This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Tsitsigiannis, D. I.
Right arrow Articles by Keller, N. P.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Tsitsigiannis, D. I.
Right arrow Articles by Keller, N. P.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Infection and Immunity, August 2005, p. 4548-4559, Vol. 73, No. 8
0019-9567/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.73.8.4548-4559.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Aspergillus Cyclooxygenase-Like Enzymes Are Associated with Prostaglandin Production and Virulence

Dimitrios I. Tsitsigiannis ,1,{dagger},{ddagger} Jin-Woo Bok,1,{dagger} David Andes,1 Kristian Fog Nielsen,2 Jens C. Frisvad,2 and Nancy P. Keller1*

University of Wisconsin—Madison, Madison, Wisconsin,1 Center for Microbial Biotechnology, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark2

Received 17 December 2004/ Returned for modification 7 February 2005/ Accepted 3 March 2005

Oxylipins comprise a family of oxygenated fatty acid-derived signaling molecules that initiate critical biological activities in animals, plants, and fungi. Mammalian oxylipins, including the prostaglandins (PGs), mediate many immune and inflammation responses in animals. PG production by pathogenic microbes is theorized to play a role in pathogenesis. We have genetically characterized three Aspergillus genes, ppoA, ppoB, and ppoC, encoding fatty acid oxygenases similar in sequence to specific mammalian prostaglandin synthases, the cyclooxygenases. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay analysis showed that production of PG species is decreased in both Aspergillus nidulans and A. fumigatus ppo mutants, implicating Ppo activity in generating PGs. The A. fumigatus triple-ppo-silenced mutant was hypervirulent in the invasive pulmonary aspergillosis murine model system and showed increased tolerance to H2O2 stress relative to that of the wild type. We propose that Ppo products, PG, and/or other oxylipins may serve as activators of mammalian immune responses contributing to enhanced resistance to opportunistic fungi and as factors that modulate fungal development contributing to resistance to host defenses.


* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin—Madison, Madison, WI 53706. Phone: (608) 262-9795. Fax: (608) 263-2626. E-mail: npk{at}plantpath.wisc.edu.

Editor: T. R. Kozel

{dagger} D.I.T. and J.-W.B. contributed equally to this work.

{ddagger} Present address: The Sainsbury Laboratory, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Colney Lane, Norwich NR4 7UH, United Kingdom.


Infection and Immunity, August 2005, p. 4548-4559, Vol. 73, No. 8
0019-9567/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.73.8.4548-4559.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.




This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Dagenais, T. R. T., Keller, N. P. (2009). Pathogenesis of Aspergillus fumigatus in Invasive Aspergillosis. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 22: 447-465 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Garscha, U., Oliw, E. H. (2009). Leucine/Valine Residues Direct Oxygenation of Linoleic Acid by (10R)- and (8R)-Dioxygenases: EXPRESSION AND SITE-DIRECTED MUTAGENESIS OF (10R)-DIOXYGENASE WITH EPOXYALCOHOL SYNTHASE ACTIVITY. J. Biol. Chem. 284: 13755-13765 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Brodhun, F., Gobel, C., Hornung, E., Feussner, I. (2009). Identification of PpoA from Aspergillus nidulans as a Fusion Protein of a Fatty Acid Heme Dioxygenase/Peroxidase and a Cytochrome P450. J. Biol. Chem. 284: 11792-11805 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Dagenais, T. R. T., Chung, D., Giles, S. S., Hull, C. M., Andes, D., Keller, N. P. (2008). Defects in Conidiophore Development and Conidium-Macrophage Interactions in a Dioxygenase Mutant of Aspergillus fumigatus. Infect. Immun. 76: 3214-3220 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Dotis, J., Simitsopoulou, M., Dalakiouridou, M., Konstantinou, T., Panteliadis, C., Walsh, T. J., Roilides, E. (2008). Amphotericin B formulations variably enhance antifungal activity of human neutrophils and monocytes against Fusarium solani: comparison with Aspergillus fumigatus. J Antimicrob Chemother 61: 810-817 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Alcazar-Fuoli, L., Mellado, E., Alastruey-Izquierdo, A., Cuenca-Estrella, M., Rodriguez-Tudela, J. L. (2008). Aspergillus Section Fumigati: Antifungal Susceptibility Patterns and Sequence-Based Identification. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 52: 1244-1251 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Garscha, U., Jerneren, F., Chung, D., Keller, N. P., Hamberg, M., Oliw, E. H. (2007). Identification of Dioxygenases Required for Aspergillus Development: STUDIES OF PRODUCTS, STEREOCHEMISTRY, AND THE REACTION MECHANISM. J. Biol. Chem. 282: 34707-34718 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Hohl, T. M., Feldmesser, M. (2007). Aspergillus fumigatus: Principles of Pathogenesis and Host Defense. Eukaryot Cell 6: 1953-1963 [Full Text]  
  • Erb-Downward, J. R., Huffnagle, G. B. (2007). Cryptococcus neoformans Produces Authentic Prostaglandin E2 without a Cyclooxygenase. Eukaryot Cell 6: 346-350 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Bok, J. W., Chung, D., Balajee, S. A., Marr, K. A., Andes, D., Nielsen, K. F., Frisvad, J. C., Kirby, K. A., Keller, N. P. (2006). GliZ, a Transcriptional Regulator of Gliotoxin Biosynthesis, Contributes to Aspergillus fumigatus Virulence. Infect. Immun. 74: 6761-6768 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Klose, J., Kronstad, J. W. (2006). The Multifunctional {beta}-Oxidation Enzyme Is Required for Full Symptom Development by the Biotrophic Maize Pathogen Ustilago maydis. Eukaryot Cell 5: 2047-2061 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Sexton, A. C., Howlett, B. J. (2006). Parallels in Fungal Pathogenesis on Plant and Animal Hosts. Eukaryot Cell 5: 1941-1949 [Full Text]  
  • Romano, J., Nimrod, G., Ben-Tal, N., Shadkchan, Y., Baruch, K., Sharon, H., Osherov, N. (2006). Disruption of the Aspergillus fumigatus ECM33 homologue results in rapid conidial germination, antifungal resistance and hypervirulence. Microbiology 152: 1919-1928 [Abstract] [Full Text]