Alspaugh J A, Perfect J R, Heitman J
Department of Genetics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, 27710, USA.
Fungal Genet Biol. 1998 Oct;25(1):1-14. doi: 10.1006/fgbi.1998.1079.
The basidiomycetous yeast Cryptococcus neoformans is a human pathogen. Several phenotypes of this organism are defined as virulence traits including the polysaccharide capsule, melanin, and the ability to grow at 37 degreesC. The signaling pathways regulating the expression of these phenotypes and other important cellular processes are being defined on a molecular level. For example, the highly conserved signaling molecule calcineurin regulates high temperature growth in C. neoformans. A cryptococcal homolog of Saccharomyces cerevisiae STE12, the gene for a transcriptional regulator activated by the MAP kinase cascade, has also been identified. Additionally, the C. neoformans Galpha protein GPA1 and cAMP regulate mating, melanin production, encapsulation, and pathogenicity. This fungus is an excellent model to further dissect virulence-associated signaling pathways. The conserved role of Galpha proteins and cAMP-associated signaling pathways in fungal differentiation and pathogenicity is also reviewed.
担子菌酵母新型隐球菌是一种人类病原体。该生物体的几种表型被定义为毒力特征，包括多糖荚膜、黑色素以及在37℃生长的能力。在分子水平上，正在确定调节这些表型表达以及其他重要细胞过程的信号通路。例如，高度保守的信号分子钙调神经磷酸酶调节新型隐球菌的高温生长。还鉴定出酿酒酵母STE12的新型隐球菌同源物，STE12是一种由丝裂原活化蛋白激酶级联激活的转录调节因子的基因。此外，新型隐球菌Gα蛋白GPA1和cAMP调节交配、黑色素产生、荚膜形成和致病性。这种真菌是进一步剖析毒力相关信号通路的优秀模型。还综述了Gα蛋白和cAMP相关信号通路在真菌分化和致病性中的保守作用。
