Inhalation of conidia of the opportunistic mold Aspergillus fumigatus by immunocompromised hosts can lead to invasive pulmonary disease. Inhaled conidia that escape immune defenses germinate to form filamentous hyphae that invade lung tissues. Conidiation rarely occurs during invasive infection of the human host, allowing the bulk of fungal energy to be directed toward vegetative growth. We hypothesized that forced induction of conidiation during infection can suppress A. fumigatus vegetative growth, impairing the ability of this organism to cause disease. To study the effects of conidiation pathway dysregulation on A. fumigatus virulence, a key transcriptional regulator of conidiation (brlA) was expressed under the control of a doxycycline-inducible promoter. Time- and dose-dependent brlA overexpression was observed in response to doxycycline both in vitro and in vivo. Exposure of the inducible brlA overexpression strain to low doses of doxycycline under vegetative growth conditions in vitro induced conidiation, whereas high doses arrested growth. Overexpression of brlA attenuated A. fumigatus virulence in both an invertebrate and mouse model of invasive aspergillosis. RNA sequencing studies and phenotypic analysis revealed that brlA overexpression results in altered cell signaling, amino acid, and carbohydrate metabolism, including a marked upregulation of trehalose biosynthesis and a downregulation in the biosynthesis of the polysaccharide virulence factor galactosaminogalactan. This proof of concept study demonstrates that activation of the conidiation pathway in A. fumigatus can reduce virulence and suggests that brlA-inducing small molecules may hold promise as a new class of therapeutics for A. fumigatus infection.IMPORTANCE The mold Aspergillus fumigatus reproduces by the production of airborne spores (conidia), a process termed conidiation. In immunocompromised individuals, inhaled A. fumigatus conidia can germinate and form filaments that penetrate and damage lung tissues; however, conidiation does not occur during invasive infection. In this study, we demonstrate that forced activation of conidiation in filaments of A. fumigatus can arrest their growth and impair the ability of this fungus to cause disease in both an insect and a mouse model of invasive infection. Activation of conidiation was linked to profound changes in A. fumigatus metabolism, including a shift away from the synthesis of polysaccharides required for cell wall structure and virulence in favor of carbohydrates used for energy storage and stress resistance. Collectively, these findings suggest that activation of the conidiation pathway may be a promising approach for the development of new agents to prevent or treat A. fumigatus infection.

译文

免疫功能低下的宿主吸入机会性霉菌烟曲霉的分生孢子可导致侵袭性肺部疾病。逃避免疫防御的吸入分生孢子萌发,形成侵入肺组织的丝状菌丝。在人类宿主的侵袭性感染期间,很少发生分生孢子,从而使大量的真菌能量直接用于营养生长。我们假设在感染过程中强制诱导分生孢子可以抑制烟曲霉的营养生长,从而损害该生物引起疾病的能力。为了研究分生孢子调节途径失调对烟曲霉毒力的影响,在强力霉素诱导的启动子的控制下表达了分生孢子的关键转录调节因子 (brlA)。在体外和体内均观察到对强力霉素的反应,时间和剂量依赖性brlA过表达。在体外诱导的分生孢子的营养生长条件下,诱导型brlA过表达菌株暴露于低剂量的强力霉素中,而高剂量则阻止了生长。在无脊椎动物和侵袭性曲霉病小鼠模型中,brlA的过表达减弱了烟曲霉的毒力。RNA测序研究和表型分析表明,brlA过表达导致细胞信号传导,氨基酸和碳水化合物代谢的改变,包括海藻糖生物合成的显着上调和多糖毒力因子半乳糖半乳聚糖生物合成的下调。这一概念验证研究表明,烟曲霉分生孢子途径的激活可以降低毒力,并表明brlA诱导的小分子可能有望成为烟曲霉感染的一类新疗法。重要性烟曲霉通过产生空气中的孢子 (分生孢子) 繁殖,称为分生孢子的过程。在免疫功能低下的个体中,吸入的烟曲霉分生孢子可以发芽并形成细丝,穿透并损伤肺组织; 但是,在侵入性感染期间不会发生分生孢子。在这项研究中,我们证明了烟曲霉细丝中分生孢子的强制激活可以阻止其生长并损害这种真菌在昆虫和小鼠侵袭性感染模型中引起疾病的能力。分生孢子的激活与烟曲霉代谢的深刻变化有关,包括从细胞壁结构和毒力所需的多糖合成转向用于能量存储和抗逆性的碳水化合物。总的来说,这些发现表明,分生孢子途径的激活可能是开发预防或治疗烟曲霉感染的新药物的有希望的方法。

+1
+2
100研值 100研值 ¥99课程
检索文献一次
下载文献一次

去下载>

成功解锁2个技能,为你点赞

《SCI写作十大必备语法》
解决你的SCI语法难题!

技能熟练度+1

视频课《玩转文献检索》
让你成为检索达人!

恭喜完成新手挑战

手机微信扫一扫,添加好友领取

免费领《Endnote文献管理工具+教程》

微信扫码, 免费领取

手机登录

获取验证码
登录