In a previous study, we reported the isolation and characterization of the two-component response regulator SSK1 gene of Candida albicans. This gene is a structural but not a functional homolog of the SSK1 and mcs4 ؉ genes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe, respectively. In the present study, we have constructed and phenotypically characterized ⌬ssk1 mutants of C. albicans. The results confirmed our previous observation that CaSSK1, unlike SSK1 or mcs4 ؉ , does not regulate cellular responses to either osmotic or oxidative stress. Instead, ⌬ssk1 null strains showed severely reduced hyphal formation on serum agar and were totally defective in hyphal development on other solid media, such as medium 199 (pH 7.5) and Spider medium. In contrast, under conditions of low nitrogen availability on solid media, ⌬ssk1 null strains dramatically hyperinvaded the agar. However, while forming germ tubes and hyphae in liquid media similar to those of the wild type, ⌬ssk1 null strains flocculated in a manner similar to that of ⌬chk1 two-component histidine kinase mutants, which we have previously described. Finally, virulence studies indicated that SSK1 is essential for the pathogenesis of C. albicans, suggesting that the Ssk1p response regulator could be a good target for antifungal therapy.

SummaryWe have previously shown that Aspergillus fumigatus is able to grow in zinc-limiting media and that this ability is regulated at transcriptional level by both the availability of zinc and pH. When A. fumigatus grows as a pathogen, it must necessarily obtain zinc from the zinc-limiting environment provided by host tissue. Accordingly, the regulation of zinc homeostasis by some zinc-responsive transcriptional regulator in A. fumigatus must be essential for fungal growth within tissues of an immunocompromised host and, in turn, for pathogenicity. Here we provide evidence of the role of the zafA gene in regulating zinc homeostasis and its relevance in the virulence of A. fumigatus. Thus, we observed that (i) zafA can functionally replace the ZAP1 gene from Saccharomyces cerevisiae that encodes the zinc-responsive transcriptional activator Zap1 protein; (ii) the expression of zafA itself is induced in zinc-limiting media and repressed by zinc; (iii) deletion of zafA impairs the germination and growth capacity of A. fumigatus in zinc-limiting media; and (iv) the deletion of zafA abrogates A. fumigatus virulence in a murine model of invasive aspergillosis. In light of these observations, we concluded that ZafA is a zinc-responsive transcriptional activator that represents an essential attribute for A. fumigatus pathogenicity. Consequently, ZafA may constitute a new target for the development of chemotherapeutic agents against Aspergillus, because no zafA orthologues have been found in mammals.

Ssk1p of Candida albicans is a putative response regulator protein of the Hog1 two-component signal transduction system. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the phosphorylation state of Ssk1p determines whether genes that promote the adaptation of cells to osmotic stress are activated. We have previously shown that C. albicans SSK1 does not complement the ssk1 mutant of S. cerevisiae and that the ssk1 mutant of C. albicans is not sensitive to sorbitol. In this study, we show that the C. albicans ssk1 mutant is sensitive to several oxidants, including hydrogen peroxide, t-butyl hydroperoxide, menadione, and potassium superoxide when each is incorporated in yeast extract-peptone-dextrose (YPD) agar medium. We used DNA microarrays to identify genes whose regulation is affected by the ssk1 mutation. RNA from mutant cells (strain CSSK21) grown in YPD medium for 3 h at 30°C was reverse transcribed and then compared with similarly prepared RNA from wild-type cells (CAF2). We observed seven genes from mutant cells that were consistently up regulated (three-fold or greater compared to CAF2). In S. cerevisiae, three (AHP1, HSP12, and PYC2) of the seven genes that were up regulated provide cells with an adaptation function in response to oxidative stress; another gene (GPH1) is regulated under stress conditions by Hog1p. Three other genes that are up regulated encode a cell surface protein (FLO1), a mannosyl transferase (MNN4-4), and a putative two-component histidine kinase (CHK1) that regulates cell wall biosynthesis in C. albicans. Of the down-regulated genes, ALS1 is a known cell adhesin in C. albicans. Verification of the microarray data was obtained by reverse transcription-PCR for HSP12, AHP1, CHK1, PYC2, GPH1, ALS1, MNN4-4, and FLO1. To further determine the function of Ssk1p in the Hog1p signal transduction pathway in C. albicans, we used Western blot analysis to measure phosphorylation of Hog1p in the ssk1 mutant of C. albicans when grown under either osmotic or oxidative stress. We observed that Hog1p was phosphorylated in the ssk1 mutant of C. albicans when grown in a hyperosmotic medium but was not phosphorylated in the ssk1 mutant when the latter was grown in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. These data indicate that C. albicans utilizes the Ssk1p response regulator protein to adapt cells to oxidative stress, while its role in the adaptation to osmotic stress is less certain. Further, SSK1 appears to have a regulatory function in some aspects of cell wall biosynthesis. Thus, the functions of C. albicans SSK1 differ from those of S. cerevisiae SSK1.

Aspergillus fumigatus has three zinc transporter-encoding genes whose expression is regulated by both pH and the environmental concentration of zinc. We have previously reported that the zrfA and zrfB genes of A. fumigatus are transcribed at higher levels and are required for fungal growth under acidic zinc-limiting conditions whereas they are dispensable for growth in neutral or alkaline zinc-limiting media. Here we report that the transporter of the zinc uptake system that functions in A. fumigatus growing in neutral or alkaline environments is encoded by zrfC. The transcription of zrfC occurs divergently with respect to the adjacent aspf2 gene, which encodes an immunodominant antigen secreted by A. fumigatus. The two genes-zrfC and aspf2-are required to different extents for fungal growth in alkaline and extreme zinc-limiting media. Indeed, these environmental conditions induce the simultaneous transcription of both genes mediated by the transcriptional regulators ZafA and PacC. ZafA upregulates the expression of zrfC and aspf2 under zinc-limiting conditions regardless of the ambient pH, whereas PacC represses the expression of these genes under acidic growth conditions. Interestingly, the mode of action of PacC for zrfC-aspf2 transcription contrasts with the more widely accepted model for PacC function, according to which under alkaline growth conditions PacC would activate the transcription of alkaline-expressed genes but would repress the transcription of acid-expressed genes. In sum, this report provides a good framework for investigating several important aspects of the biology of species of Aspergillus, including the repression of alkaline genes by PacC at acidic pH and the interrelationship that must exist between tissue pH, metal availability in the host tissue, and fungal virulence.

Calprotectin, a heterodimer of S100A8 and S100A9, is an abundant neutrophil protein which possesses anti-microbial activity primarily due to its ability to chelate zinc and manganese. In the current study, we showed that neutrophils from calprotectin-deficient S100A9 −/− mice have an impaired ability to inhibit Aspergillus fumigatus hyphal growth in vitro, and in infected corneas in a murine model of fungal keratitis; however, the ability to inhibit hyphal growth was restored in S100A9−/− mice by injecting recombinant calprotectin. Further, using recombinant calprotectin with mutations in either the Zn and Mn binding sites or the Mn binding site alone, we show that both zinc and manganese binding are necessary for calprotectin’s anti-hyphal activity. In contrast to hyphae, we found no role for neutrophil calprotectin in uptake or killing of intracellular A. fumigatus conidia either in vitro, or in a murine model of pulmonary aspergillosis. We also found that an A. fumigatus ΔzafA mutant, which demonstrates deficient zinc transport, exhibits impaired growth in infected corneas and following incubation with neutrophils or calprotectin in vitro as compared to wild-type. Collectively, these studies demonstrate a novel stage - specific susceptibility of A. fumigatus to zinc and manganese chelation by neutrophil-derived calprotectin.