Project description:Background Trombidid mites have a unique lifecycle in which only the larval stage is ectoparasitic. In the superfamily Trombiculoidea (“chiggers”), the larvae feed preferentially on vertebrates, including humans. Species in the genus Leptotrombidium are vectors of a potentially fatal bacterial infection, scrub typhus, which affects 1 million people annually. Moreover, chiggers can cause pruritic dermatitis (trombiculiasis) in humans and domesticated animals. In the Trombidioidea (velvet mites), the larvae feed on other arthropods and are potential biological control agents for agricultural pests. Here, we present the first trombidid mites genomes, obtained both for a chigger, Leptotrombidium deliense, and for a velvet mite, Dinothrombium tinctorium. Results Sequencing was performed on the Illumina MiSeq platform. A 180 Mb draft assembly for D. tinctorium was generated from two paired-end and one mate-pair library using a single adult specimen. For L. deliense, a lower-coverage draft assembly (117 Mb) was obtained using pooled, engorged larvae with a single paired-end library. Remarkably, both genomes exhibited evidence of ancient lateral gene transfer from soil-derived bacteria or fungi. The transferred genes confer functions that are rare in animals, including terpene and carotenoid synthesis. Thirty-seven allergenic protein families were predicted in the L. deliense genome, of which nine were unique. Preliminary proteomic analyses identified several of these putative allergens in larvae. Conclusions Trombidid mite genomes appear to be more dynamic than those of other acariform mites. A priority for future research is to determine the biological function of terpene synthesis in this taxon and its potential for exploitation in disease control. Project was jointly supervised by Stuart Armstrong and Ben Makepeace.
Project description:Azole resistance was induced in vitro by growth of a susceptible C. parapsilosis isolate in the presence of voriconazole. Whole genome microarrays were used to compare the transcriptional response of the voriconizole-resistant and susceptible isolates.
Project description:Azole resistance was induced in vitro by growth of a susceptible C. parapsilosis isolate in the presence of posaconazole. Whole genome microarrays were used to compare the transcriptional response of the posaconazole-resistant and susceptible isolates.
Project description:Azole resistance was induced in vitro by growth of a susceptible C. parapsilosis isolate in the presence of fluconazole. Whole genome microarrays were used to compare the transcriptional response of the fluconazole-resistant and susceptible isolates.
Project description:The present study describes a novel mechanism of antifungal resistance affecting the susceptibility of both the azole and echinocandin antifungals in an azole-resistant isolate from a matched pair of C. parapsilosis isolates obtained from a patient with prosthetic valve endocarditis. Transcriptome analysis indicated differential expression of several genes in the resistant isolate including upregulation of ERG1, ERG2, ERG5, ERG6, ERG11, ERG24, ERG25, ERG27, DAP1 and UPC2, of the ergosterol biosynthesis pathway. Whole genome sequencing revealed a mutation in the ERG3 gene leading to a G111R amino acid substitution in the resistant isolate. Subsequent introduction of this allele in the native ERG3 locus in the susceptible isolate resulted in a fluconazole MIC of >64 mg/ml and a caspofungin MIC of 8 mg/ml. Corresponding allelic replacement of the wildtype allele for the mutant allele in the resistant isolate resulted in a drop in MIC to 1 mg/ml for both fluconazole and caspofungin. Sterol profiles indicated a loss of sterol demethylase activity as a result of this mutation. This work demonstrate that this G111R mutation is wholly responsible for the resistant phenotype in the C. parapsilosis resistant isolate and is the first report of this multidrug resistance mechanism.