The Chitin Connection

ABSTRACT Chitin, a polymer of N-acetylglucosamine, is an essential component of the fungal cell wall. Chitosan, a deacetylated form of chitin, is also important in maintaining cell wall integrity and is essential for Cryptococcus neoformans virulence. In their article, Gilbert et al. [N. M. Gilbert,...

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Autores principales:	David L. Goldman, Alfin G. Vicencio
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	American Society for Microbiology 2012
Materias:	Microbiology QR1-502
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/4c6a6e9a6382445eb99ad3b63f2a320f
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:4c6a6e9a6382445eb99ad3b63f2a320f2021-11-15T15:39:09ZThe Chitin Connection10.1128/mBio.00056-122150-7511https://doaj.org/article/4c6a6e9a6382445eb99ad3b63f2a320f2012-05-01T00:00:00Zhttps://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mBio.00056-12https://doaj.org/toc/2150-7511ABSTRACT Chitin, a polymer of N-acetylglucosamine, is an essential component of the fungal cell wall. Chitosan, a deacetylated form of chitin, is also important in maintaining cell wall integrity and is essential for Cryptococcus neoformans virulence. In their article, Gilbert et al. [N. M. Gilbert, L. G. Baker, C. A. Specht, and J. K. Lodge, mBio 3(1):e00007-12, 2012] demonstrate that the enzyme responsible for chitosan synthesis, chitin deacetylase (CDA), is differentially attached to the cell membrane and wall. Bioactivity is localized to the cell membrane, where it is covalently linked via a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor. Findings from this study significantly enhance our understanding of cryptococcal cell wall biology. Besides the role of chitin in supporting structural stability, chitin and host enzymes with chitinase activity have an important role in host defense and modifying the inflammatory response. Thus, chitin appears to provide a link between the fungus and host that involves both innate and adaptive immune responses. Recently, there has been increased attention to the role of chitinases in the pathogenesis of allergic inflammation, especially asthma. We review these findings and explore the possible connection between fungal infections, the induction of chitinases, and asthma.David L. GoldmanAlfin G. VicencioAmerican Society for MicrobiologyarticleMicrobiologyQR1-502ENmBio, Vol 3, Iss 2 (2012)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Microbiology QR1-502
spellingShingle	Microbiology QR1-502 David L. Goldman Alfin G. Vicencio The Chitin Connection
description	ABSTRACT Chitin, a polymer of N-acetylglucosamine, is an essential component of the fungal cell wall. Chitosan, a deacetylated form of chitin, is also important in maintaining cell wall integrity and is essential for Cryptococcus neoformans virulence. In their article, Gilbert et al. [N. M. Gilbert, L. G. Baker, C. A. Specht, and J. K. Lodge, mBio 3(1):e00007-12, 2012] demonstrate that the enzyme responsible for chitosan synthesis, chitin deacetylase (CDA), is differentially attached to the cell membrane and wall. Bioactivity is localized to the cell membrane, where it is covalently linked via a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor. Findings from this study significantly enhance our understanding of cryptococcal cell wall biology. Besides the role of chitin in supporting structural stability, chitin and host enzymes with chitinase activity have an important role in host defense and modifying the inflammatory response. Thus, chitin appears to provide a link between the fungus and host that involves both innate and adaptive immune responses. Recently, there has been increased attention to the role of chitinases in the pathogenesis of allergic inflammation, especially asthma. We review these findings and explore the possible connection between fungal infections, the induction of chitinases, and asthma.
format	article
author	David L. Goldman Alfin G. Vicencio
author_facet	David L. Goldman Alfin G. Vicencio
author_sort	David L. Goldman
title	The Chitin Connection
title_short	The Chitin Connection
title_full	The Chitin Connection
title_fullStr	The Chitin Connection
title_full_unstemmed	The Chitin Connection
title_sort	chitin connection
publisher	American Society for Microbiology
publishDate	2012
url	https://doaj.org/article/4c6a6e9a6382445eb99ad3b63f2a320f
work_keys_str_mv	AT davidlgoldman thechitinconnection AT alfingvicencio thechitinconnection AT davidlgoldman chitinconnection AT alfingvicencio chitinconnection
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The Chitin Connection

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