Extracellular vesicles as mediators in interspecies communication in fungi

• Grant number: 23/12634-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2024
• End date: December 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Biology and Physiology of Microorganisms
• Principal Investigator: Fausto Bruno dos Reis Almeida
• Grantee: Daniel Freitas dos Santos
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/06794-5 - Fungal extracellular vesicles: immunomodulation and cellular communication, AP.JP2

Abstract

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) plays important role in biomolecule export systems. It act as vehicles for the complex cargos transfer with broad biological functions, crossing the fungal cell wall to reach the extracellular space and transport the virulence factors, thus contributing to the fungal infection success. EVs participate in bi-directional communication, enabling communication between fungal cells, with a direct impact on biofilm formation, stimulating the production of cytokines by cells of the immune system and favoring infection by the pathogen. Communication involving fungal EVs has been demonstrated in the interaction between fungal cells and plants, and in communication with mammalian cells, however interspecies (or genus) communication between fungi remains poorly explored. In this project, we propose the use of EVs from Candida auris (a yeast with multi-resistance to different drugs), which will be administered to Candida albicans cultures (with a profile susceptible to treatment), evaluating the differences in susceptibility to the drugs Fluconazole and Amphotericin B to observe the possible impacts on C. albicans, factors such as the production of EVs and its characteristics (size and production levels), cell growth, resistance to different concentrations of fluconazole and amphotericin B will be evaluated, and using real-time PCR, the genes expression involved in antifungal resistance. The influence of EVs on antifungal resistance will be used as model to detect and demonstrate interspecies communication between the yeasts in the study.