Loss of Opi3 causes a lipid imbalance that influences the virulence traits of Cryptococcus neoformans but not cryptococcosis.

ABSTRACT: The basidiomycete fungus Cryptococcus neoformans is a useful model for investigating mechanisms of fungal pathogenesis in mammalian hosts. This pathogen is the causative agent of cryptococcal meningitis in immunocompromised patients and is in the critical priority group of the World Health Organization fungal priority pathogens list. In this study, we employed a mutant lacking the OPI3 gene encoding a methylene-fatty-acyl-phospholipid synthase to characterize the role of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and lipid homeostasis in the virulence of C. neoformans. We first confirmed that OPI3 was required for growth in nutrient limiting conditions, a phenotype that could be rescued with exogenous choline and PC. Additionally, we established that loss of Opi3 and the lack of

SUBMITTER: Lee CWJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11347413 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature