title: Influence of the Paracoccidioides brasiliensis 14-3-3 and gp43 proteins on the induction of apoptosis in A549 epithelial cells.
abstract: The fungal strain Paracoccidioides brasiliensis remains viable inside of epithelial cells and can induce apoptosis in this population. However, until now, the molecules that participate in this process remained unknown. Thus, this study evaluated the contribution of two P. brasiliensis molecules, the 14-3-3 and glycoprotein of 43 kDa proteins, which had been previously described as extracellular matrix adhesins and apoptosis inductors in human pneumocytes. Accordingly, epithelial cells were treated with these molecules for different periods of time and the expression of the apoptosis regulating-proteins Bak, Bax, Bcl-2, p53 and caspases were evaluated by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labelling, flow cytometry and real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis. Our results demonstrated that treatment with these molecules induces apoptosis signalling in pulmonary epithelial cells, showing the same pattern of programmed cell-death as that observed during infection with P. brasiliensis. Thus, we could conclude that P. brasiliensis uses these molecules as virulence factors that participate not only in the fungal adhesion process to host cells, but also in other important cellular mechanisms such as apoptosis.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Araraquara, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Araraquara, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Julhiany de Fátima da
authors.initials: Jde F
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Araraquara, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Araraquara, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Juliana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vicentim
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Araraquara, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Araraquara, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Haroldo Cesar de
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Araraquara, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Araraquara, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Caroline Maria
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Marcos
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Araraquara, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Araraquara, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Patricia Akemi
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Assato
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Araraquara, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Araraquara, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Patrícia Ferrari
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Andreotti
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Araraquara, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Araraquara, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Juliana Leal Monteiro da
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Araraquara, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Araraquara, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Christiane Pienna
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Soares
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Alergia e Imunologia Clínica e Experimental, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Gil
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Benard
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Araraquara, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Araraquara, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Ana Marisa Fusco
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Araraquara, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Araraquara, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Maria José Soares
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Mendes-Giannini
mesh_terms: D048948:14-3-3 Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D000946:Antigens, Fungal / Q000502:physiology*; D017209:Apoptosis; D002460:Cell Line / Q000382:microbiology; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000382:microbiology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D010228:Paracoccidioides / Q000502:physiology*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D048948:14-3-3 Proteins; C103180:43 kDa protein, Paracoccidioides; D000946:Antigens, Fungal; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D006023:Glycoproteins