Meeting Abstract
White-nose syndrome (WNS) in North American bats is caused by an invasive cutaneous infection by the psychrophilic fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd). We compared transcriptome-wide changes in gene expression using RNA-Seq on wing skin tissue from hibernating little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus) with WNS to bats without Pd exposure. The pattern of gene expression changes observed demonstrates that WNS is accompanied by an innate anti-fungal host response similar to that caused by cutaneous Candida albicans infections. Using a dual RNA-Seq approach, which allowed us to gain insight into the gene expression of both the host and the pathogen simultaneously, we observed differences in Pd gene expression that suggest host-pathogen interactions that might determine WNS progression. We identified several classes of potential virulence factors that are expressed in Pd during WNS, including secreted proteases that may mediate tissue invasion, as well as zinc transporters, nitrogen metabolizers, fungal allergens, and factors involved in the oxidative stress response. We will be comparing expression levels in Pd grown on and actively infecting the wing of a bat with Pd grown in culture. We expect that some of the putative virulence factors seen in the dual RNA-Seq approach will be more highly expressed in Pd grown on bat wings. These putative virulence factors may provide novel targets for treatment or prevention of WNS.
