In silico identification of GPI-anchored proteins in Paracoccidioides

Glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins (GPI-proteins) are widely found in eukaryotic organisms. In fungi, GPI-proteins are thought to be involved in diverse cellular mechanisms such as cell wall biosynthesis and cell wall remodeling, adhesion, antigenicity, and virulence. The conserved structural domains of GPI-protein allow the utilization of in silico prediction approach to identify this class of proteins using a genome-wide analysis. We used different previously characterized algorithms to search for genes that encode predicted GPI-proteins in the genome of P. brasiliensis and P. lutzii, thermal dimorphic fungi that causes paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM). By using these methods, 98 GPI-proteins were found in P. brasiliensis with orthologs in P. lutzii. A series of 28 GPI-proteins were classified in functional categories (such as glycoside hydrolases, chitin-processing proteins, and proteins involved in the biogenesis of the cell wall). Furthermore, 70 GPI-proteins exhibited homology with hypothetical conserved proteins of unknown function. These data will be an important resource for the future analysis of GPI-proteins in Paracoccidioides spp.