Terry Roemer

Genomic Islands in the Pathogenic Filamentous Fungus Aspergillus fumigatus

We present the genome sequences of a new clinical isolate of the important human pathogen, Aspergillus fumigatus, A1163, and two closely related but rarely pathogenic species, Neosartorya fischeri NRRL181 and Aspergillus clavatus NRRL1. Comparative genomic analysis of A1163 with the recently sequenced A. fumigatus isolate Af293 has identified core, variable and up to 2% unique genes in each genome. While the core genes are 99.8% identical at the nucleotide level, identity for variable genes can be as low 40%. The most divergent loci appear to contain heterokaryon incompatibility (het) genes associated with fungal programmed cell death such as developmental regulator rosA. Cross-species comparison has revealed that 8.5%, 13.5% and 12.6%, respectively, of A. fumigatus, N. fischeri and A. clavatus genes are species-specific. These genes are significantly smaller in size than core genes, contain fewer exons and exhibit a subtelomeric bias. Most of them cluster together in 13 chromosomal islands, which are enriched for pseudogenes, transposons and other repetitive elements. At least 20% of A. fumigatus-specific genes appear to be functional and involved in carbohydrate and chitin catabolism, transport, detoxification, secondary metabolism and other functions that may facilitate the adaptation to heterogeneous environments such as soil or a mammalian host. Contrary to what was suggested previously, their origin cannot be attributed to horizontal gene transfer (HGT), but instead is likely to involve duplication, diversification and differential gene loss (DDL). The role of duplication in the origin of lineage-specific genes is further underlined by the discovery of genomic islands that seem to function as designated “gene dumps” and, perhaps, simultaneously, as “gene factories”.

Large-scale essential gene identification in Candida albicans and applications to antifungal drug discovery

Candida albicans is the primary fungal pathogen of humans. Despite the need for novel drugs to combat fungal infections [Sobel, J.D. (2000) Clin Infectious Dis 30: 652], antifungal drug discovery is currently limited by both the availability of suitable drug targets and assays to screen corresponding targets. A functional genomics approach based on the diploid C. albicans genome sequence, termed GRACETM (gene replacement and conditional expression), was used to assess gene essentiality through a combination of gene replacement and conditional gene expression. In a systematic application of this approach, we identify 567 essential genes in C. albicans. Interestingly, evaluating the conditional phenotype of all identifiable C. albicans homologues of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae essential gene set [Giaever, G., Chu, A.M., Ni, L., Connelly, C., Riles, L., Veronneau, S., et al. (2002) Nature 418: 387–391] by GRACE revealed only 61% to be essential in C. albicans, emphasizing the importance of performing such studies directly within the pathogen. Construction of this conditional mutant strain collection facilitates large‐scale examination of terminal phenotypes of essential genes. This information enables preferred drug targets to be selected from the C. albicans essential gene set by phenotypic information derived both in vitro, such as cidal versus static terminal phenotypes, as well as in vivo through virulence studies using conditional strains in an animal model of infection. In addition, the combination of phenotypic and bioinformatic analyses further improves drug target selection from the C. albicans essential gene set, and their respective conditional mutant strains may be directly used as sensitive whole‐cell assays for drug screening.

Essential Gene Identification and Drug Target Prioritization in Aspergillus fumigatus

Aspergillus fumigatus is the most prevalent airborne filamentous fungal pathogen in humans, causing severe and often fatal invasive infections in immunocompromised patients. Currently available antifungal drugs to treat invasive aspergillosis have limited modes of action, and few are safe and effective. To identify and prioritize antifungal drug targets, we have developed a conditional promoter replacement (CPR) strategy using the nitrogen-regulated A. fumigatus NiiA promoter (pNiiA). The gene essentiality for 35 A. fumigatus genes was directly demonstrated by this pNiiA-CPR strategy from a set of 54 genes representing broad biological functions whose orthologs are confirmed to be essential for growth in Candida albicans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Extending this approach, we show that the ERG11 gene family (ERG11A and ERG11B) is essential in A. fumigatus despite neither member being essential individually. In addition, we demonstrate the pNiiA-CPR strategy is suitable for in vivo phenotypic analyses, as a number of conditional mutants, including an ERG11 double mutant (erg11BΔ, pNiiA-ERG11A), failed to establish a terminal infection in an immunocompromised mouse model of systemic aspergillosis. Collectively, the pNiiA-CPR strategy enables a rapid and reliable means to directly identify, phenotypically characterize, and facilitate target-based whole cell assays to screen A. fumigatus essential genes for cognate antifungal inhibitors.

Antifungal Drug Development: Challenges, Unmet Clinical Needs, and New Approaches

Invasive, life-threatening fungal infections are an important cause of morbidity and mortality, particularly for patients with compromised immune function. The number of therapeutic options for the treatment of invasive fungal infections is quite limited when compared with those available to treat bacterial infections. Indeed, only three classes of molecules are currently used in clinical practice and only one new class of antifungal drugs has been developed in the last 30 years. Here we summarize the unmet clinical needs of current antifungal therapy, discuss challenges inherent to antifungal drug discovery and development, and review recent developments aimed at addressing some of these challenges.

Transcription factor substitution during the evolution of fungal ribosome regulation.

Coordinated ribosomal protein (RP) gene expression is crucial for cellular viability, but the transcriptional network controlling this regulon has only been well characterized in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We have used whole-genome transcriptional and location profiling to establish that, in Candida albicans, the RP regulon is controlled by the Myb domain protein Tbf1 working in conjunction with Cbf1. These two factors bind both the promoters of RP genes and the rDNA locus; Tbf1 activates transcription at these loci and is essential. Orthologs of Tbf1 bind TTAGGG telomeric repeats in most eukaryotes, and TTAGGG cis-elements are present upstream of RP genes in plants and fungi, suggesting that Tbf1 was involved in both functions in ancestral eukaryotes. In all Hemiascomycetes, Rap1 substituted Tbf1 at telomeres and, in the S. cerevisiae lineage, this substitution also occurred independently at RP genes, illustrating the extreme adaptability and flexibility of transcriptional regulatory networks.

Analysis of the Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization–Time of Flight Mass Spectrum of Staphylococcus aureus Identifies Mutations That Allow Differentiation of the Main Clonal Lineages

ABSTRACT Nosocomial infections involving epidemic methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains are a serious problem in many countries. In order to analyze outbreaks, the infectious isolates have to be typed; however, most molecular methods are expensive or labor-intensive. Here, we evaluated matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) of cell extracts for the molecular characterization of S. aureus strains. The peak patterns of 401 MRSA and methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) strains, including clinical and laboratory strains, were analyzed. Database searches indicated the peptides that were represented by the corresponding peaks in the spectra. The identities of the peptides were confirmed by the sequencing of mutants, the expression of antisense RNA fragments that resulted in the knockdown of the peptide of interest and the concomitant loss of the signal, or tandem MALDI-TOF MS (MALDI-TOF/TOF MS). It was shown that the signals derive mainly from stress proteins and ribosomal proteins. Peak shifts that differentiate the main S. aureus clonal complexes CC5, CC22, CC8, CC45, CC30, and CC1 correlate to point mutations in the respective genes. Retrospective typing of an MRSA outbreak showed that it is possible to differentiate unrelated MSSA, MRSA, and borderline resistant S. aureus (BORSA) strains isolated from health care workers. In conclusion, this method allows for the detection of the epidemic lineages of S. aureus during species identification by MALDI-TOF MS analysis.

Chemical genetic identification of peptidoglycan inhibitors potentiating carbapenem activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major nosocomial and community-acquired pathogen for which few existing antibiotics are efficacious. Here we describe two structurally related synthetic compounds that potentiate beta-lactam activity against MRSA. Genetic studies indicate that these agents target SAV1754 based on the following observations: (i) it has a unique chemical hypersensitivity profile, (ii) overexpression or point mutations are sufficient to confer resistance, and (iii) genetic inactivation phenocopies the potentiating effect of these agents in combination with beta-lactams. Further, we demonstrate these agents inhibit peptidoglycan synthesis. Because SAV1754 is essential for growth and structurally related to the recently reported peptidoglycan flippase of Escherichia coli, we speculate it performs an analogous function in S. aureus. These results suggest that SAV1754 inhibitors might possess therapeutic potential alone, or in combination with beta-lactams to restore MRSA efficacy.

Pathway analysis of Candida albicans survival and virulence determinants in a murine infection model.

One potentially rich source of possible targets for antifungal therapy are those Candida albicans genes deemed essential for growth under the standard culture (i.e., in vitro) conditions; however, these genes are largely unexplored as drug targets because essential genes are not experimentally amenable to conventional gene deletion and virulence studies. Using tetracycline-regulatable promoter-based conditional mutants, we investigated a murine model of candidiasis in which repressing essential genes in the host was achieved. By adding doxycycline to the drinking water starting 3 days prior to (dox - 3D) or 2 days post (dox + 2D) infection, the phenotypic consequences of temporal gene inactivation were assessed by monitoring animal survival and fungal burden in prophylaxis and acute infection settings. Of 177 selected conditional shut-off strains tested, the virulence of 102 was blocked under both repressing conditions, suggesting that the corresponding genes are essential for growth and survival in a murine host across early and established infection periods. Among these genes were those previously identified as antifungal drug targets (i.e., FKS1, ERG1, and ERG11), verifying that this methodology can be used to validate potential new targets. We also identify genes either conditionally essential or dispensable for in vitro growth but required for survival and virulence, including those in late stage ergosterol synthesis, or early steps in fatty acid or riboflavin biosynthesis. This study evaluates the role of essential genes with respect to pathogen virulence in a large-scale, systems biology context, and provides a general method for gene target validation and for uncovering unexpected antimicrobial targets.

The plant defensin RsAFP2 induces cell wall stress, septin mislocalization and accumulation of ceramides in Candida albicans.

The antifungal plant defensin RsAFP2 isolated from radish interacts with fungal glucosylceramides and induces apoptosis in Candida albicans. To further unravel the mechanism of RsAFP2 antifungal action and tolerance mechanisms, we screened a library of 2868 heterozygous C. albicans deletion mutants and identified 30 RsAFP2‐hypersensitive mutants. The most prominent group of RsAFP2 tolerance genes was involved in cell wall integrity and hyphal growth/septin ring formation. Consistent with these genetic data, we demonstrated that RsAFP2 interacts with the cell wall of C. albicans, which also contains glucosylceramides, and activates the cell wall integrity pathway. Moreover, we found that RsAFP2 induces mislocalization of septins and blocks the yeast‐to‐hypha transition in C. albicans. Increased ceramide levels have previously been shown to result in apoptosis and septin mislocalization. Therefore, ceramide levels in C. albicans membranes were analysed following RsAFP2 treatment and, as expected, increased accumulation of phytoC24‐ceramides in membranes of RsAFP2‐treated C. albicans cells was detected. This is the first report on the interaction of a plant defensin with glucosylceramides in the fungal cell wall, causing cell wall stress, and on the effects of a defensin on septin localization and ceramide accumulation.

PAP Inhibitor with In Vivo Efficacy Identified by Candida albicans Genetic Profiling of Natural Products

Natural products provide an unparalleled source of chemical scaffolds with diverse biological activities and have profoundly impacted antimicrobial drug discovery. To further explore the full potential of their chemical diversity, we survey natural products for antifungal, target-specific inhibitors by using a chemical-genetic approach adapted to the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans and demonstrate that natural-product fermentation extracts can be mechanistically annotated according to heterozygote strain responses. Applying this approach, we report the discovery and characterization of a natural product, parnafungin, which we demonstrate, by both biochemical and genetic means, to inhibit poly(A) polymerase. Parnafungin displays potent and broad spectrum activity against diverse, clinically relevant fungal pathogens and reduces fungal burden in a murine model of disseminated candidiasis. Thus, mechanism-of-action determination of crude fermentation extracts by chemical-genetic profiling brings a powerful strategy to natural-product-based drug discovery.