Skip to main content
PMC home page
The Journal of Clinical Investigation logoLink to The Journal of Clinical Investigation
. 1986 Dec;78(6):1638–1647. doi: 10.1172/JCI112757

Correlation between pathogenicity and temperature sensitivity in different strains of Histoplasma capsulatum.

G Medoff, B Maresca, A M Lambowitz, G Kobayashi, A Painter, M Sacco, L Carratu
PMCID: PMC423937  PMID: 3782474

Abstract

We compared the mycelial to yeast transitions of the Downs strain of Histoplasma capsulatum (low level of virulence) with those of G184A and G222B, two more virulent strains having different levels of pathogenicity for mice. When the morphological transitions are initiated by a temperature shift from 25 degrees to 37 degrees C, all three strains undergo similar physiological changes, but these are less severe in G184A and G222B than in the Downs strain. The transitions from mycelial to yeast morphology in both of the more virulent strains are also one-third more rapid than in Downs. We also find that the differences in temperature sensitivity of the three strains can be correlated with the temperature required for complete uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation. The differences in sensitivity to elevated temperatures extend to the growth of yeast cells of all three strains. Considered together, our results suggest that sensitivity to elevated temperatures may be a key factor accounting for differences in virulence and that uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation may be the primary event in the morphological transition in all three strains.

Full text

PDF
1640

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Burt W. R., Underwood A. L., Appleton G. L. Hydroxamic acid from Histoplasma capsulatum that displays growth factor activity. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1981 Sep;42(3):560–563. doi: 10.1128/aem.42.3.560-563.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Cheung S. S., Kobayashi G. S., Schlessinger D., Medoff G. RNA metabolism during morphogenesis in Histoplasma capsulatum. J Gen Microbiol. 1974 Jun;82(2):301–307. doi: 10.1099/00221287-82-2-301. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Kumar V., Maresca B., Sacco M., Goewert R., Kobayashi G. S., Medoff G. Purification and characterization of a cysteine dioxygenase from the yeast phase of Histoplasma capsulatum. Biochemistry. 1983 Feb 15;22(4):762–768. doi: 10.1021/bi00273a009. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. LARDY H. A., JOHNSON D., McMURRAY W. C. Antibiotics as tools for metabolic studies. I. A survey of toxic antibiotics in respiratory, phosphorylative and glycolytic systems. Arch Biochem Biophys. 1958 Dec;78(2):587–597. doi: 10.1016/0003-9861(58)90383-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. LOWRY O. H., ROSEBROUGH N. J., FARR A. L., RANDALL R. J. Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem. 1951 Nov;193(1):265–275. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Lambowitz A. M., Kobayashi G. S., Painter A., Medoff G. Possible relationship of morphogenesis in pathogenic fungus, Histoplasma capsulatum, to heat shock response. Nature. 1983 Jun 30;303(5920):806–808. doi: 10.1038/303806a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Lambowitz A. M., Slayman C. W. Cyanide-resistant respiration in Neurospora crassa. J Bacteriol. 1971 Dec;108(3):1087–1096. doi: 10.1128/jb.108.3.1087-1096.1971. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Maresca B., Lambowitz A. M., Kumar V. B., Grant G. A., Kobayashi G. S., Medoff G. Role of cysteine in regulating morphogenesis and mitochondrial activity in the dimorphic fungus Histoplasma capsulatum. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1981 Jul;78(7):4596–4600. doi: 10.1073/pnas.78.7.4596. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. SCHERR G. H., RIPPON J. W. Experimental histoplasmosis in cold-blooded animals. Mycopathol Mycol Appl. 1959 Oct 15;11:241–249. doi: 10.1007/BF02063081. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Sacco M., Medoff G., Lambowitz A. M., Kumar B. V., Kobayashi G. S., Painter A. Sulfhydryl induced respiratory "shunt" pathways and their role in morphogenesis in the fungus, Histoplasma capsulatum. J Biol Chem. 1983 Jul 10;258(13):8223–8230. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Van der Ploeg L. H., Giannini S. H., Cantor C. R. Heat shock genes: regulatory role for differentiation in parasitic protozoa. Science. 1985 Jun 21;228(4706):1443–1446. doi: 10.1126/science.4012301. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Vincent R. D., Goewert R., Goldman W. E., Kobayashi G. S., Lambowitz A. M., Medoff G. Classification of Histoplasma capsulatum isolates by restriction fragment polymorphisms. J Bacteriol. 1986 Mar;165(3):813–818. doi: 10.1128/jb.165.3.813-818.1986. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Investigation are provided here courtesy of American Society for Clinical Investigation

RESOURCES