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Cited by 58Fungal Infections and StudiesYeasts and Rust Fungi StudiesFungal and yeast genetics research

A survey of heterobasidiomycetous yeasts for the presence of the genes homologous to virulence factors of Filobasidiella neoformans, CNLAC1 and CAP59 b bThe GenBank accession numbers for the sequences determined in this work are AF337642, L22866, AF337643, AF337644 and AF337645.

Petter, R, Kang, B. S, Boekhout, T, Davis, B. J, Kwon-Chung, K. J·2001·Microbiology
DOI 10.1099/00221287-147-8-2029
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Abstract

Among species of the heterobasidiomycetous yeasts, Filobasidiella neoformans is the only serious pathogen that causes fatal infections in both immunocompromised as well as immunocompetent patients. Three phenotypic characteristics, including growth at 37 degrees C, extracellular polysaccharide capsule and laccase activity, of F. neoformans are known to play major roles in the pathogenicity of the fungus. Several CAP genes involved in polysaccharide capsule formation, as well as the CNLAC1 gene encoding a laccase, have previously been cloned and characterized. To analyse the presence of these Cryptococcus neoformans virulence factors in other heterobasidiomycetous yeasts, numerous species of heterobasidiomycetous yeasts were screened for the presence of laccase activity and a polysaccharide capsule. Species exhibiting laccase activity and possessing a glucuronoxylomannan (GXM) capsule were screened for homologues of both the CAP59 gene and the CNLAC1 gene of F. neoformans. Southern blots of genomic DNA from GXM capsule-producing species exhibited no discernible hybridization to the CAP59 DNA sequence except for the two varieties of F. neoformans and Cryptococcus podzolicus. Although discernible, the hybridization band observed with the DNA of C. podzolicus was faint. Oligonucleotide primers constructed using the CAP59 gene sequence also failed to yield PCR products from DNAs of these yeasts except for the two varieties of F. neoformans. These results, coupled with the absence of a CAP59 homologue in the database, suggested the CAP59 gene to be unique to F. neoformans. C. podzolicus was the only species besides F. neoformans that possessed a capsule and expressed strong laccase activity on various media containing phenolic compounds. A CNLAC1 homologue was isolated from C. podzolicus while it was not detected in the species producing beige to faint tan colonies on media with phenolic compounds. Compared to the CNLAC1 sequence of four serotypes of F. neoformans, the CNLAC1 homologue of C. podzolicus showed the highest homology to that of serotype B/C strains and the lowest homology to that of serotype A strains.

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  • Cryptococcus species that have other virulence factors including capsule formation and melanisation but lack the ability to propagate at 37°C are not pathogenic.

    “Non-pathogenic species of Cryptococcus such as C. podzolicus are equipped with the other critical pathogenicity armours including capsule formation and melanisation, however they lack the ability to propagate at 37°C [23], indicating thermotolerance is the fundamental requirement for pathogenicity.”

    From Heat shock protein 90 localizes to the surface and augments virulence factors of Cryptococcus neoformans (2017) · cites this paper as [23]

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Authors
Petter, R., Kang, B. S., Boekhout, T., Davis, B. J., & Kwon-Chung, K. J.
Affiliations
  • National Institutes of Health (US)
  • Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute (NL)
Corresponding author
Kwon-Chung, K. J
ORCID
Venue
Microbiology
Publisher
Microbiology Society
Published
2001-08-01
Volume
147
Issue
8
Pages
2029-2036
ISSN
  • 1350-0872 (ISSN-L)
  • 1465-2080
DOI
10.1099/00221287-147-8-2029
OpenAlex
W1941300751
Cited by
58
References
36
Citations by year
2025: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2022: 3 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 1
FWCI
2.03
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Microbiology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Fungal Infections and Studies
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Yeasts and Rust Fungi Studies
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Fungal and yeast genetics research
Keywords
laccase activity, polysaccharide capsule, glucuronoxylomannan, gene homology, fungal pathogenicity, phenolic compounds
MeSH terms
Basidiomycota, Cryptococcus neoformans, Culture Media, Fungal Proteins, Humans, Melanins, Molecular Sequence Data, Mycoses, Oxidoreductases, Virulence, Sequence Homology, Sequence Analysis, DNA, Laccase

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