The zinc cluster transcription factor Rha1 is a positive filamentation regulator in Candida albicans
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PROVIDER: PRJNA601775 | ENA |
REPOSITORIES: ENA
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Project description:The regulatory mechanism for filamentation includes a complex network of transcription factors that play roles in regulating hyphae associated genes. We identify here a new regulator of filamentation from the zinc cluster transcription factor family. We present evidence suggesting that this transcription factor assists the Nrg1/Brg1 switch regulating hyphal development.
2020-12-31 | GSE143825 | GEO
Project description:The zinc cluster proteins are a family of transcription factors that are unique to the fungal kingdom. In the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans, zinc cluster transcription factors control the expression of virulence-associated traits and play key roles in the development of antifungal drug resistance. Gain-of-function mutations in several zinc cluster transcription factors, which result in constitutive overexpression of their target genes, are a frequent cause of azole resistance in clinical C. albicans isolates. We found that zinc cluster proteins can also be artificially activated by C-terminal fusion with the heterologous Gal4 activation domain. We used this strategy to create a comprehensive library of C. albicans strains expressing all 82 zinc cluster transcription factors of this fungus in a potentially hyperactive form. Screening of this library identified regulators of invasive filamentous growth and other phenotypes that are important during an infection. In addition, the approach uncovered several novel mediators of fluconazole resistance, including the multidrug resistance regulator Mrr2, which controls the expression of the major C. albicans multidrug efflux pump CDR1. Artificial activation therefore is a highly useful method to study the role of zinc cluster transcription factors in C. albicans and other fungi of medical, agricultural, and biotechnological importance. In total, 15 samples are analysed: 3 replicates of 5 different strains. The 3 replicates of SC5314 are the wild type reference.
2013-07-29 | E-GEOD-48259 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:The zinc cluster proteins are a family of transcription factors that are unique to the fungal kingdom. In the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans, zinc cluster transcription factors control the expression of virulence-associated traits and play key roles in the development of antifungal drug resistance. Gain-of-function mutations in several zinc cluster transcription factors, which result in constitutive overexpression of their target genes, are a frequent cause of azole resistance in clinical C. albicans isolates. We found that zinc cluster proteins can also be artificially activated by C-terminal fusion with the heterologous Gal4 activation domain. We used this strategy to create a comprehensive library of C. albicans strains expressing all 82 zinc cluster transcription factors of this fungus in a potentially hyperactive form. Screening of this library identified regulators of invasive filamentous growth and other phenotypes that are important during an infection. In addition, the approach uncovered several novel mediators of fluconazole resistance, including the multidrug resistance regulator Mrr2, which controls the expression of the major C. albicans multidrug efflux pump CDR1. Artificial activation therefore is a highly useful method to study the role of zinc cluster transcription factors in C. albicans and other fungi of medical, agricultural, and biotechnological importance.
2013-07-29 | GSE48259 | GEO
Project description:Morphogenetic transitions are prevalent in the fungal kingdom. For a leading human fungal pathogen, Candida albicans, the capacity to transition between yeast and filaments is key for virulence. For the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, filamentation enables nutrient acquisition. A recent functional genomic screen in S. cerevisiae identified Mfg1 as a regulator of morphogenesis that acts in complex with Flo8 and Mss11 to enable transcriptional responses crucial for filamentation. In C. albicans, Mfg1 also interacts physically with Flo8 and Mss11 and is critical for filamentation in response to diverse cues, but the mechanisms through which it regulates morphogenesis remained elusive. Here, we explored the consequences of perturbation of Mfg1, Flo8, and Mss11 on C. albicans morphogenesis, and identified functional divergence of complex members. We observed that C. albicans Mss11 was dispensable for filamentation, and that overexpression of FLO8 caused constitutive filamentation even in the absence of Mfg1. Epistasis experiments suggested that Mfg1 acts downstream of protein kinase A, as does Flo8. Harnessing transcriptional profiling and chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled to microarray analysis, we identified divergence between transcriptional targets of Mfg1 and Flo8 in C. albicans. A key direct transcriptional target of Mfg1 is TEC1, for which overexpression was sufficient to restore filamentation in the absence of Mfg1. To identify additional Mfg1 downstream effectors, we employed a novel strategy to select for mutations that restore filamentation in the absence of Mfg1. Whole genome sequencing of filamentation-competent mutants revealed chromosome 6 amplification as a conserved adaptive mechanism. A key determinant of the amplification on chromosome 6 is FLO8, as deletion of one allele blocked morphogenesis, and chromosome 6 was not amplified in evolved lineages for which FLO8 was re-located to a different chromosome. Thus, this work highlights rewiring of key morphogenetic regulators over evolutionary time and aneuploidy as an adaptive mechanism driving fungal morphogenesis.
2018-07-24 | GSE117477 | GEO
Project description:The yeast-filament transition is essential for the virulence of a variety of fungi that are pathogenic to humans. N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), a ubiquitous molecule in both the environment and host, is one of the most potent inducers of filamentation in Candida albicans and thermally dimorphic fungi such as Histoplasma capsulatum and Blastomyces dermatitidis. However, GlcNAc suppresses rather than promotes filamentation in Candida tropicalis, a fungal species that is closely related to C. albicans. Furthermore, we discover that glucose induces filamentous growth in C. tropicalis. Mutation and overexpression assays demonstrate that the conserved cAMP signaling pathway plays a central role in the regulation of filamentation in C. tropicalis. Activation of this pathway promotes filamentation in C. tropicalis, while inactivation of this pathway results in a serious growth defect in filamentation. By screening an overexpression library of 154 transcription factors, we have identified approximately 40 regulators of filamentous growth in C. tropicalis. Although most of the regulators (e.g., Tec1, Gat2, Nrg1, Sfl1, Sfl2, and Ash1) demonstrate a conserved role in the regulation of filamentation, similar to their homologs in C. albicans or S. cerevisiae, some of them are specific to C. tropicalis. For example, Czf1 and Efh1 repress filamentation, while Wor1, Zcf3, and Hcm1 promote filamentation in C. tropicalis. Bcr1, Aaf1, and Csr1 play a specific role in the process of GlcNAc-regulated filamentation. Our findings indicate that multiple interconnected signaling pathways are involved in the regulation of filamentation in C. tropicalis. These mechanisms have conserved and divergent features among different Candida species.
2016-07-01 | GSE73340 | GEO
Project description:The yeast-filament transition is essential for the virulence of a variety of fungi that are pathogenic to humans. N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), a ubiquitous molecule in both the environment and host, is one of the most potent inducers of filamentation in Candida albicans and thermally dimorphic fungi such as Histoplasma capsulatum and Blastomyces dermatitidis. However, GlcNAc suppresses rather than promotes filamentation in Candida tropicalis, a fungal species that is closely related to C. albicans. Furthermore, we discover that glucose induces filamentous growth in C. tropicalis. Mutation and overexpression assays demonstrate that the conserved cAMP signaling pathway plays a central role in the regulation of filamentation in C. tropicalis. Activation of this pathway promotes filamentation in C. tropicalis, while inactivation of this pathway results in a serious growth defect in filamentation. By screening an overexpression library of 154 transcription factors, we have identified approximately 40 regulators of filamentous growth in C. tropicalis. Although most of the regulators (e.g., Tec1, Gat2, Nrg1, Sfl1, Sfl2, and Ash1) demonstrate a conserved role in the regulation of filamentation, similar to their homologs in C. albicans or S. cerevisiae, some of them are specific to C. tropicalis. For example, Czf1 and Efh1 repress filamentation, while Wor1, Zcf3, and Hcm1 promote filamentation in C. tropicalis. Bcr1, Aaf1, and Csr1 play a specific role in the process of GlcNAc-regulated filamentation. Our findings indicate that multiple interconnected signaling pathways are involved in the regulation of filamentation in C. tropicalis. These mechanisms have conserved and divergent features among different Candida species. Total RNA profiles of cells grown in Lee's glucose or Lee's GlcNAc medium.
2016-07-01 | E-GEOD-73340 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:The ability of the human pathogenic fungus Candida albicans to switch between yeast-like and filamentous forms of growth has long been linked to pathogenesis. Numerous environmental conditions, including growth at high temperatures, nutrient limitation, and exposure to serum, can trigger this morphological switch and are frequently used in in vitro models to identify genes with roles in filamentation. Previous work has suggested that differences exist between the various in vitro models both in the genetic requirements for filamentation and transcriptional responses to distinct filamentation-inducing media. We compared 10 in vitro models for filamentation and found broad genetic and transcriptomic differences between model systems. Methods: Total RNA was extracted from yeast or filamentous cells grown in liquid media or on solid plates. Samples were tested in biological triplicates. RNASeq libraries were generated beginning with 1.8 ng of total RNA following standardized protocols with the TruSeq RNA v2 kit (Illumina, San Diego). Libraries were diluted to a concentration of 6.0 picomoles and sequenced on a HiSeq2500 and 100 bp single reads were generated. Two lanes were used for each sample.
2017-09-28 | GSE99902 | GEO
Project description:Clinical isolates of the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans show significant variation in their ability to undergo in vitro filamentation. In this study, we show that Nrg1, a key repressor of filamentation and filament specific gene expression in standard laboratory strain, has strain dependent functions, especially during infection.
2024-01-20 | GSE253732 | GEO
Project description:The opportunistic pathogenic fungus Candida albicans can cause devastating infections in severely compromised patients. Its ability to undergo a morphogenetic transition from yeast to filamentous forms allows it to penetrate tissues and cause damage, and the expression of a number of pathogenetic mechanisms are also coordinately regulated with this yeast-to-hyphae conversion. Therefore, it is widely considered that filamentation represents one of the main virulence factors of C. albicans. We have previously identified N-[3-(allyloxy)-phenyl]-4-methoxybenzamide (compound 9029936) as the lead compound in a series of small molecule inhibitors of C. albicans filamentation, and characterized its activity, both in vitro and in vivo, as a promising candidate for the development of alternative anti-virulence strategies for the treatment of C. albicans infections. Here we have performed RNA sequencing analysis of samples obtained from C. albicans cells grown under filament-inducing conditions in the presence or absence of this compound. Overall treatment with compound 9029936 resulted in 618 up-regulated and 702 down-regulated genes. Not surprisingly some of the top down-regulated genes included well characterized genes associated with filamentation and virulence such as SAP5, ECE1 (candidalysin), and ALS3, as well as genes that impact metal chelation and utilization. Gene ontology analysis revealed an over-representation of cell adhesion, iron transport, filamentation, biofilm formation, and pathogenesis processes among down-regulated genes as result of treatment with this leading compound. Interestingly, the top up-regulated genes pointed to an enhancement of vesicular transport pathways, and in particular SNARE interactions.
2019-08-22 | GSE136116 | GEO
Project description:Candidiasis affects a wide variety of immunocompromised individuals, including HIV/AIDS patients and cancer patients on chemotherapy. Candida albicans, a major human fungal pathogen, accounts for about 50% of all cases, while the remainder are caused by the less pathogenic non-albicans Candida species (NACS). These species are believed to be less pathogenic, in part, because they do not filament as readily or robustly as C. albicans, although definitive evidence is lacking. To address this question, we used strains for two NACS, Candida tropicalis and Candida parapsilosis, that are genetically engineered to constitutively express the key transcriptional regulator UME6 and drive strong filamentation both in vitro and during infection in vivo. Unexpectedly, both strains showed a dramatic reduction in organ fungal burden and clearance of infection in response to UME6 expression. Consistent with these findings, we observed that a C. tropicalis hyperfilamentous mutant was significantly reduced and a filamentation-defective mutant was slightly increased for organ fungal burden. Comprehensive immune profiling did not reveal any significant changes in the host immune response to UME6 expression in the NACS. Interestingly, however, whole-genome transcriptional profiling indicated that while genes important for filamentation were induced by UME6 expression in C. tropicalis and C. parapsilosis, other genes involved in a variety of processes important for pathogenesis were strongly down-regulated. Our findings are significant because they suggest fundamental evolutionary differences in the relationship between morphology and pathogenicity among Candida species and that NACS do not necessarily possess the same virulence properties as C. albicans.
2019-10-01 | GSE134321 | GEO