Defects in conidiophore development and conidium-macrophage interactions in a dioxygenase mutant of Aspergillus fumigatus

Oxygenated fatty acids, or oxylipins, play an essential role in physiological signaling and developmental processes in animals, plants, and fungi. Previous characterization of three Aspergillus fumigatus dioxygenases (PpoA, PpoB, and PpoC), similar in sequence to mammalian cyclooxygenases, showed that PpoA is responsible for the production of the oxylipins 8R-hydroperoxyoctadecadienoic acid and 5S,8R-dihydroxy-9Z,12Z-octadecadienoic acid and that PpoC is responsible for IOR-hydroxy-8E,12Z-hydroperoxyoctadecadienoic acid. Here, Delta ppo mutants were characterized to elucidate the role of fungal dioxygenases in A. fumigatus development and host interactions. The Delta ppoC strain displayed distinct phenotypes compared to those of other Delta ppo mutants and the wild type, including altered conidium size, germination, and tolerance to oxidative stress as well as increased uptake and killing by primary alveolar macrophages. These experiments implicate oxylipins in pathogen development and suggest that Delta ppoC represents a useful model for studying the A. fumigatus-host interaction.