This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Giles, S. S.
Right arrow Articles by Hull, C. M.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Giles, S. S.
Right arrow Articles by Hull, C. M.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Infection and Immunity, August 2009, p. 3491-3500, Vol. 77, No. 8
0019-9567/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.00334-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Elucidating the Pathogenesis of Spores from the Human Fungal Pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans{triangledown}

Steven S. Giles,1,2 Taylor R. T. Dagenais,2 Michael R. Botts,1 Nancy P. Keller,2,3 and Christina M. Hull1,2*

Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin,1 Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin,2 Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin3

Received 23 March 2009/ Returned for modification 24 April 2009/ Accepted 9 May 2009

Cryptococcus neoformans was first described as a human fungal pathogen more than a century ago. One aspect of the C. neoformans infectious life cycle that has been the subject of earnest debate is whether the spores are pathogenic. Despite much speculation, no direct evidence has been presented to resolve this outstanding question. We present evidence that C. neoformans spores are pathogenic in a mouse intranasal inhalation model of infection. In addition, we provide mechanistic insights into spore-host interactions. We found that C. neoformans spores were phagocytosed by alveolar macrophages via interactions between fungal β-(1,3)-glucan and the host receptors Dectin-1 and CD11b. Moreover, we discovered an important link between spore survival and macrophage activation state: intracellular spores were susceptible to reactive oxygen-nitrogen species. We anticipate these results will serve as the basis for a model to further investigate the pathogenic implications of infections caused by fungal spores.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: 587 Medical Sciences Center, 1300 University Avenue, Madison, WI 53706-1510. Phone: (608) 265-5441. Fax: (608) 262-5253. E-mail: cmhull{at}wisc.edu

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 18 May 2009.

Editor: A. Casadevall

Infection and Immunity, August 2009, p. 3491-3500, Vol. 77, No. 8
0019-9567/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.00334-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Velagapudi, R., Hsueh, Y.-P., Geunes-Boyer, S., Wright, J. R., Heitman, J. (2009). Spores as Infectious Propagules of Cryptococcus neoformans. Infect. Immun. 77: 4345-4355 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»