Nucleotide Sequence Database Comparison for Routine Dermatophyte Identification by Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 Genetic Region DNA Barcoding.

Conventional dermatophyte identification is based on morphological features. However, recent studies have proposed to use the nucleotide sequences of the rRNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region as an identification barcode of all fungi, including dermatophytes. Several nucleotide databases are available to compare sequences and thus identify isolates; however, these databases often contain mislabeled sequences that impair sequence-based identification. We evaluated five of these databases on a clinical isolate panel. We selected 292 clinical dermatophyte strains that were prospectively subjected to an ITS2 nucleotide sequence analysis. Sequences were analyzed against the databases, and the results were compared to clusters obtained via DNA alignment of sequence segments. The DNA tree served as the identification standard throughout the study. According to the ITS2 sequence identification, the majority of strains (255/292) belonged to the genus Trichophyton, mainly T. rubrum complex (n = 184), T. interdigitale (n = 40), T. tonsurans (n = 26), and T. benhamiae (n = 5). Other genera included Microsporum (e.g., M. canis [n = 21], M. audouinii [n = 10], Nannizzia gypsea [n = 3], and Epidermophyton [n = 3]). Species-level identification of T. rubrum complex isolates was an issue. Overall, ITS DNA sequencing is a reliable tool to identify dermatophyte species given that a comprehensive and correctly labeled database is consulted. Since many inaccurate identification results exist in the DNA databases used for this study, reference databases must be verified frequently and amended in line with the current revisions of fungal taxonomy. Before describing a new species or adding a new DNA reference to the available databases, its position in the phylogenetic tree must be verified.

A Case of Fungus Ball-Type Maxillary Sinusitis Due to Penicillium Roqueforti.

The Penicillium genera, encompassing about 225 different species of fungi, are naturally present in the environment. These genera are poorly linked to human disease, except for Penicillium marneffei causing septicemia in immunocompromised hosts. Thus, Penicillium species recovered from respiratory tract samples are often considered as inhaled contaminants in the clinical laboratory. However, we report here a case of fungal maxillary sinusitis due to Penicillium roqueforti diagnosed in a 40-year-old female, a teacher, complaining of moderate pain for months in the maxillary sinus and chronic posterior rhinorrhea. CT scanner and MRI enabled a preliminary diagnosis of left maxillary fungus ball-type sinusitis with calcified material seen on CT and marked very low signal in T2 weighted images seen on MRI. Anatomopathological and mycological examination of sinusal content showed septate hyphae. Direct sequencing of the sinusal content revealed P. roqueforti. P. roqueforti has been traditionally used in France for more than 200 years for cheese ripening. However, to our knowledge, this ascomycetous fungus has very rarely been associated in the literature with human disease. P. roqueforti is associated only with cheese worker's lung, a hypersensitivity pneumonitis affecting employees in blue cheese factories. Other species in the Penicillium genus are reported to cause various disorders such as invasive infection, superficial infection or allergic diseases. P. roqueforti has never previously been reported as a cause of human infection. Thus, we report the first case of fungus ball due to P. roqueforti in an immunocompetent patient.

Validation of a New Web Application for Identification of Fungi by Use of Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry has emerged as a reliable technique to identify molds involved in human diseases, including dermatophytes, provided that exhaustive reference databases are available. This study assessed an online identification application based on original algorithms and an extensive in-house reference database comprising 11,851 spectra (938 fungal species and 246 fungal genera). Validation criteria were established using an initial panel of 422 molds, including dermatophytes, previously identified via DNA sequencing (126 species). The application was further assessed using a separate panel of 501 cultured clinical isolates (88 mold taxa including dermatophytes) derived from five hospital laboratories. A total of 438 (87.35%) isolates were correctly identified at the species level, while 26 (5.22%) were assigned to the correct genus but the wrong species and 37 (7.43%) were not identified, since the defined threshold of 20 was not reached. The use of the Bruker Daltonics database included in the MALDI Biotyper software resulted in a much higher rate of unidentified isolates (39.76 and 74.30% using the score thresholds 1.7 and 2.0, respectively). Moreover, the identification delay of the online application remained compatible with real-time online queries (0.15 s per spectrum), and the application was faster than identifications using the MALDI Biotyper software. This is the first study to assess an online identification system based on MALDI-TOF spectrum analysis. We have successfully applied this approach to identify molds, including dermatophytes, for which diversity is insufficiently represented in commercial databases. This free-access application is available to medical mycologists to improve fungal identification.

Investigation of skin microbiota reveals Mycobacterium ulcerans-Aspergillus sp. trans-kingdom communication.

Mycobacterium ulcerans secrete a series of non-ribosomal-encoded toxins known as mycolactones that are responsible for causing a disabling ulceration of the skin and subcutaneous tissues named Buruli ulcer. The disease is the sole non-contagion among the three most common mycobacterial diseases in humans. Direct contact with contaminated wetlands is a risk factor for Buruli ulcer, responsible for M. ulcerans skin carriage before transcutaneous inoculation with this opportunistic pathogen. In this study, we analysed the bacterial and fungal skin microbiota in individuals exposed to M. ulcerans in Burkina Faso. We showed that M. ulcerans-specific DNA sequences were detected on the unbreached skin of 6/52 (11.5%) asymptomatic farmers living in Sindou versus 0/52 (0%) of those living in the non-endemic region of Tenkodogo. Then, we cultured the skin microbiota of asymptomatic M. ulcerans carriers and negative control individuals, all living in the region of Sindou. A total of 84 different bacterial and fungal species were isolated, 21 from M. ulcerans-negative skin samples, 31 from M. ulcerans-positive samples and 32 from both. More specifically, Actinobacteria, Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus were significantly associated with M. ulcerans skin carriage. We further observed that in vitro, mycolactones induced spore germination of A. flavus, attracting the fungal network. These unprecedented observations suggest that interactions with fungi may modulate the outcome of M. ulcerans skin carriage, opening new venues to the understanding of Buruli ulcer pathology, prophylaxis and treatment of this still neglected tropical infection.

Maxillary fungus balls due to Fusarium proliferatum.

Fungus ball is the most common form of non-invasive fungal rhinosinusitis. Aspergillusfumigatus (between 44.8% and 75%) and Aspergillusflavus (14%) are the two most common species recovered. However, recent advances in mycological laboratory methods have enhanced the detection and identification of fungi within fungus balls. Fusarium species, sometimes recovered from other forms of fungal rhinosinusitis such as allergic fungal rhinosinusitis or acute invasive fungal rhinosinusitis, are poorly associated with sinonasal fungus ball. Here, we describe two further cases of a fungus ball due to Fusariumproliferatum and provide the first description of this fungal pathogen with a fungus ball of odontogenic origin. These case reports demonstrate that uncommon fungal species such as Fusarium spp. might be underestimated as agents of sinusal cavity fungus ball. Enhanced mycological detection and diagnostic techniques might give rise, in the near future, to the emergence of new or rare fungal species associated with this clinical entity.

Myelin synthesis in the peripheral nervous system.

By imposing saltatory conduction on the nervous impulse, the principal role of the myelin sheath is to allow the faster propagation of action potentials along the axons which it surrounds. Peripheral nervous system (PNS) myelin is formed by the differentiation of the plasma membrane of Schwann cells. One of the biochemical characteristics that distinguishes myelin from other biological membranes is its high lipid-to-protein ratio. All the major lipid classes are represented in the myelin membrane, while several myelin-specific proteins have been identified. During development, the presence of axons is required for the initiation of myelination, but the nature of the axonal signal is still unknown. The only certainties are that this signal is synthesized by axons whose diameter is greater than 0.7 microm, and that the signal(s) include(s) a diffusible molecule. Morphological studies have provided us with information concerning the timing of myelination, the mechanism by which immature Schwann cells differentiate into a myelinating phenotype and lay down the myelin sheath around the axon, and the accumulation and the structure of the myelin membrane. The last 20 years have seen the identification and the cDNA and gene cloning of the major PNS myelin proteins, which signalled the beginning of the knock-out decade: transgenic null-mutant mice have been created for almost every protein gene. The study of these animals shows that the formation of myelin is considerably less sensitive to molecular alterations than the maintenance of myelin. During the same period, important data has been gathered concerning the synthesis and function of lipids in PNS myelin, although this field has received relatively little attention compared with that of their protein counterparts.

Phospholipid acylation by mouse sciatic nerve microsomes.

The partition of 0.3 nmol of [1-14C]oleoyl-CoA in the microsomes (10 micrograms proteins) from mouse sciatic nerves is unaffected by the presence of lysophospholipids and is about 45% of the total oleoyl-CoA (77% of the acylglycerophosphocholine partition in the membrane). The concentration of both oleoyl-CoA and acylglycerophosphocholine is over 1 mM in the membrane. There is a selective acyl transfer from acyl-CoA to lysolipid acceptors (oleoyl greater than myristoyl, palmitoyl, stearoyl much greater than eicosanoyl greater than docosanoyl, tetracosanoyl). The exogenous acyl acceptors are acylglycerophosphocholine and acylglycerophosphoinositol and to a lesser extent acylglycerophosphoethanolamine, but not acylglycerophosphoserine. A PC formation from acylGPC in the absence of exogenous acyl donors or from oleoyl-CoA in the absence of exogenous acyl acceptor was also observed.

Fatty acid biosynthesis in the peripheral nervous system of normal and Trembler mice.

De novo fatty acid biosynthesis was demonstrated in a particle-free supernatant from normal and Trembler mouse sciatic nerves. In both systems, it required acetyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA, and led chiefly to the formation of free palmitic acid. No palmitoyl-CoA formation was detected. The ability of the cell-free extract of the mutant to form palmitic acid in vitro was greater than that of the control extracts when the results were expressed as the total activity per 100 mg of freshly excised sciatic nerves.

Interaction of amphiphilic substrates (acyl-CoAs) and their metabolites (free fatty acids) with microsomes from mouse sciatic nerves.

We have measured the partition of stearoyl-CoA and oleoyl-CoA between an aqueous phase and the microsomes from mouse sciatic nerves. A method of microultracentrifugation was used which allowed us to study separately the aqueous phase and the biological membranes. We observed that the partition is dependent upon the amount of acyl-CoAs and membrane proteins but seems to be independent of time. A theoretical analysis of these data allowed interpretation of the binding and release in terms of acyl-CoA surface density in the vesicles. We have also analyzed the fate of the membrane-bound acyl-CoAs. We show that, whereas the apparent partition does not seem to vary, the hydrolysis of the membrane-bound acyl-CoAs followed by the release of free fatty acids from the membrane leads to a modification of the partition of acyl-CoAs between the membrane and the aqueous phase. We propose that there is a constant partition of the aliphatic chains (acyl-CoAs + free fatty acids).

Transfer and subsequent metabolism of lysolipids studied by immobilizing subcellular compartments in alginate beads.

The transfer and subsequent metabolism of lysophosphatidylcholine between subcellular compartments were studied in vitro by embedding membranes in alginate beads. After several experiments to validate the process, it was demonstrated that lysophosphatidylcholine was transferred from microsomes embedded in alginate beads to immobilized chloroplasts, that this transfer involved the partition of this molecule, and that the imported lysophosphatidylcholine was further used as substrate for phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis. More generally, the technique used makes it possible to avoid any cross-contamination between compartments, to evidence a transfer of molecules, and to study the metabolism of the imported molecules in the acceptor compartment.

Arginyl residues are involved in acyl-CoA binding to the elongase from etiolated leek seedlings.

The C18:0-CoA elongase from etiolated leek seedling microsomes was inactivated by treatment with phenylglyoxal, a reagent which specifically modifies arginyl residues. In the presence of 20 mM phenylglyoxal, 95% of the C18:0-CoA elongation was inhibited. The condensation and dehydration reactions of the overall elongation were totally inhibited, whereas enoyl-CoA reductase activity was diminished by 75%, but the nature of the final elongation product was unchanged. Phenylglyoxal did not modify the C18:0-CoA partition between membrane and aqueous compartments; moreover, [1-14C]phenylglyoxal labeling experiments showed a covalent binding of the inhibitor to membrane proteins. The ability of several substrates to prevent the inactivation by phenylglyoxal was investigated. NADH and NADPH had no effect. CoA led to a 75% protection, and the incorporation of [14C]phenylglyoxal was strongly affected by 10 mM CoA. The acyl chain length of the acyl-CoAs played also a crucial role in preventing the binding of phenylglyoxal. The maximal prevention of phenylglyoxal inhibition was obtained with C18:0-CoA. This suggests that arginyl residues could be present in the vicinity of the acyl-CoA binding site of the subunits of C18:0-CoA elongase.

Effect of cerulenin on the synthesis of very-long-chain fatty acids in microsomes from leek seedlings.

Cerulenin inhibits the elongation of stearoyl-CoA and eicosanoyl-CoA by microsomes from leek seedlings. The inhibition depends on the cerulenin concentration and affects the biosynthesis of docosanoic and tetracosanoic acids only slightly more than that of eicosanoic acid. A 30-min preincubation of the microsomes with cerulenin allows a quantitative inhibition of the elongation at 50 microM cerulenin (50% inhibition at 15 microM cerulenin). A kinetic study of the elongating activity in the presence or in the absence of the inhibitor suggests that the inhibition is non-competitive. Analysis of the products of the reaction suggests that 3-ketoacyl-CoA synthase is the target of cerulenin. A study of the partial reactions demonstrates that the inhibition affects almost exclusively the condensation step.

Monensin blocks the transfer of very long chain fatty acid containing lipids to the plasma membrane of leek seedlings. Evidence for lipid sorting based on fatty acyl chain length.

Delivery of newly synthesized fatty acids and lipids to the plasma membrane in leek seedlings via the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-Golgi apparatus pathway is primarily by bulk transport (without sorting). However, pulse-chase experiments revealed kinetics of transport of lipids with VLCFA (very long chain fatty acids having more than 18 carbon atoms) in favor of a preferential transfer of these molecules to the plasma membrane. Use of monensin showed the accumulation of lipids in the Golgi apparatus and a related decrease of the amount of lipids transported to the plasma membrane. Lipid and fatty acid analyses revealed that transport of VLCFA-containing phospholipids was most strongly inhibited by the monensin block. These results taken together with an inability of the plasma membrane to synthesize VLCFA support a role for the Golgi apparatus in VLCFA delivery to the plasma membrane and leads to the hypothesis of a sorting function as well, based on fatty acyl chain length.

Effect of low temperatures on the transfer of phospholipids with various acyl-chain lengths to the plasma membrane of leek cells.

The intracellular transport of lipids with very-long-chain acyl moieties (C20-C24 fatty acid-containing lipids) to the plasma membrane of leek cells follows the vesicular ER-Golgi apparatus-plasma membrane pathway. Here we report on the effect of low temperatures on the vesicular transport of lipids and especially C20-C24 fatty acid-containing lipids to the plasma membrane of leek cells. These lipids, normally transported through the ER-Golgi apparatus-plasma membrane pathway at 24 degrees C, accumulated in the ER and the Golgi apparatus at 12 degrees C with a related deficit in the plasma membrane. As lipids with long chain acyl moieties (C16 and C18 fatty acid-containing lipids) were still transferred to the plasma membrane at 12 degrees C, the data demonstrate a specific effect of low temperatures on the vesicular transfer of C20-C24 fatty acid-containing lipids to the plasma membrane of leek cells. Therefore, evidence is provided for distinct pathways and/or mechanisms transferring lipids to the plasma membrane of leek cells which differ in their sensitivity to low temperatures.

Solubilization and partial purification of constituents of acyl-CoA elongase from Lunaria annua.

All the constituent enzymes of acyl-CoA elongase, i.e., beta-ketoacyl-CoA synthase, beta-ketoacyl-CoA reductase, beta-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrase and trans-2-enoyl-CoA reductase, have been solubilized from a 15,000 x g particulate fraction from developing seeds of honesty (Lunaria annua) using Triton X-100. All these activities were retained upon subsequent precipitation of the solubilized protein with polyethylene glycol and resuspension of the precipitate followed by ion exchange chromatography of the resulting protein on DEAE-cellulose. A 4.2-fold enrichment of the acyl-CoA elongase was thus obtained. Further chromatography of the DEAE fraction containing all the constituents of acyl-CoA elongase on Ultrogel yielded a major protein fraction exhibiting the activities of beta-ketoacyl-CoA synthase and beta-ketoacyl-CoA reductase only. Almost 30-fold purification of the beta-ketoacyl-CoA synthase was thus achieved. The beta-ketoacyl-CoA synthase was inhibited only at high concentrations of cerulenin, but at very low concentrations of iodoacetamide. Inhibition could be reduced by preincubation with thioesters, indicating that an enzyme thioester intermediate is involved in the condensation reaction of the acyl-CoA elongation.

Evaluation of the amount of acyl-CoA elongases in leek (Allium porrum L) leaves.

Polyclonal antibodies have been raised against the acyl-CoA elongase purified from leek epidermal cells. The antibodies recognize the fractions containing the elongating activity after DEAE or Ultrogel chromatography and their response with the other fractions is very low. The immune complex is immunoprecipitable with Protein A-Sepharose. 1% of the solubilized proteins from leek epidermis microsomes are immunoprecipitated. The immunoprecipitate contains an elongating activity which is 86 +/- 20-times that of the unbound fraction.

Occurrence and characterization of a dehydratase enzyme in the leek icosanoyl-CoA synthase complex.

The presence of a beta-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydratase involved in the icosanoyl-CoA synthase (EC 2.3.1.119) complex of leek epidermis has been demonstrated using antibodies raised against the purified beta-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydratase from rat liver. In a first step the leek icosanoyl-CoA synthase activity was measured in the presence of different amounts of this antibody, the results obtained showed a 75% inhibition of the activity using a 8:1 IgG/microsomal protein ratio, whereas only a weak diminution of the activity occurred using pre-immune IgG. The analysis of the reaction products after incubation in the presence of increasing IgG amounts showed a decrease of the fatty acids (the final product) and an accumulation of beta-hydroxy fatty acids using immune IgG, whereas no change occurred in the presence of pre-immune IgG. Moreover, the beta-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydratase activity was strongly inhibited, whereas in the same conditions, the beta-ketoacyl-CoA reductase and the (trans-2-3) enoyl-CoA reductase activities were not affected. The protein fractions that eluted from the DEAE and Ultrogel columns containing the leek icosanoyl-CoA synthase activity were able to specifically bind the anti beta-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydratase from rat liver. The cross-reactivity was demonstrated. In immunoblotting experiments using the same antiserum after SDS-PAGE of the purified leek icosanoyl-CoA synthase, only one of the four protein bands constituting the leek icosanoyl-CoA synthase was detected. This protein, having an apparent molecular mass of 65 kDa, could be the dehydratase component of the elongation complex.

Cell-free transfer of phospholipids between the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi apparatus of leek seedlings.

The transfer of lipids between the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi apparatus was investigated in vitro using a cell-free system from leek seedlings. Lipids of the donor membranes (endoplasmic reticulum) were radiolabeled either by incubating leek seedlings with [1-14C]acetate or [3H]acetate. Acceptor membranes (Golgi apparatus) were unlabeled and immobilized on nitrocellulose strips. The assay measured the lipid transfer resulting from both an ATP-independent process and an ATP- and cytosol-dependent process. A significant ATP- and cytosol-dependent lipid transfer was observed only in the case of the endoplasmic reticulum as donor and the Golgi apparatus as acceptor. Lipids transferred in an ATP-dependent manner were chiefly phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylserine. The stimulation of lipid transfer by ATP as compared to the ATP-independent process was +79% (PC), +123% (PS) and +69% (PE). On the other hand, PI was not transferred in an ATP-dependent manner (the stimulation by ATP was only 20%). This supports the theory that a sorting of phospholipids takes place in the donor membrane. Moreover, a formation of lysoPC was observed only in the presence of ATP (+330%). The ATP-dependent lipid transfer was inhibited by N-ethylmaleimide, indicating the involvement of cytosolic (but no phospholipid transfer proteins) or membrane proteins in the transfer process. The ATP-dependent transfer of lipids was also diminished at 12 degrees C showing the sensitivity to low temperatures of the transfer of lipids between the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi apparatus.

Acyl transfer reactions associated with cis Golgi apparatus of rat liver.

Isolated Golgi apparatus, highly purified from rat liver, were found to contain an acyl transfer activity capable of restoring the acyl chains of the lysophospholipid products of the action of phospholipase A2 on phosphatidylcholine. The activity was located primarily in cis and medial Golgi apparatus fractions, had a pH optimum of 6.0 to 7.5 and was stimulated by various acyl-CoA derivatives but not by fatty acids plus ATP. The activity, determined from the conversion of [14C]lysophosphatidylcholine to [14C]phosphatidylcholine, was unaffected by EGTA, inhibited by manoalide at high concentrations (0.2 mM), and temperature-dependent. Temperature dependency, however, showed no definite transition temperature over the range 15 to 37 degrees C. The results demonstrated that cis Golgi apparatus membranes have the enzymatic capacity to restore fatty acids lost from phospholipids through the action of phospholipase A. The latter has been previously suggested to occur at the cis Golgi apparatus membranes based on analyses of cell-free transfer of radiolabeled phosphatidylcholine.

Ceramide excluded from cell-free vesicular lipid transfer from endoplasmic reticulum to Golgi apparatus. Evidence for lipid sorting.

The distribution and cell-free transfer of ceramide and other lipids were compared using highly purified fractions of endoplasmic reticulum, transitional endoplasmic reticulum, transition vesicles and Golgi apparatus from rat liver. Ceramides were present in both endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus where they represented between 0.3 and 1% of the total lipids. Ceramides, however, were much reduced or absent (< 0.05%) from transition vesicles. Transition vesicles were induced to form from transitional endoplasmic reticulum by incubation with ATP and a cytosol fraction. When transfer of [14C]choline-labeled phosphatidylcholine from transitional endoplasmic reticulum to Golgi apparatus was followed, transition vesicles were more efficient in transfer than the transitional endoplasmic reticulum from which they were derived. This transfer was temperature- and ATP-dependent and inhibited by N-ethylmaleimide. When transfer of [3H]ceramide was followed, there was little or no transfer via transition vesicles and that transfer which occurred was temperature-, ATP- and N-ethylmaleimide independent. Transfer of ceramide in the cell-free system did occur from endoplasmic reticulum to Golgi apparatus but via a non-vesicular mechanism that was temperature-dependent but not dependent on ATP or cytosol, alone, or in combination, nor was it inhibited by N-ethylmaleimide. A component of phosphatidylcholine transfer exhibited similar characteristics. The results provide evidence for two distinct mechanisms for cell-free transfer of lipids from endoplasmic reticulum to Golgi apparatus. The first is via 50 to 70 nm transition vesicles which is temperature- and ATP-dependent, inhibited by N-ethylmaleimide and from which ceramides are excluded. The second is non-vesicular, temperature-dependent, and neither ATP- nor cytosol-dependent. It accounts for the bulk of the ceramide transfer. As a result during cell-free lipid transfer from endoplasmic reticulum to Golgi apparatus, lipid sorting occurs such that ceramides are largely absent from the transition vesicles and, apparently are delivered to the Golgi apparatus by another mechanism.