Vacuolar Proteases of <i>Candida auris</i> from Clades III and IV and Their Relationship with Autophagy
<i>Candida auris</i> is a multidrug-resistant pathogen with a high mortality rate and widespread distribution. Additionally, it can persist on inert surfaces for extended periods, facilitating its transmissibility in hospital settings. Autophagy is a crucial cellular mechanism that enabl...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-05-01
|
| Series: | Journal of Fungi |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/11/5/388 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850258063622144000 |
|---|---|
| author | Daniel Clark-Flores Alvaro Vidal-Montiel Ricardo Mondragón-Flores Eulogio Valentín-Gómez César Hernández-Rodríguez Margarita Juárez-Montiel Lourdes Villa-Tanaca |
| author_facet | Daniel Clark-Flores Alvaro Vidal-Montiel Ricardo Mondragón-Flores Eulogio Valentín-Gómez César Hernández-Rodríguez Margarita Juárez-Montiel Lourdes Villa-Tanaca |
| author_sort | Daniel Clark-Flores |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Candida auris</i> is a multidrug-resistant pathogen with a high mortality rate and widespread distribution. Additionally, it can persist on inert surfaces for extended periods, facilitating its transmissibility in hospital settings. Autophagy is a crucial cellular mechanism that enables fungal survival under adverse conditions. A fundamental part of this process is mediated by vacuolar proteases, which play an essential role in the degradation and recycling of cellular components. The present work explores the relationship between <i>C. auris</i> vacuolar peptidases and autophagy, aiming to establish a precedent for understanding the survival mechanisms of this emerging fungus. Thus, eight genes encoding putative vacuolar peptidases in the <i>C. auris</i> genomes were identified: <i>PEP4</i>, <i>PRB1</i>, <i>PRC1</i>, <i>ATG42</i>, <i>CPS</i>, <i>LAP4</i>, <i>APE3</i>, and <i>DAP2</i>. Analysis of the protein domains and their phylogenetic relationships suggests that these enzymes are orthologs of <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> vacuolar peptidases. Notably, both vacuolar protease gene expression and the proteolytic activity of cell-free extracts increased under nutritional stress and rapamycin. An increase in the expression of the <i>ATG8</i> gene and the presence of autophagic bodies were also observed. These results suggest that proteases could play a role in yeast autophagy and survival during starvation conditions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c763219baf834969a094ca4f4e87c96a |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2309-608X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Fungi |
| spelling | doaj-art-c763219baf834969a094ca4f4e87c96a2025-08-20T01:56:16ZengMDPI AGJournal of Fungi2309-608X2025-05-0111538810.3390/jof11050388Vacuolar Proteases of <i>Candida auris</i> from Clades III and IV and Their Relationship with AutophagyDaniel Clark-Flores0Alvaro Vidal-Montiel1Ricardo Mondragón-Flores2Eulogio Valentín-Gómez3César Hernández-Rodríguez4Margarita Juárez-Montiel5Lourdes Villa-Tanaca6Laboratorio de Biología Molecular de Bacterias y Levaduras, Departamento de Microbiología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Prol. de Carpio y Plan de Ayala. Col. Sto. Tomás, Ciudad de México 11340, MexicoLaboratorio de Biología Molecular de Bacterias y Levaduras, Departamento de Microbiología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Prol. de Carpio y Plan de Ayala. Col. Sto. Tomás, Ciudad de México 11340, MexicoDepartamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CINVESTAV-IPN), Av. IPN No. 2508, Ciudad de México 07360, MexicoDepartmento de Microbiología y Ecología, Universidad de Valencia, 46100 Valencia, SpainLaboratorio de Biología Molecular de Bacterias y Levaduras, Departamento de Microbiología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Prol. de Carpio y Plan de Ayala. Col. Sto. Tomás, Ciudad de México 11340, MexicoLaboratorio de Biología Molecular de Bacterias y Levaduras, Departamento de Microbiología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Prol. de Carpio y Plan de Ayala. Col. Sto. Tomás, Ciudad de México 11340, MexicoLaboratorio de Biología Molecular de Bacterias y Levaduras, Departamento de Microbiología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Prol. de Carpio y Plan de Ayala. Col. Sto. Tomás, Ciudad de México 11340, Mexico<i>Candida auris</i> is a multidrug-resistant pathogen with a high mortality rate and widespread distribution. Additionally, it can persist on inert surfaces for extended periods, facilitating its transmissibility in hospital settings. Autophagy is a crucial cellular mechanism that enables fungal survival under adverse conditions. A fundamental part of this process is mediated by vacuolar proteases, which play an essential role in the degradation and recycling of cellular components. The present work explores the relationship between <i>C. auris</i> vacuolar peptidases and autophagy, aiming to establish a precedent for understanding the survival mechanisms of this emerging fungus. Thus, eight genes encoding putative vacuolar peptidases in the <i>C. auris</i> genomes were identified: <i>PEP4</i>, <i>PRB1</i>, <i>PRC1</i>, <i>ATG42</i>, <i>CPS</i>, <i>LAP4</i>, <i>APE3</i>, and <i>DAP2</i>. Analysis of the protein domains and their phylogenetic relationships suggests that these enzymes are orthologs of <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> vacuolar peptidases. Notably, both vacuolar protease gene expression and the proteolytic activity of cell-free extracts increased under nutritional stress and rapamycin. An increase in the expression of the <i>ATG8</i> gene and the presence of autophagic bodies were also observed. These results suggest that proteases could play a role in yeast autophagy and survival during starvation conditions.https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/11/5/388<i>Candida auris</i><i>Candidozyma auris</i>autophagyvacuolar proteasespeptidasesnutritional stress |
| spellingShingle | Daniel Clark-Flores Alvaro Vidal-Montiel Ricardo Mondragón-Flores Eulogio Valentín-Gómez César Hernández-Rodríguez Margarita Juárez-Montiel Lourdes Villa-Tanaca Vacuolar Proteases of <i>Candida auris</i> from Clades III and IV and Their Relationship with Autophagy Journal of Fungi <i>Candida auris</i> <i>Candidozyma auris</i> autophagy vacuolar proteases peptidases nutritional stress |
| title | Vacuolar Proteases of <i>Candida auris</i> from Clades III and IV and Their Relationship with Autophagy |
| title_full | Vacuolar Proteases of <i>Candida auris</i> from Clades III and IV and Their Relationship with Autophagy |
| title_fullStr | Vacuolar Proteases of <i>Candida auris</i> from Clades III and IV and Their Relationship with Autophagy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Vacuolar Proteases of <i>Candida auris</i> from Clades III and IV and Their Relationship with Autophagy |
| title_short | Vacuolar Proteases of <i>Candida auris</i> from Clades III and IV and Their Relationship with Autophagy |
| title_sort | vacuolar proteases of i candida auris i from clades iii and iv and their relationship with autophagy |
| topic | <i>Candida auris</i> <i>Candidozyma auris</i> autophagy vacuolar proteases peptidases nutritional stress |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/11/5/388 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT danielclarkflores vacuolarproteasesoficandidaaurisifromcladesiiiandivandtheirrelationshipwithautophagy AT alvarovidalmontiel vacuolarproteasesoficandidaaurisifromcladesiiiandivandtheirrelationshipwithautophagy AT ricardomondragonflores vacuolarproteasesoficandidaaurisifromcladesiiiandivandtheirrelationshipwithautophagy AT eulogiovalentingomez vacuolarproteasesoficandidaaurisifromcladesiiiandivandtheirrelationshipwithautophagy AT cesarhernandezrodriguez vacuolarproteasesoficandidaaurisifromcladesiiiandivandtheirrelationshipwithautophagy AT margaritajuarezmontiel vacuolarproteasesoficandidaaurisifromcladesiiiandivandtheirrelationshipwithautophagy AT lourdesvillatanaca vacuolarproteasesoficandidaaurisifromcladesiiiandivandtheirrelationshipwithautophagy |