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Aor AC, Sangenito LS, Mello TP, Joffe LS, Rizzo J, Veiga VF, da Silva RN, Pereira MD, Fonseca BB, Rozental S, Haido RMT, Rodrigues ML, Branquinha MH, Santos ALS. Extracellular Vesicles from Scedosporium apiospermum Mycelial Cells: Implication for Fungal-Host Interplays. J Fungi (Basel) 2024; 10:277. [PMID: 38667948 PMCID: PMC11051067 DOI: 10.3390/jof10040277] [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: 03/08/2024] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The release of extracellular vesicles (EVs) has been implicated as an alternative transport mechanism for the passage of macromolecules through the fungal cell wall, a phenomenon widely reported in yeasts but poorly explored in mycelial cells. In the present work, we have purified and characterized the EVs released by mycelia of the emerging, opportunistic, widespread and multidrug-resistant filamentous fungus Scedosporium apiospermum. Transmission electron microscopy images and light scattering measurements revealed the fungal EVs, which were observed individually or grouped with heterogeneous morphology, size and electron density. The mean diameter of the EVs, evaluated by the light scattering technique, was 179.7 nm. Overall, the structural stability of S. apiospermum EVs was preserved during incubation under various storage conditions. The lipid, carbohydrate and protein contents were quantified, and the EVs' protein profile was evidenced by SDS-PAGE, revealing proteins with molecular masses ranging from 20 to 118 kDa. Through immunoblotting, ELISA and immunocytochemistry assays, antigenic molecules were evidenced in EVs using a polyclonal serum (called anti-secreted molecules) from a rabbit inoculated with conditioned cell-free supernatant obtained from S. apiospermum mycelial cells. By Western blotting, several antigenic proteins were identified. The ELISA assay confirmed that the anti-secreted molecules exhibited a positive reaction up to a serum dilution of 1:3200. Despite transporting immunogenic molecules, S. apiospermum EVs slightly induced an in vitro cytotoxicity effect after 48 h of contact with either macrophages or lung epithelial cells. Interestingly, the pretreatment of both mammalian cells with purified EVs significantly increased the association index with S. apiospermum conidia. Furthermore, EVs were highly toxic to Galleria mellonella, leading to larval death in a typically dose- and time-dependent manner. Collectively, the results represent the first report of detecting EVs in the S. apiospermum filamentous form, highlighting a possible implication in fungal pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Carolina Aor
- Departamento de Microbiologia Geral, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes (IMPG), Centro de Ciências da Saúde (CCS), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil (L.S.J.); (V.F.V.); (M.L.R.); (M.H.B.)
- Departamento de Microbiologia e Parasitologia (MIP), Instituto Biomédico (CMB), Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), Niterói 24210-130, RJ, Brazil
| | - Leandro S. Sangenito
- Departamento de Microbiologia Geral, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes (IMPG), Centro de Ciências da Saúde (CCS), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil (L.S.J.); (V.F.V.); (M.L.R.); (M.H.B.)
- Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio de Janeiro (IFRJ), Campus Nilópolis, Rio de Janeiro 26530-060, RJ, Brazil
| | - Thaís P. Mello
- Departamento de Microbiologia Geral, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes (IMPG), Centro de Ciências da Saúde (CCS), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil (L.S.J.); (V.F.V.); (M.L.R.); (M.H.B.)
| | - Luna S. Joffe
- Departamento de Microbiologia Geral, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes (IMPG), Centro de Ciências da Saúde (CCS), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil (L.S.J.); (V.F.V.); (M.L.R.); (M.H.B.)
| | - Juliana Rizzo
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho (IBCCF), Centro de Ciências da Saúde (CCS), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-170, RJ, Brazil (S.R.)
| | - Venício F. Veiga
- Departamento de Microbiologia Geral, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes (IMPG), Centro de Ciências da Saúde (CCS), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil (L.S.J.); (V.F.V.); (M.L.R.); (M.H.B.)
| | - Renata N. da Silva
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-909, RJ, Brazil; (R.N.d.S.); (M.D.P.)
| | - Marcos D. Pereira
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-909, RJ, Brazil; (R.N.d.S.); (M.D.P.)
- Rede Micologia RJ—Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil
| | - Beatriz B. Fonseca
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho (IBCCF), Centro de Ciências da Saúde (CCS), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-170, RJ, Brazil (S.R.)
| | - Sonia Rozental
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho (IBCCF), Centro de Ciências da Saúde (CCS), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-170, RJ, Brazil (S.R.)
| | - Rosa Maria T. Haido
- Departamento de Microbiologia e Parasitologia, Instituto Biomédico, Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO), Rio de Janeiro 20211-010, RJ, Brazil;
| | - Marcio L. Rodrigues
- Departamento de Microbiologia Geral, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes (IMPG), Centro de Ciências da Saúde (CCS), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil (L.S.J.); (V.F.V.); (M.L.R.); (M.H.B.)
- Instituto Carlos Chagas, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Curitiba 81310-020, PR, Brazil
| | - Marta H. Branquinha
- Departamento de Microbiologia Geral, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes (IMPG), Centro de Ciências da Saúde (CCS), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil (L.S.J.); (V.F.V.); (M.L.R.); (M.H.B.)
- Rede Micologia RJ—Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil
| | - André L. S. Santos
- Departamento de Microbiologia Geral, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes (IMPG), Centro de Ciências da Saúde (CCS), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil (L.S.J.); (V.F.V.); (M.L.R.); (M.H.B.)
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-909, RJ, Brazil; (R.N.d.S.); (M.D.P.)
- Rede Micologia RJ—Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil
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Pan B, Weerasinghe H, Sezmis A, McDonald MJ, Traven A, Thompson P, Simm C. Leveraging the MMV Pathogen Box to Engineer an Antifungal Compound with Improved Efficacy and Selectivity against Candida auris. ACS Infect Dis 2023; 9:1901-1917. [PMID: 37756147 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.3c00199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
Fungal infections pose a significant and increasing threat to human health, but the current arsenal of antifungal drugs is inadequate. We screened the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) Pathogen Box for new antifungal agents against three of the most critical Candida species (Candida albicans, Candida auris, and Candida glabrata). Of the 14 identified hit compounds, most were active against C. albicans and C. auris. We selected the pyrazolo-pyrimidine MMV022478 for chemical modifications to build structure-activity relationships and study their antifungal properties. Two analogues, 7a and 8g, with distinct fluorine substitutions, greatly improved the efficacy against C. auris and inhibited fungal replication inside immune cells. Additionally, analogue 7a had improved selectivity toward fungal killing compared to mammalian cytotoxicity. Evolution experiments generating MMV022478-resistant isolates revealed a change in morphology from oblong to round cells. Most notably, the resistant isolates blocked the uptake of the fluorescent dye rhodamine 6G and showed reduced susceptibility toward fluconazole, indicative of structural changes in the yeast cell surface. In summary, our study identified a promising antifungal compound with activity against high-priority fungal pathogens. Additionally, we demonstrated how structure-activity relationship studies of known and publicly available compounds can expand the repertoire of molecules with antifungal efficacy and reduced cytotoxicity to drive the development of novel therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baolong Pan
- Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville 3052, VIC, Australia
| | - Harshini Weerasinghe
- Infection Program and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton 3800, VIC, Australia
- Centre to Impact AMR, Monash University, Clayton 3800, VIC, Australia
| | - Aysha Sezmis
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton 3800, VIC, Australia
| | - Michael J McDonald
- Centre to Impact AMR, Monash University, Clayton 3800, VIC, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton 3800, VIC, Australia
| | - Ana Traven
- Infection Program and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton 3800, VIC, Australia
- Centre to Impact AMR, Monash University, Clayton 3800, VIC, Australia
| | - Philip Thompson
- Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville 3052, VIC, Australia
| | - Claudia Simm
- Infection Program and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton 3800, VIC, Australia
- Centre to Impact AMR, Monash University, Clayton 3800, VIC, Australia
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de Oliveira H, Bezerra BT, Rodrigues ML. Antifungal Development and the Urgency of Minimizing the Impact of Fungal Diseases on Public Health. ACS BIO & MED CHEM AU 2023; 3:137-146. [PMID: 37101810 PMCID: PMC10125384 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomedchemau.2c00055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Revised: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 04/28/2023]
Abstract
Fungal infections are a major public health problem resulting from the lack of public policies addressing these diseases, toxic and/or expensive therapeutic tools, scarce diagnostic tests, and unavailable vaccines. In this Perspective, we discuss the need for novel antifungal alternatives, highlighting new initiatives based on drug repurposing and the development of novel antifungals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bárbara T. Bezerra
- Instituto
Carlos Chagas, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Curitiba81310-020, Brazil
| | - Marcio L. Rodrigues
- Instituto
Carlos Chagas, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Curitiba81310-020, Brazil
- Instituto
de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes (IMPG), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro21941-902, Brazil
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Kwasi DA, Babalola CP, Olubiyi OO, Hoffmann J, Uzochukwu IC, Okeke IN. Antibiofilm agents with therapeutic potential against enteroaggregative Escherichia coli. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2022; 16:e0010809. [PMID: 36201560 PMCID: PMC9578610 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Revised: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) is a predominant but neglected enteric pathogen implicated in infantile diarrhoea and nutrient malabsorption. There are no non-antibiotic approaches to dealing with persistent infection by these exceptional colonizers, which form copious biofilms. We screened the Medicines for Malaria Venture Pathogen Box for chemical entities that inhibit EAEC biofilm formation. METHODOLOGY We used EAEC strains, 042 and MND005E in a medium-throughput crystal violet-based antibiofilm screen. Hits were confirmed in concentration-dependence, growth kinetic and time course assays and activity spectra were determined against a panel of 25 other EAEC strains. Antibiofilm activity against isogenic EAEC mutants, molecular docking simulations and comparative genomic analysis were used to identify the mechanism of action of one hit. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS In all, five compounds (1.25%) reproducibly inhibited biofilm accumulation by at least one strain by 30-85% while inhibiting growth by under 10%. Hits exhibited potent antibiofilm activity at concentrations at least 10-fold lower than those reported for nitazoxanide, the only known EAEC biofilm inhibitor. Reflective of known EAEC heterogeneity, only one hit was active against both screen isolates, but three hits showed broad antibiofilm activity against a larger panel of strains. Mechanism of action studies point to the EAEC anti-aggregation protein (Aap), dispersin, as the target of compound MMV687800. CONCLUSIONS This study identified five compounds, not previously described as anti-adhesins or Gram-negative antibacterials, with significant EAEC antibiofilm activity. Molecule, MMV687800 targets the EAEC Aap. In vitro small-molecule inhibition of EAEC colonization opens a way to new therapeutic approaches against EAEC infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A. Kwasi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
| | - Chinedum P. Babalola
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
- Center for Drug Discovery, Development and Production, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
| | - Olujide O. Olubiyi
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria
| | - Jennifer Hoffmann
- Department of Biology, Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Ikemefuna C. Uzochukwu
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria
| | - Iruka N. Okeke
- Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
- Department of Biology, Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania, United States of America
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