The First Whole-Cell Proteome- and Lysine-Acetylome-Based Comparison between <i>Trichophyton rubrum</i> Conidial and Mycelial Stages

Trichophyton rubrum is the most common fungal
pathogen in the world, which has been studied as an important dermatophyte
model organism. Despite the prevalence of T. rubrum, the available antifungal therapies are not sufficiently efficient.
In this study, we performed the first comparison between the two major
growth stages of T. rubrum: conidial and mycelial
stages, based on their whole-cell proteomes and lysine acetylomes.
In total, 4343 proteins were identified in both stages, and 1879 proteins
were identified as differentially expressed between the two stages.
The results showed that secretory proteases were more abundant in
conidia, while aerobic metabolism and protein synthesis were significantly
activated in the mycelial stage. In addition, 386 acetylated sites
on 285 proteins and 5414 acetylated sites on 2335 proteins were identified
in conidia and mycelia, respectively. The acetylation modifications
were highly involved in metabolism and protein synthesis in both stages
but differentially involved in Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes
pathways and in epigenetic regulation between the two stages. Furthermore,
inhibition of acetyltransferases or deacetylases significantly inhibited
fungal growth and induced apoptosis. These results will enhance our
understanding of the biological and physiological characteristics
of T. rubrum and facilitate the development of improved
therapies targeting these medically important pathogenic fungi.