Polymorphism of Wangiella dermatitidis

Geis, Philip A.; Jacobs, Charles W.

doi:10.1007/978-1-4684-4982-2_9

Cited by 23 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Furthermore, the haploid nature and rapidly improving molecular genetic tractability of W. dermatitidis allows efficient gene disruption and site-specific, integrative gene expression studies (17, 26 27, 50, 51, 55, 56, 57, 58). At the simplest level, polymorphism in W. dermatitidis is expressed as three well-characterized modes of vegetative growth, (e.g., blastic, apical, and isotropic), which are primarily associated with the development of yeast, hyphal, and multicellular (sclerotic) morphologies (15,19,56). Transitions among these phenotypes in vitro are readily monitored and are easily induced in the wild type by extreme acidity or by calcium or nitrogen limitation or, in certain temperature-sensitive mutants, by the shift of cells to 37°C (19,24,47,56).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…At the simplest level, polymorphism in W. dermatitidis is expressed as three well-characterized modes of vegetative growth, (e.g., blastic, apical, and isotropic), which are primarily associated with the development of yeast, hyphal, and multicellular (sclerotic) morphologies (15,19,56). Transitions among these phenotypes in vitro are readily monitored and are easily induced in the wild type by extreme acidity or by calcium or nitrogen limitation or, in certain temperature-sensitive mutants, by the shift of cells to 37°C (19,24,47,56). Collectively, these systems allow detailed evaluations of gene disruption and gene overexpression effects in all the growth forms of W. dermatitidis and make this fungus extremely attractive for studies of cell wallrelated virulence factors at the molecular level (17).…”

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confidence: 99%

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WdChs2p, a Class I Chitin Synthase, Together with WdChs3p (Class III) Contributes to Virulence in Wangiella ( Exophiala ) dermatitidis

Zheng

Liu

et al. 2001

Infect Immun

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The chitin synthase structural gene WdCHS2 was isolated by screening a subgenomic DNA library of Wangiella dermatitidis by using a 0.6-kb PCR product of the gene as a probe. The nucleotide sequence revealed a 2,784-bp open reading frame, which encoded 928 amino acids, with a 59-bp intron near its 5 end. Derived protein sequences showed highest amino acid identities with those derived from the CiCHS1 gene of Coccidioides immitis and the AnCHSC gene of Aspergillus nidulans. The derived sequence also indicated that WdChs2p is an orthologous enzyme of Chs1p of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which defines the class I chitin synthases. Disruptions of WdCHS2 produced strains that showed no obvious morphological defects in yeast vegetative growth or in ability to carry out polymorphic transitions from yeast cells to hyphae or to isotropic forms. However, assays showed that membranes of wdchs2⌬ mutants were drastically reduced in chitin synthase activity. Other assays of membranes from a wdchs1⌬wdchs3⌬wdchs4⌬ triple mutant showed that their residual chitin synthase activity was extremely sensitive to trypsin activation and was responsible for the majority of zymogenic activity. Although no loss of virulence was detected when wdchs2⌬ strains were tested in a mouse model of acute infection, wdchs2⌬wdchs3⌬ disruptants were considerably less virulent in the same model, even though wdchs3⌬ strains also had previously shown no loss of virulence. This virulence attenuation in the wdchs2⌬wdchs3⌬ mutants was similarly documented in a limited fashion in more-sensitive cyclophosphamideinduced immunocompromised mice. The importance of WdChs2p and WdChs3p to the virulence of W. dermatitidis was then confirmed by reconstituting virulence in the double mutant by the reintroduction of either WdCHS2 or WdCHS3 into the wdchs2⌬wdchs3⌬ mutant background.

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WdChs2p, a Class I Chitin Synthase, Together with WdChs3p (Class III) Contributes to Virulence in Wangiella ( Exophiala ) dermatitidis

Zheng

Liu

et al. 2001

Infect Immun

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“…The zoopathogenic fungus W. dermatitidis exhibits three distinct vegetative growth modes: blastic, apical, and isotropic, which are primarily associated with growth in the yeast, hyphal, and sclerotic-body morphologies, respectively (13). Cellular phenotypic conversions in W. dermatitidis are of great interest because they are potentially relevant to the pathogenicity of this agent of human phaeohyphomycosis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In particular, the unique transition of yeast cells to sclerotic-body forms leads to the dramatic enrichment of cell walls with known or suspected virulence factors, such as melanin (6) and chitin (38,39,40). Based on cytological studies of multicellular-body formation, a two-stage process is recognized (5,13,36). Stage I is characterized by the production of greatly enlarged, unbudded unicellular forms having multiple nuclei and thickened cell walls.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Expression of a Constitutively Active Cdc42 Homologue Promotes Development of Sclerotic Bodies but Represses Hyphal Growth in the Zoopathogenic Fungus Wangiella ( Exophiala ) dermatitidis

Szaniszlo

2000

J Bacteriol

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In contrast to the CDC42 homologues of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the WdCDC42 gene in the human pathogenic fungus Wangiella (Exophiala) dermatitidis was found to be nonessential for cell viability. Expression of the constitutively active allele wdcdc42 G14V at 37°C induced nonpolarized growth that led to cell enlargement and multiple nucleation. The swollen cells subsequently converted into planate divided bicellular forms or multiply septated sclerotic bodies in post-log phase, when the G14V-altered protein was diminished. The wdcdc42 G14V mutation also strongly repressed filamentous growth both in the wild-type strain and in the temperature-sensitive hyphal-form mutant Hf1. In contrast, overexpression of the dominant negative alleles wdcdc42 T19N and wdcdc42 D120A had no obvious effect on fungal-cell polarization. These results suggested that WdCdc42p plays a unique regulatory role in cellular morphogenesis in W. dermatitidis. Activation of this protein in response to extracellular or intracellular signals seems to commit its yeast-like cells to a phenotype transition that produces sclerotic bodies while repressing hyphal development.

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“…Considerable trouble was caused by the de termination of the yeast-like micro-organism of black colour W. dermatitidis, because we had never come across it before and due to its complex development and polymorphism [15] …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Corneal Phaeohyphomycosis Caused by <i>Wangiella dermatitidis</i>

Pospíśil¹,

Skorkovská²,

Moster³

1990

Ophthalmologica

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A case is described of a corneal abscess of the left eye of a patient, male, 35 years, from which there was found in pure culture a mycotic micro-organism, Exophiala (Wangiella) dermatitidis, determined also in the native preparation from the pus. The patient is feebleminded, suffers from von Recklinghausen’s disease and has an impairment of the immune system (above all the reduction of T lymphocytes).

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Polymorphism of Wangiella dermatitidis

Cited by 23 publications

References 38 publications

WdChs2p, a Class I Chitin Synthase, Together with WdChs3p (Class III) Contributes to Virulence in Wangiella ( Exophiala ) dermatitidis

WdChs2p, a Class I Chitin Synthase, Together with WdChs3p (Class III) Contributes to Virulence in Wangiella ( Exophiala ) dermatitidis

Expression of a Constitutively Active Cdc42 Homologue Promotes Development of Sclerotic Bodies but Represses Hyphal Growth in the Zoopathogenic Fungus Wangiella ( Exophiala ) dermatitidis

Corneal Phaeohyphomycosis Caused by <i>Wangiella dermatitidis</i>

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