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Goldman G, Valero C, Pinzan C, de Castro P, van Rhijn N, Earle K, Liu H, Horta MA, Kniemeyer O, Kruger T, Pschibul A, Coemert D, Heinekamp T, Brakhage A, Steenwyk J, Mead M, Rokas A, Filler S, da Rosa-Garzon N, Delbaje E, Bromley M, Angeli C, Palmisano G, Ibrahim A, Gago S, Does Reis T. A phylogenetic approach to explore the Aspergillus fumigatus conidial surface-associated proteome and its role in pathogenesis. Res Sq 2023:rs.3.rs-3306535. [PMID: 37790311 PMCID: PMC10543367 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3306535/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
Aspergillus fumigatus, an important pulmonary fungal pathogen causing several diseases collectively called aspergillosis, relies on asexual spores (conidia) for initiating host infection. Here, we used a phylogenomic approach to compare proteins in the conidial surface of A. fumigatus, two closely related non-pathogenic species, Aspergillus fischeri and Aspergillus oerlinghausenensis, and the cryptic pathogen Aspergillus lentulus. After identifying 62 proteins uniquely expressed on the A. fumigatus conidial surface, we assessed null mutants for 42 genes encoding conidial proteins. Deletion of 33 of these genes altered susceptibility to macrophage killing, penetration and damage to epithelial cells, and cytokine production. Notably, a gene that encodes glycosylasparaginase, which modulates levels of the host pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1β, is important for infection in an immunocompetent murine model of fungal disease. These results suggest that A. fumigatus conidial surface proteins and effectors are important for evasion and modulation of the immune response at the onset of fungal infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo Goldman
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Bloco Q, Universidade de São Paulo
| | | | - Camila Pinzan
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Bloco Q, Universidade de São Paulo
| | - Patrícia de Castro
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo
| | | | - Kayleigh Earle
- Manchester Fungal Infection Group, Division of Evolution, Infection, and Genomics, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester
| | - Hong Liu
- The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation
| | | | - Olaf Kniemeyer
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (HKI)
| | | | - Annica Pschibul
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (Leibniz-HKI) and Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University
| | - Derya Coemert
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (Leibniz-HKI) and Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University
| | - Thorsten Heinekamp
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (Leibniz-HKI) and Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University
| | | | | | | | | | - Scott Filler
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Ashraf Ibrahim
- The Lundquist Institute at Harbor-University of California Los Angeles Medical Center
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