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Cell Surface Receptors on Fungal Pathogens
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Cell Surface Receptors on Fungal Pathogens

A special issue of Journal of Fungi (ISSN 2309-608X). This special issue belongs to the section "Fungal Cell Biology, Metabolism and Physiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (14 February 2021) | Viewed by 11398

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Chaoyang Xue

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Public Health Research Institute, Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, New Jersey Medical School-Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, 225 Warren Street, Newark, NJ 07103, USA
Interests: host-pathogen interactions; fungal virulence; Cryptococcus; cell surface receptors on fungal pathogens; novel antifungal drug targets discovery
Dr. Julian Rutherford

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, The Medical School, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Interests: fungal nitrogen sensing; ammonium transceptors; pathogenic fungi

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

There are over 1.5 million fungal species that live in vastly different environmental niches, including many that can cause infections in humans or plants. Pathogens adapt to their surroundings by adjusting developmental processes in response to changing environmental conditions. One key element of this adaptation process involves cell surface receptors that are essential for sensing extracellular signals (such as nutrients, pheromones, and stress) and controlling intracellular signaling pathways that regulate cell development and virulence. The field has made strides in identifying novel cell surface receptors and understanding ligand–receptor interactions, which help to define the relationship between fungal pathogens and their hosts. As cell surface receptors are in general more dictinct compared to intracellular signaling and metabolic pathways, and their accessible location is favorable for drug binding, receptors may represent a potentially rich source of targets for the development of novel therapeutics. Therefore, the study of fungal cell surface receptors is a highly exciting area of research that may help to harness the ligand–receptor interface for novel antifungal development. To increase our awareness of this topic, we offer this Special Issue to emphasize progress in cell receptors that are important for fungal pathogens.

Dr. Chaoyang Xue
Dr. Julian Rutherford
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Fungi is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

pathogenic fungi; cell surface receptor; ligand; drug target

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 2074 KiB  
Article
Oral Administration of Lactobacillus helveticus LA401 and Lactobacillus gasseri LA806 Combination Attenuates Oesophageal and Gastrointestinal Candidiasis and Consequent Gut Inflammation in Mice
by Hélène Authier, Marie Salon, Mouna Rahabi, Bénédicte Bertrand, Claude Blondeau, Sarah Kuylle, Sophie Holowacz and Agnès Coste
J. Fungi 2021, 7(1), 57; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jof7010057 - 15 Jan 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2793
Abstract
Candida albicans is an opportunistic pathogen that causes mucosal gastrointestinal (GI) candidiasis tightly associated with gut inflammatory status. The emergence of drug resistance, the side effects of currently available antifungals and the high frequency of recurrent candidiasis indicate that new and improved therapeutics [...] Read more.
Candida albicans is an opportunistic pathogen that causes mucosal gastrointestinal (GI) candidiasis tightly associated with gut inflammatory status. The emergence of drug resistance, the side effects of currently available antifungals and the high frequency of recurrent candidiasis indicate that new and improved therapeutics are needed. Probiotics have been suggested as a useful alternative for the management of candidiasis. We demonstrated that oral administration of Lactobacillus gasseri LA806 alone or combined with Lactobacillus helveticus LA401 in Candida albicans-infected mice decrease the Candida colonization of the oesophageal and GI tract, highlighting a protective role for these strains in C. albicans colonization. Interestingly, the probiotic combination significantly modulates the composition of gut microbiota towards a protective profile and consequently dampens inflammatory and oxidative status in the colon. Moreover, we showed that L. helveticus LA401 and/or L. gasseri LA806 orient macrophages towards a fungicidal phenotype characterized by a C-type lectin receptors signature composed of Dectin-1 and Mannose receptor. Our findings suggest that the use of the LA401 and LA806 combination might be a promising strategy to manage GI candidiasis and the inflammation it causes by inducing the intrinsic antifungal activities of macrophages. Thus, the probiotic combination is a good candidate for managing GI candidiasis by inducing fungicidal functions in macrophages while preserving the GI integrity by modulating the microbiota and inflammation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cell Surface Receptors on Fungal Pathogens)
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11 pages, 5081 KiB  
Article
The High Osmolarity Glycerol (HOG) Pathway Functions in Osmosensing, Trap Morphogenesis and Conidiation of the Nematode-Trapping Fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora
by Chih-Yen Kuo, Sheng-An Chen and Yen-Ping Hsueh
J. Fungi 2020, 6(4), 191; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jof6040191 - 27 Sep 2020
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 3733
Abstract
Hog1, a mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), has been identified in diverse fungal species, and it regulates various cellular processes, such as osmoadaptation, nutrient-sensing, and pathogenesis. However, the roles that Hog1 plays in nematode-trapping fungi were previously unclear. Here, we characterized orthologs of Saccharomyces [...] Read more.
Hog1, a mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), has been identified in diverse fungal species, and it regulates various cellular processes, such as osmoadaptation, nutrient-sensing, and pathogenesis. However, the roles that Hog1 plays in nematode-trapping fungi were previously unclear. Here, we characterized orthologs of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Hog1 and membrane mucin Msb2 in the nematode-trapping fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora. We generated gene deletion mutants of HOG1 and MSB2 in A. oligospora, and characterized their roles in osmosensing, growth, and trap morphogenesis. We found that both hog1 and msb2 mutants were highly sensitive to high osmolarity. Predation analyses further revealed that hog1 and msb2 deletion caused a reduction in trap formation and predation efficiency. Furthermore, HOG1 is required for conidiation in A. oligospora, demonstrating its critical role in this developmental pathway. In summary, this study demonstrated that the conserved Hog1 and Msb2 govern physiology, growth and development in the nematode-trapping fungus A. oligospora. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cell Surface Receptors on Fungal Pathogens)
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Review

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12 pages, 586 KiB  
Review
N-Acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) Sensing, Utilization, and Functions in Candida albicans
by Han Du, Craig L. Ennis, Aaron D. Hernday, Clarissa J. Nobile and Guanghua Huang
J. Fungi 2020, 6(3), 129; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jof6030129 - 07 Aug 2020
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4278
Abstract
The sensing and efficient utilization of environmental nutrients are critical for the survival of microorganisms in environments where nutrients are limited, such as within mammalian hosts. Candida albicans is a common member of the human microbiota as well as an opportunistic fungal pathogen. [...] Read more.
The sensing and efficient utilization of environmental nutrients are critical for the survival of microorganisms in environments where nutrients are limited, such as within mammalian hosts. Candida albicans is a common member of the human microbiota as well as an opportunistic fungal pathogen. The amide derivative sugar N-acetlyglucosamine (GlcNAc) is an important signaling molecule for C. albicans that could be a major nutrient source for this fungus in host settings. In this article, we review progress made over the past two decades on GlcNAc utilization, sensing, and functions in C. albicans and its related fungal species. GlcNAc sensing and catabolic pathways have been intensively studied in C. albicans. The C. albicans protein Ngt1 represents the first identified GlcNAc-specific transporter in eukaryotic organisms. In C. albicans, GlcNAc not only induces morphological transitions including the yeast to hyphal transition and the white to opaque phenotypic switch, but it also promotes fungal cell death. The Ras-cAMP/PKA signaling pathway plays critical roles in regulating these processes. Given the importance of GlcNAc sensing and utilization in C. albicans, targeting GlcNAc associated pathways and key pathway components could be promising in the development of new antifungal strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cell Surface Receptors on Fungal Pathogens)
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