Cryptococcus neoformans requires a functional glycolytic pathway for disease but not persistence in the host.

ABSTRACT: Cryptococcus neoformans is an important fungal pathogen of immunocompromised individuals, with a close relative, Cryptococcus gattii, emerging as a serious threat for the immunocompetent. During initial infection, C. neoformans colonizes the airspaces of the lungs, resulting in pneumonia, and subsequently migrates to the central nervous system (CNS). We sought to understand fungal carbon utilization during colonization of these fundamentally different niches within the host, in particular the roles of gluconeogenesis and glycolysis. We created mutants at key points in the gluconeogenesis/glycolysis metabolic pathways that are restricted for growth on lactate and glucose, respectively. A phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase mutant (the pck1Δ mutant), blocked for entry of 2- and 3-carbon substr

SUBMITTER: Price MS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3110414 | biostudies-literature | 2011

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature