Work

Cell-wall dyes interfere with Cryptococcus neoformans melanin deposition

Year: 2018

Type: article

Abstract: Melanization is an intrinsic characteristic of many fungal species, but details of this process are poorly understood because melanins are notoriously difficult pigments to study. While studying the binding of cell-wall dyes, Eosin Y or Uvitex, to melanized and non-melanized Cryptococcus neoformans cells we noted that melanization leads to reduced fluorescence intensity, suggesting that melanin interfered with dye binding to the cell wall. The growth of C. neoformans in melanizing conditions with either of the cell-wall dyes resulted in an increase in supernatant-associated melanin, consistent with blockage of melanin attachment to the cell wall. This effect provided the opportunity to characterize melanin released into culture supernatants. Released melanin particles appeared mostly as networked structures having dimensions consistent with previously described extracellular vesicles. Hence, dye binding to the cell wall created conditions that resembled the 'leaky melanin' phenotype described for certain cell-wall mutants. In agreement with earlier studies on fungal melanins biosynthesis, our observations are supportive of a model whereby C. neoformans melanization proceeds by the attachment of melanin nanoparticles to the cell wall through chitin, chitosan, and various glucans.

Source: Microbiology

DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.000682

Authors: Ricardo Perez-Dulzaides, Emma Camacho, Radames J. B. Cordero, Arturo Casadevall

Institution: Johns Hopkins University

Language: English

Topic: Fungal Infections and Studies

Subfield: Epidemiology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: Johns Hopkins University, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases