Cryptococcus neoformans is a common life-threatening human fungal pathogen. The size of cryptococcal cells is typically 5 to 10 µm. Cell enlargement was observed in vivo, producing cells up to 100 µm. These morphological changes in cell size affected pathogenicity via reducing phagocytosis by host mononuclear cells, increasing resistance to oxidative and nitrosative stress, and correlated with reduced penetration of the central nervous system. Cell enlargement was stimulated by coinfection with strains of opposite mating type, and ste3 a Δ pheromone receptor mutant strains had reduced cell enlargement. Finally, analysis of DNA content in this novel cell type revealed that these enlarged cells were polyploid, uninucleate, and produced daughter cells in vivo. These results describe a novel mechanism by which C. neoformans evades host phagocytosis to allow survival of a subset of the population at early stages of infection. Thus, morphological changes play unique and specialized roles during infection.
Cryptococcal Cell Morphology Affects Host Cell Interactions and Pathogenicity
Laura H. Okagaki,A. Strain,J. Nielsen,C. Charlier,N. Baltes,F. Chrétien,J. Heitman,F. Dromer,K. Nielsen
Published 2010 in PLoS Pathogens
ABSTRACT
PUBLICATION RECORD
- Publication year
2010
- Venue
PLoS Pathogens
- Publication date
2010-06-01
- Fields of study
Biology, Medicine
- Identifiers
- External record
- Source metadata
Semantic Scholar, PubMed
CITATION MAP
EXTRACTION MAP
CLAIMS
CONCEPTS
- cell enlargement
An infection-associated increase in cryptococcal cell size beyond the typical 5 to 10 µm range.
Aliases: enlarged cells, cryptococcal cell enlargement
- central nervous system
The brain and spinal cord compartment that cryptococcal dissemination can invade.
Aliases: CNS
- cryptococcus neoformans
A human fungal pathogen discussed as the organism that undergoes the morphological changes described here.
Aliases: C. neoformans
- daughter cells
New cryptococcal cells produced from enlarged cells during infection.
Aliases: offspring cells
- host mononuclear cells
Host immune cells with a single nucleus that interact with and phagocytose cryptococcal cells.
Aliases: mononuclear cells
- opposite mating type coinfection
Coinfection with cryptococcal strains carrying different mating types in the same host.
Aliases: coinfection with strains of opposite mating type
- oxidative and nitrosative stress
Stress conditions involving reactive oxygen and nitrogen species that challenge fungal survival.
Aliases: oxidative stress, nitrosative stress
- polyploid uninucleate cells
Enlarged cryptococcal cells that contain multiple genome copies within a single nucleus.
Aliases: polyploid, uninucleate cells
- ste3 a δ pheromone receptor mutant strains
Cryptococcal mutant strains lacking the Ste3a pheromone receptor component.
Aliases: ste3aΔ mutant, ste3a Δ mutant, Ste3a pheromone receptor mutant
REFERENCES
Showing 1-79 of 79 references · Page 1 of 1