Identification of membrane proteome of Paracoccidioides lutzii and its regulation by zinc.

Aim: During infection development in the host, Paracoccidioides spp. faces the deprivation of micronutrients, a mechanism called nutritional immunity. This condition induces the remodeling of proteins present in different metabolic pathways. Therefore, we attempted to identify membrane proteins and their regulation by zinc in Paracoccidioides lutzii .

Materials & methods: Membranes enriched fraction of yeast cells of P. lutzii were isolated, purified and identified by 2D LC-MS/MS detection and database search.

Results & conclusion: Zinc deprivation suppressed the expression of membrane proteins such as glycoproteins, those involved in cell wall synthesis and those related to oxidative phosphorylation. This is the first study describing membrane proteins and the effect of zinc deficiency in their regulation in one member of the genus Paracoccidioides .