Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology (Oct 2016)
The transcriptome of Exophiala dermatitidis during ex-vivo kin model infection
Abstract
The black yeast Exophiala dermatitidis is a widespread polyextremophile and humanpathogen, that is found in extreme natural habitats and man-made environments suchas dishwashers. It can cause various diseases ranging from phaehyphomycosis andsystemic infections, with fatality rates reaching 40%. While the number of cases inimmunocompromised patients are increasing, knowledge of the infections, virulencefactors and host response is still scarce. In this study, for the first time, an artificialinfection of an ex-vivo skin model with Exophiala dermatitidis was monitoredmicroscopically and transcriptomically. Results show that Exophiala dermatitidis is ableto actively grow and penetrate the skin. The analysis of the genomic andRNA-sequencing data delivers a rich and complex transcriptome where circular RNAs,fusion transcripts, long non-coding RNAs and antisense transcripts are found. Changesin transcription strongly affect pathways related to nutrients acquisition, energymetabolism, cell wall, morphological switch, and known virulence factors. TheL-Tyrosine melanin pathway is specifically upregulated during infection. Moreover theproduction of secondary metabolites, especially alkaloids, is icreased. Our study is thefirst that gives an insight into the complexity of the transcriptome of Exophialadermatitidis during artificial skin infections and reveals new virulence factors.
Keywords
