Optimisation of a Murine Infection Model With Trichophyton mentagrophytes for Studying the Pathogenesis of Dermatophytosis.

Poirier, Wilfried; Faway, Émilie; Yamada, Tsuyoshi; Ozawa, Kiyotaka; Maréchal, Françoise; Salamin, Karine; Vanberg, Romain; Denil, Eléa; Monod, Michel; Poumay, Yves; Mignon, Bernard

doi:10.1111/myc.70141

Article (Scientific journals)

Optimisation of a Murine Infection Model With Trichophyton mentagrophytes for Studying the Pathogenesis of Dermatophytosis.

Poirier, Wilfried; Faway, Émilie; Yamada, Tsuyoshi et al.

2025 • In Mycoses, 68 (12), p. 70141

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

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https://hdl.handle.net/2268/340206

DOI
10.1111/myc.70141

PubMed
41399935

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Keywords :

Trichophyton mentagrophytes; dermatophytoses; fungal virulence marker; genotyping; host cytokine; Cytokines; Fungal Proteins; Animals; Mice; Cytokines/genetics; Cytokines/metabolism; Phylogeny; Guinea Pigs; Virulence; Skin/microbiology; Skin/pathology; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Female; Fungal Proteins/genetics; Genotype; Disease Models, Animal; Tinea/microbiology; Tinea/pathology; Tinea/immunology; Arthrodermataceae/pathogenicity; Arthrodermataceae/genetics; Arthrodermataceae/classification; Trichophyton/pathogenicity; Trichophyton/genetics; Arthrodermataceae; Skin; Tinea; Trichophyton; Dermatology; Infectious Diseases

Abstract :

[en] [en] BACKGROUND: Dermatophytes are the most common agents of superficial mycoses in humans and animals. In a model of Trichophyton benhamiae dermatophytosis in its natural host (guinea pig), the most overexpressed gene was subtilisin 6 (SUB6). Given the availability of powerful genetic and immunological tools in mice, murine models of dermatophytosis should be developed using strains that can mimic natural infections. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to test a strain of Trichophyton mentagrophytes isolated from a rodent in a murine skin infection model, to characterise the expression of key host and fungal genes and investigate the role of SUB6 in virulence by mimicking a natural infection as closely as possible. RESULTS: A phylogenetic tree was generated to better discriminate the T. mentagrophytes strains isolated from animals. The T. mentagrophytes TIMM 2789 strain used in this study is genotype IV, specific to rodents. Infection induced symptoms and lesions, including hair follicle invasion, typical of acute superficial dermatophytosis. Early overexpression of genes encoding specific cytokines revealed the involvement of the Th1, Th2 and Th17 responses by the host, and the overexpression of the fungal SIDC gene underscores the importance of iron acquisition during infection. The use of deleted and complemented SUB6 strains revealed that SUB6 does not appear to be necessary for fungal virulence, while SUB5 overexpression suggests a compensatory mechanism. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the crucial importance of carefully selecting the most appropriate dermatophyte strain for the animal species in the experimental model used.

Disciplines :

Veterinary medicine & animal health

Author, co-author :

Poirier, Wilfried ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Fundamental and Applied Research for Animals and Health (FARAH) > FARAH: Santé publique vétérinaire

Faway, Émilie ; Molecular Physiology Research Unit, NAmur Research Institute for Life Sciences (URPHYM-NARILIS), Faculty of Medicine, University of Namur, Namur, Belgium

Yamada, Tsuyoshi ; Teikyo University Institute of Medical Mycology, Teikyo University, Tokyo, Japan ; Asia International Institute of Infectious Disease Control, Teikyo University, Tokyo, Japan

Ozawa, Kiyotaka ; Teikyo University Institute of Medical Mycology, Teikyo University, Tokyo, Japan ; Medical Mycology Research Center, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan

Maréchal, Françoise ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des maladies infectieuses et parasitaires (DMI)

Salamin, Karine; Department of Dermatology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland

Vanberg, Romain ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Fundamental and Applied Research for Animals and Health (FARAH) > FARAH: Santé publique vétérinaire

Denil, Eléa ; Molecular Physiology Research Unit, NAmur Research Institute for Life Sciences (URPHYM-NARILIS), Faculty of Medicine, University of Namur, Namur, Belgium

Monod, Michel ; Department of Dermatology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland

Poumay, Yves ; Molecular Physiology Research Unit, NAmur Research Institute for Life Sciences (URPHYM-NARILIS), Faculty of Medicine, University of Namur, Namur, Belgium

Mignon, Bernard ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des maladies infectieuses et parasitaires (DMI) > Mycologie vétérinaire

Language :

English

Title :

Optimisation of a Murine Infection Model With Trichophyton mentagrophytes for Studying the Pathogenesis of Dermatophytosis.

Publication date :

16 December 2025

Journal title :

Mycoses

ISSN :

0933-7407

eISSN :

1439-0507

Publisher :

John Wiley and Sons Inc, Germany

Volume :

Issue :

Pages :

e70141

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Additional URL :

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/myc.70141

Funding text :

This work was supported by R\u00E9gion Wallonne; Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, and Technology of Japan. The authors gratefully acknowledge the histology laboratory of Prof. Nadine Antoine and the technical help provided by Jo\u00EBlle Piret. This work was supported by the Walloon Region, Walloon Public Service; StratiCELL and Coris BioConcept (MYCEPI, grant number 1910074; TineaDiag, grant number 2410077); and by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan via a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (20K07054).

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