Transcriptional Profiling of the Environmental and Host Forms of the Fungal Pathogen Paracoccidioides lutzii
Author: Anyce Godoy
Faculty Supervisor: Mark Chan
Department: Biology
Thermally dimorphic fungi cause disease worldwide. For example, the infectious disease Paracoccidioidomycosis is caused by the fungal pathogen Paracoccidioides lutzii (Pl). Pl has the ability to grow in a filamentous form in the soil and a yeast form in a mammalian host, and is one of a group of fungal pathogens that the World Health Organization (WHO) has characterized as a priority group for further study (WHO, 2022). Upon disruption of the soil, Pl filaments release spores that can be inhaled by a mammalian host and subsequently convert to a pathogenic yeast form in response to host temperature, ultimately causing Paracoccidioidomycosis. While clinical cases of this disease are well-documented, the molecular characteristics of this pathogen are underexplored. My research question is to use RNAseq to compare the environmental and host forms of this organism. Ultimately I want to uncover the transcriptional differences between these phases and identify molecules and/or traits that are associated with pathogenesis. In the literature, Paracoccidioides hyphae and yeast can be generated in the laboratory by growing the cells at 25 or 37ºC, respectively. After optimization of growth conditions, hyphae and yeast were successfully collected and subjected to RNAseq. The resultant datasets are now being analyzed to identify transcripts that are enriched in each phase. Additionally, this dataset is being compared to the transcriptome of other dimorphic fungi. In the long run, this work will be a foundation to explore the basic biology of Paracoccidioides and identify potential therapeutic targets for further study.