccharomycotina. FEMS Yeast Res 2016; 16:fow064. [PMID: 27493146 PMCID: PMC5815160 DOI: 10.1093/femsyr/fow064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Revised: 05/18/2016] [Accepted: 08/02/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Saccharomycotina comprises a diverse group of yeasts that includes numerous species of industrial or clinical relevance. Opportunistic pathogens within this clade are often assigned to the genus Candida but belong to phylogenetically distant lineages that also comprise non-pathogenic species. This indicates that the ability to infect humans has evolved independently several times among Saccharomycotina. Although the mechanisms of infection of the main groups of Candida pathogens are starting to be unveiled, we still lack sufficient understanding of the evolutionary paths that led to a virulent phenotype in each of the pathogenic lineages. Deciphering what genomic changes underlie the evolutionary emergence of a virulence trait will not only aid the discovery of novel virulence mechanisms but it will also provide valuable information to understand how new pathogens emerge, and what clades may pose a future danger. Here we review recent comparative genomics efforts that have revealed possible evolutionary paths to pathogenesis in different lineages, focusing on the main three agents of candidiasis worldwide: Candida albicans, C. parapsilosis and C. glabrata We will discuss what genomic traits may facilitate the emergence of virulence, and focus on two different genome evolution mechanisms able to generate drastic phenotypic changes and which have been associated to the emergence of virulence: gene family expansion and interspecies hybridization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toni Gabaldón
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), 08003 Barcelona, Spain Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Pg. Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Miguel A Naranjo-Ortíz
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marina Marcet-Houben
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
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Pryszcz LP, Németh T, Gácser A, Gabaldón T. Genome comparison of Candida orthopsilosis clinical strains reveals the existence of hybrids between two distinct subspecies. Genome Biol Evol 2016; 6:1069-78. [PMID: 24747362 PMCID: PMC4040990 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evu082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The Candida parapsilosis species complex comprises a group of emerging human pathogens of varying virulence. This complex was recently subdivided into three different species: C. parapsilosis sensu stricto, C. metapsilosis, and C. orthopsilosis. Within the latter, at least two clearly distinct subspecies seem to be present among clinical isolates (Type 1 and Type 2). To gain insight into the genomic differences between these subspecies, we undertook the sequencing of a clinical isolate classified as Type 1 and compared it with the available sequence of a Type 2 clinical strain. Unexpectedly, the analysis of the newly sequenced strain revealed a highly heterozygous genome, which we show to be the consequence of a hybridization event between both identified subspecies. This implicitly suggests that C. orthopsilosis is able to mate, a so-far unanswered question. The resulting hybrid shows a chimeric genome that maintains a similar gene dosage from both parental lineages and displays ongoing loss of heterozygosity. Several of the differences found between the gene content in both strains relate to virulent-related families, with the hybrid strain presenting a higher copy number of genes coding for efflux pumps or secreted lipases. Remarkably, two clinical strains isolated from distant geographical locations (Texas and Singapore) are descendants of the same hybrid line, raising the intriguing possibility of a relationship between the hybridization event and the global spread of a virulent clone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leszek P Pryszcz
- Bioinformatics and Genomics Programme, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona, Spain
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43
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Affiliation(s)
- Attila Gacser
- a Department of Microbiology ; University of Szeged ; Szeged , Hungary
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Dostál J, Pecina A, Hrušková-Heidingsfeldová O, Marečková L, Pichová I, Řezáčová P, Lepšík M, Brynda J. Atomic resolution crystal structure of Sapp2p, a secreted aspartic protease from Candida parapsilosis. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 71:2494-504. [PMID: 26627656 DOI: 10.1107/s1399004715019392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2015] [Accepted: 10/13/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The virulence of the Candida pathogens is enhanced by the production of secreted aspartic proteases, which therefore represent possible targets for drug design. Here, the crystal structure of the secreted aspartic protease Sapp2p from Candida parapsilosis was determined. Sapp2p was isolated from its natural source and crystallized in complex with pepstatin A, a classical aspartic protease inhibitor. The atomic resolution of 0.83 Å allowed the protonation states of the active-site residues to be inferred. A detailed comparison of the structure of Sapp2p with the structure of Sapp1p, the most abundant C. parapsilosis secreted aspartic protease, was performed. The analysis, which included advanced quantum-chemical interaction-energy calculations, uncovered molecular details that allowed the experimentally observed equipotent inhibition of both isoenzymes by pepstatin A to be rationalized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiří Dostál
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry (IOCB), Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Flemingovo náměstí 2, 166 10 Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Adam Pecina
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry (IOCB), Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Flemingovo náměstí 2, 166 10 Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Olga Hrušková-Heidingsfeldová
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry (IOCB), Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Flemingovo náměstí 2, 166 10 Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Lucie Marečková
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry (IOCB), Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Flemingovo náměstí 2, 166 10 Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Iva Pichová
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry (IOCB), Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Flemingovo náměstí 2, 166 10 Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Pavlina Řezáčová
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry (IOCB), Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Flemingovo náměstí 2, 166 10 Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Lepšík
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry (IOCB), Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Flemingovo náměstí 2, 166 10 Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Brynda
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry (IOCB), Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Flemingovo náměstí 2, 166 10 Prague 6, Czech Republic
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Tóth R, Alonso MF, Bain JM, Vágvölgyi C, Erwig LP, Gácser A. Different Candida parapsilosis clinical isolates and lipase deficient strain trigger an altered cellular immune response. Front Microbiol 2015; 6:1102. [PMID: 26528256 PMCID: PMC4602145 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.01102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2015] [Accepted: 09/24/2015] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Numerous human diseases can be associated with fungal infections either as potential causative agents or as a result of changed immune status due to a primary disease. Fungal infections caused by Candida species can vary from mild to severe dependent upon the site of infection, length of exposure, and past medical history. Patients with impaired immune status are at increased risk for chronic fungal infections. Recent epidemiologic studies have revealed the increasing incidence of candidiasis caused by non-albicans species such as Candida parapsilosis. Due to its increasing relevance we chose two distinct C. parapsilosis strains, to describe the cellular innate immune response toward this species. In the first section of our study we compared the interaction of CLIB 214 and GA1 cells with murine and human macrophages. Both strains are commonly used to investigate C. parapsilosis virulence properties. CLIB 214 is a rapidly pseudohyphae-forming strain and GA1 is an isolate that mainly exists in a yeast form. Our results showed, that the phagocyte response was similar in terms of overall uptake, however differences were observed in macrophage migration and engulfment of fungal cells. As C. parapsilosis releases extracellular lipases in order to promote host invasion we further investigated the role of these secreted components during the distinct stages of the phagocytic process. Using a secreted lipase deficient mutant strain and the parental strain GA1 individually and simultaneously, we confirmed that fungal secreted lipases influence the fungi's virulence by detecting altered innate cellular responses. In this study we report that two isolates of a single species can trigger markedly distinct host responses and that lipase secretion plays a role on the cellular level of host–pathogen interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renáta Tóth
- Department of Microbiology, University of Szeged Szeged, Hungary
| | - Maria F Alonso
- Aberdeen Fungal Group, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen Aberdeen, UK
| | - Judith M Bain
- Aberdeen Fungal Group, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen Aberdeen, UK
| | - Csaba Vágvölgyi
- Department of Microbiology, University of Szeged Szeged, Hungary ; Botany and Microbiology Department, King Saud University Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Lars-Peter Erwig
- Aberdeen Fungal Group, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen Aberdeen, UK
| | - Attila Gácser
- Department of Microbiology, University of Szeged Szeged, Hungary
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Pryszcz LP, Németh T, Saus E, Ksiezopolska E, Hegedűsová E, Nosek J, Wolfe KH, Gacser A, Gabaldón T. The Genomic Aftermath of Hybridization in the Opportunistic Pathogen Candida metapsilosis. PLoS Genet 2015; 11:e1005626. [PMID: 26517373 PMCID: PMC4627764 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1005626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2015] [Accepted: 10/05/2015] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Candida metapsilosis is a rarely-isolated, opportunistic pathogen that belongs to a clade of pathogenic yeasts known as the C. parapsilosis sensu lato species complex. To gain insight into the recent evolution of C. metapsilosis and the genetic basis of its virulence, we sequenced the genome of 11 clinical isolates from various locations, which we compared to each other and to the available genomes of the two remaining members of the complex: C. orthopsilosis and C. parapsilosis. Unexpectedly, we found compelling genomic evidence that C. metapsilosis is a highly heterozygous hybrid species, with all sequenced clinical strains resulting from the same past hybridization event involving two parental lineages that were approximately 4.5% divergent in sequence. This result indicates that the parental species are non-pathogenic, but that hybridization between them formed a new opportunistic pathogen, C. metapsilosis, that has achieved a worldwide distribution. We show that these hybrids are diploid and we identified strains carrying loci for both alternative mating types, which supports mating as the initial mechanism for hybrid formation. We trace the aftermath of this hybridization at the genomic level, and reconstruct the evolutionary relationships among the different strains. Recombination and introgression -resulting in loss of heterozygosis- between the two subgenomes have been rampant, and includes the partial overwriting of the MTLa mating locus in all strains. Collectively, our results shed light on the recent genomic evolution within the C. parapsilosis sensu lato complex, and argue for a re-definition of species within this clade, with at least five distinct homozygous lineages, some of which having the ability to form hybrids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leszek P. Pryszcz
- Bioinformatics and Genomics Programme, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Tibor Németh
- Department of Microbiology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Ester Saus
- Bioinformatics and Genomics Programme, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ewa Ksiezopolska
- Bioinformatics and Genomics Programme, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Eva Hegedűsová
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Jozef Nosek
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Kenneth H. Wolfe
- UCD Conway Institute, School of Medicine & Medical Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Attila Gacser
- Department of Microbiology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Toni Gabaldón
- Bioinformatics and Genomics Programme, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
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Criseo G, Scordino F, Romeo O. Current methods for identifying clinically important cryptic Candida species. J Microbiol Methods 2015; 111:50-6. [PMID: 25659326 DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2015.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2014] [Revised: 02/03/2015] [Accepted: 02/03/2015] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, the taxonomy of the most important pathogenic Candida species (Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis and Candida glabrata) has undergone profound changes due to the description of new closely-related species. This has resulted in the establishment of cryptic species complexes difficult to recognize in clinical diagnostic laboratories. The identification of these novel Candida species seems to be clinically relevant because it is likely that they differ in virulence and drug resistance. Nevertheless, current phenotypic methods are not suitable to accurately distinguish all the species belonging to a specific cryptic complex and therefore their recognition still requires molecular methods. Since traditional mycological techniques have not been useful, a number of molecular based methods have recently been developed. These range from simple PCR-based methods to more sophisticated real-time PCR and/or MALDI-TOF methods. In this article, we review the current methods designed for discriminating among closely related Candida species by highlighting, in particular, the limits of the existing phenotypic tests and the development of rapid and specific molecular tools for their proper identification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Criseo
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Messina, Viale Ferdinando Stagno d'Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
| | - Fabio Scordino
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Messina, Viale Ferdinando Stagno d'Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
| | - Orazio Romeo
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Messina, Viale Ferdinando Stagno d'Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy.
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Hirakawa MP, Martinez DA, Sakthikumar S, Anderson MZ, Berlin A, Gujja S, Zeng Q, Zisson E, Wang JM, Greenberg JM, Berman J, Bennett RJ, Cuomo CA. Genetic and phenotypic intra-species variation in Candida albicans. Genome Res 2014; 25:413-25. [PMID: 25504520 PMCID: PMC4352881 DOI: 10.1101/gr.174623.114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 213] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Candida albicans is a commensal fungus of the human gastrointestinal tract and a prevalent opportunistic pathogen. To examine diversity within this species, extensive genomic and phenotypic analyses were performed on 21 clinical C. albicans isolates. Genomic variation was evident in the form of polymorphisms, copy number variations, chromosomal inversions, subtelomeric hypervariation, loss of heterozygosity (LOH), and whole or partial chromosome aneuploidies. All 21 strains were diploid, although karyotypic changes were present in eight of the 21 isolates, with multiple strains being trisomic for Chromosome 4 or Chromosome 7. Aneuploid strains exhibited a general fitness defect relative to euploid strains when grown under replete conditions. All strains were also heterozygous, yet multiple, distinct LOH tracts were present in each isolate. Higher overall levels of genome heterozygosity correlated with faster growth rates, consistent with increased overall fitness. Genes with the highest rates of amino acid substitutions included many cell wall proteins, implicating fast evolving changes in cell adhesion and host interactions. One clinical isolate, P94015, presented several striking properties including a novel cellular phenotype, an inability to filament, drug resistance, and decreased virulence. Several of these properties were shown to be due to a homozygous nonsense mutation in the EFG1 gene. Furthermore, loss of EFG1 function resulted in increased fitness of P94015 in a commensal model of infection. Our analysis therefore reveals intra-species genetic and phenotypic differences in C. albicans and delineates a natural mutation that alters the balance between commensalism and pathogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew P Hirakawa
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA
| | - Diego A Martinez
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA
| | | | - Matthew Z Anderson
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA; Department of Molecular, Cellular Biology and Genetics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
| | - Aaron Berlin
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA
| | - Sharvari Gujja
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA
| | - Qiandong Zeng
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA
| | - Ethan Zisson
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA
| | - Joshua M Wang
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA
| | - Joshua M Greenberg
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA
| | - Judith Berman
- Department of Molecular, Cellular Biology and Genetics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA; Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Richard J Bennett
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA;
| | - Christina A Cuomo
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA;
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Abstract
Owing to their small size and paucity of phenotypic characters, progress in the evolutionary biology of microbes in general, and human pathogenic fungi in particular, has been linked to a series of advances in DNA sequencing over the past quarter century. Phylogenetics was the first area to benefit, with the achievement of a basic understanding of fungal phylogeny. Population genetics was the next advance, finding cryptic species everywhere, and recombination in species previously thought to be asexual. Comparative genomics saw the next advance, in which variation in gene content and changes in gene family size were found to be important sources of variation. Fungal population genomics is showing that gene flow among closely related populations and species provides yet another source of adaptive, genetic variation. Now, two means to associate genetic variation with phenotypic variation, "reverse ecology" for adaptive phenotypes, and genome-wide association of any phenotype, are letting evolutionary biology make a profound contribution to molecular developmental biology of pathogenic fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- John W Taylor
- University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3102
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50
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Bader
- Institute for Medical Microbiology; University Medical Center Göttingen; Göttingen, Germany
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