Induction of gliotoxin secretion in Aspergillus fumigatus by bacteria-associated molecules

PLoS One. 2014 Apr 4;9(4):e93685. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0093685. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Aspergillus fumigatus is the most common causative agent of mold diseases in humans, giving rise to life-threatening infections in immunocompromised individuals. One of its secreted metabolites is gliotoxin, a toxic antimicrobial agent. The aim of this study was to determine whether the presence of pathogen-associated molecular patterns in broth cultures of A. fumigatus could induce gliotoxin production. Gliotoxin levels were analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. The presence of a bacteria-derived lipopolysaccharide, peptidoglycan, or lipoteichoic acid in the growth media at a concentration of 5 μg/ml increased the gliotoxin concentration in the media by 37%, 65%, and 35%, respectively. The findings reveal a correlation between the concentrations of pathogen-associated molecular patterns and gliotoxin secretion. This shows that there is a yet uncharacterized detection system for such compounds within fungi. Inducing secondary metabolite production by such means in fungi is potentially relevant for drug discovery research. Our results also give a possible explanation for the increased virulence of A. fumigatus during bacterial co-infection, one that is important for the transition from colonization to invasiveness in this pulmonary disease.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aspergillus fumigatus / metabolism*
  • Aspergillus fumigatus / pathogenicity
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
  • Culture Media / chemistry
  • Gliotoxin / metabolism*
  • Lipopolysaccharides / analysis
  • Lipopolysaccharides / pharmacology
  • Mass Spectrometry
  • Peptidoglycan / analysis
  • Peptidoglycan / pharmacology
  • Teichoic Acids / analysis
  • Teichoic Acids / pharmacology
  • Virulence

Substances

  • Culture Media
  • Lipopolysaccharides
  • Peptidoglycan
  • Teichoic Acids
  • lipoteichoic acid
  • Gliotoxin

Grants and funding

This work has been financially supported by the Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems - VINNOVA (http://www.vinnova.se/en). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.