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Metabolism in fungal pathogenesis
Iuliana V Ene1, Sascha Brunke2, Alistair J P Brown1
1Aberdeen Fungal Group, School of Medical Sciences, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, United Kingdom.
Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine
|September 6, 2014
Summary
Fungal pathogens need nutrients like carbon and nitrogen to infect hosts. Disrupting nutrient assimilation weakens fungal infections and offers new therapeutic targets.
Area of Science:
- Mycology
- Pathogen Biology
- Host-Pathogen Interactions
Background:
- Fungal pathogens require nutrient assimilation for infection.
- Understanding nutrient uptake is crucial for host-fungus interaction studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review carbon, nitrogen, and micronutrient assimilation in fungal pathogens.
- To explore how these mechanisms influence host-fungus interactions and pathogenicity.
- To identify emerging trends and therapeutic opportunities.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of fungal nutrient assimilation.
- Analysis of host-fungus interactions during infection.
- Examination of metabolic flexibility and regulatory networks.
Main Results:
- Perturbing nutrient assimilation attenuates fungal pathogenicity.
- Metabolic flexibility varies between fungal pathogens due to evolutionary pressures.
- Metabolic adaptation is vital for survival in diverse host environments.
- Regulatory networks controlling metabolism are complex and evolving.
- Metabolic adaptation impacts antifungal drug susceptibility.
Conclusions:
- Nutrient assimilation is a critical determinant of fungal pathogenicity.
- Metabolic flexibility is key for fungal adaptation to host niches.
- Targeting fungal metabolism presents novel therapeutic strategies.
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