A hidden battle in the dirt: Soil amoebae interactions with Paracoccidioides spp

Paracoccidioides spp. are thermodimorphic fungi that cause a neglected tropical disease (paracoccidioidomycosis) that is endemic to Latin America. These fungi inhabit the soil, where they live as saprophytes with no need for a mammalian host to complete their life cycle. Despite this, they developed...

Full description

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Published in:	PLoS neglected tropical diseases Vol. 13; no. 10; p. e0007742
Main Authors:	Albuquerque, Patrícia, Nicola, André Moraes, Magnabosco, Diogo Almeida Gomes, Derengowski, Lorena da Silveira, Crisóstomo, Luana Soares, Xavier, Luciano Costa Gomes, Frazão, Stefânia de Oliveira, Guilhelmelli, Fernanda, de Oliveira, Marco Antônio, Dias, Jhones do Nascimento, Hurtado, Fabián Andrés, Teixeira, Marcus de Melo, Guimarães, Allan Jefferson, Paes, Hugo Costa, Bagagli, Eduardo, Felipe, Maria Sueli Soares, Casadevall, Arturo, Silva-Pereira, Ildinete
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	United States Public Library of Science 01-10-2019 Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Subjects:	Acanthamoeba castellanii - physiology Amoeba - cytology Amoeba - microbiology Amoeba - physiology Animals Armadillos Biology Biology and Life Sciences Burrowing organisms Burrows Cell walls Ciliates Ciliophora Coculture Techniques Cultivation Dirt Disease Disease Models, Animal Evolution Fungi Glucans Host-Pathogen Interactions - physiology Immunology Laboratories Life cycle Life cycles Macrophages Macrophages - microbiology Maintenance Male Medicine and Health Sciences Mice Mice, Inbred BALB C Microorganisms Nematoda Nematodes Paracoccidioides Paracoccidioides - pathogenicity Paracoccidioides - physiology Paracoccidioidomycosis - microbiology Pathogens Pattern recognition Pattern recognition receptors Phagocytosis Polysaccharides Predators Public health Receptors Research and Analysis Methods Roundworms Saccharides Saprophytes Soil Soil Microbiology Soil microorganisms Soils South American blastomycosis Survival Tropical climate Tropical diseases Virulence Virulence Factors - physiology Yeast Yeasts Zoobenthos Brazil United States > US Baltimore Maryland
Online Access:	Get full text
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!

Description
Summary:	Paracoccidioides spp. are thermodimorphic fungi that cause a neglected tropical disease (paracoccidioidomycosis) that is endemic to Latin America. These fungi inhabit the soil, where they live as saprophytes with no need for a mammalian host to complete their life cycle. Despite this, they developed sophisticated virulence attributes allowing them not only to survive in host tissues but also to cause disease. A hypothesis for selective pressures driving the emergence or maintenance of virulence of soil fungi is their interaction with soil predators such as amoebae and helminths. We evaluated the presence of environmental amoeboid predators in soil from armadillo burrows where Paracoccidioides had been previously detected and tested if the interaction of Paracoccidioides with amoebae selects for fungi with increased virulence. Nematodes, ciliates, and amoebae-all potential predators of fungi-grew in cultures from soil samples. Microscopical observation and ITS sequencing identified the amoebae as Acanthamoeba spp, Allovahlkampfia spelaea, and Vermamoeba vermiformis. These three amoebae efficiently ingested, killed and digested Paracoccidioides spp. yeast cells, as did laboratory adapted axenic Acanthamoeba castellanii. Sequential co-cultivation of Paracoccidioides with A. castellanii selected for phenotypical traits related to the survival of the fungus within a natural predator as well as in murine macrophages and in vivo (Galleria mellonella and mice). These changes in virulence were linked to the accumulation of cell wall alpha-glucans, polysaccharides that mask recognition of fungal molecular patterns by host pattern recognition receptors. Altogether, our results indicate that Paracoccidioides inhabits a complex environment with multiple amoeboid predators that can exert selective pressure to guide the evolution of virulence traits.
Bibliography:	new_version The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
ISSN:	1935-2735 1935-2727 1935-2735
DOI:	10.1371/journal.pntd.0007742