Unravelling of the novel melanin biosynthesis-signalling networks in Cryptococcus neoformans
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ABSTRACT:
PROVIDER: PRJNA545271 | ENA |
REPOSITORIES: ENA
Dataset's files
| Action | DRS | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SRR9141550_1.fastq.gz | Fastqsanger.gz | |||
| SRR9141550_2.fastq.gz | Fastqsanger.gz | |||
| SRR9141560_1.fastq.gz | Fastqsanger.gz | |||
| SRR9141560_2.fastq.gz | Fastqsanger.gz | |||
| SRR9141570_1.fastq.gz | Fastqsanger.gz |
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Project description:Melanin is an antioxidant polyphenol pigment, which is required for the pathogenicity of many human and plant fungal pathogens. Nevertheless, its comprehensive regulatory mechanism still remain elusive. In this study, we systematically analyzed melanin-regulating signaling pathways in Cryptococcus neoformans. Here we identified four core melanin-regulating TFs, Bzp4, Usv101, Mbs1, and Hob1, which are required for induction of the laccase gene (LAC1). Bzp4, Usv101 and Mbs1 independently regulate LAC1 induction while Hob1 controls Bzp4 and Usv101 expression. Both Bzp4 and Usv101 are translocated from the cytoplasm into the nucleus upon nutrient starved condition, while Mbs1 is constitutively localized in the nucleus. Notably, the cAMP pathway is not involved in regulation of the four TFs, while the HOG pathway negatively regulates induction of BZP4 and LAC1. As potential kinases upstream of the core TFs, we identified the nine core kinases, whose deletion leads to defective melanin production and LAC1 induction. Deletion of GSK3 or KIC1 abolishes induction of LAC1 and BZP4, and also perturbs nuclear translocation of Bzp4. Notably, Gsk3 also regulates the expression of HOB1, USV101, and MBS1, indicating that it is a critical melanin-regulating kinase. Finally, the RNA-sequencing based transcriptome analysis of the wild-type and bzp4Δ, usv101Δ, hob1Δ, and mbs1Δ strains under nutrient rich and starved conditions reveals that the core melanin-regulating TFs govern redundant and distinct classes of genes, which are involved in a variety of biological processes.
2019-05-30 | GSE131891 | GEO
Project description:Melanin, as a pivotal antioxidant pigment, plays a critical role in the pathogenicity of Cryptococcus neoformans. However, the underlying signaling pathways responsible for melanin biosynthesis in C. neoformans are not yet fully elucidated. In this study, proteome and metabolomics analyses were conducted to investigate the response of C. neoformans to melanin substrate Niger seed or L-DOPA. The proteome analysis identified significant differential expression of proteins in cells treated with Niger seed compared to L-DOPA, with distinct functional enrichment patterns observed. Subcellular localization analysis showed unique protein distribution in cells treated with each substrate. Metabolomics analysis revealed distinct metabolic profiles in response to Niger seed or L-DOPA, with notable differences in metabolite regulation between the two treatments. KEGG classification highlighted specific metabolic pathways affected by each substrate. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the complex regulatory mechanisms underlying C. neoformans response to melanin substrates.
2025-07-23 | PXD056054 | Pride
Project description:Influence of copy number changes at several chromosomes to melanin production and virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans
2011-04-19 | GSE28673 | GEO
Project description:Influence of copy number changes at several chromosomes to melanin production and virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans Black(B4) and white(W2) strains were compared to each other. Black variant from white strain (W2BA1) is also compared to the black strain(B4).
2011-04-19 | E-GEOD-28673 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Adenylyl cyclase (AC) is the central regulator of cAMP signalling in fungal pathogens, yet fungal ACs uniquely contain a protein phosphatase 2C (PP2C) domain whose function remains unclear. Here, we characterise the PP2C domain of the AC Cac1 in the human pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans. Structural and biochemical analyses show that Cac1-PP2C adopts a non-canonical scaffold but functions as a Ser/Thr-specific metalloenzyme. Deletion of the PP2C or AC catalytic (ACC) domain demonstrated that PP2C is required for full Cac1 activity, influencing melanin and capsule synthesis, sexual differentiation, titan cell formation, and cell wall integrity. Notably, the PP2C-null mutant induced Th2-biased immunity and extensive pulmonary damage yet failed to cause mortality in mice. Integrated transcriptomic and phosphoproteomic analyses further revealed shared and domain-specific signalling outputs mediated by PP2C and ACC. This study provides the first comprehensive characterisation of a fungal AC-linked PP2C domain and defines its pivotal role in C. neoformans pathobiology
2025-12-09 | GSE312692 | GEO
Project description:Thermotolerance, a key factor essential for the virulence of pathogenic fungi including Cryptococcus neoformans, remains largely unexplored in terms of its underlying mechanism. In this study, our findings demonstrate that Set3C, a widely distributed and conserved histone deacetylase complex, is required for thermotolerance in Cryptococcus neoformans. Specifically, the deletion of the core subunit Set302, responsible for the integrity of the complex, results in a significant reduction in the growth ability under high stress and the viability at extreme temperature. Moreover, the absence of Set302 leads to a decrease in the production of capsule and melanin. Transcriptomics analysis revealed that Set302 regulates a large number of genes compared to normal condition, and their expression is responsive to heat stress. Notably, we observed that Set302 positively influences the expression of genes related to ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) at high temperature. Using GFP-α-synuclein overexpression model, we observed a pronounced accumulation of misfolded proteins under heat stress, consequently inhibiting the thermotolerance of Cryptococcus neoformans. Furthermore, the loss of Set302 exacerbates this inhibition of thermotolerance. Interestingly, set302∆ strain exhibits a similar phenotype under proteasome stress as it does under high temperature. We also found that set302∆ strain displayed significantly reduced pathogenicity and colonization ability compared to the wild-type strain in the murine infection model. Collectively, our findings indicate that Set302 modulates the degradation of misfolded proteins through the UPS pathway, thereby affecting the thermotolerance and pathogenicity of Cryptococcus neoformans.
2023-09-05 | GSE242109 | GEO
Project description:We measured protein translation (by ribosome profiling) and RNA levels (by polyA-enriched RNA-seq) in Cryptococcus neoformans strain H99 and Cryptococcus neoformans strain JEC21. This is the first transcriptome-wide map of translation in this species complex.
2019-06-22 | GSE133125 | GEO
Project description:The RNA interference (RNAi) mediated by homology-dependent degradation of the target mRNA with small RNA molecules plays a key role in controlling transcription and translation processes in a number of eukaryotic organisms. The RNAi machinery is also evolutionarily conserved in a wide variety of fungal species, including pathogenic fungi. To elucidate the physiological functions of the RNAi pathway in Cryptococcus neoformans that causes fungal meningitis, here we performed genetic analyses for genes encoding Argonaute (AGO1 and AGO2), RdRP (RDP1), and Dicers (DCR1 and DCR2) in both serotype A and D C. neoformans. The present study shows that Ago1, Rdp1, and Dcr2 are the major components of the RNAi process occurring in C. neoformans. However, the RNAi machinery is not involved in regulation of production of two virulence factors (capsule and melanin), sexual differentiation, and diverse stress response. To further gain insights into the global regulatory circuit governed by the RNAi pathway, comparative transcriptome analysis using the serotype A and D RNAi mutants was performed. Notably, an increase in transcript abundance of active transposons, such as T2 and T3, was observed in the rdp1? mutant. Therefore, this study can improve our understanding of the role of the RNAi genes in human fungal pathogens including C. neoformans. This SuperSeries is composed of the following subset Series: GSE21176: Molecular and Functional Characterization of the role of RNA silencing components in Cryptococcus neoformans [RNAi_Serotype A] GSE21177: Molecular and Functional Characterization of the role of RNA silencing components in Cryptococcus neoformans [RNAi_Serotype D] Refer to individual Series
2010-05-01 | E-GEOD-21178 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:WD40 motif-containing Msi1-like (MSIL) proteins play pleiotropic cellular functions as a negative regulator of the Ras/cAMP-pathways and a component of chromatin assembly factor-I (CAF-I), and yet have not been studied in fungal pathogens. Here we identified and characterized an MSIL protein, Msl1, in Cryptococcus neoformans, which can cause fatal meningoencephalitis in humans. Notably, Msl1 was not a functional ortholog for the yeast Msi1 but played pleiotropic roles in C. neoformans in both cAMP-dependent and -independent manners but mainly Ras-independently. Msl1 negatively controlled antioxidant melanin production and sexual differentiation, which can be repressed by inhibiting the cAMP-signaling pathways. In contrast, Msl1 controlled thermotolerance, diverse stress responses, and antifungal drugs resistance in Ras/cAMP-independent manners. Cac2, which is the second CAF-I component, appeared to play both redundant and distinct function with Msl1. Msl1 is required for full virulence of C. neoformans. Transcriptome and proteomic analysis identified a group of Msl1-regulated genes or -interacting proteins, respectively, which mostly include stress-related genes, including HSP12, HSP78, SSA1, SSA4, and STM1. Furthermore, we identified the third putative component of CAF-1, Rlf2, in C. neoformans. In conclusion, this study demonstrated the pleiotropic roles of Msl1 in human fungal pathogen C. neoformans, providing a novel antifungal therapeutic target. There is more than 95% genome homology between JEC21 and H99. Therefore, 6 slides of JEC21 (Cryptococcus neoformans var. neoformans serotype D) 70-mer oligos are used in this analysis. Total RNAs are extracted from 2 strains from H99 (H99 wild-type strain (Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii serotype A), msl1M-NM-^T). 3 biological replicate experiments are performed for each strain. We use the mix of all total RNAs from this experiment as the control RNA. We use Cy3 as the test sample dye and Cy5 as the control dye.
2012-08-23 | E-GEOD-40303 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Cryptococcal meningitis (CM) is a fatal compliation. Macrophages work as Trojan horses transferring Cryptococcus neoformans (C. neoformans) into the brain. Mechanisms for C. neoformans Trojan horses are largely elusive. In this study, we performed scRNA-Seq on immune cells infiltrated into the brain in a murine model of CM. Bioinformatics analysis reveals that phosphodiesterase 4B (PDE4B) ranks top in regulating macrophage Trojan horses. Melanin, a virulence factor for Cn, decreased PDE4B in macrophages. PDE4B inhibitor promoted the Cn Trojan horse across the blood-brain-barrier (BBB) in vitro and in vivo. As similar, PDE4B knockout increased fungi burden in the brain, which is, at least partially, rescued by macrophages depletion. In contrast, PDE4B activation diminished C. neoformans brain infection. Mechanistically, PDE4B inhibition increased CXCR4 and CCR7 on C. neoformans macrophage Trojan horses, a process regulated by the cAMP/PKA signaling pathway. Dexamethasone, commonly used to treat Pneumocystis infections in AIDS patients, significantly decreased PDE4B expression in macrophages. Overall, this study reveals that PDE4B plays a crucial role in C. neoformans macrophage Trojan horses and serves as a potential therapeutic target for CM.
2025-11-06 | GSE287392 | GEO