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Review
. 2013 Dec;90(6):1147-61.
doi: 10.1111/mmi.12426. Epub 2013 Nov 8.

Mannosylation in Candida albicans: role in cell wall function and immune recognition

Rebecca A Hall  1 , Neil A R Gow
Affiliations
Free PMC article
Review

Mannosylation in Candida albicans: role in cell wall function and immune recognition

Rebecca A Hall et al. Mol Microbiol. 2013 Dec.
Free PMC article

Abstract

The fungal cell wall is a dynamic organelle required for cell shape, protection against the environment and, in pathogenic species, recognition by the innate immune system. The outer layer of the cell wall is comprised of glycosylated mannoproteins with the majority of these post-translational modifications being the addition of O- and N-linked mannosides. These polysaccharides are exposed on the outer surface of the fungal cell wall and are, therefore, the first point of contact between the fungus and the host immune system. This review focuses on O- and N-linked mannan biosynthesis in the fungal pathogen Candida albicans and highlights new insights gained from the characterization of mannosylation mutants into the role of these cell wall components in host-fungus interactions. In addition, we discuss the use of fungal mannan as a diagnostic marker of fungal disease.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
N‐ and O‐linked glycosylation structures of the C. albicans mannosylation mutants. Asterisks highlight structures, which are predicted from comparisons with S. cerevisiae, but have not yet been experimentally determined for C. albicans.
Figure 2
Figure 2
TEM of the cell wall in selected mannosylation mutants. The sextuple mnn2Δ mutant contains deletions in all six MNN2 genes (mnn2Δ/mnn21Δ/mnn22Δ/mnn23Δ/mnn24Δ/mnn26Δ). Uridine auxotrophy was complemented by the integration of the CIp10 plasmid at the RPS1 locus. The scale bar represents 0.2 μm.
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