Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is caused by the mould Aspergillus fumigatus and is an understudied disease of growing significance that causes over 3,500 deaths in the United States annually. The spectrum of patients susceptible to A. fumigatus infections is also dramatically increasing with the development of new medical technologies. Currently, our understanding of the mechanisms utilized by this common mould to cause disease is limited. Though it is likely that A. fumigatus encounters significant environmental stress during IA, how the fungus adapts to micro-environments found in vivo at sites of infection is not fully understood. We have discovered that A. fumigatus encounters significant hypoxia during infection. Importantly, we have discovered that adaptation to hypoxia is genetically regulated in this mould and required for fungal virulence. Thus, the long-term objective of this proposal is to define the molecular mechanisms utilized by this fungus to adapt to hypoxia and cause disease in immunocompromised patients. This may lead to development of novel therapeutic interventions for IA. This proposal has three specific aims designed to define the molecular mechanism of hypoxia adaptation as mediated by a sterol-regulatory element binding protein (SREBP), SrbA, that mediates hypoxia adaptation and fungal virulence in A. fumigatus.
In aim 1, we will define where and when SrbA is activated in A. fumigatus establishing the first part of a model of SrbA mediated hypoxia adaptation in A. fumigatus.
In aim 2, we will identify and characterize the key players that interact with SrbA and likely regulate its activity adding the second regulatory layer to our model.
In aim 3, the key downstream effectors of SrbA that mediate adaptation to hypoxia by A. fumigatus will be identified and characterized. Completion of these 3 aims will offer much needed insights into the mechanisms of a novel virulence attribute of A. fumigatus and lay the foundation for a model of SREBP signaling in a pathogenic mould for the first time. Investigations in these specific aims will also provide additional targets for future studies to elucidate mechanisms of hypoxia adaptation that may be applicable to a broad-spectrum of pathogenic moulds.

Public Health Relevance

Lethal infections by common moulds are becoming increasingly common with advances in medical technologies. Treatment options for these infections are very limited, and new therapeutic interventions are urgently needed. This proposal seeks to discover new therapeutic options to treat invasive aspergillosis caused by the filamentous mould Aspergillus fumigatus.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
7R01AI081838-05
Application #
8538648
Study Section
Pathogenic Eukaryotes Study Section (PTHE)
Program Officer
Duncan, Rory A
Project Start
2009-08-15
Project End
2014-07-31
Budget Start
2012-09-01
Budget End
2014-07-31
Support Year
5
Fiscal Year
2012
Total Cost
$270,480
Indirect Cost
$102,480
Name
Dartmouth College
Department
Microbiology/Immun/Virology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
041027822
City
Hanover
State
NH
Country
United States
Zip Code
03755
Dhingra, Sourabh; Buckey, Jay C; Cramer, Robert A (2018) Hyperbaric Oxygen Reduces Aspergillus fumigatus Proliferation In Vitro and Influences In Vivo Disease Outcomes. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 62:
Ries, Laure Nicolas Annick; Beattie, Sarah; Cramer, Robert A et al. (2018) Overview of carbon and nitrogen catabolite metabolism in the virulence of human pathogenic fungi. Mol Microbiol 107:277-297
Beattie, Sarah R; Mark, Kenneth M K; Thammahong, Arsa et al. (2017) Filamentous fungal carbon catabolite repression supports metabolic plasticity and stress responses essential for disease progression. PLoS Pathog 13:e1006340
Cramer, Robert A; Sheppard, Donald C; Clemons, Karl V (2017) 7th Advances Against Aspergillosis: Basic, diagnostic, clinical and therapeutic studies. Med Mycol 55:1-3
Bultman, Katherine M; Kowalski, Caitlin H; Cramer, Robert A (2017) Aspergillus fumigatus virulence through the lens of transcription factors. Med Mycol 55:24-38
Caffrey-Carr, Alayna K; Hilmer, Kimberly M; Kowalski, Caitlin H et al. (2017) Host-Derived Leukotriene B4 Is Critical for Resistance against Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis. Front Immunol 8:1984
Shlezinger, Neta; Irmer, Henriette; Dhingra, Sourabh et al. (2017) Sterilizing immunity in the lung relies on targeting fungal apoptosis-like programmed cell death. Science 357:1037-1041
Thammahong, Arsa; Caffrey-Card, Alayna K; Dhingra, Sourabh et al. (2017) Aspergillus fumigatus Trehalose-Regulatory Subunit Homolog Moonlights To Mediate Cell Wall Homeostasis through Modulation of Chitin Synthase Activity. MBio 8:
Thammahong, Arsa; Puttikamonkul, Srisombat; Perfect, John R et al. (2017) Central Role of the Trehalose Biosynthesis Pathway in the Pathogenesis of Human Fungal Infections: Opportunities and Challenges for Therapeutic Development. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 81:
Dhingra, Sourabh; Cramer, Robert A (2017) Regulation of Sterol Biosynthesis in the Human Fungal Pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus: Opportunities for Therapeutic Development. Front Microbiol 8:92

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