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.
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
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.
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.
Project description:Multidrug resistance in the pathogenic fungus Candida glabrata is a growing global threat. Here, we study mechanisms of multidrug resistance in this pathogen. Exposure of C. glabrata cells to micafungin (an echinocandin) leads to the isolation of a mutant exhibiting resistance to echinocandin and azole antifungals. The drug-resistant phenotype is due to a non-synonymous mutation (R70H) in gene IPI1, which is known to be involved in pre-rRNA processing in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Azole resistance in the ipi1-R70H mutant depends on the Pdr1 transcription factor, which regulates the expression of multidrug transporters. We show that the C. glabrata Ipi1 protein physically interacts with the ribosome-related chaperones Ssb and Ssz1, both of which bind to Pdr1. The Ipi1-Ssb/Ssz1 complex inhibits Pdr1-mediated gene expression and multidrug resistance in C. glabrata, in contrast to S. cerevisiae where Ssz1 has been shown to act as a positive regulator of Pdr1. Furthermore, micafungin exposure reduces metabolic activity and cell proliferation in the ipi1-R70H mutant, which may contribute to micafungin tolerance.
Project description:The biological conservation between fungi and mammals has made development of selective antifungal drugs a difficult challenge. Further complicating this situation is the selection of antifungal drug-resistant organisms during drug treatment. The pathogenic yeast Nakaseomyces glabratus (called here Candida glabrata) presents an especially challenging organism due to its tendency to frequently lose susceptibility to the major antifungal drug class the azoles. Additionally, C. glabrata develops resistance to echinocandin drugs, a second, more recently described antifungal agent at 10 times the rate of other organisms. Previous work has established that the sterol responsive transcriptional regulator Upc2A is a key determinant of azole susceptibility in C. glabrata and plays a role in echinocandin resistance. We used a biochemical approach to identify proteins that co-purified with Upc2A and identified the Ypk2 AGC kinase as an interacting protein. Strains lacking YPK2 exhibited increased susceptibility to fluconazole and the echinocandin caspofungin. A ypk2 strain failed to normally induce transcription of several ERG genes but exhibited normal induction of the CDR1 ATP-binding cassette transporter gene. Isogenic ypk2 strains were also highly susceptible to the three major classes of antifungal drugs, indicating that this kinase behaves as a multidrug susceptibility factor. RNA-seq analyses indicated that the transcriptional response to exposure is different for each drug and each response is differentially altered upon loss of Ypk2. Our data indicate that Ypk2 plays an important role coordinating gene expression that impacts susceptibility to all major antifungal drug classes.
Project description:The opportunistic yeast pathogen Candida glabrata is recognized for its ability to acquire resistance during prolonged treatment with azole antifungals. Resistance to azoles is largely mediated by the transcription factor PDR1, resulting in the upregulation of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter proteins and drug efflux. Studies in the related yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae have shown Pdr1p forms a heterodimer with another transcription factor, Stb5p. In C. glabrata the ORF designated CAGL0I02552g has 38.8% amino acid identity with STB5 (YHR178w), and shares an N-terminal Zn2Cys6 binuclear cluster domain and a fungal specific transcriptional factor domain, prompting us to test for homologous function and a possible role in azole resistance. Complementation of deltayhr178w (stb5) with CAGL0I02552g resolved the increased sensitivity to cold, hydrogen peroxide and caffeine of the mutant, for which reason we designated CAGl0I02552g as CgSTB5. Overexpression of CgSTB5 in C. glabrata repressed azole resistance, whereas deletion of CgSTB5 increased resistance, both by a mechanism independent of CgPDR1. Expression analysis found that CgSTB5 shares many of the same transcriptional targets as CgPDR1 but, unlike the later, is a negative regulator of pleiotropic drug resistance, including the ABC transporter genes CDR1,PDH1, and YOR1.
Project description:Membrane proteome-wide response to the antifungal drug clotrimazole in Candida glabrata: role of the transcription factor CgPdr1 and the Drug:H+ Antiporters CgTpo1_1 and CgTpo1_2
Project description:Membrane proteome-wide response to the antifungal drug clotrimazole in Candida glabrata: role of the transcription factor CgPdr1 and the Drug:H+ Antiporters CgTpo1_1 and CgTpo1_2