Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Ikeh, Mélanie
• Ahmed, Yasmin
• Quinn, Janet

Titel

Phosphate Acquisition and Virulence in Human Fungal Pathogens

Ist Teil von

• Microorganisms (Basel), 2017-08, Vol.5 (3), p.48

Ort / Verlag

Switzerland: MDPI AG

Erscheinungsjahr

2017

Quelle

EZB Electronic Journals Library

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• The ability of pathogenic fungi to acquire essential macro and micronutrients during infection is a well-established virulence trait. Recent studies in the major human fungal pathogens and have revealed that acquisition of the essential macronutrient, phosphate, is essential for virulence. The phosphate sensing and acquisition pathway in fungi, known as the PHO pathway, has been extensively characterized in the model yeast . In this review, we highlight recent advances in phosphate sensing and signaling mechanisms, and use the PHO pathway as a platform from which to compare the phosphate acquisition and storage strategies employed by several human pathogenic fungi. We also explore the multi-layered roles of phosphate acquisition in promoting fungal stress resistance to pH, cationic, and oxidative stresses, and describe emerging roles for the phosphate storage molecule polyphosphate (polyP). Finally, we summarize the recent studies supporting the necessity of phosphate acquisition in mediating the virulence of human fungal pathogens, highlighting the concept that this requirement is intimately linked to promoting resistance to host-imposed stresses.