Proteomic characterization of Aspergillus fumigatus isolated from air and surfaces of the International Space Station

Adriana Blachowicz; Abby J Chiang; Jillian Romsdahl; Markus Kalkum; Clay C C Wang; Kasthuri Venkateswaran

doi:10.1016/j.fgb.2019.01.001

Proteomic characterization of Aspergillus fumigatus isolated from air and surfaces of the International Space Station

Fungal Genet Biol. 2019 Mar:124:39-46. doi: 10.1016/j.fgb.2019.01.001. Epub 2019 Jan 3.

Authors

Adriana Blachowicz¹, Abby J Chiang², Jillian Romsdahl³, Markus Kalkum², Clay C C Wang⁴, Kasthuri Venkateswaran⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Biotechnology and Planetary Protection Group, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
² Department of Molecular Immunology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA.
³ Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁴ Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Chemistry, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Electronic address: clayw@usc.edu.
⁵ Biotechnology and Planetary Protection Group, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA. Electronic address: kjvenkat@jpl.nasa.gov.

Abstract

The on-going Microbial Observatory Experiments on the International Space Station (ISS) revealed the presence of various microorganisms that may be affected by the distinct environment of the ISS. The low-nutrient environment combined with enhanced irradiation and microgravity may trigger changes in the molecular suite of microorganisms leading to increased virulence and resistance of microbes. Proteomic characterization of two Aspergillus fumigatus strains, ISSFT-021 and IF1SW-F4, isolated from HEPA filter debris and cupola surface of the ISS, respectively, is presented, along with a comparison to well-studied clinical isolates Af293 and CEA10. In-depth analysis highlights variations in the proteome of both ISS-isolated strains when compared to the clinical strains. Proteins that showed increased abundance in ISS isolates were overall involved in stress responses, and carbohydrate and secondary metabolism. Among the most abundant proteins were Pst2 and ArtA involved in oxidative stress response, PdcA and AcuE responsible for ethanol fermentation and glyoxylate cycle, respectively, TpcA, TpcF, and TpcK that are part of trypacidin biosynthetic pathway, and a toxin Asp-hemolysin. This report provides insight into possible molecular adaptation of filamentous fungi to the unique ISS environment.

Keywords: Aspergillus fumigatus; Proteome; The International Space Station.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Aspergillus fumigatus / isolation & purification
Aspergillus fumigatus / metabolism*
Carbohydrate Metabolism
Fungal Proteins / metabolism*
Mycotoxins / metabolism
Proteome*
Secondary Metabolism
Spacecraft*
Stress, Physiological
Weightlessness

Substances

Fungal Proteins
Mycotoxins
Proteome

Grants and funding

P30 CA033572/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States