Role of ferric reductases in iron acquisition and virulence in the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans.

ABSTRACT: Iron acquisition is critical for the ability of the pathogenic yeast Cryptococcus neoformans to cause disease in vertebrate hosts. In particular, iron overload exacerbates cryptococcal disease in an animal model, defects in iron acquisition attenuate virulence, and iron availability influences the expression of major virulence factors. C. neoformans acquires iron by multiple mechanisms, including a ferroxidase-permease high-affinity system, siderophore uptake, and utilization of both heme and transferrin. In this study, we examined the expression of eight candidate ferric reductase genes and their contributions to iron acquisition as well as to ferric and cupric reductase activities. We found that loss of the FRE4 gene resulted in a defect in production of the virulence factor melanin and

SUBMITTER: Saikia S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3911385 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature