Milbemycins: more than efflux inhibitors for fungal pathogens
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
ORGANISM(S): Candida albicans Nakaseomyces glabratus Nakaseomyces glabratus CBS 138
PROVIDER: GSE40232 | GEO | 2013/03/08
SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA173240
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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Project description:This study investigated the effect of milbemycons as efflux inhibitors and antifungal agents. Milbemycin oxims can inhibit growth of Candida glabrata and C. albicans. The effect of milbemycins on transcriptomes was inbvestigated. Gene expression was measured in C. glabrata milbemycin-treated cells (1h) and compared to untreated cells in the incubation mediun RPMI. The one-color system was used. Four biological replicates were used for each condition. Gene expression was measured in C. albicans milbemycin-treated cells (1h) and compared to untreated cells in the incubation mediun RPMI. The one-color system was used. Three biological replicates were used for each condition.
2013-03-08 | E-GEOD-40232 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Milbemycins: more than efflux inhibitors for fungal pathogens
| PRJNA173240 | ENA
Project description:Existing antifungal agents are still confronted to activities limited to specific fungal species and to the development of resistance. Several improvements are possible either by tackling and overcoming resistance or exacerbating the activity of existing antifungal agents. In Candida glabrata, azole resistance is almost exclusively mediated by ABC transporters (including C. glabrata CDR1 [CgCDR1] and CgCDR2) via gain-of-function mutations in the transcriptional activator CgPDR1 or by mitochondrial dysfunctions. We also observed that azole resistance was correlating with increasing virulence and fitness of C. glabrata in animal models of infection. This observation motivated the re-exploitation of ABC transporter inhibitors as a possible therapeutic intervention to decrease not only the development of azole resistance but also to interfere with the virulence of C. glabrata. Milbemycins are known ABC transporter inhibitors, and here we used commercially available milbemycin A3/A4 oxim derivatives to verify this effect. As expected, the derivatives were inhibiting C. glabrata efflux with the highest activity for A3 oxim below 1 ?g/ml. More surprising was that oxim derivatives had intrinsic fungicidal activity above 3.2 ?g/ml, thus highlighting effects additional to the efflux inhibition. Similar values were obtained with C. albicans. Our data show that the fungicidal activity could be related to reactive oxygen species formation in these species. Transcriptional analysis performed both in C. glabrata and C. albicans exposed to A3 oxim highlighted a core of commonly regulated genes involved in stress responses, including genes involved in oxidoreductive processes, protein ubiquitination, and vesicle trafficking, as well as mitogen-activated protein kinases. However, the transcript profiles contained also species-specific signatures. Following these observations, experimental treatments of invasive infections were performed in mice treated with the commercial A3/A4 oxim preparation alone or in combination with fluconazole. Tissue burden analysis revealed that oxims on their own were able to decrease fungal burdens in both Candida species. In azole-resistant isolates, oxims acted synergistically in vivo with fluconazole to reduce fungal burden to levels of azole-susceptible isolates. In conclusion, we show here the potential of milbemycins not only as drug efflux inhibitors but also as effective fungal growth inhibitors in C. glabrata and C. albicans.
| S-EPMC3553706 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Abstract: Candida parapsilosis and Candida albicans are human fungal pathogens that belong to the CUG clade in the Saccharomycotina. In contrast to C. albicans, relatively little is known about the virulence properties of C. parapsilosis, a pathogen particularly associated with infections of premature neonates. We describe here the construction of >200 C. parapsilosis strains carrying double allele deletions of transcription factors, protein kinases and species-specific genes. Two independent deletions were constructed for each target gene. Growth in > 40 conditions was tested, including carbon source, temperature, and the presence of antifungal drugs. The phenotypes were compared to C. albicans strains with deletions of orthologous transcription factors. We found that many phenotypes are shared between the two species, such as the role of Upc2 as a regulator of azole resistance. Others are unique. For example, Cph2 plays a role in the hypoxic response in C. parapsilosis and not in C. albicans. We found extensive divergence between the biofilm regulators of the two species. We identified 7 transcription factors and one protein kinase that are required for biofilm development in C. parapsilosis. Only three (Efg1, Bcr1, and Ace2) have similar effects on C. albicans biofilms, whereas Cph2, Czf1, Gzf3 and Ume6 have major roles in C. parapsilosis only. In addition, two transcription factors (Brg1 and Tec1) with well-characterized roles in biofilm formation in C. albicans do not have the same function in C. parapsilosis. We also compared the transcription profile of C. parapsilosis and C. albicans biofilms. Our analysis suggests the processes shared between the two species are predominantly metabolic.
2014-07-21 | GSE57451 | GEO
Project description:Abstract: Candida parapsilosis and Candida albicans are human fungal pathogens that belong to the CUG clade in the Saccharomycotina. In contrast to C. albicans, relatively little is known about the virulence properties of C. parapsilosis, a pathogen particularly associated with infections of premature neonates. We describe here the construction of >200 C. parapsilosis strains carrying double allele deletions of transcription factors, protein kinases and species-specific genes. Two independent deletions were constructed for each target gene. Growth in > 40 conditions was tested, including carbon source, temperature, and the presence of antifungal drugs. The phenotypes were compared to C. albicans strains with deletions of orthologous transcription factors. We found that many phenotypes are shared between the two species, such as the role of Upc2 as a regulator of azole resistance. Others are unique. For example, Cph2 plays a role in the hypoxic response in C. parapsilosis and not in C. albicans. We found extensive divergence between the biofilm regulators of the two species. We identified 7 transcription factors and one protein kinase that are required for biofilm development in C. parapsilosis. Only three (Efg1, Bcr1, and Ace2) have similar effects on C. albicans biofilms, whereas Cph2, Czf1, Gzf3 and Ume6 have major roles in C. parapsilosis only. In addition, two transcription factors (Brg1 and Tec1) with well-characterized roles in biofilm formation in C. albicans do not have the same function in C. parapsilosis. We also compared the transcription profile of C. parapsilosis and C. albicans biofilms. Our analysis suggests the processes shared between the two species are predominantly metabolic. C. parapsilosis mRNA profiles of wild type (WT) at 37 degree celcius in planktonic growth conditions and ace2-/-, cph2-/-, efg1-/-, czf1-/-, ume6-/-, bcr1-/- and WT in biofilm conditions were generated by deep sequencing, in triplicate, using Illumina HiSeq2000.
2014-07-21 | E-GEOD-57451 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Candida glabrata is a human-associated opportunistic fungal pathogen. It shares its niche with Lactobacillus spp. in the gastrointestinal and vaginal tract. In fact, Lactobacillus species are thought to competitively prevent Candida overgrowth. We investigated the molecular aspects of this antifungal effect by analyzing the interaction of C. glabrata strains with Limosilactobacillus fermentum. From a collection of clinical C. glabrata isolates, we identified strains with different sensitivities to L. fermentum in coculture. We analyzed the variation of their expression pattern to isolate the specific response to L. fermentum. C. glabrata-L. fermentum coculture induced genes associated with ergosterol biosynthesis, weak acid stress, and drug/chemical stress. L. fermentum coculture depleted C. glabrata ergosterol. The reduction of ergosterol was dependent on the Lactobacillus species, even in coculture with different Candida species. We found a similar ergosterol-depleting effect with other lactobacillus strains (Lactobacillus crispatus and Lactobacillus rhamosus) on Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, and Candida krusei. The addition of ergosterol improved C. glabrata growth in the coculture. Blocking ergosterol synthesis with fluconazole increased the susceptibility against L. fermentum, which was again mitigated by the addition of ergosterol. In accordance, a C. glabrata Derg11 mutant, defective in ergosterol biosynthesis, was highly sensitive to L. fermentum. In conclusion, our analysis indicates an unexpected direct function of ergosterol for C. glabrata proliferation in coculture with L. fermentum.
2023-02-08 | GSE202656 | GEO
Project description:Fungal infections are a major health concern because of limited antifungal drugs and development of drug resistance. Candida can develop azole drug resistance by overexpression of drug efflux pumps or mutating ERG11, the target of azoles. However, the role of epigenetic histone modifications in azole-induced gene expression and drug resistance is poorly understood in Candida glabrata. In this study, we show that Set1 mediates histone H3K4 methylation in C. glabrata. In addition, loss of SET1 and histone H3K4 methylation increases azole susceptibility in both C. glabrata and S. cerevisiae. This increase in azole susceptibility in S. cerevisiae and C. glabrata strains lacking SET1 is due to distinct mechanisms. For S. cerevisiae, loss of SET1 decreased the expression and function of the efflux pump Pdr5, but not ERG11 expression under azole treatment. In contrast, loss of SET1 in C. glabrata does not alter expression or function of efflux pumps. However, RNA sequencing revealed that C. glabrata Set1 is necessary for azole-induced expression of all 12 genes in the late ergosterol biosynthesis pathway, including ERG11 and ERG3. Furthermore, chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis shows histone H3K4 trimethylation increases upon azole-induced ERG gene expression. In addition, high performance liquid chromatography analysis indicated Set1 is necessary for maintaining proper ergosterol levels under azole treatment. Clinical isolates lacking SET1 were also hypersusceptible to azoles which is attributed to reduced ERG11 expression but not defects in drug efflux. Overall, Set1 contributes to azole susceptibility in a species-specific manner by altering the expression and consequently disrupting pathways known for mediating drug resistance.
2022-07-28 | GSE209637 | GEO
Project description:Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus Lcr35 is a well-known bacterial strain whose efficiency in preventing recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis has been largely demonstrated in clinical trials. The presence of sodium thiosulfate (STS) has been shown to enhance its ability to inhibit the growth of C. albicans strains. In this study, we confirmed that Lcr35 has a fungicidal effect not only on the planktonic form of C. albicans but also on other life forms such as hypha and biofilm. Transcriptomic analysis showed that the presence of C. albicans induced a metabolic adaptation of Lcr35 potentially associated with a competitive advantage over yeast cells. However, STS alone had no impact on the global gene expression of Lcr35, which is not in favor of the involvement of an enzymatic transformation of STS. Comparative gas chromatography- mass spectrometry analysis of the organic phase from cell-free supernatant (CFS) fractions obtained from Lcr35 cultures performed in the presence and absence of STS identified elemental sulfur (S0) in the samples initially containing STS. In addition, the anti-candida activity of CFS from STS-containing cultures was shown to be pH-dependent and occurred at acidic pH lower than 5. We next investigated the antifungal activity of lactic acid and acetic acid, the two main organic acids produced by Lactobacillus spp. The two molecules affected the viability of C. albicans but only at pH 3.5 and in a dose-dependent manner, an antifungal effect that was enhanced in samples containing STS in which the thiosulfate was decomposed into S0. In conclusion, the use of STS as an excipient in the manufacturing process of Lcr35 exerted a dual action since the production of organic acids by Lcr35 facilitates the decomposition of thiosulfate into S0, thereby enhancing the bacteria’s own anti-fungal effect.
2024-01-08 | GSE242938 | GEO
Project description:Eukaryotic transcription activators stimulate the expression of specific sets of target genes through recruitment of co-activators such as the RNA polymerase II-interacting Mediator complex. We previously identified an activator-targeted ~85 amino acid three-helix bundle KIX domain in the human MED15 Mediator subunit that is structurally conserved in Gal11 Mediator subunits in fungi. The Gal11 KIX domain is engaged by pleiotropic drug resistance transcription factor (Pdr1) orthologues, key regulators of the multidrug resistance (MDR) pathway in S. cerevisiae and in the clinically important human pathogen Candida glabrata. Drug-resistant clinical isolates of C. glabrata most commonly harbour point mutations in Pdr1 that render it constitutively active, suggesting that this transcriptional activation pathway may represent a lynchpin in C. glabrata MDR. We have now carried out sequential biochemical and in vivo high-throughput screens to identify small molecule inhibitors of the interaction of the C. glabrata Pdr1 activation domain with the C. glabrata Gal11A KIX domain. The lead compound (iKIX1) inhibits Pdr1-dependent gene activation in both S. cerevisiae and C. glabrata and re-sensitizes drug-resistant C. glabrata to effective azole antifungal concentrations in vitro and in animal models for disseminated and urinary tract C. glabrata infection.
2015-12-15 | GSE74361 | GEO
Project description:Eukaryotic transcription activators stimulate the expression of specific sets of target genes through recruitment of co-activators such as the RNA polymerase II-interacting Mediator complex. We previously identified an activator-targeted ~85 amino acid three-helix bundle KIX domain in the human MED15 Mediator subunit that is structurally conserved in Gal11 Mediator subunits in fungi. The Gal11 KIX domain is engaged by pleiotropic drug resistance transcription factor (Pdr1) orthologues, key regulators of the multidrug resistance (MDR) pathway in S. cerevisiae and in the clinically important human pathogen Candida glabrata. Drug-resistant clinical isolates of C. glabrata most commonly harbour point mutations in Pdr1 that render it constitutively active, suggesting that this transcriptional activation pathway may represent a lynchpin in C. glabrata MDR. We have now carried out sequential biochemical and in vivo high-throughput screens to identify small molecule inhibitors of the interaction of the C. glabrata Pdr1 activation domain with the C. glabrata Gal11A KIX domain. The lead compound (iKIX1) inhibits Pdr1-dependent gene activation in both S. cerevisiae and C. glabrata and re-sensitizes drug-resistant C. glabrata to effective azole antifungal concentrations in vitro and in animal models for disseminated and urinary tract C. glabrata infection. Samples are generated in triplicate for four conditions (DMSO/vehicle-treated, iKIX1-treated, DMSO/vehicle and ketoconazole-treated. and iKIX1-ketoconazole treated) in both Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida glabrata
2015-12-15 | E-GEOD-74361 | biostudies-arrayexpress