Networks of fibers and factors: regulation of capsule formation in Cryptococcus neoformans [version 1; peer review: 5 approved]

The ability of the pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans to cause life-threatening meningoencephalitis in immunocompromised individuals is due in large part to elaboration of a capsule consisting of polysaccharide fibers. The size of the cell-associated capsule is remarkably responsive to a vari...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:F1000 research 2016, Vol.5, p.1786
Main Authors: Ding, Hao, Mayer, François L, Sánchez-León, Eddy, de S. Araújo, Glauber R, Frases, Susana, Kronstad, James W
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antimicrobials & Drug Resistance
Cellular Microbiology & Pathogenesis
Epidemiology
Fungal Infections
Infectious Diseases of the Nervous System
Medical Microbiology
Microbial Evolution & Genomics
Microbial Physiology & Metabolism
Review
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The ability of the pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans to cause life-threatening meningoencephalitis in immunocompromised individuals is due in large part to elaboration of a capsule consisting of polysaccharide fibers. The size of the cell-associated capsule is remarkably responsive to a variety of environmental and host conditions, but the mechanistic details of the regulation, synthesis, trafficking, and attachment of the polysaccharides are poorly understood. Recent studies reveal a complex network of transcription factors that influence capsule elaboration in response to several different signals of relevance to disease (e.g., iron deprivation). The emerging complexity of the network is consistent with the diversity of conditions that influence the capsule and illustrates the responsiveness of the fungus to both the environment and mammalian hosts.
ISSN:2046-1402
2046-1402
DOI:10.12688/f1000research.8854.1