Macrophage vacuolar ATPase (v-ATPase) function controls <i>Aspergillus fumigatus</i> germination and hyphal growth independent of spore killing.

ABSTRACT: Tissue-resident macrophages efficiently internalize Aspergillus fumigatus spores, forming a critical first line of defense against infection. However, the mechanisms that these cells use to control spores in vivo remain incompletely defined. Here, we used the live imaging capabilities of the larval zebrafish host model to assess the role of the v-ATPase complex in macrophage-mediated defense against A. fumigatus in a whole vertebrate animal. For the first time we are able to visualize co-localization of A. fumigatus spores with the key v-ATPase subunit Atp6v1h in macrophages inside of an infected animal. As macrophages only have a low ability to kill spores, this co-localization occurs as early as 1-day post-injection and persists for multiple days. Surprisingly, macro

SUBMITTER: Magray AR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12338609 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature