Year: 2010
Type: article
Abstract: Cryptococcus neoformans is a common life-threatening human fungal pathogen. The size of cryptococcal cells is typically 5 to 10 microm. Cell enlargement was observed in vivo, producing cells up to 100 microm. These morphological changes in cell size affected pathogenicity via reducing phagocytosis by host mononuclear cells, increasing resistance to oxidative and nitrosative stress, and correlated with reduced penetration of the central nervous system. Cell enlargement was stimulated by coinfection with strains of opposite mating type, and ste3aDelta pheromone receptor mutant strains had reduced cell enlargement. Finally, analysis of DNA content in this novel cell type revealed that these enlarged cells were polyploid, uninucleate, and produced daughter cells in vivo. These results describe a novel mechanism by which C. neoformans evades host phagocytosis to allow survival of a subset of the population at early stages of infection. Thus, morphological changes play unique and specialized roles during infection.
Source: PLoS Pathogens
Language: English
Subfield: Infectious Diseases
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,043
Awards: Structure, function, and evolution of the Cryptococcus MAT locus, G1825851999, G3303573839, Pheromones and Titan Cell Production in Cryptococcus neoformans, G4471561644, A link between mating pheromone sensing and virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans, Tri-Institutional Molecular Mycology and Pathogenesis Training Program
OpenAlex ID: W2055416073