Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
10939607 | Fungal Genetics and Biology | 2010 | 10 Pages |
Abstract
GDP-mannose:inositol-phosphorylceramide (MIPC)-derived glycosphingolipids are important pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMP) of Candida albicans and according to recently published data also of Aspergillus fumigatus. MIPC transferases are essential for the synthesis of MIPC, but have so far been studied only in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and C. albicans. Here, we have identified MitA as the only MIPC transferase in A. fumigatus. The ÎmitA mutant lacks MIPC and MIPC-derived glycosphingolipids and accumulates the precursor IPC. The mutant grows normally, shows no defects in cell wall or membrane organization and a normal resistance to different stressors. It is, however, sensitive to high Ca2+ concentrations, especially during germination. Germination of ÎmitA mutant conidia is also decelerated under normal growth conditions, but neither the virulence of this mutant in a systemic model of infection nor its ability to trigger a cytokine response in macrophages is impaired, arguing against a role of MIPC-derived glycosphingolipids as important A. fumigatus PAMPs.
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Authors
Andrea Kotz, Johannes Wagener, Jakob Engel, Françoise Routier, Bernd Echtenacher, Andreas Pich, Manfred Rohde, Petra Hoffmann, Jürgen Heesemann, Frank Ebel,