Abstract
Fungi produce a broad spectrum of enzymes capable of degrading different substrates in nature. When the substrate is the tissue of a vertebrate host, these enzymes acts as a fungal virulence factor that increases the pathogenicity of the fungus. Trichosporon yeasts are emerging pathogens that infect immunocompromised patients. Little is known about the virulence characteristics of these fungi. The aim of this research was to characterize the behavior of protease, phospholipase, lipase and DNase production in different species of Trichosporon, with a focus on the influence of incubation temperature on the expression of these enzymes. Classical methodologies were used in all of the experiments, and the results were statistically analyzed. The proportions of the samples that produced each type of enzyme were as follows: lipases (95.5%), phospholipases (56.8%), proteases (50,0%) and DNases (38.6%). The incubation temperature was an important factor in the expression of enzymatic activity, and it influenced the incubation period of each species. Although these data concerning the enzymatic activity expressed by isolates of Trichosporon are valuable, further research is warranted to completely characterize this new pathogen, as well as in vivo studies to determine the roles of these enzymes in the pathogenesis of trichosporonosis.
Highlights
Virulence factors allow pathogenic agents to grow and establish themselves in host tissues
A significant difference between enzyme expression levels at room temperature and at 37°C was observed for proteases (p < 0.0001), phospholipases (p < 0.0012), lipases (p < 0.0001) and DNases (p < 0.0002)
The higher temperature favored the expression of proteases and phospholipases
Summary
Virulence factors allow pathogenic agents to grow and establish themselves in host tissues. Dimorphism, thermotolerance, the expression of cell wall components, the presence of a capsule and the secretion of enzymes are all major effects of virulence factors identified in fungi (Naglik et al 2004; Jain et al 2008; Colombo et al 2011). Fungi express a broad spectrum of enzymes capable of degrading various components of host tissues. The study of extracellular enzymatic activity has contributed to the understanding of some of the ecological characteristics of pathogenic yeasts and molds (Gácser et al 2007). Extracellular enzyme activity is well studied in Candida yeasts, but little is known about members of the phylum Basidiomycota, such as the genus Trichosporon (Coutinho and Paula 2000; Naglik et al.2004; Ichikawa et al 2004). Trichosporon spp. represent the third most common yeast responsible for invasive fungal infections, few published studies have characterized the virulence of this fungus (Pagano et al 2006; Chagas-Neto et al 2008)
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