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Peng Y, Chen B. Role of cell membrane homeostasis in the pathogenicity of pathogenic filamentous fungi. Virulence 2024; 15:2299183. [PMID: 38156783 PMCID: PMC10761126 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2023.2299183] [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: 08/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
The cell membrane forms a fundamental part of all living cells and participates in a variety of physiological processes, such as material exchange, stress response, cell recognition, signal transduction, cellular immunity, apoptosis, and pathogenicity. Here, we review the mechanisms and functions of the membrane structure (lipid components of the membrane and the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids), membrane proteins (transmembrane proteins and proteins contributing to membrane curvature), transcriptional regulation, and cell wall components that influence the virulence and pathogenicity of filamentous fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuejin Peng
- Yunnan State Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Biological Resources, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Bin Chen
- Yunnan State Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Biological Resources, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
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Diehl C, Pinzan CF, de Castro PA, Delbaje E, García Carnero LC, Sánchez-León E, Bhalla K, Kronstad JW, Kim DG, Doering TL, Alkhazraji S, Mishra NN, Ibrahim AS, Yoshimura M, Vega Isuhuaylas LA, Pham LTK, Yashiroda Y, Boone C, dos Reis TF, Goldman GH. Brilacidin, a novel antifungal agent against Cryptococcus neoformans. mBio 2024; 15:e0103124. [PMID: 38916308 PMCID: PMC11253610 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01031-24] [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: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Cryptococcus neoformans causes cryptococcosis, one of the most prevalent fungal diseases, generally characterized by meningitis. There is a limited and not very effective number of drugs available to combat this disease. In this manuscript, we show the host defense peptide mimetic brilacidin (BRI) as a promising antifungal drug against C. neoformans. BRI can affect the organization of the cell membrane, increasing the fungal cell permeability. We also investigated the effects of BRI against the model system Saccharomyces cerevisiae by analyzing libraries of mutants grown in the presence of BRI. In S. cerevisiae, BRI also affects the cell membrane organization, but in addition the cell wall integrity pathway and calcium metabolism. In vivo experiments show BRI significantly reduces C. neoformans survival inside macrophages and partially clears C. neoformans lung infection in an immunocompetent murine model of invasive pulmonary cryptococcosis. We also observed that BRI interacts with caspofungin (CAS) and amphotericin (AmB), potentiating their mechanism of action against C. neoformans. BRI + CAS affects endocytic movement, calcineurin, and mitogen-activated protein kinases. Our results indicate that BRI is a novel antifungal drug against cryptococcosis. IMPORTANCE Invasive fungal infections have a high mortality rate causing more deaths annually than tuberculosis or malaria. Cryptococcosis, one of the most prevalent fungal diseases, is generally characterized by meningitis and is mainly caused by two closely related species of basidiomycetous yeasts, Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii. There are few therapeutic options for treating cryptococcosis, and searching for new antifungal agents against this disease is very important. Here, we present brilacidin (BRI) as a potential antifungal agent against C. neoformans. BRI is a small molecule host defense peptide mimetic that has previously exhibited broad-spectrum immunomodulatory/anti-inflammatory activity against bacteria and viruses. BRI alone was shown to inhibit the growth of C. neoformans, acting as a fungicidal drug, but surprisingly also potentiated the activity of caspofungin (CAS) against this species. We investigated the mechanism of action of BRI and BRI + CAS against C. neoformans. We propose BRI as a new antifungal agent against cryptococcosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila Diehl
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Camila Figueiredo Pinzan
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Patrícia Alves de Castro
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Endrews Delbaje
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Laura C. García Carnero
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Eddy Sánchez-León
- Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Kabir Bhalla
- Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - James W. Kronstad
- Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Dong-gyu Kim
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Tamara L. Doering
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Sondus Alkhazraji
- Division of Infectious Diseases, The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center, Torrance, California, USA
| | - Nagendra N. Mishra
- Division of Infectious Diseases, The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center, Torrance, California, USA
- David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Ashraf S. Ibrahim
- Division of Infectious Diseases, The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center, Torrance, California, USA
- David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Mami Yoshimura
- RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Wako, Saitama, Japan
| | | | | | - Yoko Yashiroda
- RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Wako, Saitama, Japan
| | - Charles Boone
- RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Wako, Saitama, Japan
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Thaila Fernanda dos Reis
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Gustavo H. Goldman
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
- National Institute of Science and Technology in Human Pathogenic Fungi, São Paulo, Brazil
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Cannon KS, Vargas-Muniz JM, Billington N, Seim I, Ekena J, Sellers JR, Gladfelter AS. A gene duplication of a septin reveals a developmentally regulated filament length control mechanism. J Cell Biol 2023; 222:e202204063. [PMID: 36786832 PMCID: PMC9960279 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202204063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Revised: 11/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Septins are a family of conserved filament-forming proteins that function in multiple cellular processes. The number of septin genes within an organism varies, and higher eukaryotes express many septin isoforms due to alternative splicing. It is unclear if different combinations of septin proteins in complex alter the polymers' biophysical properties. We report that a duplication event within the CDC11 locus in Ashbya gossypii gave rise to two similar but distinct Cdc11 proteins: Cdc11a and Cdc1b. CDC11b transcription is developmentally regulated, producing different amounts of Cdc11a- and Cdc11b-complexes in the lifecycle of Ashbya gossypii. Deletion of either gene results in distinct cell polarity defects, suggesting non-overlapping functions. Cdc11a and Cdc11b complexes have differences in filament length and membrane-binding ability. Thus, septin subunit composition has functional consequences on filament properties and cell morphogenesis. Small sequence differences elicit distinct biophysical properties and cell functions of septins, illuminating how gene duplication could be a driving force for septin gene expansions seen throughout the tree of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin S. Cannon
- Biology Department, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Jose M. Vargas-Muniz
- Microbiology Program, School of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, USA
| | - Neil Billington
- Cell Biology and Physiology Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Ian Seim
- Biology Department, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Applied Physical Sciences, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Curriculum in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Joanne Ekena
- Biology Department, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - James R. Sellers
- Cell Biology and Physiology Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Amy. S. Gladfelter
- Biology Department, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, USA
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Benoit B, Poüs C, Baillet A. Septins as membrane influencers: direct play or in association with other cytoskeleton partners. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1112319. [PMID: 36875762 PMCID: PMC9982393 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1112319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The cytoskeleton comprises three polymerizing structures that have been studied for a long time, actin microfilaments, microtubules and intermediate filaments, plus more recently investigated dynamic assemblies like septins or the endocytic-sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) complex. These filament-forming proteins control several cell functions through crosstalks with each other and with membranes. In this review, we report recent works that address how septins bind to membranes, and influence their shaping, organization, properties and functions, either by binding to them directly or indirectly through other cytoskeleton elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Béatrice Benoit
- INSERM UMR-S 1193, UFR de Pharmacie, University Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France
| | - Christian Poüs
- INSERM UMR-S 1193, UFR de Pharmacie, University Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France.,Laboratoire de Biochimie-Hormonologie, Hôpital Antoine Béclère, AP-HP, Hôpitaux Universitaires Paris-Saclay, Clamart, France
| | - Anita Baillet
- INSERM UMR-S 1193, UFR de Pharmacie, University Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France
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