Cryptococcus neoformans
Fungal and Parasitic Infections | SpotlightCryptococcus neoformans Evades Pulmonary Immunity by Modulating Xylose Precursor TransportCryptococcus neoformans is a fungal pathogen that kills almost 200,000 people each year and is distinguished by abundant and unique surface glycan structures that are rich in xylose. A mutant strain of C. neoformans that cannot transport xylose precursors into the secretory compartment is severely...
Host Response and InflammationNHR-49 Transcription Factor Regulates Immunometabolic Response and Survival of Caenorhabditis elegans during Enterococcus faecalis InfectionImmune response to pathogens is energetically expensive to the host; however, the cellular source of energy to fuel immune response remains unknown. In this study, we show that Caenorhabditis elegans exposed to pathogenic Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria or yeast rapidly utilizes lipid droplets, the major energy reserve. The nematode’s response to the...
Molecular PathogenesisRole of the ESCRT Pathway in Laccase Trafficking and Virulence of Cryptococcus neoformansThe endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) plays a crucial role in the transportation and degradation of proteins. We determined that Vps27, a key protein of the ESCRT-0 complex, is required for the transport of the virulence factor laccase to the cell wall in Cryptococcus neoformans. Laccase activity was perturbed, as was melanin production, in ...
Fungal and Parasitic InfectionsHuman IgM Inhibits the Formation of Titan-Like Cells in Cryptococcus neoformansHuman studies have shown associations between cryptococcal meningitis and reduced IgM memory B cell levels, and studies in IgM- and/or B cell-deficient mice have demonstrated increased Cryptococcus neoformans dissemination from lungs to brain. Since immunoglobulins are part of the immune milieu that C....
Fungal and Parasitic InfectionsContribution of Laccase Expression to Immune Response against Cryptococcus gattii InfectionCryptococcosis is an infectious disease caused by two fungal species, Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii. While C. neoformans affects mainly immunocompromised patients,...
Fungal and Parasitic Infections | SpotlightThe Mouse Inhalation Model of Cryptococcus neoformans Infection Recapitulates Strain Virulence in Humans and Shows that Closely Related Strains Can Possess Differential VirulenceCryptococcal meningitis (CM) causes high rates of HIV-related mortality, yet the Cryptococcus factors influencing patient outcome are not well understood. Pathogen-specific traits, such as the strain genotype and degree of antigen shedding, are associated with the clinical outcome, but the underlying biology remains elusive.
- Fungal and Parasitic InfectionsConservation of Intracellular Pathogenic Strategy among Distantly Related Cryptococcal Species
- Molecular Pathogenesis | SpotlightRegulated Release of Cryptococcal Polysaccharide Drives Virulence and Suppresses Immune Cell Infiltration into the Central Nervous System
- Fungal and Parasitic InfectionsLipids Affect the Cryptococcus neoformans-Macrophage Interaction and Promote Nonlytic Exocytosis
- Fungal and Parasitic InfectionsRNA Interference Screening Reveals Host CaMK4 as a Regulator of Cryptococcal Uptake and Pathogenesis