This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Tsai, H.-F.
Right arrow Articles by Kwon-Chung, K. J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Tsai, H.-F.
Right arrow Articles by Kwon-Chung, K. J.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

J Bacteriol, June 1998, p. 3031-3038, Vol. 180, No. 12
0021-9193/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

The Developmentally Regulated alb1 Gene of Aspergillus fumigatus: Its Role in Modulation of Conidial Morphology and Virulence

Huei-Fung Tsai,1 Yun C. Chang,1 Ronald G. Washburn,2 Michael H. Wheeler,3 and K. J. Kwon-Chung1,*

Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland 208921; Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 270062; and Cotton Pathology Research Unit, Southern Crops Research Laboratory, USDA Agricultural Research Service, College Station, Texas 778453

Received 12 February 1998/Accepted 14 April 1998

Aspergillus fumigatus, an important opportunistic pathogen which commonly affects neutropenic patients, produces conidia with a bluish-green color. We identified a gene, alb1, which is required for conidial pigmentation. The alb1 gene encodes a putative polyketide synthase, and disruption of alb1 resulted in an albino conidial phenotype. Expression of alb1 is developmentally regulated, and the 7-kb transcript is detected only during the conidiation stage. The alb1 mutation was found to block 1,3,6,8-tetrahydroxynaphthalene production, indicating that alb1 is involved in dihydroxynaphthalene-melanin biosynthesis. Scanning electron microscopy studies showed that the alb1 disruptant exhibited a smooth conidial surface, whereas complementation of the alb1 deletion restored the echinulate wild-type surface. Disruption of alb1 resulted in a significant increase in C3 binding on conidial surfaces, and the conidia of the alb1 disruptant were ingested by human neutrophils at a higher rate than were those of the wild type. The alb1-complemented strain producing bluish-green conidia exhibited inefficient C3 binding and neutrophil-mediated phagocytosis quantitatively similar to those of the wild type. Importantly, the alb1 disruptant had a statistically significant loss of virulence compared to the wild-type and alb1-complemented strains in a murine model. These results suggest that disruption of alb1 causes pleiotropic effects on conidial morphology and fungal virulence.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: NIH/NIAID, Building 10, Room 11C304, 10 Center Dr., MSC 1882, Bethesda, MD 20892-1882. Phone: (301) 496-1602. Fax: (301) 402-1003. E-mail: June_Kwon-Chung{at}NIH.GOV.

J Bacteriol, June 1998, p. 3031-3038, Vol. 180, No. 12
0021-9193/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Dagenais, T. R. T., Keller, N. P. (2009). Pathogenesis of Aspergillus fumigatus in Invasive Aspergillosis. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 22: 447-465 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Herrera, M. L., Vallor, A. C., Gelfond, J. A., Patterson, T. F., Wickes, B. L. (2009). Strain-Dependent Variation in 18S Ribosomal DNA Copy Numbers in Aspergillus fumigatus. J. Clin. Microbiol. 47: 1325-1332 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Schmaler-Ripcke, J., Sugareva, V., Gebhardt, P., Winkler, R., Kniemeyer, O., Heinekamp, T., Brakhage, A. A. (2009). Production of Pyomelanin, a Second Type of Melanin, via the Tyrosine Degradation Pathway in Aspergillus fumigatus. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 75: 493-503 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Wheeler, M. H., Abramczyk, D., Puckhaber, L. S., Naruse, M., Ebizuka, Y., Fujii, I., Szaniszlo, P. J. (2008). New Biosynthetic Step in the Melanin Pathway of Wangiella (Exophiala) dermatitidis: Evidence for 2-Acetyl-1,3,6,8-Tetrahydroxynaphthalene as a Novel Precursor. Eukaryot Cell 7: 1699-1711 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Grosse, C., Heinekamp, T., Kniemeyer, O., Gehrke, A., Brakhage, A. A. (2008). Protein Kinase A Regulates Growth, Sporulation, and Pigment Formation in Aspergillus fumigatus. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74: 4923-4933 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Behnsen, J., Hartmann, A., Schmaler, J., Gehrke, A., Brakhage, A. A., Zipfel, P. F. (2008). The Opportunistic Human Pathogenic Fungus Aspergillus fumigatus Evades the Host Complement System. Infect. Immun. 76: 820-827 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Hohl, T. M., Feldmesser, M. (2007). Aspergillus fumigatus: Principles of Pathogenesis and Host Defense. Eukaryot Cell 6: 1953-1963 [Full Text]  
  • Sugui, J. A., Pardo, J., Chang, Y. C., Zarember, K. A., Nardone, G., Galvez, E. M., Mullbacher, A., Gallin, J. I., Simon, M. M., Kwon-Chung, K. J. (2007). Gliotoxin Is a Virulence Factor of Aspergillus fumigatus: gliP Deletion Attenuates Virulence in Mice Immunosuppressed with Hydrocortisone. Eukaryot Cell 6: 1562-1569 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Sugui, J. A., Pardo, J., Chang, Y. C., Mullbacher, A., Zarember, K. A., Galvez, E. M., Brinster, L., Zerfas, P., Gallin, J. I., Simon, M. M., Kwon-Chung, K. J. (2007). Role of laeA in the Regulation of alb1, gliP, Conidial Morphology, and Virulence in Aspergillus fumigatus. Eukaryot Cell 6: 1552-1561 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • da Silva Ferreira, M. E., Kress, M. R. V. Z., Savoldi, M., Goldman, M. H. S., Hartl, A., Heinekamp, T., Brakhage, A. A., Goldman, G. H. (2006). The akuBKU80 Mutant Deficient for Nonhomologous End Joining Is a Powerful Tool for Analyzing Pathogenicity in Aspergillus fumigatus. Eukaryot Cell 5: 207-211 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Bok, J. W., Balajee, S. A., Marr, K. A., Andes, D., Nielsen, K. F., Frisvad, J. C., Keller, N. P. (2005). LaeA, a Regulator of Morphogenetic Fungal Virulence Factors. Eukaryot Cell 4: 1574-1582 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Tsitsigiannis, D. I., Bok, J.-W., Andes, D., Nielsen, K. F., Frisvad, J. C., Keller, N. P. (2005). Aspergillus Cyclooxygenase-Like Enzymes Are Associated with Prostaglandin Production and Virulence. Infect. Immun. 73: 4548-4559 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kim, J.-E., Han, K.-H., Jin, J., Kim, H., Kim, J.-C., Yun, S.-H., Lee, Y.-W. (2005). Putative Polyketide Synthase and Laccase Genes for Biosynthesis of Aurofusarin in Gibberella zeae. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 1701-1708 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Sugui, J. A., Chang, Y. C., Kwon-Chung, K. J. (2005). Agrobacterium tumefaciens-Mediated Transformation of Aspergillus fumigatus: an Efficient Tool for Insertional Mutagenesis and Targeted Gene Disruption. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 1798-1802 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Youngchim, S., Hay, R. J., Hamilton, A. J. (2005). Melanization of Penicillium marneffei in vitro and in vivo. Microbiology 151: 291-299 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Schrettl, M., Bignell, E., Kragl, C., Joechl, C., Rogers, T., Arst, H. N. Jr., Haynes, K., Haas, H. (2004). Siderophore Biosynthesis But Not Reductive Iron Assimilation Is Essential for Aspergillus fumigatus Virulence. JEM 200: 1213-1219 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Liebmann, B., Muller, M., Braun, A., Brakhage, A. A. (2004). The Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinase A Network Regulates Development and Virulence in Aspergillus fumigatus. Infect. Immun. 72: 5193-5203 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • O'Shea, B., Khare, S., Bliss, K., Klein, P., Ficht, T. A., Adams, L. G., Rice-Ficht, A. C. (2004). Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism Reveals Genomic Variability among Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis Isolates. J. Clin. Microbiol. 42: 3600-3606 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Youngchim, S., Morris-Jones, R., Hay, R. J., Hamilton, A. J. (2004). Production of melanin by Aspergillus fumigatus. J Med Microbiol 53: 175-181 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Morris-Jones, R., Youngchim, S., Gomez, B. L., Aisen, P., Hay, R. J., Nosanchuk, J. D., Casadevall, A., Hamilton, A. J. (2003). Synthesis of Melanin-Like Pigments by Sporothrix schenckii In Vitro and during Mammalian Infection. Infect. Immun. 71: 4026-4033 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • ROSEHART, K., RICHARDS, M. H., BIDOCHKA, M. J. (2002). Microsatellite analysis of environmental and clinical isolates of the opportunist fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus. J Med Microbiol 51: 1128-1134 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Nosanchuk, J. D., Gomez, B. L., Youngchim, S., Diez, S., Aisen, P., Zancope-Oliveira, R. M., Restrepo, A., Casadevall, A., Hamilton, A. J. (2002). Histoplasma capsulatum Synthesizes Melanin-Like Pigments In Vitro and during Mammalian Infection. Infect. Immun. 70: 5124-5131 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Calvo, A. M., Wilson, R. A., Bok, J. W., Keller, N. P. (2002). Relationship between Secondary Metabolism and Fungal Development. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 66: 447-459 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Bradshaw, R. E., Bhatnagar, D., Ganley, R. J., Gillman, C. J., Monahan, B. J., Seconi, J. M. (2002). Dothistroma pini, a Forest Pathogen, Contains Homologs of Aflatoxin Biosynthetic Pathway Genes. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68: 2885-2892 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Langfelder, K., Philippe, B., Jahn, B., Latge, J.-P., Brakhage, A. A. (2001). Differential Expression of the Aspergillus fumigatus pksP Gene Detected In Vitro and In Vivo with Green Fluorescent Protein. Infect. Immun. 69: 6411-6418 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Gomez, B. L., Nosanchuk, J. D., Diez, S., Youngchim, S., Aisen, P., Cano, L. E., Restrepo, A., Casadevall, A., Hamilton, A. J. (2001). Detection of Melanin-Like Pigments in the Dimorphic Fungal Pathogen Paracoccidioides brasiliensis In Vitro and during Infection. Infect. Immun. 69: 5760-5767 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Romero-Martinez, R., Wheeler, M., Guerrero-Plata, A., Rico, G., Torres-Guerrero, H. (2000). Biosynthesis and Functions of Melanin in Sporothrix schenckii. Infect. Immun. 68: 3696-3703 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Jahn, B., Boukhallouk, F., Lotz, J., Langfelder, K., Wanner, G., Brakhage, A. A. (2000). Interaction of Human Phagocytes with Pigmentless Aspergillus Conidia. Infect. Immun. 68: 3736-3739 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Tsai, H.-F., Wheeler, M. H., Chang, Y. C., Kwon-Chung, K. J. (1999). A Developmentally Regulated Gene Cluster Involved in Conidial Pigment Biosynthesis in Aspergillus fumigatus. J. Bacteriol. 181: 6469-6477 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Latge, J.-P. (1999). Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillosis. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 12: 310-350 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Tsai, H.-F., Fujii, I., Watanabe, A., Wheeler, M. H., Chang, Y. C., Yasuoka, Y., Ebizuka, Y., Kwon-Chung, K. J. (2001). Pentaketide Melanin Biosynthesis in Aspergillus fumigatus Requires Chain-length Shortening of a Heptaketide Precursor. J. Biol. Chem. 276: 29292-29298 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»