Thioredoxin is a potential pathogenesis attribute of Malassezia globosa and Malassezia sympodialis in pityriasis versicolor

Abstract

BackgroundThioredoxin (Trx) is a member of pan-allergen family which has been identified in some fungi. Due to cross-reactivity to human Trx, the Trx of Aspergillus fumigatus and Malassezia sympodialis (M. sympodialis) can lead to the exacerbation of severe atopic diseases. However, the role of Trx in pityriasis versicolor (PV) is unclear. PurposeTo evaluate the role of Trx protein of M. sympodialis and M. globosa in PV. MethodologyUsing RNA-seq technology, the MGL-1781 gene was found to be highly expressed in M. globosa isolated from PV patients. Based on the protein BLAST analysis, this gene was predicted to encode the hypothetical Trx protein of M. globosa. The expression level of the MGL-1781 gene along with the Trx encoding gene of M. sympodialis (Mala s 13) were quantified using real-time PCR assay among isolates from pityriasis versicolor (PV) patients and healthy controls. ResultsWe found that the expression of MGL_1781 and Mala s 13 genes were significantly different among M. globosa and M. sympodialis isolated from PV patients and healthy individuals. The expression mean of the MGL-1781 and Mala s 13 genes were 103.919 and 1074.365, respectively. ConclusionOur results indicated that the MGL-1781 and Mala s 13 genes may respectively contribute to the virulence of M. globosa and M. sympodialis in PV, which warrant further investigations in this area.