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Cánovas-Márquez JT, Lax C, Tahiri G, Navarro E, Nicolás FE, Garre V. Advances in understanding infections caused by the basal fungus Mucor. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011394. [PMID: 37262085 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- José T Cánovas-Márquez
- Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Carlos Lax
- Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Ghizlane Tahiri
- Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Eusebio Navarro
- Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Francisco E Nicolás
- Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Victoriano Garre
- Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
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Mucorales and Mucormycosis: Recent Insights and Future Prospects. J Fungi (Basel) 2023; 9:jof9030335. [PMID: 36983503 PMCID: PMC10058716 DOI: 10.3390/jof9030335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The classification of Mucorales encompasses a collection of basal fungi that have traditionally demonstrated an aversion to modern genetic manipulation techniques. This aversion led to a scarcity of knowledge regarding their biology compared to other fungal groups. However, the emergence of mucormycosis, a fungal disease caused by Mucorales, has attracted the attention of the clinical field, mainly because available therapies are ineffective for decreasing the fatal outcome associated with the disease. This revitalized curiosity about Mucorales and mucormycosis, also encouraged by the recent COVID-19 pandemic, has spurred a significant and productive effort to uncover their mysteries in recent years. Here, we elaborate on the most remarkable breakthroughs related to the recently discovered genetic advances in Mucorales and mucormycosis. The utilization of a few genetic study models has enabled the identification of virulence factors in Mucorales that were previously described in other pathogens. More notably, recent investigations have identified novel genes and mechanisms controlling the pathogenic potential of Mucorales and their interactions with the host, providing fresh avenues to devise new strategies against mucormycosis. Finally, new study models are allowing virulence studies that were previously hampered in Mucorales, predicting a prolific future for the field.
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Bruch A, Kelani AA, Blango MG. RNA-based therapeutics to treat human fungal infections. Trends Microbiol 2022; 30:411-420. [PMID: 34635448 PMCID: PMC8498853 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2021.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Revised: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
In recent decades, RNA-based therapeutics have transitioned from a near impossibility to a compelling treatment alternative for genetic disorders and infectious diseases. The mRNA vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are truly groundbreaking, and new adaptations are already being proposed to fight other microbes. Unfortunately, the potential of RNA-based therapeutics to treat human fungal infections has remained mostly absent from the conversation, despite the fact that invasive fungal infections kill as many per year as tuberculosis and even more than malaria. Here, we argue that RNA-based therapeutics should be investigated for the treatment of human fungal infections and discuss several major roadblocks and potential circumventions that may allow for the realization of RNA-based therapies against human fungal pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Bruch
- Junior Research Group RNA Biology of Fungal Infections, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI), Jena, Germany
| | - Abdulrahman A. Kelani
- Junior Research Group RNA Biology of Fungal Infections, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI), Jena, Germany
| | - Matthew G. Blango
- Junior Research Group RNA Biology of Fungal Infections, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI), Jena, Germany,Correspondence:
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Lax C, Cánovas-Márquez JT, Tahiri G, Navarro E, Garre V, Nicolás FE. Genetic Manipulation in Mucorales and New Developments to Study Mucormycosis. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:3454. [PMID: 35408814 PMCID: PMC8998210 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23073454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The study of the Mucoralean fungi physiology is a neglected field that the lack of effective genetic tools has hampered in the past. However, the emerging fungal infection caused by these fungi, known as mucormycosis, has prompted many researchers to study the pathogenic potential of Mucorales. The main reasons for this current attraction to study mucormycosis are its high lethality, the lack of effective antifungal drugs, and its recent increased incidence. The most contemporary example of the emergence character of mucormycosis is the epidemics declared in several Asian countries as a direct consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, this pressure to understand mucormycosis and develop new treatment strategies has encouraged the blossoming of new genetic techniques and methodologies. This review describes the history of genetic manipulation in Mucorales, highlighting the development of methods and how they allowed the main genetic studies in these fungi. Moreover, we have emphasized the recent development of new genetic models to study mucormycosis, a landmark in the field that will configure future research related to this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Lax
- Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain; (J.T.C.-M.); (G.T.); (E.N.); (V.G.)
| | | | | | | | | | - Francisco Esteban Nicolás
- Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain; (J.T.C.-M.); (G.T.); (E.N.); (V.G.)
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Cánovas-Márquez JT, Navarro-Mendoza MI, Pérez-Arques C, Lax C, Tahiri G, Pérez-Ruiz JA, Lorenzo-Gutiérrez D, Calo S, López-García S, Navarro E, Nicolás FE, Garre V, Murcia L. Role of the Non-Canonical RNAi Pathway in the Antifungal Resistance and Virulence of Mucorales. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12040586. [PMID: 33920552 PMCID: PMC8072676 DOI: 10.3390/genes12040586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Revised: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Mucorales are the causal agents for the lethal disease known as mucormycosis. Mortality rates of mucormycosis can reach up to 90%, due to the mucoralean antifungal drug resistance and the lack of effective therapies. A concerning urgency among the medical and scientific community claims to find targets for the development of new treatments. Here, we reviewed different studies describing the role and machinery of a novel non-canonical RNAi pathway (NCRIP) only conserved in Mucorales. Its non-canonical features are the independence of Dicer and Argonaute proteins. Conversely, NCRIP relies on RNA-dependent RNA Polymerases (RdRP) and an atypical ribonuclease III (RNase III). NCRIP regulates the expression of mRNAs by degrading them in a specific manner. Its mechanism binds dsRNA but only cuts ssRNA. NCRIP exhibits a diversity of functional roles. It represses the epimutational pathway and the lack of NCRIP increases the generation of drug resistant strains. NCRIP also regulates the control of retrotransposons expression, playing an essential role in genome stability. Finally, NCRIP regulates the response during phagocytosis, affecting the multifactorial process of virulence. These critical NCRIP roles in virulence and antifungal drug resistance, along with its exclusive presence in Mucorales, mark this pathway as a promising target to fight against mucormycosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Tomás Cánovas-Márquez
- Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain; (J.T.C.-M.); (C.L.); (G.T.); (J.A.P.-R.); (D.L.-G.); (S.L.-G.); (E.N.); (F.E.N.); (V.G.)
| | - María Isabel Navarro-Mendoza
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA; (M.I.N.-M.); (C.P.-A.)
| | - Carlos Pérez-Arques
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA; (M.I.N.-M.); (C.P.-A.)
| | - Carlos Lax
- Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain; (J.T.C.-M.); (C.L.); (G.T.); (J.A.P.-R.); (D.L.-G.); (S.L.-G.); (E.N.); (F.E.N.); (V.G.)
| | - Ghizlane Tahiri
- Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain; (J.T.C.-M.); (C.L.); (G.T.); (J.A.P.-R.); (D.L.-G.); (S.L.-G.); (E.N.); (F.E.N.); (V.G.)
| | - José Antonio Pérez-Ruiz
- Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain; (J.T.C.-M.); (C.L.); (G.T.); (J.A.P.-R.); (D.L.-G.); (S.L.-G.); (E.N.); (F.E.N.); (V.G.)
| | - Damaris Lorenzo-Gutiérrez
- Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain; (J.T.C.-M.); (C.L.); (G.T.); (J.A.P.-R.); (D.L.-G.); (S.L.-G.); (E.N.); (F.E.N.); (V.G.)
| | - Silvia Calo
- School of Natural and Exact Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra, Santiago de los Caballeros 51033, Dominican Republic;
| | - Sergio López-García
- Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain; (J.T.C.-M.); (C.L.); (G.T.); (J.A.P.-R.); (D.L.-G.); (S.L.-G.); (E.N.); (F.E.N.); (V.G.)
| | - Eusebio Navarro
- Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain; (J.T.C.-M.); (C.L.); (G.T.); (J.A.P.-R.); (D.L.-G.); (S.L.-G.); (E.N.); (F.E.N.); (V.G.)
| | - Francisco Esteban Nicolás
- Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain; (J.T.C.-M.); (C.L.); (G.T.); (J.A.P.-R.); (D.L.-G.); (S.L.-G.); (E.N.); (F.E.N.); (V.G.)
| | - Victoriano Garre
- Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain; (J.T.C.-M.); (C.L.); (G.T.); (J.A.P.-R.); (D.L.-G.); (S.L.-G.); (E.N.); (F.E.N.); (V.G.)
| | - Laura Murcia
- Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain; (J.T.C.-M.); (C.L.); (G.T.); (J.A.P.-R.); (D.L.-G.); (S.L.-G.); (E.N.); (F.E.N.); (V.G.)
- Correspondence:
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