Transcriptional profiles of the human pathogenic fungus paracoccidioides brasiliensis in mycelium and yeast cells

Abstract

Paracoccidioides brasiliensis is the causative agent of paracoccidioidomycosis, a disease that affects 10 million individuals in Latin America. This report depicts the results of the analysis of 6,022 assembled groups from mycelium and yeast phase expressed sequence tags, cov- ering about 80% of the estimated genome of this dimor- phic, thermo-regulated fungus. The data provide a com- prehensive view of the fungal metabolism, including overexpressed transcripts, stage-specific genes, and also those that are up- or down-regulated as assessed by in silico electronic subtraction and cDNA microarrays. Also, a significant differential expression pattern in my- celium and yeast cells was detected, which was con- firmed by Northern blot analysis, providing insights into differential metabolic adaptations. The overall transcriptome analysis provided information about se- quences related to the cell cycle, stress response, drug resistance, and signal transduction pathways of the pathogen. Novel P. brasiliensis genes have been identi- fied, probably corresponding to proteins that should be addressed as virulence factor candidates and potential new drug targets.