Transcriptional profiling of a fungal granuloma reveals a low metabolic activity of yeasts and an actively regulated host immune response.

Granulomas are important immunological structures in the host defense against the fungus , the main etiologic agent of Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM), a granulomatous systemic mycosis endemic in Latin America. We have performed transcriptional and proteomic studies of yeasts present in the pulmonary granulomas of PCM aiming to identify relevant genes and proteins that act under stressing conditions. C57BL/6 mice were infected with 1x10 yeasts and after 8- and 12-weeks of infection, granulomatous lesions were obtained for extraction of fungal and murine RNAs and fungal proteins.