Mannosylation of fungal glycoconjugates in the Golgi apparatus

Glycosylation is a crucial step in the modification of proteins or sphingolipids that then play a prominent role in fungal biology. Glycosylation controls the structure and plasticity of the fungal cell wall and fungi-host interactions. Non-pathogenic and pathogenic yeasts, such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans, respectively, have been useful models for analyzing the mannosylation of proteins and sphingolipids, which mainly takes place in the Golgi apparatus. Studies of these yeasts have identified different mannosyltransferases that belong to separate families of glycosyltransferases. The characterization of mannosyltransferases and their activities is essential for deciphering cell wall biogenesis, for identifying mannosides involved in virulence and for designing inhibitors that target specific mannosylation processes.