Current Protein and Peptide Science - Volume 21, Issue 3, 2020

The cell wall that surrounds fungal cells is essential for their survival, provides protection against physical and chemical stresses, and plays relevant roles during infection. In general, the fungal cell wall is composed of an outer layer of glycoprotein and an inner skeletal layer of β-glucans or α- glucans and chitin. Chitin synthase genes have been shown to be important for septum formation, cell division and virulence. In the sam Read More

By being the first point of contact of the fungus with the host, the cell wall plays an important role in the pathogenesis, having many molecules that participate as antigens that are recognized by immune cells, and also that help the fungus to establish infection. The main molecules reported to trigger an immune response are chitin, glucans, oligosaccharides, proteins, melanin, phospholipids, and others, being present in the prin Read More

The cell wall (CW) and plasma membrane are fundamental structures that define cell shape and support different cellular functions. In pathogenic fungi, such as Aspegillus fumigatus, they not only play structural roles but are also important for virulence and immune recognition. Both the CW and the plasma membrane remain as attractive drug targets to treat fungal infections, such as the Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis (IPA Read More

Lectins are proteins characterized by their ability to specifically bind different carbohydrate motifs. This feature is associated with their endogenous biological function as well as with multiple applications. Plants are important natural sources of these proteins; however, only a reduced group was shown to display antifungal activity. Although it is hypothesized that the target of lectins is the fungal cell wall, the mechanism through w Read More

Sporothrix schenckii is one of the etiological agents of sporotrichosis, a fungal infection distributed worldwide. Both, the causative organism and the disease have currently received limited attention by the medical mycology community, most likely because of the low mortality rates associated with it. Nonetheless, morbidity is high in endemic regions and the versatility of S. schenckii to cause zoonosis and sapronosis has attract Read More

Fungal diseases are severe and have very high morbidity as well as up to 60% mortality for patients diagnosed with invasive fungal infection. In this review, in vitro and in vivo studies provided us with the insight into the role of Candida virulence factors that mediate their success as pathogens, such as: membrane and cell wall (CW) barriers, dimorphism, biofilm formation, signal transduction pathway, proteins related to stress to Read More

The fungal genus Metarhizium has been used as an entomopathogen worldwide for approximately 140 years, and its mechanism of infection and its virulence factors have been studied. The present review is a compilation of virulence factors described in the literature to date and their participation in specific stages of the infection process.