The three Aspergillus fumigatus CFEM-domain GPI-anchored proteins (CfmA-C) affect cell-wall stability but do not play a role in fungal virulence

Yakir Vaknin; Yana Shadkchan; Emma Levdansky; Michael Morozov; Jacob Romano; Nir Osherov

doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fgb.2013.12.005

The three Aspergillus fumigatus CFEM-domain GPI-anchored proteins (CfmA-C) affect cell-wall stability but do not play a role in fungal virulence

Yakir Vaknin, Yana Shadkchan, Emma Levdansky, Michael Morozov, Jacob Romano, Nir Osherov

Clinical Microbiology and Immunology

Tel Aviv University

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Fungal cell-wall proteins containing the conserved fungal CFEM domain have been implicated in host-pathogen interactions and virulence. To determine the role of these proteins in the mold pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus, we deleted the entire family of three CFEM-containing genes ( CfmA-C), singly and in all combinations. We found an additive increase in the susceptibility of the single, double and triple δ. Cfm mutants towards the chitin/β-glucan-microfibril destabilizing compounds Congo Red (CR) and Calcofluor White (CFW), indicating that the A. fumigatus CFEM proteins are involved in stabilizing the cell wall. No defects in growth or germination were observed, indicating that CFEM proteins do not have an essential role in the morphogenesis of A. fumigatus. Unlike in Candida albicans, the A. fumigatus CFEM proteins were not implicated in heme uptake or biofilm formation. The δTriple. -Cfm deletion strain did not exhibit altered virulence in either insect or murine models of infection, suggesting that cell-wall proteins containing the conserved fungal CFEM domain are not a significant virulence factor in A. fumigatus.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	55-64
Number of pages	10
Journal	Fungal Genetics and Biology
Volume	63
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fgb.2013.12.005
State	Published - Feb 2014

Keywords

Aspergillus fumigatus
Biofilm
CFEM domain protein
Fungal cell wall
Heme uptake

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Microbiology
Genetics

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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fgb.2013.12.005

Cite this

@article{d6838c44786d48828562a8d9985287bf,

title = "The three Aspergillus fumigatus CFEM-domain GPI-anchored proteins (CfmA-C) affect cell-wall stability but do not play a role in fungal virulence",

abstract = "Fungal cell-wall proteins containing the conserved fungal CFEM domain have been implicated in host-pathogen interactions and virulence. To determine the role of these proteins in the mold pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus, we deleted the entire family of three CFEM-containing genes ( CfmA-C), singly and in all combinations. We found an additive increase in the susceptibility of the single, double and triple δ. Cfm mutants towards the chitin/β-glucan-microfibril destabilizing compounds Congo Red (CR) and Calcofluor White (CFW), indicating that the A. fumigatus CFEM proteins are involved in stabilizing the cell wall. No defects in growth or germination were observed, indicating that CFEM proteins do not have an essential role in the morphogenesis of A. fumigatus. Unlike in Candida albicans, the A. fumigatus CFEM proteins were not implicated in heme uptake or biofilm formation. The δTriple. -Cfm deletion strain did not exhibit altered virulence in either insect or murine models of infection, suggesting that cell-wall proteins containing the conserved fungal CFEM domain are not a significant virulence factor in A. fumigatus.",

keywords = "Aspergillus fumigatus, Biofilm, CFEM domain protein, Fungal cell wall, Heme uptake",

author = "Yakir Vaknin and Yana Shadkchan and Emma Levdansky and Michael Morozov and Jacob Romano and Nir Osherov",

note = "Funding Information: We would like to thank Hubertus Haas and Daniel Kornitzer for helpful discussions and ideas, Galit Kuznets from the Kornitzer lab for assistance in generating recombinant CfmA-CFEM and Don Sheppard for the ΔStuA strain and advice on biofilm analysis. Sampangine was kindly provided by Ameeta Agarwal from the National Center of Natural Products, Mississippi University. This work was supported by Israel Science Foundation (ISF) Grant No. 186/09 to N.O.",

year = "2014",

month = feb,

doi = "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fgb.2013.12.005",

language = "الإنجليزيّة",

volume = "63",

pages = "55--64",

journal = "Fungal Genetics and Biology",

issn = "1087-1845",

publisher = "Academic Press Inc.",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - The three Aspergillus fumigatus CFEM-domain GPI-anchored proteins (CfmA-C) affect cell-wall stability but do not play a role in fungal virulence

AU - Vaknin, Yakir

AU - Shadkchan, Yana

AU - Levdansky, Emma

AU - Morozov, Michael

AU - Romano, Jacob

AU - Osherov, Nir

N1 - Funding Information: We would like to thank Hubertus Haas and Daniel Kornitzer for helpful discussions and ideas, Galit Kuznets from the Kornitzer lab for assistance in generating recombinant CfmA-CFEM and Don Sheppard for the ΔStuA strain and advice on biofilm analysis. Sampangine was kindly provided by Ameeta Agarwal from the National Center of Natural Products, Mississippi University. This work was supported by Israel Science Foundation (ISF) Grant No. 186/09 to N.O.

PY - 2014/2

Y1 - 2014/2

N2 - Fungal cell-wall proteins containing the conserved fungal CFEM domain have been implicated in host-pathogen interactions and virulence. To determine the role of these proteins in the mold pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus, we deleted the entire family of three CFEM-containing genes ( CfmA-C), singly and in all combinations. We found an additive increase in the susceptibility of the single, double and triple δ. Cfm mutants towards the chitin/β-glucan-microfibril destabilizing compounds Congo Red (CR) and Calcofluor White (CFW), indicating that the A. fumigatus CFEM proteins are involved in stabilizing the cell wall. No defects in growth or germination were observed, indicating that CFEM proteins do not have an essential role in the morphogenesis of A. fumigatus. Unlike in Candida albicans, the A. fumigatus CFEM proteins were not implicated in heme uptake or biofilm formation. The δTriple. -Cfm deletion strain did not exhibit altered virulence in either insect or murine models of infection, suggesting that cell-wall proteins containing the conserved fungal CFEM domain are not a significant virulence factor in A. fumigatus.

AB - Fungal cell-wall proteins containing the conserved fungal CFEM domain have been implicated in host-pathogen interactions and virulence. To determine the role of these proteins in the mold pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus, we deleted the entire family of three CFEM-containing genes ( CfmA-C), singly and in all combinations. We found an additive increase in the susceptibility of the single, double and triple δ. Cfm mutants towards the chitin/β-glucan-microfibril destabilizing compounds Congo Red (CR) and Calcofluor White (CFW), indicating that the A. fumigatus CFEM proteins are involved in stabilizing the cell wall. No defects in growth or germination were observed, indicating that CFEM proteins do not have an essential role in the morphogenesis of A. fumigatus. Unlike in Candida albicans, the A. fumigatus CFEM proteins were not implicated in heme uptake or biofilm formation. The δTriple. -Cfm deletion strain did not exhibit altered virulence in either insect or murine models of infection, suggesting that cell-wall proteins containing the conserved fungal CFEM domain are not a significant virulence factor in A. fumigatus.

KW - Aspergillus fumigatus

KW - Biofilm

KW - CFEM domain protein

KW - Fungal cell wall

KW - Heme uptake

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U2 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fgb.2013.12.005

DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fgb.2013.12.005

M3 - مقالة

SN - 1087-1845

VL - 63

SP - 55

EP - 64

JO - Fungal Genetics and Biology

JF - Fungal Genetics and Biology

ER -

The three Aspergillus fumigatus CFEM-domain GPI-anchored proteins (CfmA-C) affect cell-wall stability but do not play a role in fungal virulence

Abstract

Keywords

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

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