Heat Shock Proteins in Dermatophytes: Current Advances and Perspectives

Autor(es)

Martinez-Rossi, Nilce M. ^[1] ; Jacob, Tiago R. ^[1] ; Sanches, Pablo R. ^[1] ; Peres, Nalu T. A. ^[2] ; Lang, Elza A. S. ^[1] ; Martins, Maira P. ^[1] ; Rossi, Antonio ^[1]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto Med Sch, Dept Genet, BR-14049900 Ribeirao Preto, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Fed Sergipe, Dept Morphol, Sao Cristovao, SE - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: CURRENT GENOMICS; v. 17, n. 2, p. 99-111, 2016.
• Citações Web of Science: 7

Resumo

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are proteins whose transcription responds rapidly to temperature shifts. They constitute a family of molecular chaperones, involved in the proper folding and stabilisation of proteins under physiological and adverse conditions. HSPs also assist in the protection and recovery of cells exposed to a variety of stressful conditions, including heat. The role of HSPs extends beyond chaperoning proteins, as they also participate in diverse cellular functions, such as the assembly of macromolecular complexes, protein transport and sorting, dissociation of denatured protein aggregates, cell cycle control, and programmed cell death. They are also important antigens from a variety of pathogens, are able to stimulate innate immune cells, and are implicated in acquired immunity. In fungi, HSPs have been implicated in virulence, dimorphic transition, and drug resistance. Some HSPs are potential targets for therapeutic strategies. In this review, we discuss the current understanding of HSPs in dermatophytes, which are a group of keratinophilic fungi responsible for superficial mycoses in humans and animals. Computational analyses were performed to characterise the group of proteins in these dermatophytes, as well as to assess their conservation and to identify DNA-binding domains (5'-nGAAn-3') in the promoter regions of the hsp genes. In addition, the quantification of the transcript levels of few genes in a pacC background helped in the development of an extended model for the regulation of the expression of the hsp genes, which supports the participation of the pH-responsive transcriptional regulator PacC in this process. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 14/03847-7 - Caracterização molecular de mecanismos envolvidos na patogenicidade e sinalização celular em fungos
• Beneficiário: Nilce Maria Martinez-Rossi
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Temático
• Processo FAPESP: 09/08411-4 - Caracterização funcional de genes do fungo patogênico Trichophyton rubrum durante o processo de interação com células e moléculas do microambiente hospedeiro.
• Beneficiário: Nalu Teixeira de Aguiar Peres
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Pós-Doutorado
• Processo FAPESP: 11/08424-9 - Genômica funcional e comparativa em fungos. Sub projeto: Genômica funcional de Trichophyton rubrum durante interação com pele e unha humana
• Beneficiário: Elza Akie Sakamoto Lang
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Pós-Doutorado