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Mediator Subunit Med15 Regulates Cell Morphology and Mating in Candida lusitaniae. J Fungi (Basel) 2023; 9:jof9030333. [PMID: 36983501 PMCID: PMC10053558 DOI: 10.3390/jof9030333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Candida lusitaniae is an emerging opportunistic pathogenic yeast capable of shifting from yeast to pseudohyphae form, and it is one of the few Candida species with the ability to reproduce sexually. In this study, we showed that a dpp3Δ mutant, inactivated for a putative pyrophosphatase, is impaired in cell separation, pseudohyphal growth and mating. The defective phenotypes were not restored after the reconstruction of a wild-type DPP3 locus, reinforcing the hypothesis of the presence of an additional mutation that we suspected in our previous study. Genetic crosses and genome sequencing identified an additional mutation in MED15, encoding a subunit of the mediator complex that functions as a general transcriptional co-activator in Eukaryotes. We confirmed that inactivation of MED15 was responsible for the defective phenotypes by rescuing the dpp3Δ mutant with a wild-type copy of MED15 and constructing a med15Δ knockout mutant that mimics the phenotypes of dpp3Δ in vitro. Proteomic analyses revealed the biological processes under the control of Med15 and involved in hyphal growth, cell separation and mating. This is the first description of the functions of MED15 in the regulation of hyphal growth, cell separation and mating, and the pathways involved in C. lusitaniae.
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Melchor-Martínez EM, Tamez-Fernández JF, González-González GM, Silva-Mares DA, Waksman-Minsky N, Pérez-López LA, Rivas-Galindo VM. Active Flavonoids from Colubrina greggii var. greggii S. Watson against Clinical Isolates of Candida spp. Molecules 2021; 26:5760. [PMID: 34641305 PMCID: PMC8510013 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26195760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Revised: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Candida albicans is the most commonly implicated agent in invasive human fungal infections. The disease could be presented as minimal symptomatic candidemia or can be fulminant sepsis. Candidemia is associated with a high rate of mortality and high healthcare and hospitalization costs. The surveillance programs have reported the distribution of other Candida species reflecting the trends and antifungal susceptibilities. Previous studies have demonstrated that C. glabrata more frequently presents fluconazole-resistant strains. Extracts from Mexican plants have been reported with activity against pulmonary mycosis, among them Colubrina greggii. In the present study, extracts from the aerial parts (leaves, flowers, and fruits) of this plant were evaluated against clinical isolates of several species of Candida (C. albicans, C. glabrata, C. parapsilosis, C. krusei, and C. tropicalis) by the broth microdilution assay. Through bioassay-guided fractionation, three antifungal glycosylated flavonoids were isolated and characterized. The isolated compounds showed antifungal activity only against C. glabrata resistant to fluconazole, and were non-toxic toward brine shrimp lethality bioassay and in vitro Vero cell line assay. The ethyl acetate and butanol extracts, as well as the fractions containing the mixture of flavonoids, were more active against Candida spp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elda M. Melchor-Martínez
- Departamento de Química Analítica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Av. Madero s/n, Colonia Mitras Centro, Monterrey 64460, Nuevo León, Mexico; (E.M.M.-M.); (J.F.T.-F.); (D.A.S.-M.); (N.W.-M.); (L.A.P.-L.)
- School of Engineering and Sciences, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Monterrey 64849, Nuevo León, Mexico
| | - Juan F. Tamez-Fernández
- Departamento de Química Analítica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Av. Madero s/n, Colonia Mitras Centro, Monterrey 64460, Nuevo León, Mexico; (E.M.M.-M.); (J.F.T.-F.); (D.A.S.-M.); (N.W.-M.); (L.A.P.-L.)
| | - Gloria María González-González
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Av. Madero s/n, Colonia Mitras Centro, Monterrey 64460, Nuevo León, Mexico;
| | - David A. Silva-Mares
- Departamento de Química Analítica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Av. Madero s/n, Colonia Mitras Centro, Monterrey 64460, Nuevo León, Mexico; (E.M.M.-M.); (J.F.T.-F.); (D.A.S.-M.); (N.W.-M.); (L.A.P.-L.)
| | - Noemí Waksman-Minsky
- Departamento de Química Analítica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Av. Madero s/n, Colonia Mitras Centro, Monterrey 64460, Nuevo León, Mexico; (E.M.M.-M.); (J.F.T.-F.); (D.A.S.-M.); (N.W.-M.); (L.A.P.-L.)
| | - Luis Alejandro Pérez-López
- Departamento de Química Analítica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Av. Madero s/n, Colonia Mitras Centro, Monterrey 64460, Nuevo León, Mexico; (E.M.M.-M.); (J.F.T.-F.); (D.A.S.-M.); (N.W.-M.); (L.A.P.-L.)
| | - Verónica M. Rivas-Galindo
- Departamento de Química Analítica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Av. Madero s/n, Colonia Mitras Centro, Monterrey 64460, Nuevo León, Mexico; (E.M.M.-M.); (J.F.T.-F.); (D.A.S.-M.); (N.W.-M.); (L.A.P.-L.)
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Szczepańska P, Hapeta P, Lazar Z. Advances in production of high-value lipids by oleaginous yeasts. Crit Rev Biotechnol 2021; 42:1-22. [PMID: 34000935 DOI: 10.1080/07388551.2021.1922353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The global market for high-value fatty acids production, mainly omega-3/6, hydroxy fatty-acids, waxes and their derivatives, has seen strong development in the last decade. The reason for this growth was the increasing utilization of these lipids as significant ingredients for cosmetics, food and the oleochemical industries. The large demand for these compounds resulted in a greater scientific interest in research focused on alternative sources of oil production - among which microorganisms attracted the most attention. Microbial oil production offers the possibility to engineer the pathways and store lipids enriched with the desired fatty acids. Moreover, costly chemical steps are avoided and direct commercial use of these fatty acids is available. Among all microorganisms, the oleaginous yeasts have become the most promising hosts for lipid production - their efficient lipogenesis, ability to use various (often highly affordable) carbon sources, feasible large-scale cultivations and wide range of available genetic engineering tools turns them into powerful micro-factories. This review is an in-depth description of the recent developments in the engineering of the lipid biosynthetic pathway with oleaginous yeasts. The different classes of valuable lipid compounds with their derivatives are described and their importance for human health and industry is presented. The emphasis is also placed on the optimization of culture conditions in order to improve the yield and titer of these valuable compounds. Furthermore, the important economic aspects of the current microbial oil production are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrycja Szczepańska
- Department of Biotechnology and Food Microbiology, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Piotr Hapeta
- Department of Biotechnology and Food Microbiology, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Zbigniew Lazar
- Department of Biotechnology and Food Microbiology, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
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Galocha M, Costa IV, Teixeira MC. Carrier-Mediated Drug Uptake in Fungal Pathogens. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:genes11111324. [PMID: 33182427 PMCID: PMC7697741 DOI: 10.3390/genes11111324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Revised: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Candida, Aspergillus, and Cryptococcus species are the most frequent cause of severe human fungal infections. Clinically relevant antifungal drugs are scarce, and their effectiveness are hampered by the ability of fungal cells to develop drug resistance mechanisms. Drug effectiveness and drug resistance in human pathogens is very often affected by their “transportome”. Many studies have covered a panoply of drug resistance mechanisms that depend on drug efflux pumps belonging to the ATP-Binding Cassette and Major Facilitator Superfamily. However, the study of drug uptake mechanisms has been, to some extent, overlooked in pathogenic fungi. This review focuses on discussing current knowledge on drug uptake systems in fungal pathogens, highlighting the need for further studies on this topic of great importance. The following subjects are covered: (i) drugs imported by known transporter(s) in pathogenic fungi; and (ii) drugs imported by known transporter(s) in the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae or in human parasites, aimed at the identification of their homologs in pathogenic fungi. Besides its contribution to increase the understanding of drug-pathogen interactions, the practical implications of identifying drug importers in human pathogens are discussed, particularly focusing on drug development strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mónica Galocha
- Department of Bioengineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal; (M.G.); (I.V.C.)
- Biological Sciences Research Group, iBB-Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Inês Vieira Costa
- Department of Bioengineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal; (M.G.); (I.V.C.)
- Biological Sciences Research Group, iBB-Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Miguel Cacho Teixeira
- Department of Bioengineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal; (M.G.); (I.V.C.)
- Biological Sciences Research Group, iBB-Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +351-21-841-7772; Fax: +351-21-841-9199
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Accoceberry I, Couzigou C, Fitton-Ouhabi V, Biteau N, Noël T. Challenging SNP impact on caspofungin resistance by full-length FKS1 allele replacement in Candida lusitaniae. J Antimicrob Chemother 2020; 74:618-624. [PMID: 30517635 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dky475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2018] [Revised: 09/27/2018] [Accepted: 10/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES A strain of the opportunistic pathogenic yeast Candida lusitaniae was genetically engineered for full-length replacement of the FKS1 gene encoding the target of echinocandin antifungals in order to assess the impact of FKS mutations on echinocandin resistance and reduced echinocandin susceptibility (RES). METHODS FKS1 allelic exchange was achieved by transforming C. lusitaniae with two DNA fragments covering the entire FKS1 ORF. Both fragments overlap a 40 bp region where SNPs or small indels of interest were inserted. To target integration at the FKS1 locus, each DNA fragment was fused with split auxotrophic markers of which complementary truncated parts were previously inserted into the chromosomal regions flanking FKS1, allowing selection on minimal medium. RESULTS Three SNPs described in the FKS1 hotspot (HS) regions HS1 or HS2 of clinical isolates of Candida albicans were expressed at an equivalent position in C. lusitaniae and were confirmed to confer either reduced susceptibility (F641V) or full resistance (S645P and R1361G) to caspofungin. The F659 deletion reported in an FKS2 allele of Candida glabrata and the naturally occurring P660A substitution in FKS1 of Candida parapsilosis were shown to confer a 256-fold and 6-fold increase in caspofungin MIC, respectively, when introduced into an FKS1 allele of C. lusitaniae. CONCLUSIONS We have successfully developed a C. lusitaniae strain for the expression of full-length FKS1 alleles harbouring known mutations contributing to reduced susceptibility or resistance to caspofungin, thus opening the way for the screening of other FKS1/FKS2 mutations potentially involved in RES.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabelle Accoceberry
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Microbiologie Fondamentale et Pathogénicité, UMR 5234, Bordeaux, France.,Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Microbiologie Fondamentale et Pathogénicité, UMR 5234, CHU Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Célia Couzigou
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Microbiologie Fondamentale et Pathogénicité, UMR 5234, Bordeaux, France.,Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Microbiologie Fondamentale et Pathogénicité, UMR 5234, CHU Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Valérie Fitton-Ouhabi
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Microbiologie Fondamentale et Pathogénicité, UMR 5234, Bordeaux, France
| | - Nicolas Biteau
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Microbiologie Fondamentale et Pathogénicité, UMR 5234, Bordeaux, France
| | - Thierry Noël
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Microbiologie Fondamentale et Pathogénicité, UMR 5234, Bordeaux, France
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Huang CY, Chen YC, Wu-Hsieh BA, Fang JM, Chang ZF. The Ca-loop in thymidylate kinase is critical for growth and contributes to pyrimidine drug sensitivity of Candida albicans. J Biol Chem 2019; 294:10686-10697. [PMID: 31152062 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra118.006798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2018] [Revised: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The yeast Candida albicans is the most prevalent opportunistic fungal pathogen in humans. Drug resistance among C. albicans isolates poses a common challenge, and overcoming this resistance represents an unmet need in managing this common pathogen. Here, we investigated CDC8, encoding thymidylate kinase (TMPK), as a potential drug target for the management of C. albicans infections. We found that the region spanning amino acids 106-123, namely the Ca-loop of C. albicans TMPK (CaTMPK), contributes to the hyperactivity of this enzyme compared with the human enzyme (hTMPK) and to the utilization of deoxyuridine monophosphate (dUMP)/deoxy-5-fluorouridine monophosphate (5-FdUMP) as a substrate. Notably, expression of CaTMPK, but not of hTMPK, produced dUTP/5-FdUTP-mediated DNA toxicity in budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). CRISPR-mediated deletion of this Ca-loop in C. albicans revealed that the Ca-loop is critical for fungal growth and susceptibility to 5-fluorouridine (5-FUrd). Of note, pathogenic and drug-resistant C. albicans clones were similarly sensitive to 5-FUrd, and we also found that CaTMPK is essential for the growth of C. albicans In conclusion, these findings not only identified a target site for the development of CaTMPK-selective drugs, but also revealed that 5-FUrd may have potential utility as drug for managing C. albicans infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang-Yu Huang
- From the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Yang-Ming University, Linong Street, Taipei 11221.,the Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Jen-Ai Road, Taipei 10051
| | - Yee-Chun Chen
- the National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine.,Center of Precision Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10002
| | - Betty A Wu-Hsieh
- the Graduate Institute of Immunology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Jen-Ai Road, Taipei 10051, and
| | - Jim-Min Fang
- the Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei City 10617, Taiwan
| | - Zee-Fen Chang
- From the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Yang-Ming University, Linong Street, Taipei 11221, .,the Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Jen-Ai Road, Taipei 10051.,Center of Precision Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10002
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Sioupouli G, Lambrinidis G, Mikros E, Amillis S, Diallinas G. Cryptic purine transporters inAspergillus nidulansreveal the role of specific residues in the evolution of specificity in the NCS1 family. Mol Microbiol 2016; 103:319-332. [DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Georgia Sioupouli
- Department of Biology; National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimioupolis; Athens 15784 Greece
| | - George Lambrinidis
- Department of Pharmacy; National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimioupolis; Athens 15771 Greece
| | - Emmanuel Mikros
- Department of Pharmacy; National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimioupolis; Athens 15771 Greece
| | - Sotiris Amillis
- Department of Biology; National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimioupolis; Athens 15784 Greece
| | - George Diallinas
- Department of Biology; National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimioupolis; Athens 15784 Greece
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Comparative transcriptome assembly and genome-guided profiling for Brettanomyces bruxellensis LAMAP2480 during p-coumaric acid stress. Sci Rep 2016; 6:34304. [PMID: 27678167 PMCID: PMC5039629 DOI: 10.1038/srep34304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2016] [Accepted: 09/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Brettanomyces bruxellensis has been described as the main contaminant yeast in wine production, due to its ability to convert the hydroxycinnamic acids naturally present in the grape phenolic derivatives, into volatile phenols. Currently, there are no studies in B. bruxellensis which explains the resistance mechanisms to hydroxycinnamic acids, and in particular to p-coumaric acid which is directly involved in alterations to wine. In this work, we performed a transcriptome analysis of B. bruxellensis LAMAP248rown in the presence and absence of p-coumaric acid during lag phase. Because of reported genetic variability among B. bruxellensis strains, to complement de novo assembly of the transcripts, we used the high-quality genome of B. bruxellensis AWRI1499, as well as the draft genomes of strains CBS2499 and0 g LAMAP2480. The results from the transcriptome analysis allowed us to propose a model in which the entrance of p-coumaric acid to the cell generates a generalized stress condition, in which the expression of proton pump and efflux of toxic compounds are induced. In addition, these mechanisms could be involved in the outflux of nitrogen compounds, such as amino acids, decreasing the overall concentration and triggering the expression of nitrogen metabolism genes.
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Randhawa A, Chawla S, Mondal AK. Functional dissection of HAMP domains in NIK1 ortholog from pathogenic yeast Candida lusitaniae. Gene 2016; 577:251-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2015.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2015] [Revised: 11/04/2015] [Accepted: 12/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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