Virulence and immune response characterization of clinical isolates of Aspergillus nidulans in a zebrafish infection model

• Grant number: 19/00631-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: May 01, 2019
• End date: April 22, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Molecular Genetics and Genetics of Microorganisms
• Principal Investigator: Gustavo Henrique Goldman
• Grantee: Rafael Wesley Bastos
• Supervisor: Nancy P Keller
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto (FCFRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 17/19821-5 - Molecular, phenotypic and immune response characterization of clinical isolates of Aspergillus nidulans, BP.PD

Abstract

Aspergillus nidulans predominantly causes infections in patients with a genetic immunodeficiency condition named Chronic Granulomatous Disease (CGD). However, it can also infect other immunocompromised patients. Although A. nidulans causes a severe, often fatal disease, especially in CGD patients, little is known about the fungus-host interaction, and how different strains may induce different immune responses. Therefore, the goal of this project is to characterize both virulence and immune responses of two clinical isolates of A. nidulans, and compare them with the reference strain A4, in a zebrafish-larval models - including CGD and neutropenic lines - for invasive aspergillosis (IA). The power of the zebrafish system is that it is amenable to live imaging in real time provides visualization of both host immune cells and fungal invasion. Finally, the present study has the potential to provide more in-depth knowledge on the different responses of the immune system to pathogen heterogeneity that could lead to new intervention approaches in controlling IA.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

DROTT, M. T.; BASTOS, R. W.; ROKAS, A.; RIES, L. N. A.; GABALDON, T.; GOLDMAN, G. H.; KELLER, N. P.; GRECO, C.. Diversity of Secondary Metabolism in Aspergillus nidulans Clinical Isolates. MSPHERE, v. 5, n. 2, MAR-APR 2020. (17/14159-2, 17/19821-5, 19/00631-7, 16/07870-9)

BASTOS, RAFAEL WESLEY; VALERO, CLARA; SILVA, LILIAN PEREIRA; SCHOEN, TAYLOR; DROTT, MILTON; BRAUER, VERONICA; SILVA-ROCHA, RAFAEL; LIND, ABIGAIL; STEENWYK, JACOB L.; ROKAS, ANTONIS; et al. Functional Characterization of Clinical Isolates of the Opportunistic Fungal Pathogen Aspergillus nidulans. MSPHERE, v. 5, n. 2, MAR-APR 2020. (19/00631-7, 18/14762-3, 16/07870-9, 17/14159-2, 17/19821-5)