Doering T L
Dept of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, Campus 8230, 660 South Euclid Ave, MO 63110, USA.
Trends Microbiol. 2000 Dec;8(12):547-53. doi: 10.1016/s0966-842x(00)01890-4.
During the past few decades, increasing attention has focused on pathogenic fungi both as fascinating research subjects and as the agents of serious illness in diverse patient populations. In particular, opportunistic fungi such as Cryptococcus neoformans command notice as the ranks of their immunocompromised victims grow. C. neoformans is unique among fungal pathogens for its major virulence factor, a complex polysaccharide capsule. In this article, our current understanding of the structure and biosynthesis of the capsule is reviewed, as are the many questions that remain to be answered about how Cryptococcus gets its coat.
在过去几十年里，致病真菌越来越受到关注，它们既是引人入胜的研究对象，也是不同患者群体中严重疾病的病原体。特别是，像新型隐球菌这样的机会性真菌随着免疫功能低下受害者数量的增加而备受关注。新型隐球菌在真菌病原体中独一无二，因为其主要毒力因子是一种复杂的多糖荚膜。在本文中，我们综述了目前对荚膜结构和生物合成的理解，以及关于新型隐球菌如何形成其外壳仍有待解答的诸多问题。
