Search citation statements
Paper Sections
Citation Types
Year Published
Publication Types
Relationship
Authors
Journals
Cryptococcus neoformanshas emerged as a frontrunner among deadly fungal pathogens and is particularly life-threatening for many HIV-infected individuals with compromised immunity. Multiple virulence factors contribute to the growth and survival ofC. neoformanswithin the human host, the two most prominent of which are the polysaccharide capsule and melanin. As both of these features are associated with the cell wall, we were interested to explore possible cooperative or competitive interactions between these two virulence factors. Whereas capsule thickness had no effect on the rate at which cells became melanized, build-up of the melanin pigment layer resulted in a concomitant loss of polysaccharide material, leaving melanized cells with significantly thinner capsules than their non-melanized counterparts. When melanin was provided exogenously to cells in a transwell culture system we observed a similar inhibition of capsule growth and maintenance. Our results show that melanin sequesters calcium thereby limiting its availability to form divalent bridges between polysaccharide subunits required for outer capsule assembly. The decreased ability of melanized cells to incorporate exported polysaccharide into the growing capsule correlated with the amount of shed polysaccharide, which could have profound negative impacts on the host immune response.Significance StatementCryptococcus neoformansis an opportunistic fungal pathogen that presents a significant health risk for immunocompromised individuals. We report an interaction between the two major cryptococcal virulence factors, the polysaccharide capsule and melanin. Melanin impacted the growth and maintenance of the polysaccharide capsule, resulting in loss of capsular material during melanization. Our results suggest that melanin can act as a sink for calcium, thereby limiting its availability to form ionic bridges between polysaccharide chains on the growing surface of the outer capsule. As polysaccharide is continuously exported to support capsule growth, failure of melanized cells to incorporate this material results in a higher concentration of shed polysaccharide in the extracellular milieu, which is expected to interfere with host immunity.
Cryptococcus neoformanshas emerged as a frontrunner among deadly fungal pathogens and is particularly life-threatening for many HIV-infected individuals with compromised immunity. Multiple virulence factors contribute to the growth and survival ofC. neoformanswithin the human host, the two most prominent of which are the polysaccharide capsule and melanin. As both of these features are associated with the cell wall, we were interested to explore possible cooperative or competitive interactions between these two virulence factors. Whereas capsule thickness had no effect on the rate at which cells became melanized, build-up of the melanin pigment layer resulted in a concomitant loss of polysaccharide material, leaving melanized cells with significantly thinner capsules than their non-melanized counterparts. When melanin was provided exogenously to cells in a transwell culture system we observed a similar inhibition of capsule growth and maintenance. Our results show that melanin sequesters calcium thereby limiting its availability to form divalent bridges between polysaccharide subunits required for outer capsule assembly. The decreased ability of melanized cells to incorporate exported polysaccharide into the growing capsule correlated with the amount of shed polysaccharide, which could have profound negative impacts on the host immune response.Significance StatementCryptococcus neoformansis an opportunistic fungal pathogen that presents a significant health risk for immunocompromised individuals. We report an interaction between the two major cryptococcal virulence factors, the polysaccharide capsule and melanin. Melanin impacted the growth and maintenance of the polysaccharide capsule, resulting in loss of capsular material during melanization. Our results suggest that melanin can act as a sink for calcium, thereby limiting its availability to form ionic bridges between polysaccharide chains on the growing surface of the outer capsule. As polysaccharide is continuously exported to support capsule growth, failure of melanized cells to incorporate this material results in a higher concentration of shed polysaccharide in the extracellular milieu, which is expected to interfere with host immunity.
The 32.1 MbCnes2chromosome 17 interval was shown to confer resistance to progressiveCryptococcus deneoformans52D infection. To refine the location ofCnes2host resistance genes, a subcongenic mouse strain (B6.CBA-Cnes2b) that contains 8.7 Mb from the telomeric region ofCnes2was created. At 28 days postinfection B6.CBA-Cnes2bmice had a lower lung fungal burden, increased lung injury, as well as mortality compared to C57BL/6N. B6.CBA-Cnes2bmice had increased pulmonary production of pro-inflammatory mediators, chemokines and Th1-type cytokines as well as increased recruitment of monocytes and neutrophils to the lungs.Cnes2balso regulated several elements of the host response toC. deneoformans52D infection in a sex-dependent manner. Specifically, male B6.CBA-Cnes2bmice had a lower lung fungal burden, increased brain injury and mortality relative to females. Taken together these findings demonstrate thatCnes2bregulates host inflammation in a manner that controls fungal burden and increases tissue damage. Precise identification of the genes encoded byCnes2bcould reveal key mechanisms of cryptococcal host resistance and immune reconstitution or postinfectious inflammatory syndromes.
Infants with biallelic IL7R loss-of-function variants have severe combined immune deficiency (SCID) characterized by the absence of autologous T lymphocytes, but normal counts of circulating B and NK cells (T – B + NK + SCID). We report 6 adults (aged 22 to 59 years) from 4 kindreds and 3 ancestries (Colombian, Israeli Arab, Japanese) carrying homozygous IL7 loss-of-function variants resulting in combined immunodeficiency (CID). Deep immunophenotyping revealed relatively normal counts and/or proportions of myeloid, B, NK, and innate lymphoid cells. By contrast, the patients had profound T cell lymphopenia, with low proportions of innate-like adaptive mucosal-associated invariant T and invariant NK T cells. They also had low blood counts of T cell receptor (TCR) excision circles, recent thymic emigrant T cells and naive CD4 + T cells, and low overall TCR repertoire diversity, collectively indicating impaired thymic output. The proportions of effector memory CD4 + and CD8 + T cells were high, indicating IL-7–independent homeostatic T cell proliferation in the periphery. Intriguingly, the proportions of other T cell subsets, including TCRγδ + T cells and some TCRαβ + T cell subsets (including Th1, Tfh, and Treg) were little affected. Peripheral CD4 + T cells displayed poor proliferation, but normal cytokine production upon stimulation with mitogens in vitro. Thus, inherited IL-7 deficiency impairs T cell development less severely and in a more subset-specific manner than IL-7R deficiency. These findings suggest that another IL-7R–binding cytokine, possibly thymic stromal lymphopoietin, governs an IL-7–independent pathway of human T cell development.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.