Trichophyton rubrum transcriptome in response to acriflavine

Purpose: The dermatophyte Trichophyton rubrum is an anthropophilic filamentous fungus that infects keratinized tissues and is the most common etiologic agent isolated in cases of human dermatophytoses. To better understand the molecular effects of stress responses and fungal adaptability, we evaluated the effects of acriflavine, a cytoxic drug, on T. rubrum transcriptome in a time-course assay using high-throughput RNA-seq technology. Results: RNA-seq generated approximately 200 million short reads that were mapped to the Broad Institute's Dermatophyte Comparative Database before differential gene expression analysis. A subset of 490 genes modulated in response to stress caused T. rubrum exposure to acriflavine were identified. These genes are involved in various cellular processes such as oxidation-reduction reactions, transmembrane transport, metal ion binding, and pathogenicity. The genes involved in pathogenicity were down-regulated, suggesting that this drug interferes with virulence factors that allow the establishment and maintenance of host infection. Conclusion: The results obtained in this large-scale analysis provide insights into the molecular events underlying the stress responses of T. rubrum Acriflavine. Overall design: mRNA profiling of T. rubrum grown in Sabouraud media as control (0h) and three different times of exposure to sub-inhibitory acriflavine concentrations for 3h, 12h, and 24h were used for high-throughput RNA sequencing using Applied Biosystems Solid 4 System.