Ultrastructural Viewpoints on the Interaction Events of Scedosporium Apiospermum Conidia with Lung and Macrophage Cells
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Vol. 113(10): e180311, 2018 1|10 Ultrastructural viewpoints on the interaction events of Scedosporium apiospermum conidia with lung and macrophage cells Ana Carolina Aor1, Thaís P Mello1, Leandro S Sangenito1, Beatriz B Fonseca2, Sonia Rozental2, Viviane F Lione3, Venício F Veiga4, Marta H Branquinha1, André LS Santos1,5/+ 1Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Departamento de Microbiologia Geral, Laboratório de Estudos Avançados de Microrganismos Emergentes e Resistentes, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil 2Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Laboratório de Biologia Celular de Fungos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil 3Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Faculdade de Farmácia, Laboratório de Bioensaios Farmacêuticos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil 4Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Departamento de Microbiologia Geral, Setor de Microscopia Eletrônica, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil 5Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Química, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil BACKGROUND Scedosporium apiospermum is a ubiquitous, emerging and multidrug-resistant fungal pathogen with still rather unknown virulence mechanisms. OBJECTIVES/METHODS The cellular basis of the in vitro interaction between fungi and host cells/tissues is the determinant factor for the development of a successful in vivo infection. Herein, we evaluated the interaction of S. apiospermum conidia with lung epithelial (A549), lung fibroblast (MRC-5) and RAW 264.7 macrophages by light and scanning/transmission electron microscopy. FINDINGS After 4 h of fungi-host cell contact, the percentage of infected mammalian cells and the number of fungi per infected cell was measured by light microscopy, and the following association indexes were calculated for A549, MRC-5 and macrophage cells: 73.2 ± 25.9, 69.7 ± 22.5 and 59.7 ± 11.1, respectively. Both conidia and germinated conidia were regularly observed interacting with the evaluated cells, with a higher prevalence of non-germinated conidia. Interestingly, nests of germinated conidia were evidenced at the surface of lung cells by scanning electron microscopy. Some germination projections and hyphae were seen penetrating/evading the mammalian cells. Furthermore, internalised conidia were seen within vacuoles as visualised by transmission electron microscopy. MAIN CONCLUSIONS The present study contributes to a better understanding of S. apiospermum pathogenesis by demonstrating the first steps of the infection process of this opportunistic fungus. Key words: Scedosporium apiospermum - host cells - adhesion - invasion - lung cells - macrophages Scedosporium apiospermum is a saprophytic fila- system. These types of clinical complications are more mentous fungus that emerged as an opportunistic patho- frequently diagnosed in transplanted individuals and gen able to cause localised and disseminated infections patients with haematological malignancies, advanced in both immunocompromised and immunocompetent human immunodeficiency virus infection, diabetes mel- individuals.(1,2) One of the most common pathological litus and chronic pulmonary disease (e.g., cystic fibrosis manifestations caused by S. apiospermum is known as patients), in which S. apiospermum can disseminate to eumycetoma, a superficial and localised cutaneous and virtually any anatomical site.(1,4,5) However, the lungs subcutaneous infection normally caused by traumatic are the preferred target to initiate colonisation when the events, for example burns and skin injuries, which lead route of contamination is through the inhalation of the to the inoculation of conidial cells and/or mycelial frag- conidia, which can then reach the pulmonary alveoli and ments directly into host tissues.(1,3) S. apiospermum can interact with the resident alveolar cells.(6,7) also cause invasive and disseminated infections such It is well known that the interaction process between as pneumonia, fungal ball, paranasal sinusitis, allergic microorganisms and host cells is a crucial step for suc- bronchopulmonary mycosis, corneal inflammation, cessful tissue colonisation.(2,8) To ensure that an infection endocarditis and manifestations in the central nervous is established, fungi exhibit distinct invasion strategies, such as conidial germination, which is a key event in the pathogenesis of filamentous fungi in order to cross tissue planes when these organisms invade host cells.(2,9,10) In this line area, our group has demonstrated that conidial cells of S. apiospermum, S. aurantiacum, S. minutisporum and doi: 10.1590/0074-02760180311 Lomentospora prolificans germinate in vitro under dif- Financial support: FAPERJ, CNPq, CAPES. ferent growth conditions, initially forming a germ tube- ACA and TPM contributed equally to this work. like projection that grows in size forming long hyphae. + Corresponding author: [email protected] (2,9,11,12,13,14) The interaction among these hyphae gives rise Received 28 June 2018 Accepted 22 August 2018 to a structure resembling a mature biofilm, which could online | memorias.ioc.fiocruz.br 2|10 Ana Carolina Aor et al. contribute to the increased ability of the fungus to dis- wells were washed with DMEM to remove unattached seminate and evade host immune attacks.(12,13) conidia, fixed in Bowin’s solution and stained with Gi- Remarkably, very little research has focused on un- emsa. The percentage of infected mammalian cells and derstanding the interaction process between host cells the number of fungi per infected cell were determined and fungi belonging to the Scedosporium genus.(2,12,15) by randomly counting 200 mammalian cells on each The study of this important step is fundamental for pro- triplicate coverslip from three different experimental viding information required to uncover possible mecha- sets. Data were expressed as the mean ± standard devia- nisms involved in the pathogenicity of S. apiospermum. tion. The association index was also calculated by multi- In this context, and due to the lack of information, we plying the mean number of fungi per infected mamma- have decided to ultrastructurally study the ability of S. lian cell by the percentage of infected cells. The images apiospermum conidia to interact with non-phagocytic and counting were obtained using an Axioplan 2 light (alveolar epithelial and lung fibroblast cells) and phago- microscope (Jena Zeiss, Germany).(9) cytic (macrophages) cells. SEM - For the observation of the structural aspects MATERIALS AND METHODS of the interaction, A549, MRC-5 and RAW cells were in- fected (conidia:mammalian cell ratio 10:1) and then pro- Microorganism and growth conditions - S. apiosper- cessed for SEM analysis. Briefly, the systems were incu- mum strain RKI07_0416 was kindly provided by Dr Bodo bated at 37ºC for 4 h, washed three times with DMEM Wanke (Evandro Chagas Hospital, Oswaldo Cruz Insti- and fixed in 0.15 M sodium cacodylate buffer contain- tute, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and was identified by means ing 2% paraformaldehyde and 2% glutaraldehyde, pH of molecular approaches by Dr Kathrin Tintelnot (Robert (16) 7.4, for 16 h. After the fixation step, the samples were Koch-Institut, Berlin, Germany). The sequencing of the washed again three times with 0.15 M sodium cacodyl- ITS region revealed that this strain belongs to clade 4 (S. ate buffer, post-fixed for 90 min in 1% osmium tetroxide apiospermum sensu stricto) according to the taxonomy (17) in 0.15 M sodium cacodylate buffer, washed one more previously proposed by Gilgado and co-workers. The time and dehydrated in an ascending ethanol series (50, fungus was maintained in Sabouraud (2% glucose, 1% 70, 80, 95 and 100%) for 10 min each. Next, the samples peptone, 0.5% yeast extract) liquid culture medium for (16) were dried using the critical point method, mounted on seven days at room temperature with orbital shaking. stubs, coated with colloidal gold and observed using a Conidia were grown at room temperature on Petri dishes QUANTA 250 - FEI scanning electron microscope.(19) containing potato dextrose agar (PDA; Difco Laborato- ries, EUA). After seven days, conidial cells were obtained TEM - To deeply image the ultrastructural aspects by washing the plate surface with phosphate-buffered sa- of the interaction process, A549, MRC-5 and RAW cells were infected with conidia (conidia: mammalian cell ra- line (PBS; 10 mM NaH2PO4, 10 mM Na2HPO4, 150 mM NaCl, pH 7.2) and filtering through a 40-μm nylon cell tio 10:1) for 4 h. Then, the systems were washed with strainer (BD Falcon, EUA) to remove hyphal fragments. DMEM and fixed with 0.1 M cacodylate buffer contain- (18) The conidial cells were counted in a Neubauer chamber ing 2.5% glutaraldehyde, 4% paraformaldehyde, 0.2% to adjust the cell ratio for the assays. picric acid and 5 mM CaCl2. After 1 h of fixation, the cell monolayer was carefully removed from the bottles Mammalian cell lineages and growth conditions - with the aid of a cell scraper and transferred to a vial. A549 (ATCC CCL-185, alveolar basal epithelial cell of Subsequently, the cells were dehydrated in ethanol and human adenocarcinoma), MRC-5 (ATCC CCL-171, fi- embedded in resin (Unicryl) at -20ºC. Ultrathin sections broblast of human foetal lung) and RAW 264.7 (ATCC of the resin were placed in nickel