A lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase-like protein functions in fungal copper import and meningitis.

ABSTRACT: Infection by the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans causes lethal meningitis, primarily in immune-compromised individuals. Colonization of the brain by C. neoformans is dependent on copper (Cu) acquisition from the host, which drives critical virulence mechanisms. While C. neoformans Cu⁺ import and virulence are dependent on the Ctr1 and Ctr4 proteins, little is known concerning extracellular Cu ligands that participate in this process. We identified a C. neoformans gene, BIM1, that is strongly induced during Cu limitation and which encodes a protein related to lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs). Surprisingly, bim1 mutants are Cu deficient, and Bim1 function in Cu accumulation depends on Cu²⁺ coordination and cell-surface association via a glycophosphati

SUBMITTER: Garcia-Santamarina S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7036007 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature