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Riebold D, Mahnkopf M, Wicht K, Zubiria-Barrera C, Heise J, Frank M, Misch D, Bauer T, Stocker H, Slevogt H. Axenic Long-Term Cultivation of Pneumocystis jirovecii. J Fungi (Basel) 2023; 9:903. [PMID: 37755011 PMCID: PMC10533121 DOI: 10.3390/jof9090903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Pneumocystis jirovecii, a fungus causing severe Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) in humans, has long been described as non-culturable. Only isolated short-term experiments with P. jirovecii and a small number of experiments involving animal-derived Pneumocystis species have been published to date. However, P. jirovecii culture conditions may differ significantly from those of animal-derived Pneumocystis, as there are major genotypic and phenotypic differences between them. Establishing a well-performing P. jirovecii cultivation is crucial to understanding PCP and its pathophysiological processes. The aim of this study, therefore, was to develop an axenic culture for Pneumocystis jirovecii. To identify promising approaches for cultivation, a literature survey encompassing animal-derived Pneumocystis cultures was carried out. The variables identified, such as incubation time, pH value, vitamins, amino acids, and other components, were trialed and adjusted to find the optimum conditions for P. jirovecii culture. This allowed us to develop a medium that produced a 42.6-fold increase in P. jirovecii qPCR copy numbers after a 48-day culture. Growth was confirmed microscopically by the increasing number and size of actively growing Pneumocystis clusters in the final medium, DMEM-O3. P. jirovecii doubling time was 8.9 days (range 6.9 to 13.6 days). In conclusion, we successfully cultivated P. jirovecii under optimized cell-free conditions in a 70-day long-term culture for the first time. However, further optimization of the culture conditions for this slow grower is indispensable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Riebold
- Research Centre of Medical Technology and Biotechnology (FZMB), 99947 Bad Langensalza, Germany; (M.M.); (J.H.)
| | - Marie Mahnkopf
- Research Centre of Medical Technology and Biotechnology (FZMB), 99947 Bad Langensalza, Germany; (M.M.); (J.H.)
| | - Kristina Wicht
- Separation Science Group, Department of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry, Ghent University, B-9000 Gent, Belgium;
| | - Cristina Zubiria-Barrera
- Respiratory Infection Dynamics Group, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany; (C.Z.-B.); (H.S.)
- Department of Respiratory Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Hannover Medical School, German Center for Lung Research (DZL), BREATH, 30625 Hannover, Germany
| | - Jan Heise
- Research Centre of Medical Technology and Biotechnology (FZMB), 99947 Bad Langensalza, Germany; (M.M.); (J.H.)
| | - Marcus Frank
- Medical Biology and Electron Microscopy Centre (EMZ), University Medicine Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany;
| | - Daniel Misch
- Lungenklinik Heckeshorn, Helios Klinikum Emil-von-Behring, 14165 Berlin, Germany; (D.M.); (T.B.)
| | - Torsten Bauer
- Lungenklinik Heckeshorn, Helios Klinikum Emil-von-Behring, 14165 Berlin, Germany; (D.M.); (T.B.)
| | - Hartmut Stocker
- Clinic for Infectiology, St. Joseph’s Hospital Berlin, 12101 Berlin, Germany;
| | - Hortense Slevogt
- Respiratory Infection Dynamics Group, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany; (C.Z.-B.); (H.S.)
- Department of Respiratory Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Hannover Medical School, German Center for Lung Research (DZL), BREATH, 30625 Hannover, Germany
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Khalife S, Aliouat EM, Gantois N, Jakobczyk H, Demay F, Chabé M, Pottier M, Dabboussi F, Hamze M, Dei-Cas E, Standaert-Vitse A, Aliouat-Denis CM. Complementation of a manganese-dependent superoxide dismutase-deficient yeast strain with Pneumocystis carinii sod2 gene. Fungal Biol 2014; 118:885-95. [PMID: 25442292 DOI: 10.1016/j.funbio.2014.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2014] [Revised: 07/22/2014] [Accepted: 07/30/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Manganese-dependent superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) is one of the key enzymes involved in the cellular defense against oxidative stress. Previously, the Pneumocystis carinii sod2 gene (Pcsod2) was isolated and characterized. Based on protein sequence comparison, Pcsod2 was suggested to encode a putative MnSOD protein likely to be targeted into the mitochondrion. In this work, the Pcsod2 was cloned and expressed as a recombinant protein in EG110 Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain lacking the MnSOD-coding gene (Scsod2) in order to investigate the function and subcellular localization of P. carinii MnSOD (PcMnSOD). The Pcsod2 gene was amplified by PCR and cloned into the pYES2.1/V5-His-TOPO(®) expression vector. The recombinant construct was then transformed into EG110 strain. Once its expression had been induced, PcMnSOD was able to complement the growth defect of EG110 yeast cells that had been exposed to the redox-cycling compound menadione. N-term sequencing of the PcMnSOD protein allowed identifying the cleavage site of a mitochondrial targeting peptide. Immune-colocalization of PcMnSOD and yeast CoxIV further confirmed the mitochondrial localization of the PcMnSOD. Heterologous expression of PcMnSOD in yeast indicates that Pcsod2 encodes an active MnSOD, targeted to the yeast mitochondrion that allows the yeast cells to grow in the presence of reactive oxygen species (ROS).
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Khalife
- Centre d'Infection et d'Immunité de Lille, INSERM U1019, CNRS UMR 8204, Univ Lille Nord de France, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Univ Lille2, Lille F-59019, France; Laboratoire de Microbiologie Santé et Environnement, Centre AZM pour la Recherche en Biotechnologie et ses Applications, Université Libanaise, Tripoli, Liban
| | - El Moukhtar Aliouat
- Centre d'Infection et d'Immunité de Lille, INSERM U1019, CNRS UMR 8204, Univ Lille Nord de France, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Univ Lille2, Lille F-59019, France; Laboratoire de Parasitologie, Faculté de Pharmacie, Univ Lille 2, Lille F-59006, France
| | - Nausicaa Gantois
- Centre d'Infection et d'Immunité de Lille, INSERM U1019, CNRS UMR 8204, Univ Lille Nord de France, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Univ Lille2, Lille F-59019, France
| | - Hélène Jakobczyk
- Centre d'Infection et d'Immunité de Lille, INSERM U1019, CNRS UMR 8204, Univ Lille Nord de France, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Univ Lille2, Lille F-59019, France
| | - François Demay
- Centre d'Infection et d'Immunité de Lille, INSERM U1019, CNRS UMR 8204, Univ Lille Nord de France, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Univ Lille2, Lille F-59019, France
| | - Magali Chabé
- Centre d'Infection et d'Immunité de Lille, INSERM U1019, CNRS UMR 8204, Univ Lille Nord de France, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Univ Lille2, Lille F-59019, France; Laboratoire de Parasitologie, Faculté de Pharmacie, Univ Lille 2, Lille F-59006, France
| | - Muriel Pottier
- Centre d'Infection et d'Immunité de Lille, INSERM U1019, CNRS UMR 8204, Univ Lille Nord de France, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Univ Lille2, Lille F-59019, France; Laboratoire de Parasitologie, Faculté de Pharmacie, Univ Lille 2, Lille F-59006, France
| | - Fouad Dabboussi
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie Santé et Environnement, Centre AZM pour la Recherche en Biotechnologie et ses Applications, Université Libanaise, Tripoli, Liban
| | - Monzer Hamze
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie Santé et Environnement, Centre AZM pour la Recherche en Biotechnologie et ses Applications, Université Libanaise, Tripoli, Liban
| | - Eduardo Dei-Cas
- Centre d'Infection et d'Immunité de Lille, INSERM U1019, CNRS UMR 8204, Univ Lille Nord de France, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Univ Lille2, Lille F-59019, France; Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, CHRU de Lille & Faculté de Médecine de Lille, Univ Lille Nord de France, Univ Lille 2, Lille F-59045, France
| | - Annie Standaert-Vitse
- Centre d'Infection et d'Immunité de Lille, INSERM U1019, CNRS UMR 8204, Univ Lille Nord de France, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Univ Lille2, Lille F-59019, France; Laboratoire de Parasitologie, Faculté de Pharmacie, Univ Lille 2, Lille F-59006, France.
| | - Cécile-Marie Aliouat-Denis
- Centre d'Infection et d'Immunité de Lille, INSERM U1019, CNRS UMR 8204, Univ Lille Nord de France, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Univ Lille2, Lille F-59019, France; Laboratoire de Parasitologie, Faculté de Pharmacie, Univ Lille 2, Lille F-59006, France
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Abstract
Several immunological processes can be affected by space flight. However, there is little evidence to suggest that flight-induced immunological deficits lead to illness. Therefore, one of our goals has been to define models to examine host resistance during space flight. Our working hypothesis is that space flight crews will come from a heterogeneous population; the immune response gene make-up will be quite varied. It is unknown how much the immune response gene variation contributes to the potential threat from infectious organisms, allergic responses or other long term health problems (e.g. cancer). This article details recent efforts of the Kansas State University gravitational immunology group to assess how population heterogeneity impacts host health, either in laboratory experimental situations and/or using the skeletal unloading model of space-flight stress. This paper details our use of several mouse strains with several different genotypes. In particular, mice with varying MHCII allotypes and mice on the C57BL background with different genetic defects have been particularly useful tools with which to study infections by Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhimurium, Pasteurella pneumotropica and Ehrlichia chaffeensis. We propose that some of these experimental challenge models will be useful to assess the effects of space flight on host resistance to infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Keith Chapes
- Division of Biology and Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
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Abstract
Infection with the opportunist fungus Pneumocystis carinii remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in non-HIV-infected individuals immunosuppressed by a wide range of malignancies, transplantation and inflammatory conditions. Glucocorticoid use appears to be an independent risk factor for the development of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia. Transmission from infected to susceptible patients may occur, albeit infrequently. A diagnosis of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia may be achieved in the majority of cases by DNA detection using polymerase chain reaction on oropharyngeal mouth washes.
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Affiliation(s)
- R F Miller
- Windeyer Institute of Medical Sciences, Royal Free and University College Medical School, London, UK.
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