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Infection and Immunity, January 2004, p. 229-237, Vol. 72, No. 1
0019-9567/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/IAI.72.1.229-237.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Melanin from Fonsecaea pedrosoi Induces Production of Human Antifungal Antibodies and Enhances the Antimicrobial Efficacy of Phagocytes

Daniela S. Alviano,1 Anderson J. Franzen,2 Luiz R. Travassos,3 Carla Holandino,4 Sonia Rozental,2 Regina Ejzemberg,1 Celuta S. Alviano,1* and Marcio L. Rodrigues1

Instituto de Microbiologia Professor Paulo de Góes,1 Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho,2 Departamento de Medicamentos, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro,4 Disciplina de Biologia Celular, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil3

Received 22 August 2003/ Returned for modification 15 September 2003/ Accepted 9 October 2003

Fonsecaea pedrosoi is a fungal pathogen that produces melanin. The functions of melanin and its possible influence in the protective immunological response during infection by F. pedrosoi are not known. In this work, treatment of F. pedrosoi mycelia with proteases and glycosidases followed by a denaturing agent and hot concentrated acid left a black residue. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that this processed melanized residue resembled very closely the intact mycelium in shape and size. Melanin particles were also isolated from culture fluids of conidia or sclerotic forms of F. pedrosoi. Secreted melanins were reactive with sera from infected human patients, suggesting that F. pedrosoi synthesizes melanin in vivo. The antibodies against melanin were purified from patients’ sera and analyzed by indirect immunofluorescence. They reacted with sclerotic cells from patients’ lesions as well as with sclerotic bodies cultivated in vitro, conidia, mycelia, and digested residues. Treatment of F. pedrosoi with purified antibodies against melanin inhibited fungal growth in vitro. The interaction of F. pedrosoi with phagocytes in the presence of melanin resulted in higher levels of fungal internalization and destruction by host cells, which was accompanied by greater degrees of oxidative burst. Taken together, these results indicate that melanin from F. pedrosoi is an immunologically active fungal structure that activates humoral and cellular responses that could help the control of chromoblastomycosis by host defenses.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Departamento de Microbiologia Geral, Instituto de Microbiologia Professor Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CCS-Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-590, Brazil. Phone: 55-21-2562-6711. Fax: 55-21-2560-8344. E-mail: alviano{at}micro.ufrj.br.

Editor: T. R. Kozel

Infection and Immunity, January 2004, p. 229-237, Vol. 72, No. 1
0019-9567/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/IAI.72.1.229-237.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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