The capsular dynamics of Cryptococcus neoformans

Diane McFadden, Oscar Zaragoza, Arturo Casadevall

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

59 Scopus citations

Abstract

Cryptococcus neoformans is a soil-dwelling fungus that causes life-threatening illness in immunocompromised individuals and latently infects many healthy individuals. C. neoformans, unlike other human pathogenic fungi, is surrounded by a polysaccharide capsule that is essential for survival and enables C. neoformans to thwart the mammalian immune system. The capsule is a dynamic structure that undergoes changes in size and rearranges during budding. Here, the latest information and unresolved questions regarding capsule synthesis, structure, assembly, growth and rearrangements are discussed along with the concept that self-assembly is important in capsular dynamics.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)497-505
Number of pages9
JournalTrends in Microbiology
Volume14
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2006
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Microbiology
  • Microbiology (medical)
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Virology

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