Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
1979235 | Current Opinion in Structural Biology | 2011 | 6 Pages |
Cryptococcus neoformans, a basidiomycete yeast and opportunistic pathogen, expends significant biosynthetic effort on construction of a polysaccharide capsule with a radius that may be many times that of the cell. Beyond posing a stimulating challenge in terms of defining biosynthetic pathways, the capsule is required for this yeast to cause fatal disease. This combination has focused the attention of researchers on this system. Here we briefly review two aspects of the rapidly advancing field of capsule synthesis: the extensive variation that occurs in capsule polymers and the regulation of capsule biosynthesis.
► The cryptococcal capsule offers insights into glycan diversity and synthesis. ► Capsule polysaccharide size and structure change with the environment and cell age. ► Discovery of capsule regulatory factors has accelerated in the last few years. ► How regulatory pathways are integrated to change capsule structure remains to be determined.