MiRNAs regulate iron homeostasis in Paracoccidioides brasiliensis

Global Molecular Response of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis to Zinc Deprivation: Analyses at Transcript, Protein and MicroRNA Levels

“…Micro RNAs were identified and compared to previous descriptions in P. brasiliensis . Nine microRNAs were identified in a previous work focusing on microRNAs from P. brasiliensis present in different stages of the fungus differentiation [ 60 ]; one was present in yeast cells submitted to iron deprivation [ 42 ]. The iron regulated microRNAs designated PbFe-miR6, PbFe-miR33 and PbFe-miR42 act on processes such as the response to oxidative stress and oxidative phosphorylation [ 42 ].…”

“…Nine microRNAs were identified in a previous work focusing on microRNAs from P. brasiliensis present in different stages of the fungus differentiation [ 60 ]; one was present in yeast cells submitted to iron deprivation [ 42 ]. The iron regulated microRNAs designated PbFe-miR6, PbFe-miR33 and PbFe-miR42 act on processes such as the response to oxidative stress and oxidative phosphorylation [ 42 ]. In the present work, the differentially regulated microRNAs presented as probable targets several elements of zinc homeostasis, such as the membrane transporter Zrt1 and the vacuolar transporters Cot1 and Zrt3.…”

“…Thus, as zinc is scarce, there is a decrease in these transcription factors, since many of them require zinc in their constitution, as is the case of transcription factors that have zinc finger domains. Transcription factors have been described as targets of miRNAs in fungi, such as Trichophyton rubrum and P. brasiliensis [ 42 , 86 ]. In P. brasiliensis , during iron deprivation, the pH-responsive transcriptional factor pacC/Rim101 is regulated by the miRNA PbFe_miR27.…”

“…Yeast cells, after cultivation for three days at 36 °C in BHI liquid medium, were transferred to an MMcM medium supplemented with 0.03 mM zinc sulphate (control) or 100 µM DTPA (test). RNA was extracted using the Trizol method [ 42 ] and evaluated by 1% ( w / v ) agarose gel electrophoresis and Nanodrop (Life Technologies, Carlsbad, CA, USA) to check purity (OD260/OD280). The extracted RNA was used to obtain libraries of RNAs and microRNAs.…”

“…In the yeast phase genes involved in chitin and glucan metabolism are potential targets of differentially regulated miRNAs. A study integrating the role of microRNAs and iron deprivation revealed that microRNAs potentially regulate genes involved in oxidative phosphorylation and transcription factors related to iron homeostasis, indicating that miRNAs may be part of the cellular response during iron deprivation [ 42 ].…”