SUB6 Subtilisin is Involved During the Initial Adhesion of Trichophyton benhamiae and T. mentagrophytes onto Reconstructed Human Epidermis

The growing incidence of dermatophytoses and the emergence of strains resistant to available antifungal agents raise the need for a better understanding of the virulence mechanisms of dermatophytes to identify new therapeutic targets. The proteases of the subtilisin family have previously been highl...

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Main Authors: Émilie Faway, Wilfried Poirier, Tsuyoshi Yamada, Kiyotaka Ozawa, Michel Monod, Bernard Mignon, Yves Poumay
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-07-01
Series:JID Innovations
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667026725000268
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author Émilie Faway
Wilfried Poirier
Tsuyoshi Yamada
Kiyotaka Ozawa
Michel Monod
Bernard Mignon
Yves Poumay
author_facet Émilie Faway
Wilfried Poirier
Tsuyoshi Yamada
Kiyotaka Ozawa
Michel Monod
Bernard Mignon
Yves Poumay
author_sort Émilie Faway
collection DOAJ
description The growing incidence of dermatophytoses and the emergence of strains resistant to available antifungal agents raise the need for a better understanding of the virulence mechanisms of dermatophytes to identify new therapeutic targets. The proteases of the subtilisin family have previously been highlighted as potential virulence factors for dermatophytes, in particular the protease SUB6, which was first discovered to be an allergen capable of inducing immediate and delayed hypersensitivity skin reactions. Moreover, SUB6 expression and SUB6 protein production were detected during experimental and natural skin infections with several dermatophyte species. In this study, we specifically investigated the importance of SUB6 during Trichophyton benhamiae and T. mentagrophytes dermatophytosis in a reconstructed human epidermis model by comparing parental strains with genetically engineered ones deleted (ΔSUB6) or complemented for the SUB6-encoding gene. Thereby, a role for SUB6 has been identified in the initial steps of adhesion to the host epidermal surface. However, the ΔSUB6 strains were able to finally invade the reconstructed human epidermis, suggesting that SUB6 is a robust fungal marker of infection but not an essential virulence factor.
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publishDate 2025-07-01
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spelling doaj-art-cd8f0bbe0c39426b80c69c0b8cf6f1e32025-08-20T03:17:03ZengElsevierJID Innovations2667-02672025-07-015410037010.1016/j.xjidi.2025.100370SUB6 Subtilisin is Involved During the Initial Adhesion of Trichophyton benhamiae and T. mentagrophytes onto Reconstructed Human EpidermisÉmilie Faway0Wilfried Poirier1Tsuyoshi Yamada2Kiyotaka Ozawa3Michel Monod4Bernard Mignon5Yves Poumay6Molecular Physiology Research Unit, NAmur Research Institute for Life Sciences (URPHYMNARILIS), Faculty of Medicine, University of Namur, Namur, Belgium; Correspondence: Emilie Faway, Molecular Physiology Research Unit, NAmur Research Institute for Life Sciences (URPHYM-NARILIS), University of Namur, Namur 5000, Belgium.Fundamental and Applied Research for Animals & Health (FARAH), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Liège, BelgiumTeikyo University Institute of Medical Mycology, Teikyo University, Tokyo, Japan; Asia International Institute of Infectious Disease Control, Teikyo University, Tokyo, JapanTeikyo University Institute of Medical Mycology, Teikyo University, Tokyo, Japan; Medical Mycology Research Center, Chiba University, Chiba, JapanDepartment of Dermatology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudios, Lausanne, SwitzerlandFundamental and Applied Research for Animals & Health (FARAH), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Liège, BelgiumMolecular Physiology Research Unit, NAmur Research Institute for Life Sciences (URPHYMNARILIS), Faculty of Medicine, University of Namur, Namur, BelgiumThe growing incidence of dermatophytoses and the emergence of strains resistant to available antifungal agents raise the need for a better understanding of the virulence mechanisms of dermatophytes to identify new therapeutic targets. The proteases of the subtilisin family have previously been highlighted as potential virulence factors for dermatophytes, in particular the protease SUB6, which was first discovered to be an allergen capable of inducing immediate and delayed hypersensitivity skin reactions. Moreover, SUB6 expression and SUB6 protein production were detected during experimental and natural skin infections with several dermatophyte species. In this study, we specifically investigated the importance of SUB6 during Trichophyton benhamiae and T. mentagrophytes dermatophytosis in a reconstructed human epidermis model by comparing parental strains with genetically engineered ones deleted (ΔSUB6) or complemented for the SUB6-encoding gene. Thereby, a role for SUB6 has been identified in the initial steps of adhesion to the host epidermal surface. However, the ΔSUB6 strains were able to finally invade the reconstructed human epidermis, suggesting that SUB6 is a robust fungal marker of infection but not an essential virulence factor.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667026725000268AdhesionDermatophytosisReconstructed human epidermisSubtilisinVirulence factor
spellingShingle Émilie Faway
Wilfried Poirier
Tsuyoshi Yamada
Kiyotaka Ozawa
Michel Monod
Bernard Mignon
Yves Poumay
SUB6 Subtilisin is Involved During the Initial Adhesion of Trichophyton benhamiae and T. mentagrophytes onto Reconstructed Human Epidermis
JID Innovations
Adhesion
Dermatophytosis
Reconstructed human epidermis
Subtilisin
Virulence factor
title SUB6 Subtilisin is Involved During the Initial Adhesion of Trichophyton benhamiae and T. mentagrophytes onto Reconstructed Human Epidermis
title_full SUB6 Subtilisin is Involved During the Initial Adhesion of Trichophyton benhamiae and T. mentagrophytes onto Reconstructed Human Epidermis
title_fullStr SUB6 Subtilisin is Involved During the Initial Adhesion of Trichophyton benhamiae and T. mentagrophytes onto Reconstructed Human Epidermis
title_full_unstemmed SUB6 Subtilisin is Involved During the Initial Adhesion of Trichophyton benhamiae and T. mentagrophytes onto Reconstructed Human Epidermis
title_short SUB6 Subtilisin is Involved During the Initial Adhesion of Trichophyton benhamiae and T. mentagrophytes onto Reconstructed Human Epidermis
title_sort sub6 subtilisin is involved during the initial adhesion of trichophyton benhamiae and t mentagrophytes onto reconstructed human epidermis
topic Adhesion
Dermatophytosis
Reconstructed human epidermis
Subtilisin
Virulence factor
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667026725000268
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