Document Detail


Cryptococcus neoformans responds to mannitol by increasing capsule size in vitro and in vivo.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  20070311     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
The polysaccharide capsule of the fungus Cryptococcus neoformans is its main virulence factor. In this study, we determined the effects of mannitol and glucose on the capsule and exopolysaccharide production. Growth in mannitol significantly increased capsular volume compared with cultivation in glucose. However, cells grown in glucose concentrations higher than 62.5 mM produced more exopolysaccharide than cells grown in mannitol. The fibre lengths and glycosyl composition of capsular polysaccharide from yeast grown in mannitol was structurally different from that of yeast grown in glucose. Furthermore, mannitol treatment of mice infected intratracheally with C. neoformans resulted in fungal cells with significantly larger capsules and the mice had reduced fungal dissemination to the brain. Our results demonstrate the capacity of carbohydrate source and concentration to modify the expression of a major virulence factor of C. neoformans. These findings may impact the clinical management of cryptococcosis.
Authors:
Allan Jefferson Guimarães; Susana Frases; Radamés J B Cordero; Leonardo Nimrichter; Arturo Casadevall; Joshua D Nosanchuk
Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't     Date:  2010-01-11
Journal Detail:
Title:  Cellular microbiology     Volume:  12     ISSN:  1462-5822     ISO Abbreviation:  Cell. Microbiol.     Publication Date:  2010 Jun 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2010-06-18     Completed Date:  2010-09-20     Revised Date:  2011-07-28    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  100883691     Medline TA:  Cell Microbiol     Country:  England    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  740-53     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, Bronx, NY, USA.
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Animals
Brain / microbiology
Colony Count, Microbial
Cryptococcosis / microbiology*
Cryptococcus neoformans / metabolism*,  pathogenicity*
Glucose / metabolism
Lung / microbiology
Mannitol / metabolism*
Mice
Polysaccharides / biosynthesis*
Virulence
Virulence Factors / biosynthesis*
Grant Support
ID/Acronym/Agency:
AI-51519/AI/NIAID NIH HHS; AI52733/AI/NIAID NIH HHS; D43-TW007129/TW/FIC NIH HHS; R01 AI052733-06A1/AI/NIAID NIH HHS; T32 GM007491/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS
Chemical
Reg. No./Substance:
0/Polysaccharides; 0/Virulence Factors; 50-99-7/Glucose; 69-65-8/Mannitol
Comments/Corrections

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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