Chitosan, the deacetylated form of chitin, is necessary for cell wall integrity in Cryptococcus neoformans.

ABSTRACT: Cryptococcus neoformans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen that causes cryptococcal meningoencephalitis, particularly in immunocompromised patients. The fungal cell wall is an excellent target for antifungal therapies as it is an essential organelle that provides cell structure and integrity, it is needed for the localization or attachment of known virulence factors, including the polysaccharide capsule, melanin, and phospholipase, and it is critical for host-pathogen interactions. In C. neoformans, chitosan produced by the enzymatic removal of acetyl groups from nascent chitin polymers has been implicated as an important component of the vegetative cell wall. In this study, we identify four putative chitin/polysaccharide deacetylases in C. neoformans. We have demonstrated that three of t

SUBMITTER: Baker LG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1899242 | biostudies-literature | 2007 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature