Involvement of Mrs3/4 in Mitochondrial Iron Transport and Metabolism in <i>Cryptococcus neoformans</i>

Choi, Yoojeong; Do, Eunsoo; Hu, Guanggan; Caza, Mélissa; Horianopoulos, Linda C.; Kronstad, James W.; Jung, Won Hee

doi:10.4014/jmb.2004.04041

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…In other fungi, the deletion of MRS4 impairs growth in low iron media or the presence of an iron chelator ( 17 , 20 , 22 ). To determine the activity of Mrs4 variants in the C. lusitaniae CF isolates, we first constructed an mrs4 ∆ derivative of subject B isolate B_L01, which had an MRS4 Q254* allele, then complemented back either the native B_L01 MRS4 Q254* allele or MRS4 REF at the native locus ( Fig.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mrs4 loss of function in fungi during adaptation to the cystic fibrosis lung

Murante

Demers

Kurbessoian

et al. 2023

mBio

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The genetic disease cystic fibrosis (CF) frequently leads to chronic lung infections by bacteria and fungi. We identified three individuals with CF with persistent lung infections dominated by Clavispora ( Candida ) lusitaniae . Whole-genome sequencing analysis of multiple isolates from each infection found evidence for selection for mutants in the gene MRS4 in all three distinct lung-associated populations. In each population, we found one or two unfixed, non-synonymous mutations in MRS4 relative to the reference allele found in multiple environmental and clinical isolates including the type strain. Genetic and phenotypic analyses found that all evolved alleles led to loss of function (LOF) of Mrs4, a mitochondrial iron transporter. RNA-seq analyses found that Mrs4 variants with decreased activity led to increased expression of genes involved in iron acquisition mechanisms in both low iron and replete iron conditions. Furthermore, surface iron reductase activity and intracellular iron were much higher in strains with Mrs4 LOF variants. Parallel studies found that a subpopulation of a CF-associated Exophiala dermatitidis infection also had a non-synonymous LOF mutation in MRS4 . Together, these data suggest that MRS4 mutations may be beneficial during chronic CF lung infections in diverse fungi, perhaps, for the purposes of adaptation to an iron-restricted environment with chronic infections. IMPORTANCE The identification of MRS4 mutations in Clavispora ( Candida ) lusitaniae and Exophiala dermatitidis in individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF) highlights a possible adaptive mechanism for fungi during chronic CF lung infections. The findings of this study suggest that loss of function of the mitochondrial iron transporter Mrs4 can lead to increased activity of iron acquisition mechanisms, which may be advantageous for fungi in iron-restricted environments during chronic infections. This study provides valuable information for researchers working toward a better understanding of the pathogenesis of chronic lung infections and more effective therapies to treat them.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mrs4 loss of function in fungi during adaptation to the cystic fibrosis lung

Murante

Demers

Kurbessoian

et al. 2023

mBio

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In other fungi, the deletion of MRS4 impairs growth in low iron media or the presence of an iron chelator (17,20,22). To determine the activity of Mrs4 variants in the C. lusitaniae CF isolates, we first constructed an mrs4∆ derivative of Subject B isolate B_L01, which had an MRS4 Q254* allele, then complemented back either the native B_L01 MRS4 Q254* allele or MRS4 REF at the native locus (Figure 2A).…”

Section: Mrs4 Variants Confer Lof Phenotypesmentioning

confidence: 99%