College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, PR China; Department of Microbiology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
Department of Microbiology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
Infect Genet Evol. 2021 Apr;89:104731. doi: 10.1016/j.meegid.2021.104731. Epub 2021 Jan 23.
Cryptococcus neoformans is a dimorphic fungus that causes lethal meningoencephalitis mainly in immunocompromised individuals. Different morphotypes enable this environmental fungus and opportunistic pathogen to adapt to different natural niches and exhibit different levels of pathogenicity in various hosts. It is well-recognized that C. neoformans undergoes bisexual or unisexual reproduction in vitro to generate genotypic, morphotypic, and phenotypic diversity, which augments its ability for adaptation. However, if and how sexual reproduction and the meiotic machinery exert any direct impact on the infection process is unclear. This review summarizes recent discoveries on the regulation of cryptococcal life cycle and morphogenesis, and how they impact cryptococcal pathogenicity. The potential role of the meiotic machinery on ploidy regulation during cryptococcal infection is also discussed. This review aims to stimulate further investigation on links between fungal morphogenesis, sexual reproduction, and virulence.
新生隐球菌是一种二相真菌，主要引起免疫功能低下者的致命性脑膜脑炎。不同的形态型使这种环境真菌和机会性病原体能够适应不同的自然生态位，并在不同宿主中表现出不同程度的致病性。人们已经认识到，新生隐球菌在体外进行有性或无性繁殖，以产生基因型、形态型和表型的多样性，从而增强其适应能力。然而，有性繁殖和减数分裂机制是否以及如何直接影响感染过程尚不清楚。本综述总结了新生隐球菌生活史和形态发生调控的最新发现，以及它们如何影响新生隐球菌的致病性。还讨论了减数分裂机制在新生隐球菌感染过程中对倍性调节的潜在作用。本综述旨在激发对真菌形态发生、有性繁殖和毒力之间联系的进一步研究。
