Taxonomic group: fungi / Ascomycota (Phylum: Ascomycota)
Organ / tissue: cell wall
 
Publication DOI: 10.1016/j.tcsw.2018.03.002
Journal NLM ID: 101728565
Publisher: Amsterdam: Elsevier
Correspondence: Goldman GH <ggoldmanusp.br>
Institutions: School of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, Infection and Immunity Research Group, Glasgow Dental School, School of Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, The University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK

The main characteristic of biofilm formation is extracellular matrix (ECM) production. The cells within the biofilm are surrounded by ECM which provides structural integrity and protection. During an infection, this protection is mainly against cells of the immune system and antifungal drugs. A. fumigatus forms biofilms during static growth on a solid substratum and in chronic aspergillosis infections. It is important to understand how, and which, A. fumigatus signal transduction pathways are important for the adhesion and biofilm formation in a host during infection. Here we investigated the role of MAP kinases and protein phosphatases in biofilm formation. The loss of the MAP kinases MpkA, MpkC and SakA had an impact on the cell surface and the ECM during biofilm formation and reduced the adherence of A. fumigatus to polystyrene and fibronectin-coated plates. The phosphatase null mutants ΔsitA and ΔptcB, involved in regulation of MpkA and SakA phosphorylation, influenced cell wall carbohydrate exposure. Moreover, we characterized the A. fumigatus protein phosphatase PphA. The ΔpphA strain was more sensitive to cell wall-damaging agents, had increased β-(1,3)-glucan and reduced chitin, decreased conidia phagocytosis by Dictyostelium discoideum and reduced adhesion and biofilm formation. Finally, ΔpphA strain was avirulent in a murine model of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis and increased the released of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) from bone marrow derived macrophages (BMDMs). These results show that MAP kinases and phosphatases play an important role in signaling pathways that regulate the composition of the cell wall, extracellular matrix production as well as adhesion and biofilm formation in A. fumigatus.

polysaccharide, Biofilm, Extracellular matrix, Aspergillus fumigatus, mitogen activated kinases, phosphatases

Structure type: structural motif or average structure
Location inside paper: p. 9(Accepted manuscript), paragraph 3
Trivial name: chitin
Compound class: cell wall polysaccharide, glucan
Contained glycoepitopes: IEDB_135813,IEDB_137340,IEDB_141807,IEDB_151531,IEDB_153212,IEDB_241099,IEDB_423114,IEDB_423150,SB_74,SB_85
 
Methods: genetic methods, statistical analysis, cytokine production, SEM, TEM, fluorescent staining of cell-wall, biological studies
Comments, role: Aspergillus fumigatus (ΔpphA mutant) has reduced amount of chitin in cell wall that results in increased sensitivity to cell wall-damaging agents
 
Related record ID(s): 48634, 48636, 48650, 48651, 48652, 48689, 48691, 48694, 48715, 48752, 48757, 48764, 48769, 48785, 48794, 48795, 48801, 48804, 48828, 48853, 48859, 48872, 48901, 48902, 48984
NCBI Taxonomy refs (TaxIDs): 746128
Reference(s) to other database(s): GTC:G97099AY
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