Department of Systems Biotechnology, Chung-Ang University, Anseong 456-756, Republic of Korea.
Curr Opin Microbiol. 2013 Dec;16(6):686-91. doi: 10.1016/j.mib.2013.07.008. Epub 2013 Aug 6.
Iron sequestration by the vertebrate host is considered an efficient defense mechanism against pathogenic microbes. However, this mechanism, so called nutritional immunity, is often overcome by the iron acquisition systems that have evolved in microbial pathogens. Numerous studies have been carried out to identify the key components of these systems and to understand their underlying mechanisms, including recent investigations in the basidiomycete fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans. Iron acquisition is essential for the survival and pathogenesis of this fungus within vertebrate hosts. Growing evidence suggests that the fungus is able to utilize several different iron sources available in the host, and that the intracellular or extracellular localization of the pathogen influences its iron acquisition strategy. Herein, we review current findings on the components and regulatory elements of the iron acquisition systems in C. neoformans.
脊椎动物宿主通过铁螯合来抵御病原微生物被认为是一种有效的防御机制。然而，这种所谓的营养免疫机制常常被微生物病原体进化出的铁获取系统所克服。已经进行了许多研究来鉴定这些系统的关键成分，并了解它们的潜在机制，包括对担子菌真菌病原体新生隐球菌的最新研究。铁的获取对于该真菌在脊椎动物宿主中的存活和发病机制是必不可少的。越来越多的证据表明，真菌能够利用宿主中存在的几种不同的铁源，并且病原体的细胞内或细胞外定位会影响其铁获取策略。在此，我们综述了新生隐球菌中铁获取系统的成分和调节元件的最新发现。
