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Yan ZZ, Hu HW, Xiong C, Peleg AY, Chen QL, Sáez-Sandino T, Maestre F, Delgado-Baquerizo M, Singh BK. Environmental microbiome, human fungal pathogens, and antimicrobial resistance. Trends Microbiol 2024:S0966-842X(24)00215-4. [PMID: 39304419 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2024.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2024] [Revised: 08/05/2024] [Accepted: 08/08/2024] [Indexed: 09/22/2024]
Abstract
Traditionally, antifungal resistance (AFR) has received much less attention compared with bacterial resistance to antibiotics. However, global changes, pandemics, and emerging new fungal infections have highlighted global health consequences of AFR. The recent report of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has identified fungal priority pathogens, and recognised AFR among the greatest global health threats. This is particularly important given the significant increase in fungal infections linked to climate change and pandemics. Environmental factors play critical roles in AFR and fungal infections, as many clinically relevant fungal pathogens and AFR originate from the environment (mainly soil). In addition, the environment serves as a potential rich source for the discovery of new antifungal agents, including mycoviruses and bacterial probiotics, which hold promise for effective therapies. In this article, we summarise the environmental pathways of AFR development and spread among high priority fungal pathogens, and propose potential mechanisms of AFR development and spread. We identify a research priority list to address key knowledge gaps in our understanding of environmental AFR. Further, we propose an integrated roadmap for predictive risk management of AFR that is critical for effective surveillance and forecasting of public health outcomes under current and future climatic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen-Zhen Yan
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Australia
| | - Hang-Wei Hu
- School of Agriculture, Food, and Ecosystem Science, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Chao Xiong
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Australia
| | - Anton Y Peleg
- Department of Infectious Disease, The Alfred Hospital and Central Clinical School, Monash University, Victoria, Australia; Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; Centre to Impact Antimicrobial Resistance, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Qing-Lin Chen
- Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Ningbo Observation and Research Station, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Science, Xiamen, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Tadeo Sáez-Sandino
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Australia
| | - Fernando Maestre
- Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo
- Laboratorio de Biodiversidad y Funcionamiento Ecosistémico, Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla (IRNAS), CSIC, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Brajesh K Singh
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Australia.
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Battersby JL, Stevens DA, Coutts RHA, Havlíček V, Hsu JL, Sass G, Kotta-Loizou I. The Expanding Mycovirome of Aspergilli. J Fungi (Basel) 2024; 10:585. [PMID: 39194910 DOI: 10.3390/jof10080585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2024] [Revised: 08/08/2024] [Accepted: 08/14/2024] [Indexed: 08/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Mycoviruses are viruses that infect fungi and are widespread across all major fungal taxa, exhibiting great biological diversity. Since their discovery in the 1960s, researchers have observed a myriad of fungal phenotypes altered due to mycoviral infection. In this review, we examine the nuanced world of mycoviruses in the context of the medically and agriculturally important fungal genus, Aspergillus. The advent of RNA sequencing has revealed a previous underestimate of viral prevalence in fungi, in particular linear single-stranded RNA viruses, and here we outline the diverse viral families known to date that contain mycoviruses infecting Aspergillus. Furthermore, we describe these novel mycoviruses, highlighting those with peculiar genome structures, such as a split RNA dependent RNA polymerase gene. Next, we delineate notable mycovirus-mediated phenotypes in Aspergillus, in particular reporting on observations of mycoviruses that affect their fungal host's virulence and explore how this may relate to virus-mediated decreased stress tolerance. Furthermore, mycovirus effects on microbial competition and antifungal resistance are discussed. The factors that influence the manifestation of these phenotypes, such as temperature, fungal life stage, and infection with multiple viruses, among others, are also evaluated. In addition, we attempt to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that underpin these phenotypes, examining how mycoviruses can be targets, triggers, and even suppressors of RNA silencing and how this can affect fungal gene expression and phenotypes. Finally, we highlight the potential therapeutic applications of mycoviruses and how, in an approach analogous to bacteriophage therapy, their ability to produce hypovirulence in Aspergillus might be used to attenuate invasive aspergillosis infections in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josephine L Battersby
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
- Department of Clinical, Pharmaceutical and Biological Science, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield AL10 9AB, UK
| | - David A Stevens
- California Institute for Medical Research, San Jose, CA 95128, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Robert H A Coutts
- Department of Clinical, Pharmaceutical and Biological Science, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield AL10 9AB, UK
| | - Vladimír Havlíček
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska 1083, 142 00 Prague, Czech Republic
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Palacky University, 17. Listopadu 2, 779 00 Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Joe L Hsu
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Gabriele Sass
- California Institute for Medical Research, San Jose, CA 95128, USA
| | - Ioly Kotta-Loizou
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
- Department of Clinical, Pharmaceutical and Biological Science, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield AL10 9AB, UK
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3
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Barac A, Vujovic A, Peric J, Tulic I, Stojanovic M, Stjepanovic M. Rethinking Aspergillosis in the Era of Microbiota and Mycobiota. Mycopathologia 2024; 189:49. [PMID: 38864956 DOI: 10.1007/s11046-024-00853-2] [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: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
Aspergillosis encompasses a wide range of clinical conditions based on the interaction between Aspergillus and the host. It ranges from colonization to invasive aspergillosis. The human lung provides an entry door for Aspergillus. Aspergillus has virulence characteristics such as conidia, rapid growth at body temperature, and the production of specific proteins, carbohydrates, and secondary metabolites that allow A. fumigatus to infiltrate the lung's alveoli and cause invasive aspergillosis. Alveolar epithelial cells play an important role in both fungus clearance and immune cell recruitment via cytokine release. Although the innate immune system quickly clears conidia in immunocompetent hosts, A. fumigatus has evolved multiple virulence factors in order to escape immune response such as ROS detoxifying enzymes, the rodlet layer, DHN-melanin and toxins. Bacterial co-infections or interactions can alter the immune response, impact Aspergillus growth and virulence, enhance biofilm formation, confound diagnosis, and reduce treatment efficacy. The gut microbiome's makeup influences pulmonary immune responses generated by A. fumigatus infection and vice versa. The real-time PCR for Aspergillus DNA detection might be a particularly useful tool to diagnose pulmonary aspergillosis. Metagenomics analyses allow quick and easy detection and identification of a great variety of fungi in different clinical samples, although optimization is still required particularly for the use of NGS techniques. This review will analyze the current state of aspergillosis in light of recent discoveries in the microbiota and mycobiota.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra Barac
- Clinic for Infectious and Tropical Diseases, University Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia.
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.
| | - Ankica Vujovic
- Clinic for Infectious and Tropical Diseases, University Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Jovan Peric
- Center for Anesthesiology and Resuscitation, University Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Ivan Tulic
- Clinic for Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology, University Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Maja Stojanovic
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
- Clinic for Allergology and Clinical Immunology, University Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Mihailo Stjepanovic
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
- Clinic for Pulmonology, University Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
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4
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Erkmen S, Sahin E, Akata I. Full-length genome characterization of a novel mitovirus isolated from the root rot fungus Armillaria mellea. Virus Genes 2024; 60:65-70. [PMID: 38103104 DOI: 10.1007/s11262-023-02041-8] [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: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Members of the genus Armillaria belong to the group of pathogenic and facultative saprotrophic fungi that are generally known as one of the causative agents of white root rot in infected plants including deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs. Although several single-stranded RNA mycoviruses were previously described in different Armillaria species, there is no report on mitoviruses (one of the simplest RNA viruses of fungal hosts) known to infect Armillaria taxa. In this study, a new mitovirus denominated "Armillaria mellea mitovirus 1" (AmMV1) was identified in the sporophore samples of Armillaria mellea, commonly known as honey mushroom. AmMV1 has a genome length of 4440 nucleotides and a G + C content of 48%. It encompasses a single open reading frame (ORF) that encodes an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). Comparison through BLASTp analysis revealed that the RdRp domain of AmMV1 shares a sequence identity ranging from 33.43% to 43.27% with RdRp domains of Duamitovirus genus members, having the highest similarity (43.27%) to Rhizoctonia solani mitovirus 94. According to phylogenetic analysis, AmMV1 is classified as a member of the genus Duamitovirus belonging to the Mitoviridae family. This marks the initial instance of a mitovirus identified in Armillaria spp..
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Affiliation(s)
- Sıla Erkmen
- Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Dokuz Eylul University, 35390, Buca, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Ergin Sahin
- Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Dokuz Eylul University, 35390, Buca, Izmir, Turkey.
- Fauna and Flora Research and Application Center, Dokuz Eylul University, 35390, Buca, Izmir, Turkey.
| | - Ilgaz Akata
- Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Ankara University, 06100, Tandogan, Ankara, Turkey
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Garvey M. Medical Device-Associated Healthcare Infections: Sterilization and the Potential of Novel Biological Approaches to Ensure Patient Safety. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 25:201. [PMID: 38203372 PMCID: PMC10778788 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25010201] [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: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Healthcare-associated infections caused by multi-drug-resistant pathogens are increasing globally, and current antimicrobial options have limited efficacy against these robust species. The WHO details the critically important bacterial and fungal species that are often associated with medical device HAIs. The effective sterilization of medical devices plays a key role in preventing infectious disease morbidity and mortality. A lack of adherence to protocol and limitations associated with each sterilization modality, however, allows for the incidence of disease. Furthermore, issues relating to carcinogenic emissions from ethylene oxide gas (EtO) have motivated the EPA to propose limiting EtO use or seeking alternative sterilization methods for medical devices. The Food and Drug Administration supports the sterilization of healthcare products using low-temperature VH2O2 as an alternative to EtO. With advances in biomaterial and medical devices and the increasing use of combination products, current sterilization modalities are becoming limited. Novel approaches to disinfection and sterilization of medical devices, biomaterials, and therapeutics are warranted to safeguard public health. Bacteriophages, endolysins, and antimicrobial peptides are considered promising options for the prophylactic and meta-phylactic control of infectious diseases. This timely review discusses the application of these biologics as antimicrobial agents against critically important WHO pathogens, including ESKAPE bacterial species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Garvey
- Department of Life Science, Atlantic Technological University, F91 YW50 Sligo, Ireland;
- Centre for Precision Engineering, Materials and Manufacturing Research (PEM), Atlantic Technological University, F91 YW50 Sligo, Ireland
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Lutz T, Jaeckel M, Hadeler B, Heinze C. Fast preparation of high-quality viral dsRNA from fungal tissue by commercial nucleic acid extraction kits. J Virol Methods 2023; 322:114832. [PMID: 37858808 DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2023.114832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
The genomes of most known mycoviruses consist of double stranded RNA (dsRNA) or single stranded RNA (ssRNA). Therefore, for all aspects of mycovirology, the research is highly dependent on the quality and quantity of RNA either by the extraction of genomic dsRNA or dsRNA as a replicating intermediate. A common procedure to extract dsRNA is its binding on a cellulose matrix after a phenol/chloroform purification step. A commercial kit for dsRNA extraction facilitated the researchers´ daily work, but is not available anymore. To extract nucleic acids in a standardized good quality and quantity from small amounts of starting material, we compared commercial kits for gDNA extraction to the kits for RNA extraction using fungal material with a high and a low virus titer. Here we show that viral dsRNA can be extracted using commercial gDNA kits from fungal tissue with a high and a low virus titer in the same quality and quantity as it was done with the discontinued dsRNA extraction kit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Lutz
- University of Hamburg, Institute of Plant Science and Microbiology, Molecular Phytopathology, Ohnhorststr. 18, 22609 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Mareike Jaeckel
- University of Hamburg, Institute of Plant Science and Microbiology, Molecular Phytopathology, Ohnhorststr. 18, 22609 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Birgit Hadeler
- University of Hamburg, Institute of Plant Science and Microbiology, Molecular Phytopathology, Ohnhorststr. 18, 22609 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Cornelia Heinze
- University of Hamburg, Institute of Plant Science and Microbiology, Molecular Phytopathology, Ohnhorststr. 18, 22609 Hamburg, Germany.
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Jiang Y, Liu X, Tian X, Zhou J, Wang Q, Wang B, Yu W, Jiang Y, Hsiang T, Qi X. RNA interference of Aspergillus flavus in response to Aspergillus flavus partitivirus 1 infection. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1252294. [PMID: 38033556 PMCID: PMC10682719 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1252294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
RNA interference (RNAi) is one of the important defense responses against viral infection, but its mechanism and impact remain unclear in mycovirus infections. In our study, reverse genetics and virus-derived small RNA sequencing were used to show the antiviral responses of RNAi components in Aspergillus flavus infected with Aspergillus flavus partitivirus 1 (AfPV1). qRT-PCR revealed that AfPV1 infection induced the expression of the RNAi components in A. flavus compared with noninfected A. flavus. Knock mutants of each RNAi component were generated, but the mutants did not exhibit any obvious phenotypic changes compared with the A. flavus parental strain. However, after AfPV1 inoculation, production of AfPV1 was significantly less than in the parental strain. Furthermore, sporulation was greater in each AfPV1-infected mutant compared with the AfPV1-infected parental A. flavus. We also investigated the sensitivity of virus-free and AfPV1-infected RNAi mutants and the parental strain to cell wall stress, osmotic stress, genotoxic stress, and oxidative stress. The mutants of DCLs and AGOs infected by AfPV1 displayed more changes than RDRP mutants in response to the first three stresses. Small RNA sequencing analysis suggested that AfPV1 infection reduced the number of unique reads of sRNA in A. flavus, although there were many vsiRNA derived from the AfPV1 genome. GO term and KEGG pathway analyses revealed that the functions of sRNA affected by AfPV1 infection were closely related to vacuole production. These results provide a better understanding of the functional role of RNAi in the impact of AfPV1 on the hypovirulence of A. flavus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinhui Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology of Guizhou Province, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Xiang Liu
- Key Laboratory of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology of Guizhou Province, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Xun Tian
- Key Laboratory of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology of Guizhou Province, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Jianhong Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology of Guizhou Province, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Qinrong Wang
- Key Laboratory of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology of Guizhou Province, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Bi Wang
- Key Laboratory of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology of Guizhou Province, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Wenfeng Yu
- Key Laboratory of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology of Guizhou Province, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Yanping Jiang
- Department of Dermatology, The Affiliated Hospital, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Tom Hsiang
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Xiaolan Qi
- Key Laboratory of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology of Guizhou Province, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
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Khan HA, Baig DI, Bhatti MF. An Overview of Mycoviral Curing Strategies Used in Evaluating Fungal Host Fitness. Mol Biotechnol 2023; 65:1547-1564. [PMID: 36841858 PMCID: PMC9963364 DOI: 10.1007/s12033-023-00695-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/27/2023]
Abstract
The number of novel mycoviruses is increasing at a high pace due to advancements in sequencing technologies. As a result, an uncountable number of mycoviral sequences are available in public sequence repositories. However, only genomic information is not sufficient to understand the impact of mycoviruses on their host biology. Biological characterization is required to determine the nature of mycoviruses (cryptic, hypervirulent, or hypovirulent) and to search for mycoviruses with biocontrol and therapeutic potential. Currently, no particular selective method is used as the gold standard against these mycoviral infections. Given the importance of curing, we present an overview of procedures used in preparation of isogenic lines, along with their benefits and drawbacks. We concluded that a combination of single-spore isolation and hyphal tipping is the best fit for preparation of isogenic lines. Furthermore, recent bioinformatic approaches should be introduced in the field of mycovirology to predict virus-specific antivirals to get robust results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haris Ahmed Khan
- Atta-ur-Rahman School of Applied Biosciences (ASAB), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), H-12, Islamabad, 44000 Pakistan
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Mianwali, Punjab, 42200 Pakistan
| | - Danish Ilyas Baig
- Atta-ur-Rahman School of Applied Biosciences (ASAB), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), H-12, Islamabad, 44000 Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Faraz Bhatti
- Atta-ur-Rahman School of Applied Biosciences (ASAB), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), H-12, Islamabad, 44000 Pakistan
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9
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Andika IB, Cao X, Kondo H, Sun L. The intriguing phenomenon of cross-kingdom infections of plant and insect viruses to fungi: Can other animal viruses also cross-infect fungi? PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011726. [PMID: 37883353 PMCID: PMC10602238 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Fungi are highly widespread and commonly colonize multicellular organisms that live in natural environments. Notably, studies on viruses infecting plant-associated fungi have revealed the interesting phenomenon of the cross-kingdom transmission of viruses and viroids from plants to fungi. This implies that fungi, in addition to absorbing water, nutrients, and other molecules from the host, can acquire intracellular parasites that reside in the host. These findings further suggest that fungi can serve as suitable alternative hosts for certain plant viruses and viroids. Given the frequent coinfection of fungi and viruses in humans/animals, the question of whether fungi can also acquire animal viruses and serve as their hosts is very intriguing. In fact, the transmission of viruses from insects to fungi has been observed. Furthermore, the common release of animal viruses into the extracellular space (viral shedding) could potentially facilitate their acquisition by fungi. Investigations of the cross-infection of animal viruses in fungi may provide new insights into the epidemiology of viral diseases in humans and animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ida Bagus Andika
- College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
| | - Xinran Cao
- College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
- Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, China
- Shouguang International Vegetable Sci-tech Fair Management Service Center, Shouguang, China
| | - Hideki Kondo
- Institute of Plant Science and Resources, Okayama University, Kurashiki, Japan
| | - Liying Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, China
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10
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Kuroki M, Yaguchi T, Urayama SI, Hagiwara D. Experimental verification of strain-dependent relationship between mycovirus and its fungal host. iScience 2023; 26:107337. [PMID: 37520716 PMCID: PMC10372822 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Revised: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Mycoviruses are viruses that infect fungi. Unlike mammalian infectious viruses, their life cycle does not generally have an extracellular stage, and a symbiosis-like relationship is maintained between virus and host fungi. Recently, mycoviruses have been reported to show effects on host fungi, altering biological properties such as growth rate, virulence, drug resistance, and metabolite production. In this study, we systematically elucidated the effects of viruses on host cells by comparing host phenotypes and transcriptomic responses in multiple sets of virus-infected and -eliminated Aspergillus flavus strains. The comparative study showed that mycoviruses affect several cellular activities at the molecular level in a virus- and host strain-dependent manner. The virus-swapping experiment revealed that difference with only three bases in the virus genome led to different host fungal response at the transcriptional level. Our results highlighted highly specific relationship between viruses and their host fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Misa Kuroki
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Science, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan
| | - Takashi Yaguchi
- Medical Mycology Research Center, Chiba University, Inohana, Chou-ku, Chiba 260-8673, Japan
| | - Syun-ichi Urayama
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Science, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan
- Microbiology Research Center for Sustainability, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan
| | - Daisuke Hagiwara
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Science, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan
- Microbiology Research Center for Sustainability, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan
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11
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Sass G, Kotta-Loizou I, Martinez M, Larwood DJ, Stevens DA. Polymycovirus Infection Sensitizes Aspergillus fumigatus for Antifungal Effects of Nikkomycin Z. Viruses 2023; 15:197. [PMID: 36680240 PMCID: PMC9864188 DOI: 10.3390/v15010197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Infection with Aspergillus fumigatus polymycovirus 1 (AfuPmV-1) weakens resistance of Aspergillus fumigatus common reference strain Af293 biofilms in intermicrobial competition with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We compared the sensitivity of two infected and one virus-free Af293 strains to antifungal drugs. All three were comparably sensitive to drugs affecting fungal membranes (voriconazole, amphotericin) or cell wall glucan synthesis (micafungin, caspofungin). In contrast, forming biofilms of virus-free Af293 were much more resistant than AfuPmV-1-infected Af293 to nikkomycin Z (NikZ), a drug inhibiting chitin synthase. The IC50 for NikZ on biofilms was between 3.8 and 7.5 µg/mL for virus-free Af293 and 0.94-1.88 µg/mL for infected strains. The IC50 for the virus-free A. fumigatus strain 10AF was ~2 µg/mL in most experiments. NikZ also modestly affected the planktonic growth of infected Af293 more than the virus-free strain (MIC 50%, 2 and 4 µg/mL, respectively). Virus-free Af293 biofilm showed increased metabolism, and fungus growing as biofilm or planktonically showed increased growth compared to infected; these differences do not explain the resistance of the virus-free fungus to NikZ. In summary, AfuPmV-1 infection sensitized A. fumigatus to NikZ, but did not affect response to drugs commonly used against A. fumigatus infection. Virus infection had a greater effect on NikZ inhibition of biofilm than planktonic growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Sass
- California Institute for Medical Research, San Jose, CA 95128, USA
| | - Ioly Kotta-Loizou
- Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, UK
- Department of Clinical, Pharmaceutical and Biological Science, School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane Campus, Hatfield AL10 9AB, UK
| | - Marife Martinez
- California Institute for Medical Research, San Jose, CA 95128, USA
| | | | - David A. Stevens
- California Institute for Medical Research, San Jose, CA 95128, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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12
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Kinsella CM, Deijs M, Gittelbauer HM, van der Hoek L, van Dijk K. Human Clinical Isolates of Pathogenic Fungi Are Host to Diverse Mycoviruses. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0161022. [PMID: 35993766 PMCID: PMC9603141 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01610-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Fungi host viruses from many families, and next-generation sequencing can be used to discover previously unknown genomes. Some fungus-infecting viruses (mycoviruses) confer hypovirulence on their pathogenic hosts, raising the possibility of therapeutic application in the treatment of fungal diseases. Though all fungi probably host mycoviruses, many human pathogens have none documented, implying the mycoviral catalogue remains at an early stage. Here, we carried out virus discovery on 61 cultures of pathogenic fungi covering 27 genera and at least 56 species. Using next-generation sequencing of total nucleic acids, we found no DNA viruses but did find a surprising RNA virus diversity of 11 genomes from six classified families and two unclassified lineages, including eight genomes likely representing new species. Among these was the first jivivirus detected in a fungal host (Aspergillus lentulus). We separately utilized rolling circle amplification and next-generation sequencing to identify ssDNA viruses specifically. We identified 13 new cressdnaviruses across all libraries, but unlike the RNA viruses, they could not be confirmed by PCR in either the original unamplified samples or freshly amplified nucleic acids. Their distributions among sequencing libraries and inconsistent detection suggest low-level contamination of reagents. This highlights both the importance of validation assays and the risks of viral host prediction on the basis of highly amplified sequencing libraries. Meanwhile, the detected RNA viruses provide a basis for experimentation to characterize possible hypovirulent effects, and hint at a wealth of uncharted viral diversity currently frozen in biobanks. IMPORTANCE Fungal pathogens of humans are a growing global health burden. Viruses of fungi may represent future therapeutic tools, but for many fungal pathogens there are no known viruses. Our study examined the viral content of diverse human-pathogenic fungi in a clinical biobank, identifying numerous viral genomes, including one lineage previously not known to infect fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cormac M. Kinsella
- Amsterdam UMC, Laboratory of Experimental Virology, Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Martin Deijs
- Amsterdam UMC, Laboratory of Experimental Virology, Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - H. M. Gittelbauer
- Amsterdam UMC, Laboratory of Mycology, Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Lia van der Hoek
- Amsterdam UMC, Laboratory of Experimental Virology, Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Karin van Dijk
- Amsterdam UMC, Laboratory of Mycology, Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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13
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Bocos-Asenjo IT, Niño-Sánchez J, Ginésy M, Diez JJ. New Insights on the Integrated Management of Plant Diseases by RNA Strategies: Mycoviruses and RNA Interference. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:9236. [PMID: 36012499 PMCID: PMC9409477 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23169236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA-based strategies for plant disease management offer an attractive alternative to agrochemicals that negatively impact human and ecosystem health and lead to pathogen resistance. There has been recent interest in using mycoviruses for fungal disease control after it was discovered that some cause hypovirulence in fungal pathogens, which refers to a decline in the ability of a pathogen to cause disease. Cryphonectria parasitica, the causal agent of chestnut blight, has set an ideal model of management through the release of hypovirulent strains. However, mycovirus-based management of plant diseases is still restricted by limited approaches to search for viruses causing hypovirulence and the lack of protocols allowing effective and systemic virus infection in pathogens. RNA interference (RNAi), the eukaryotic cell system that recognizes RNA sequences and specifically degrades them, represents a promising. RNA-based disease management method. The natural occurrence of cross-kingdom RNAi provides a basis for host-induced gene silencing, while the ability of most pathogens to uptake exogenous small RNAs enables the use of spray-induced gene silencing techniques. This review describes the mechanisms behind and the potential of two RNA-based strategies, mycoviruses and RNAi, for plant disease management. Successful applications are discussed, as well as the research gaps and limitations that remain to be addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Teresa Bocos-Asenjo
- Department of Plant Production and Forest Resources, University of Valladolid, 34004 Palencia, Spain
- iuFOR-Sustainable Forest Management Research Institute, University of Valladolid-INIA, 34004 Palencia, Spain
| | - Jonatan Niño-Sánchez
- Department of Plant Production and Forest Resources, University of Valladolid, 34004 Palencia, Spain
- iuFOR-Sustainable Forest Management Research Institute, University of Valladolid-INIA, 34004 Palencia, Spain
| | - Mireille Ginésy
- Department of Plant Production and Forest Resources, University of Valladolid, 34004 Palencia, Spain
- iuFOR-Sustainable Forest Management Research Institute, University of Valladolid-INIA, 34004 Palencia, Spain
| | - Julio Javier Diez
- Department of Plant Production and Forest Resources, University of Valladolid, 34004 Palencia, Spain
- iuFOR-Sustainable Forest Management Research Institute, University of Valladolid-INIA, 34004 Palencia, Spain
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14
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Jiang Y, Yang B, Liu X, Tian X, Wang Q, Wang B, Zhang Q, Yu W, Qi X, Jiang Y, Hsiang T. A Satellite dsRNA Attenuates the Induction of Helper Virus-Mediated Symptoms in Aspergillus flavus. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:895844. [PMID: 35711767 PMCID: PMC9195127 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.895844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Aspergillus flavus is an important fungal pathogen of animals and plants. Previously, we reported a novel partitivirus, Aspergillus flavus partitivirus 1 (AfPV1), infecting A. flavus. In this study, we obtained a small double-stranded (ds) RNA segment (734 bp), which is a satellite RNA of the helper virus, AfPV1. The presence of AfPV1 altered the colony morphology, decreased the number of conidiophores, created significantly larger vacuoles, and caused more sensitivity to osmotic, oxidative, and UV stresses in A. flavus, but the small RNA segment could attenuate the above symptoms caused by the helper virus AfPV1 in A. flavus. Moreover, AfPV1 infection reduced the pathogenicity of A. flavus in corn (Zea mays), honeycomb moth (Galleria mellonella), mice (Mus musculus), and the adhesion of conidia to host epithelial cells, and increased conidial death by macrophages. However, the small RNA segment could also attenuate the above symptoms caused by the helper virus AfPV1 in A. flavus, perhaps by reducing the genomic accumulation of the helper virus AfPV1 in A. flavus. We used this model to investigate transcriptional genes regulated by AfPV1 and the small RNA segment in A. flavus, and their role in generating different phenotypes. We found that the pathways of the genes regulated by AfPV1 in its host were similar to those of retroviral viruses. Therefore, some pathways may be of benefit to non-retroviral viral integration or endogenization into the genomes of its host. Moreover, some potential antiviral substances were also found in A. flavus using this system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinhui Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Bi Yang
- Key Laboratory of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Xiang Liu
- Key Laboratory of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Xun Tian
- Key Laboratory of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Qinrong Wang
- Key Laboratory of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Bi Wang
- Key Laboratory of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Qifang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Wenfeng Yu
- Key Laboratory of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Xiaolan Qi
- Key Laboratory of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Yanping Jiang
- Department of Dermatology, The Affiliated Hospital, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Tom Hsiang
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
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15
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Abstract
Increasing antimicrobial resistance and medical device-related infections have led to a renewed interest in phage therapy as an alternative or adjunct to conventional antimicrobials. Expanded access and compassionate use cases have risen exponentially but have varied widely in approach, methodology, and clinical situations in which phage therapy might be considered. Large gaps in knowledge contribute to heterogeneity in approach and lack of consensus in many important clinical areas. The Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group (ARLG) has convened a panel of experts in phage therapy, clinical microbiology, infectious diseases, and pharmacology, who worked with regulatory experts and a funding agency to identify questions based on a clinical framework and divided them into three themes: potential clinical situations in which phage therapy might be considered, laboratory testing, and pharmacokinetic considerations. Suggestions are provided as answers to a series of questions intended to inform clinicians considering experimental phage therapy for patients in their clinical practices.
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16
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Cannon RD. Oral Fungal Infections: Past, Present, and Future. FRONTIERS IN ORAL HEALTH 2022; 3:838639. [PMID: 35187534 PMCID: PMC8850356 DOI: 10.3389/froh.2022.838639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Oral fungal infections have afflicted humans for millennia. Hippocrates (ca. 460-370 BCE) described two cases of oral aphthae associated with severe underlying diseases that could well have been oral candidiasis. While oral infections caused by other fungi such as cryptococcosis, aspergillosis, mucormycosis, histoplasmosis, blastomycosis, and coccidioidomycosis occur infrequently, oral candidiasis came to the fore during the AIDS epidemic as a sentinel opportunistic infection signaling the transition from HIV infection to AIDS. The incidence of candidiasis in immunocompromised AIDS patients highlighted the importance of host defenses in preventing oral fungal infections. A greater understanding of the nuances of human immune systems has revealed that mucosal immunity in the mouth delivers a unique response to fungal pathogens. Oral fungal infection does not depend solely on the fungus and the host, however, and attention has now focussed on interactions with other members of the oral microbiome. It is evident that there is inter-kingdom signaling that affects microbial pathogenicity. The last decade has seen significant advances in the rapid qualitative and quantitative analysis of oral microbiomes and in the simultaneous quantification of immune cells and cytokines. The time is ripe for the application of machine learning and artificial intelligence to integrate more refined analyses of oral microbiome composition (including fungi, bacteria, archaea, protozoa and viruses—including SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19). This analysis should incorporate the quantification of immune cells, cytokines, and microbial cell signaling molecules with signs of oral fungal infections in order to better diagnose and predict susceptibility to oral fungal disease.
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Degola F, Spadola G, Forgia M, Turina M, Dramis L, Chitarra W, Nerva L. Aspergillus Goes Viral: Ecological Insights from the Geographical Distribution of the Mycovirome within an Aspergillus flavus Population and Its Possible Correlation with Aflatoxin Biosynthesis. J Fungi (Basel) 2021; 7:833. [PMID: 34682254 PMCID: PMC8538035 DOI: 10.3390/jof7100833] [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] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbial multi-level interactions are essential to control the success of spreading and survival of most microbes in natural environments. Phytopathogenic mycotoxigenic fungal species, such as Aspergillus flavus, represent an important issue in food safety. Usually, non-toxigenic strains are exploited for biocontrol strategies to mitigate infections by toxigenic strains. To comprehend all the biological variables involved in the aflatoxin biosynthesis, and to possibly evaluate the interplay between A. flavus toxigenic and non-toxigenic strains during intraspecific biocompetition, the "virological" perspective should be considered. For these reasons, investigations on mycoviruses associated to A. flavus populations inhabiting specific agroecosystems are highly desirable. Here, we provide the first accurate characterization of the novel mycovirome identified within an A. flavus wild population colonizing the maize fields of northern Italy: a selection of A. flavus strains was biologically characterized and subjected to RNAseq analysis, revealing new mycoviruses and a peculiar geographic pattern distribution in addition to a 20% rate of infection. More interestingly, a negative correlation between viral infection and aflatoxin production was found. Results significantly expanded the limited existent data about mycoviruses in wild A. flavus, opening new and intriguing hypotheses about the ecological significance of mycoviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Degola
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 11/A, 43124 Parma, Italy; (G.S.); (L.D.)
| | - Giorgio Spadola
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 11/A, 43124 Parma, Italy; (G.S.); (L.D.)
| | - Marco Forgia
- Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, CNR, Strada delle Cacce 73, 10135 Torino, Italy; (M.F.); (M.T.); (W.C.)
| | - Massimo Turina
- Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, CNR, Strada delle Cacce 73, 10135 Torino, Italy; (M.F.); (M.T.); (W.C.)
| | - Lucia Dramis
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 11/A, 43124 Parma, Italy; (G.S.); (L.D.)
| | - Walter Chitarra
- Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, CNR, Strada delle Cacce 73, 10135 Torino, Italy; (M.F.); (M.T.); (W.C.)
- Council for Agricultural Research and Economics—Research Centre for Viticulture and Enology CREA-VE, Via XXVIII Aprile 26, 31015 Conegliano, Italy
| | - Luca Nerva
- Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, CNR, Strada delle Cacce 73, 10135 Torino, Italy; (M.F.); (M.T.); (W.C.)
- Council for Agricultural Research and Economics—Research Centre for Viticulture and Enology CREA-VE, Via XXVIII Aprile 26, 31015 Conegliano, Italy
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18
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Wang Z, Neupane A, Feng J, Pedersen C, Lee Marzano SY. Direct Metatranscriptomic Survey of the Sunflower Microbiome and Virome. Viruses 2021; 13:v13091867. [PMID: 34578448 PMCID: PMC8473204 DOI: 10.3390/v13091867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus L.) are susceptible to multiple diseases in field production. In this study, we collected diseased sunflower leaves in fields located in South Dakota, USA, for virome investigation. The leaves showed visible symptoms on the foliage, indicating phomopsis and rust infections. To identify the viruses potentially associated with the disease diagnosed, symptomatic leaves were obtained from diseased plants. Total RNA was extracted corresponding to each disease diagnosed to generate libraries for paired-end high throughput sequencing. Short sequencing reads were assembled de novo and the contigs with similarities to viruses were identified by aligning against a custom protein database. We report the discovery of two novel mitoviruses, four novel partitiviruses, one novel victorivirus, and nine novel totiviruses based on similarities to RNA-dependent RNA polymerases and capsid proteins. Contigs similar to bean yellow mosaic virus and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum hypovirulence-associated DNA virus were also detected. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of direct metatranscriptomics discovery of viruses associated with fungal infections of sunflowers bypassing culturing. These newly discovered viruses represent a natural genetic resource from which we can further develop potential biopesticide to control sunflower diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyi Wang
- Department of Biology and Microbiology, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USA; (Z.W.); (A.N.); (C.P.)
| | - Achal Neupane
- Department of Biology and Microbiology, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USA; (Z.W.); (A.N.); (C.P.)
| | - Jiuhuan Feng
- Department of Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USA;
| | - Connor Pedersen
- Department of Biology and Microbiology, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USA; (Z.W.); (A.N.); (C.P.)
- United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Toledo, OH 43606, USA
| | - Shin-Yi Lee Marzano
- Department of Biology and Microbiology, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USA; (Z.W.); (A.N.); (C.P.)
- Department of Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USA;
- United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Toledo, OH 43606, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-419-530-5053
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19
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Lindsay RJ, Jepson A, Butt L, Holder PJ, Smug BJ, Gudelj I. Would that it were so simple: Interactions between multiple traits undermine classical single-trait-based predictions of microbial community function and evolution. Ecol Lett 2021; 24:2775-2795. [PMID: 34453399 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2021] [Revised: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Understanding how microbial traits affect the evolution and functioning of microbial communities is fundamental for improving the management of harmful microorganisms, while promoting those that are beneficial. Decades of evolutionary ecology research has focused on examining microbial cooperation, diversity, productivity and virulence but with one crucial limitation. The traits under consideration, such as public good production and resistance to antibiotics or predation, are often assumed to act in isolation. Yet, in reality, multiple traits frequently interact, which can lead to unexpected and undesired outcomes for the health of macroorganisms and ecosystem functioning. This is because many predictions generated in a single-trait context aimed at promoting diversity, reducing virulence or controlling antibiotic resistance can fail for systems where multiple traits interact. Here, we provide a much needed discussion and synthesis of the most recent research to reveal the widespread and diverse nature of multi-trait interactions and their consequences for predicting and controlling microbial community dynamics. Importantly, we argue that synthetic microbial communities and multi-trait mathematical models are powerful tools for managing the beneficial and detrimental impacts of microbial communities, such that past mistakes, like those made regarding the stewardship of antimicrobials, are not repeated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard J Lindsay
- Biosciences and Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Alys Jepson
- Biosciences and Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Lisa Butt
- Biosciences and Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Philippa J Holder
- Biosciences and Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Bogna J Smug
- Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Ivana Gudelj
- Biosciences and Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
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20
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Freeing Aspergillus fumigatus of Polymycovirus Infection Renders It More Resistant to Competition with Pseudomonas aeruginosa Due to Altered Iron-Acquiring Tactics. J Fungi (Basel) 2021; 7:jof7070497. [PMID: 34206595 PMCID: PMC8306778 DOI: 10.3390/jof7070497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
A virus-free (VF) A. fumigatus isolate has been shown to be resistant in competition with Pseudomonas as compared to the isogenic line infected with Aspergillus fumigatus polymycovirus 1 (AfuPmV-1), and this phenotype was apparently related to alterations in iron metabolism. Here we investigated further the mechanisms underpinning this phenotype. The extracellular siderophore profiles of five isogenic VF and virus-infected (VI) strains were sampled at 24, 31, 48, 54, and 72 h in submerged cultures and quantitatively examined by liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. Intracellular profiles of conidia and cultures at the stationary growth phase were defined. VF A. fumigatus demonstrated the best fitness represented by the fastest onset of its exponential growth when grown on an iron-limited mineral medium. The exponential phase and transitional production phase of the extracellular triacetylfusarinine C (TafC) were achieved at 24 and 31 h, respectively, contrary to VI strains, which acted more slowly. As a result, the TafC reservoir was consumed sooner in the VF strain. Additionally, the VF strain had lower ferricrocin and higher hydroxyferricrocin content in the pellet during the stationary phase. All of these differences were significant (Kruskal–Wallis, p < 0.01). In our study, the siderophore reservoir of a VF strain was consumed sooner, improving the fitness of the VF strain in competition with P. aeruginosa.
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21
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Nazik H, Kotta-Loizou I, Sass G, Coutts RHA, Stevens DA. Virus Infection of Aspergillus fumigatus Compromises the Fungus in Intermicrobial Competition. Viruses 2021; 13:v13040686. [PMID: 33923408 PMCID: PMC8073786 DOI: 10.3390/v13040686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2021] [Revised: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Aspergillus and Pseudomonas compete in nature, and are the commonest bacterial and fungal pathogens in some clinical settings, such as the cystic fibrosis lung. Virus infections of fungi occur naturally. Effects on fungal physiology need delineation. A common reference Aspergillus fumigatus strain, long studied in two (of many) laboratories, was found infected with the AfuPmV-1 virus. One isolate was cured of virus, producing a virus-free strain. Virus from the infected strain was purified and used to re-infect three subcultures of the virus-free fungus, producing six fungal strains, otherwise isogenic. They were studied in intermicrobial competition with Pseudomonasaeruginosa. Pseudomonas culture filtrates inhibited forming or preformed Aspergillus biofilm from infected strains to a greater extent, also seen when Pseudomonas volatiles were assayed on Aspergillus. Purified iron-chelating Pseudomonas molecules, known inhibitors of Aspergillus biofilm, reproduced these differences. Iron, a stimulus of Aspergillus, enhanced the virus-free fungus, compared to infected. All infected fungal strains behaved similarly in assays. We show an important consequence of virus infection, a weakening in intermicrobial competition. Viral infection may affect the outcome of bacterial–fungal competition in nature and patients. We suggest that this occurs via alteration in fungal stress responses, the mechanism best delineated here is a result of virus-induced altered Aspergillus iron metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hasan Nazik
- California Institute for Medical Research, 2260 Clove Dr., San Jose, CA 95128, USA; (H.N.); (G.S.)
| | - Ioly Kotta-Loizou
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK;
| | - Gabriele Sass
- California Institute for Medical Research, 2260 Clove Dr., San Jose, CA 95128, USA; (H.N.); (G.S.)
| | - Robert H. A. Coutts
- Department of Clinical, Pharmaceutical and Biological Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield AL10 9AB, UK;
| | - David A. Stevens
- California Institute for Medical Research, 2260 Clove Dr., San Jose, CA 95128, USA; (H.N.); (G.S.)
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 95128, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-408-998-4554
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22
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Takahashi-Nakaguchi A, Shishido E, Yahara M, Urayama SI, Ninomiya A, Chiba Y, Sakai K, Hagiwara D, Chibana H, Moriyama H, Gonoi T. Phenotypic and Molecular Biological Analysis of Polymycovirus AfuPmV-1M From Aspergillus fumigatus: Reduced Fungal Virulence in a Mouse Infection Model. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:607795. [PMID: 33424809 PMCID: PMC7794001 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.607795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The filamentous fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus is one of the most common causal agents of invasive fungal infection in humans; the infection is associated with an alarmingly high mortality rate. In this study, we investigated whether a mycovirus, named AfuPmV-1M, can reduce the virulence of A. fumigatus in a mouse infection model. AfuPmV-1M has high sequence similarity to AfuPmV-1, one of the polymycovirus that is a capsidless four-segment double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) virus, previously isolated from the genome reference strain of A. fumigatus, Af293. However, we found the isolate had an additional fifth dsRNA segment, referred to as open reading frame 5 (ORF5), which has not been reported in AfuPmV-1. We then established isogenic lines of virus-infected and virus-free A. fumigatus strains. Mycovirus infection had apparent influences on fungal phenotypes, with the virus-infected strain producing a reduced mycelial mass and reduced conidial number in comparison with these features of the virus-free strain. Also, resting conidia of the infected strain showed reduced adherence to pulmonary epithelial cells and reduced tolerance to macrophage phagocytosis. In an immunosuppressed mouse infection model, the virus-infected strain showed reduced mortality in comparison with mortality due to the virus-free strain. RNA sequencing and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis showed that the virus suppressed the expression of genes for gliotoxin synthesis and its production at the mycelial stage. Conversely, the virus enhanced gene expression and biosynthesis of fumagillin. Viral RNA expression was enhanced during conidial maturation, conidial germination, and the mycelial stage. We presume that the RNA or translation products of the virus affected fungal phenotypes, including spore formation and toxin synthesis. To identify the mycovirus genes responsible for attenuation of fungal virulence, each viral ORF was ectopically expressed in the virus-free KU strain. We found that the expression of ORF2 and ORF5 reduced fungal virulence in the mouse model. In addition, ORF3 affected the stress tolerance of host A. fumigatus in culture. We hypothesize that the respective viral genes work cooperatively to suppress the pathogenicity of the fungal host.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Erika Shishido
- Medical Mycology Research Center, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Misa Yahara
- Medical Mycology Research Center, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Syun-Ichi Urayama
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.,Microbiology Research Center for Sustainability, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Akihiro Ninomiya
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Yuto Chiba
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Kanae Sakai
- Medical Mycology Research Center, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.,Graduate School of Science, Technology and Innovation, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan
| | - Daisuke Hagiwara
- Medical Mycology Research Center, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.,Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.,Microbiology Research Center for Sustainability, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Hiroji Chibana
- Medical Mycology Research Center, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Hiromitsu Moriyama
- Department of Applied Biological Sciences, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu, Japan
| | - Tohru Gonoi
- Medical Mycology Research Center, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
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23
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Soare AY, Watkins TN, Bruno VM. Understanding Mucormycoses in the Age of "omics". Front Genet 2020; 11:699. [PMID: 32695145 PMCID: PMC7339291 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2020.00699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Mucormycoses are deadly invasive infections caused by several fungal species belonging to the subphylum Mucoromycotina, order Mucorales. Hallmarks of disease progression include angioinvasion and tissue necrosis that aid in fungal dissemination through the blood stream, causing deeper infections and resulting in poor penetration of antifungal agents to the site of infection. In the absence of surgical removal of the infected focus, antifungal therapy alone is rarely curative. Even when surgical debridement is combined with high-dose antifungal therapy, the mortality associated with mucormycoses is >50%. The unacceptably high mortality rate, limited options for therapy and the extreme morbidity of highly disfiguring surgical therapy provide a clear mandate to understand the molecular mechanisms that govern pathogenesis with the hopes of developing alternative strategies to treat and prevent mucormycoses. In the absence of robust forward and reverse genetic systems available for this taxonomic group of fungi, unbiased next generation sequence (NGS)-based approaches have provided much needed insights into our understanding of many aspects of Mucormycoses, including genome structure, drug resistance, diagnostic development, and fungus-host interactions. Here, we will discuss the specific contributions that NGS-based approaches have made to the field and discuss open questions that can be addressed using similar approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Y. Soare
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Institute of Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Tonya N. Watkins
- Institute of Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Vincent M. Bruno
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Institute of Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
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24
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Houšť J, Spížek J, Havlíček V. Antifungal Drugs. Metabolites 2020; 10:metabo10030106. [PMID: 32178468 PMCID: PMC7143493 DOI: 10.3390/metabo10030106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Revised: 03/08/2020] [Accepted: 03/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
We reviewed the licensed antifungal drugs and summarized their mechanisms of action, pharmacological profiles, and susceptibility to specific fungi. Approved antimycotics inhibit 1,3-β-d-glucan synthase, lanosterol 14-α-demethylase, protein, and deoxyribonucleic acid biosynthesis, or sequestrate ergosterol. Their most severe side effects are hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, and myelotoxicity. Whereas triazoles exhibit the most significant drug–drug interactions, echinocandins exhibit almost none. The antifungal resistance may be developed across most pathogens and includes drug target overexpression, efflux pump activation, and amino acid substitution. The experimental antifungal drugs in clinical trials are also reviewed. Siderophores in the Trojan horse approach or the application of siderophore biosynthesis enzyme inhibitors represent the most promising emerging antifungal therapies.
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