Biology subjects

Trentin, G.

Publications and source records attributed to Trentin, G..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Cross-Species Communication via Fungal Extracellular Vesicles

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) play crucial roles in fungal communication and host immune modulation, representing potential therapeutic targets for fungal infections. This study investigated the role of fungal EVs in both intra- and interspecies communication, focusing on their effects on virulence and immune responses. Co-incubation experiments were performed using EVs derived from Candida albicans and Candida auris to assess interactions with C. albicans planktonic cells and biofilms, as well as Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii EVs interacting with C. neoformans cultures. EVs were observed associating with recipient cell surfaces, suggesting subsequent internalization. Functional assays revealed that EV exposure led to increased expression of Cap59, Lac1, Ure1, and Erg11 genes, correlating with reduced antifungal susceptibility in both planktonic and biofilm forms. Additionally, EVs facilitated cross-species communication, enhancing biofilm adhesion and dispersion, which underscores their role in phenotypic modulation. Macrophages stimulated with fungal EVs exhibited receptor-specific gene expression changes, notably the upregulation of galectin-3, along with a pro-inflammatory phenotype marked by increased iNOS expression and elevated cytokine levels (IL-1{beta}, IL-6, and IL-8). Collectively, these findings underscore a critical role for fungal EVs in interspecies communication, biofilm regulation, and immune modulation, offering valuable insights into fungal pathogenicity mechanisms. ImportanceCurrently, no vaccines exist to prevent fungal infections, underscoring the need for new therapies. As fungal diseases increase globally, understanding fungal biology is essential to identifying treatment targets. Fungi use EVs to communicate and evade immune responses. EVs mediate cell-cell communication, transporting proteins, polysaccharides, lipids, and nucleic acids - serving as "messages" exchanged within a fungal network. Understanding how these vesicles facilitate communication not only within a single species but also across different fungal species can shed light on their contribution to infection persistence and cross-species adaptability. Moreover, EVs may have a broader role in inter-kingdom communication, influencing how fungi interact with host immune cells. The impact of fungal EVs on human innate immune responses remains a largely underexplored area, with significant gaps in our knowledge. This study aims to examine how fungal EVs affect immune responses and whether their signaling varies across species, potentially revealing new therapeutic targets.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2021

Fungal extracellular vesicles are involved in intraspecies intracellular communication

Fungal infections are associated with high mortality rates in humans. The risk of fungal diseases creates the urgent need to broaden the knowledge base regarding their pathophysiology. In this sense, the role of extracellular vesicles (EVs) has been described to convey biological information and participate in the fungal-host interaction process. EVs play many roles, including cellular physiology, responding to environmental cues, mediating a complex circuit of cellular communication in bidirectional crosstalk with other organisms, and the communication between fungal cells has been speculated. This study demonstrated the intra species uptake of EVs in fungi, including Candida albicans, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, and the effects triggered by EVs in fungal cells. In C. albicans, we evaluated the involvement of EVs in yeast to hyphae transition, whilst in P. brasiliensis and A. fumigatus the function of EVs as stress transducers was investigated. Both P. brasiliensis and A. fumigatus were exposed to an inhibitor of glycosylation or UV light, respectively. The results demonstrated the role of EVs in regulating the expression of target genes and phenotype features. The EVs treatment induced cellular proliferation and boosted the transition yeast to hyphal transition in C. albicans, while they enhanced stress signals in A. fumigatus and P. brasiliensis, establishing a role for EVs in fungal intra species communication. Thus, fungal EVs regulate the virulence and adaptive traits in fungal interaction systems as potent message effectors, and understanding their effects and mechanism(s) of action could be exploited in antifungal therapies. Author SummaryExtracellular vesicles (EVs) play an important role in export systems. They act as vehicles for the transference of complex cargoes with broad biological functions, such as proteins, carbohydrates, pigments, nucleic acids, and lipids. EVs can contribute to fungal infection outcomes. The EV content exerts immunomodulatory functions during fungus-host interactions. Furthermore, the participation of EVs in communication between fungal cells has been speculated. This study investigated the capacity of EVs to mediate intra-species in three genera of human pathogenic fungi and established a regulatory function of EVs. We also assessed the features of this regulation by analyzing the cellular morphological aspects of fungi after stimulation with EVs. Our data suggest fungal EVs can function as potent signal mediators that mediate virulence and adaptive responses.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2020

Integrated transcriptional analysis of the cellular and extracellular vesicle RNA content of Candida auris in response to caspofungin

Candida auris has emerged as a serious worldwide threat by causing invasive infections in humans that are frequently resistant to one or more conventional antifungal medications, resulting in high mortality rates. Against this backdrop, health warnings around the world have focused efforts on understanding C. auris fungal biology and effective treatment approaches to combat this fungus. To date, there is little information about C. auris gene expression regulation in response to antifungal treatment. Our integrated analyses focused on the comparative transcriptomics of C. auris in the presence and absence of caspofungin as well as a detailed analysis of the yeasts extracellular vesicle (EV)-RNA composition. The results showed that genes coding oxidative stress response, ribosomal proteins, cell wall, and cell cycle were significantly upregulated in the presence of caspofungin, whereas transcriptional regulators and proteins related to the nucleus were downregulated. The mRNAs in the EVs were associated with stress responses induced by caspofungin and the ncRNA content of the EVs shifted during caspofungin treatment. Altogether, the results provide further insights into the fungal response to caspofungin and demonstrate that analyses of C. auris growth under antifungal stress can elucidate resistance and survival mechanisms of this fungus in response to medical therapy.

molecular biology↗