Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Current issue
  • Early View
  • Archive
  • Authors/reviewers
    • Instructions for authors
    • Submit a manuscript
    • COVID-19 submission information
    • Institutional open access agreements
    • Peer reviewer login
  • Alerts
  • Subscriptions
  • ERS Publications
    • European Respiratory Journal
    • ERJ Open Research
    • European Respiratory Review
    • Breathe
    • ERS Books
    • ERS publications home

User menu

  • Log in
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
  • My Cart

Search

  • Advanced search
  • ERS Publications
    • European Respiratory Journal
    • ERJ Open Research
    • European Respiratory Review
    • Breathe
    • ERS Books
    • ERS publications home

Login

European Respiratory Society

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Current issue
  • Early View
  • Archive
  • Authors/reviewers
    • Instructions for authors
    • Submit a manuscript
    • COVID-19 submission information
    • Institutional open access agreements
    • Peer reviewer login
  • Alerts
  • Subscriptions

Parasexual recombination enables Aspergillus fumigatus to persist in cystic fibrosis

Tobias Engel, Paul E. Verweij, Joost van den Heuvel, Dechen Wangmo, Jianhua Zhang, Alfons J.M. Debets, Eveline Snelders
ERJ Open Research 2020 6: 00020-2020; DOI: 10.1183/23120541.00020-2020
Tobias Engel
1Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
2Center of Expertise in Mycology Radboudumc/CWZ, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Tobias Engel
  • For correspondence: eveline.snelders@wur.nl
Paul E. Verweij
1Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
2Center of Expertise in Mycology Radboudumc/CWZ, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Paul E. Verweij
Joost van den Heuvel
3Laboratory of Genetics, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Joost van den Heuvel
Dechen Wangmo
3Laboratory of Genetics, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Jianhua Zhang
3Laboratory of Genetics, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Jianhua Zhang
Alfons J.M. Debets
3Laboratory of Genetics, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Alfons J.M. Debets
Eveline Snelders
3Laboratory of Genetics, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Eveline Snelders
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF
Loading

Abstract

Aspergillus fumigatus is a saprobic fungus that causes a range of pulmonary diseases, some of which are characterised by fungal persistence such as is observed in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Creation of genetic variation is critical for A. fumigatus to adapt to the lung environment, but biofilm formation, especially in CF patients, may preclude mutational supply in A. fumigatus due to its confinement to the hyphal morphotype. We tested our hypothesis that genetic variation is created through parasexual recombination in chronic biofilms by phenotypic and genetic analysis of A. fumigatus isolates cultured from different origins.

As diploids are the hallmark of parasex, we screened 799 A. fumigatus isolates obtained from patients with CF, chronic pulmonary lung disease and acute invasive aspergillosis, and from the environment for spore size. Benomyl sensitivity, nuclear content measurements through fluorescence-activated cell sorting and scanning electron microscopy were used to confirm the diploid state of large size spores. Whole genome sequencing was used to characterise diploid-associated genetic variation.

We identified 11 diploids in isolates recovered from six of 11 (55%) CF patients and from one of 24 (4%) chronic aspergillosis patients, but not in 368 isolates from patients with acute Aspergillus infection and the environment. Diploid formation was associated with accumulation of mutations and variable haploid offspring including a voriconazole-resistant isolate.

Parasexual recombination allows A. fumigatus to adapt and persist in CF patients, and plays a role in azole resistance development. Our findings are highly significant for understanding the genetics and biology of A. fumigatus in the human lung.

Abstract

Aspergillus fumigatus can undergo parasexual recombination in the lungs of chronically colonised individuals. This is highly relevant, as the parasexual cycle can facilitate genetic variation and, consequently, in-host adaptation. https://bit.ly/3kAtrXd

Footnotes

  • This article has supplementary material available from openres.ersjournals.com

  • Conflict of interest: T. Engel has nothing to disclose.

  • Conflict of interest: P.E. Verweij reports grants from Gilead Sciences, MSD, Pfizer and F2G, and nonfinancial support from OLM and IMMY, outside the submitted work.

  • Conflict of interest: J. van den Heuvel has nothing to disclose.

  • Conflict of interest: D. Wangmo has nothing to disclose.

  • Conflict of interest: J. Zhang has nothing to disclose.

  • Conflict of interest: A.J.M. Debets has nothing to disclose.

  • Conflict of interest: E. Snelders has nothing to disclose.

  • Received January 13, 2020.
  • Accepted September 15, 2020.
  • Copyright ©ERS 2020
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

This article is open access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Licence 4.0.

View Full Text
PreviousNext
Back to top
Vol 6 Issue 4 Table of Contents
ERJ Open Research: 6 (4)
  • Table of Contents
  • Index by author
Email

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on European Respiratory Society .

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Parasexual recombination enables Aspergillus fumigatus to persist in cystic fibrosis
(Your Name) has sent you a message from European Respiratory Society
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the European Respiratory Society web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Print
Citation Tools
Parasexual recombination enables Aspergillus fumigatus to persist in cystic fibrosis
Tobias Engel, Paul E. Verweij, Joost van den Heuvel, Dechen Wangmo, Jianhua Zhang, Alfons J.M. Debets, Eveline Snelders
ERJ Open Research Oct 2020, 6 (4) 00020-2020; DOI: 10.1183/23120541.00020-2020

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Share
Parasexual recombination enables Aspergillus fumigatus to persist in cystic fibrosis
Tobias Engel, Paul E. Verweij, Joost van den Heuvel, Dechen Wangmo, Jianhua Zhang, Alfons J.M. Debets, Eveline Snelders
ERJ Open Research Oct 2020, 6 (4) 00020-2020; DOI: 10.1183/23120541.00020-2020
Reddit logo Technorati logo Twitter logo Connotea logo Facebook logo Mendeley logo
Full Text (PDF)

Jump To

  • Article
    • Abstract
    • Abstract
    • Introduction
    • Methods
    • Results
    • Discussion
    • Supplementary material
    • Acknowledgements
    • Footnotes
    • References
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF

Subjects

  • CF and non-CF bronchiectasis
  • Respiratory infections and tuberculosis
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

More in this TOC Section

Original articles

  • Endobronchial autologous BM-MSCs in IPF patients
  • Effect of β-blockers on the risk of COPD exacerbations
  • Recurrence of symptoms after childhood LRTI
Show more Original articles

Cystic fibrosis

  • Functional assay in CF organoids allows drug repurposing
  • Nasal epithelial cell FRAP predicts CF therapy response
  • Diagnostic agreement in cystic fibrosis
Show more Cystic fibrosis

Related Articles

Navigate

  • Home
  • Current issue
  • Archive

About ERJ Open Research

  • Editorial board
  • Journal information
  • Press
  • Permissions and reprints
  • Advertising

The European Respiratory Society

  • Society home
  • myERS
  • Privacy policy
  • Accessibility

ERS publications

  • European Respiratory Journal
  • ERJ Open Research
  • European Respiratory Review
  • Breathe
  • ERS books online
  • ERS Bookshop

Help

  • Feedback

For authors

  • Instructions for authors
  • Publication ethics and malpractice
  • Submit a manuscript

For readers

  • Alerts
  • Subjects
  • RSS

Subscriptions

  • Accessing the ERS publications

Contact us

European Respiratory Society
442 Glossop Road
Sheffield S10 2PX
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 114 2672860
Email: journals@ersnet.org

ISSN

Online ISSN: 2312-0541

Copyright © 2023 by the European Respiratory Society