Comprehensive genome and transcriptome analysis of the dermatophyte Trichophyton schoenleinii reveals the candidate pathogenic genes.

BACKGROUND: Trichophyton schoenleinii is an anthropophilic dermatophyte that causes tinea favosa. Nowadays, it remains an important pathogen in some regions of the world, mainly epidemic in Africa and West Asia. Despite the medical importance of T. schoenleinii infections, a high-quality reference genome for T. schoenleinii is still unavailable, neither its transcriptomic profile. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the current study was to improve understanding of the underlying pathogenic mechanism of T. schoenleinii, and to define the candidate pathogenic genes of T. schoenleinii. METHODS: Comprehensive genomic analysis of T. schoenleinii was carried out by Illumina and PacBio sequencing platforms. Transcriptome profiles of T. schoenleinii cultured in vitro in two media containing either keratin or soy protein were determined using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) technology. RESULTS: Here, we present the first draft genome sequence of T. schoenleinii strain T2s, which consists of 11 scaffolds containing 7474 predicted genes. Transcriptome analysis showed that genes involved in keratin hydrolysis have higher expression in T. schoenleinii grown in keratin medium, including genes encoding proteases, cysteine dioxygenase and acetamidase. Other genes with higher expression include genes encoding the components of the pH-responsive signal transduction pathways and transcription factors, many of which may play a role in pathogenicity. CONCLUSION: In summary, this study provides new insights into the pathogenic mechanism of T. schoenleinii and highlights candidate genes for further development of novel targets in disease diagnosis and treatment of tinea favosa.

Comparative Genomics and Molecular Analysis of Epidermophyton floccosum.

Epidermophyton floccosum is one of the most common agents of human superficial fungal infections, compared with genus Trichophyton and Microsporum, it possesses uniqueness in ecology traits and rarely causing hair infections. E. floccosum is so far the only representative species of genera Epidermophyton, and it is known as anthropophilic dermatophytes. To further reveal the genome sequences and clues of virulence factors, thus in this study, we sequenced the genome of E. floccosum (CGMCC (F) E1d), and performed comparative genomic analysis with other dermatophytes. It is revealed that E. floccosum owns the largest genome size and similar GC content compared with other dermatophytes. A total of 7565 genes are predicted. By comparing with the closest species N. gypseum, our study reveals that number and structure of adhesion factors, secreted proteases and LysM domain might contribute to the pathogenic and ecological traits of E. floccosum. Mating genes is also detected in genome data. Furthermore, we performed AFLP analysis trying to discuss intraspecific differences of E. floccosum, but no significant relationship is found between genotype and geographical distribution. Upon above, our study provides a deeper understanding and strong foundation for future researches about E. floccosum.

Assembly and analysis of the whole genome of Arthroderma uncinatum strain T10, compared with Microsporum canis and Trichophyton rubrum.

BACKGROUND: Arthroderma uncinatum is a geophilic dermatophyte that occasionally causes superficial infections in humans leading to skin diseases. OBJECTIVES: To better understand the ecology and potential pathogenicity of A uncinatum, we analysed its whole genome. We compared A uncinatum with the genome of the zoophilic dermatophyte Microsporum canis and with the anthropophilic species Trichophyton rubrum. The compared species differ significantly in the frequency of human infection. METHODS: We reported the genome sequence of strain T10 of A uncinatum based on SMRT (single-molecule real-time) technology (PacBio). RESULTS: We obtained a near-complete 23.56 Mb genome, with 7153 predicted gene models and ~20% repetitive sequences. We subsequently determined the specific genetic differences between A uncinatum, M canis and T rubrum. The functional enrichment analysis suggests that A uncinatum is particularly enriched in specific virulence genes. This suggests that the ancestral condition in dermatophytes is with high virulence, which has decreased in the course of evolution to enhance coexistence with animal or human hosts.

Whole-genome resequencing of Trichophyton rubrum provides insights into population differentiation and drug resistance.

Trichophyton rubrum (T. rubrum) is anthropophilic fungus and thus a very common cause of dermatophyte infections around the world. Infection of T. rubrum could result in conditions such as tinea capitis, tinea corporis, tinea inguinalis, tinea manus, tinea unguium, or tinea pedis. Because of this, the resistance of T. rubrum to antifungal therapies has drawn extensive research interest. However, the pathogenic characteristics of T. rubrum, such as site of infections, geographic location and host groups, have yet to be explored. In this study, the whole genome of 48 strains from different regions is resequenced and the population structure and association of single nucleotide polymorphism with resistance to six widely used antifungal drugs are analyzed. A total of 23,394 genomic variations are detected, which cover 2165 genes with only 15.14% of the variations located in exons. The population structure of T. rubrum is monomorphic, and genetic diversity is very low. Population structure analysis shows that the 48 sampled strains can be divided into two sub-populations. The gene TERG_08771 harboring the highest SNPs density is found to be associated with resistance to voriconazole. Although many proteins have yet to be identified and explored, association studies could still be useful to identify drug resistance or drug-susceptible loci, which would warrant further insightful investigations.

A retrospective analysis of the influencing factors and complications of Q-switched lasers in tattoo removal in China.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Q-switched (QS) lasers are the gold standard for tattoo removal. The purpose of the present study was to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the factors that influence the efficacy of QS lasers and their associated complications in the removal of tattoos in China. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Clinical data of 266 patients were analyzed retrospectively. The tattoo clearance rate was evaluated using the 4-point scale. The Cox regression model was applied to analyze the factors that affected the efficacy of QS lasers in tattoo removal. In addition, treatment-related adverse reactions were analyzed. RESULTS: The results showed that several variables had a statistically significant effect (p < 0.05) on the efficacy of QS laser-mediated tattoo removal treatment, including the patients' age, the tattoo's age, type, color, or ink density and the number of treatments. A variety of adverse responses occurred during the laser treatment. The overall incidence of adverse responses was approximately 24.06%, including pigmentation, hypopigmentation, bulla formation, allergic reactions, and skin texture changes or hypertrophic scarring. CONCLUSION: Some factors may influence the efficacy of QS lasers in the treatment of tattoos and certain adverse reactions may occur during this process.