scholarly journals Antibody-Mediated Immobilization of Cryptococcus neoformans Promotes Biofilm Formation

2009 ◽  
Vol 75 (8) ◽  
pp. 2528-2533 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma J. Robertson ◽  
Arturo Casadevall
Keyword(s):  
Monoclonal Antibody ◽  
Cryptococcus Neoformans ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Capsular Polysaccharide ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Biofilm Growth ◽  
Time Lapse Microscopy ◽  
Antibody Capture ◽  
Pathogenic Microbes ◽  
Antibody Coating

ABSTRACT Most microbes, including the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans, can grow as biofilms. Biofilms confer upon microbes a range of characteristics, including an ability to colonize materials such as shunts and catheters and increased resistance to antibiotics. Here, we provide evidence that coating surfaces with a monoclonal antibody to glucuronoxylomannan, the major component of the fungal capsular polysaccharide, immobilizes cryptococcal cells to a surface support and, subsequently, promotes biofilm formation. We used time-lapse microscopy to visualize the growth of cryptococcal biofilms, generating the first movies of fungal biofilm growth. We show that when fungal cells are immobilized using surface-attached specific antibody to the capsule, the initial stages of biofilm formation are significantly faster than those on surfaces with no antibody coating or surfaces coated with unspecific monoclonal antibody. Time-lapse microscopy revealed that biofilm growth was a dynamic process in which cells shuffled position during budding and was accompanied by emergence of planktonic variant cells that left the attached biofilm community. The planktonic variant cells exhibited mobility, presumably by Brownian motion. Our results indicate that microbial immobilization by antibody capture hastens biofilm formation and suggest that antibody coating of medical devices with immunoglobulins must exclude binding to common pathogenic microbes and the possibility that this effect could be exploited in industrial microbiology.

scholarly journals EDTA Inhibits Biofilm Formation, Extracellular Vesicular Secretion, and Shedding of the Capsular Polysaccharide Glucuronoxylomannan by Cryptococcus neoformans

2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (22) ◽  
pp. 7977-7984 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma J. Robertson ◽  
Julie M. Wolf ◽  
Arturo Casadevall
Keyword(s):  
Cryptococcus Neoformans ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Capsular Polysaccharide ◽  
Inhibitory Effect ◽  
Antifungal Drugs ◽  
Biofilm Growth ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sublethal Concentrations ◽  
Vesicular Secretion

ABSTRACTThe fungal pathogenCryptococcus neoformanscan grow as a biofilm on a range of synthetic and prosthetic materials. Cryptococcal biofilm formation can complicate the placement of shunts used to relieve increased intracranial pressure in cryptococcal meningitis and can serve as a nidus for chronic infection. Biofilms are generally advantageous to pathogensin vivo, as they can confer resistance to antimicrobial compounds, including fluconazole and voriconazole in the case ofC. neoformans. EDTA can inhibit biofilm formation by several microbes and enhances the susceptibility of biofilms to antifungal drugs. In this study, we evaluated the effect of sublethal concentrations of EDTA on the growth of cryptococcal biofilms. EDTA inhibited biofilm growth byC. neoformans, and the inhibition could be reversed by the addition of magnesium or calcium, implying that the inhibitory effect was by divalent cation starvation. EDTA also reduced the amount of the capsular polysaccharide glucuronoxylomannan shed into the biofilm matrix and decreased vesicular secretion from the cell, thus providing a potential mechanism for the inhibitory effect of this cation-chelating compound. Our data imply that the growth ofC. neoformansbiofilms requires the presence of divalent metals in the growth medium and suggest that cations are required for the export of materials needed for biofilm formation, possibly including extracellular vesicles.

scholarly journals Monoclonal Antibodies Reactive with Immunorecessive Epitopes of Glucuronoxylomannan, the Major Capsular Polysaccharide of Cryptococcus neoformans

2003 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 903-909 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne Brandt ◽  
Peter Thorkildson ◽  
Thomas R. Kozel
Keyword(s):  
Monoclonal Antibody ◽  
Immune Response ◽  
Monoclonal Antibodies ◽  
Cryptococcus Neoformans ◽  
Capsular Polysaccharide ◽  
Passive Immunization ◽  
The Other ◽  
Serotype A ◽  
Humoral Immune ◽  
New Information

ABSTRACT Cryptococcus neoformans is surrounded by an antiphagocytic capsule whose primary constituent is glucuronoxylomannan (GXM). An epitope shared by GXM serotypes A, B, C, and D is immunodominant when mice are immunized with serotype A GXM. In contrast, an epitope shared only by serotypes A and D is immunodominant when mice are immunized with serotype D. Hybridomas secreting antibodies reactive with subdominant epitopes were identified through a positive-negative screening procedure in which antibody-secreting colonies were characterized by reactivity with both the immunizing polysaccharide and GXMs from each of the four major serotypes. In this manner, a monoclonal antibody (MAb) that was reactive with an epitope shared only by serotypes A and B was identified and designated F10F5. Such an epitope has not been described previously. Immunization of mice with de-O-acetylated serotype A GXM generated a hybridoma that secreted an antibody, designated F12D2, that was reactive with all four serotypes. Unlike previously described monoclonal and polyclonal panspecific antibodies, the reactivity of MAb F12D2 was not altered by de-O-acetylation of GXM. These results indicate that there are at least two panspecific GXM epitopes; one epitope is dependent on O acetylation for antibody reactivity, and the other is independent of O acetylation. This study identifies strategies for production of MAbs that are reactive with subdominant or cryptic GXM epitopes and provides new information regarding the antigenic makeup and the humoral immune response to GXM, an essential virulence factor that is a target for active and passive immunization.

scholarly journals Cryptococcus neoformans Biofilm Formation Depends on Surface Support and Carbon Source and Reduces Fungal Cell Susceptibility to Heat, Cold, and UV Light

2007 ◽  
Vol 73 (14) ◽  
pp. 4592-4601 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis R. Martinez ◽  
Arturo Casadevall
Keyword(s):  
Cryptococcus Neoformans ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Capsular Polysaccharide ◽  
Uv Light ◽  
Surface Characteristics ◽  
Extracellular Polysaccharide ◽  
Microtiter Plate ◽  
Support Surface ◽  
Fungal Cell ◽  
Biofilm Development

ABSTRACT The fungus Cryptococcus neoformans possesses a polysaccharide capsule and can form biofilms on medical devices. We describe the characteristics of C. neoformans biofilm development using a microtiter plate model, microscopic examinations, and a colorimetric 2,3-bis(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-5-[(phenylamino) carbonyl]-2H-tetrazolium-hydroxide (XTT) reduction assay to observe the metabolic activity of cryptococci within a biofilm. A strong correlation between XTT and CFU assays was demonstrated. Chemical analysis of the exopolymeric material revealed sugar composition consisting predominantly of xylose, mannose, and glucose, indicating the presence of other polysaccharides in addition to glucurunoxylomannan. Biofilm formation was affected by surface support differences, conditioning films on the surface, characteristics of the medium, and properties of the microbial cell. A specific antibody to the capsular polysaccharide of this fungus was used to stain the extracellular polysaccharide matrix of the fungal biofilms using light and confocal microscopy. Additionally, the susceptibility of C. neoformans biofilms and planktonic cells to environmental stress was investigated using XTT reduction and CFU assays. Biofilms were less susceptible to heat, cold, and UV light exposition than their planktonic counterparts. Our findings demonstrate that fungal biofilm formation is dependent on support surface characteristics and that growth in the biofilm state makes fungal cells less susceptible to potential environmental stresses.

scholarly journals Antibody to Cryptococcus neoformans Glucuronoxylomannan Inhibits the Release of Capsular Antigen

2004 ◽  
Vol 72 (6) ◽  
pp. 3674-3679 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis R. Martinez ◽  
Dariush Moussai ◽  
Arturo Casadevall
Keyword(s):  
Monoclonal Antibody ◽  
Cryptococcus Neoformans ◽  
Humoral Immunity ◽  
Capsular Polysaccharide ◽  
Liquid Cultures ◽  
Capsular Antigen

ABSTRACT Cryptococcus neoformans releases capsular polysaccharide in the supernatant of liquid cultures and in tissues. Significantly less glucuronoxylomannan (GXM) was released by C. neoformans in the presence of capsule-binding monoclonal antibody (MAb). MAb-mediated inhibition of GXM release may be another mechanism by which humoral immunity can mediate protection against this pathogen.

scholarly journals Susceptibility of Cryptococcus neoformans Biofilms to Antifungal Agents In Vitro

2006 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 1021-1033 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis R. Martinez ◽  
Arturo Casadevall
Keyword(s):  
Confocal Microscopy ◽  
Cryptococcus Neoformans ◽  
Amphotericin B ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Antifungal Agents ◽  
Capsular Polysaccharide ◽  
Antifungal Drugs ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Sequence Of Events ◽  
Biofilm Development

ABSTRACT Microbial biofilms contribute to virulence and resistance to antibiotics by shielding microbial cells from host defenses and antimicrobial drugs, respectively. Cryptococcus neoformans was demonstrated to form biofilms in polystyrene microtiter plates. The numbers of CFU of disaggregated biofilms, 2,3-bis(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-5-[(phenylamino)carbonyl]-2H-tetrazolium hydroxide reduction, and light and confocal microscopy were used to measure the fungal mass, the metabolic activity, and the appearance of C. neoformans biofilms, respectively. Biofilm development by C. neoformans followed a standard sequence of events: fungal surface attachment, microcolony formation, and matrix production. The susceptibilities of C. neoformans cells of the biofilm and planktonic phenotypes to four antifungal agents were examined. The exposure of C. neoformans cells or preformed cryptococcal biofilms to fluconazole or voriconazole did not result in yeast growth inhibition and did not affect the metabolic activities of the biofilms, respectively. In contrast, both C. neoformans cells and preformed biofilms were susceptible to amphotericin B and caspofungin. However, C. neoformans biofilms were significantly more resistant to amphotericin B and caspofungin than planktonic cells, and their susceptibilities to these drugs were further reduced if cryptococcal cells contained melanin. A spot enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and light and confocal microscopy were used to investigate how antifungal drugs affected C. neoformans biofilm formation. The mechanism by which amphotericin B and caspofungin interfered with C. neoformans biofilm formation involved capsular polysaccharide release and adherence. Our results suggest that biofilm formation may diminish the efficacies of some antifungal drugs during cryptococcal infection.

scholarly journals Increased production of the extracellular polysaccharide Psl can give a growth advantage to Pseudomonas aeruginosa in low-iron conditions

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaime Hutchison ◽  
Karishma Kaushik ◽  
Christopher A. Rodesney ◽  
Thomas Lilieholm ◽  
Layla Bakhtiari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Iron Acquisition ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Extracellular Polysaccharide ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Evolutionary Development ◽  
Intercellular Signaling ◽  
Biofilm Growth

AbstractIn infections, biofilm formation is associated with a number of fitness advantages, such as resistance to antibiotics and to clearance by the immune system. Biofilm formation has also been linked to fitness advantages in environments other than in vivo infections; primarily, biofilms are thought to help constituent organisms evade predation and to promote intercellular signaling. The opportunistic human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa forms biofilm infections in lungs, wounds, and on implants and medical devices. However, the tendency toward biofilm formation originated in this bacterium’s native environment, primarily plants and soil. Such environments are polymicrobial and often resource-limited. Other researchers have recently shown that the P. aeruginosa extracellular polysaccharide Psl can bind iron. For the lab strain PA01, Psl is also the dominant adhesive and cohesive “glue” holding together multicellular aggregates and biofilms. Here, we perform quantitative time-lapse confocal microscopy and image analysis of early biofilm growth by PA01. We find that aggregates of P. aeruginosa have a growth advantage over single cells of P. aeruginosa in the presence of Staphylococcus aureus in low-iron environments. Our results suggest the growth advantage of aggregates is linked to their high Psl content and to the production of an active factor by S. aureus. We posit that the ability of Psl to promote iron acquisition may have been linked to the evolutionary development of the strong biofilm-forming tendencies of P. aeruginosa.

scholarly journals Methamphetamine Enhances Cryptococcus neoformans Pulmonary Infection and Dissemination to the Brain

mBio ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dhavan Patel ◽  
Gunjan M. Desai ◽  
Susana Frases ◽  
Radames J. B. Cordero ◽  
Carlos M. DeLeon-Rodriguez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Cryptococcus Neoformans ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Pulmonary Infection ◽  
Capsular Polysaccharide ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Brain

ABSTRACTMethamphetamine (METH) is a major addictive drug of abuse in the United States and worldwide, and its use is linked to HIV acquisition. The encapsulated fungusCryptococcus neoformansis the most common cause of fungal meningitis in patients with AIDS. In addition to functioning as a central nervous system stimulant, METH has diverse effects on host immunity. Using a systemic mouse model of infection andin vitroassays in order to critically assess the impact of METH onC. neoformanspathogenesis, we demonstrate that METH stimulates fungal adhesion, glucuronoxylomannan (GXM) release, and biofilm formation in the lungs. Interestingly, structural analysis of the capsular polysaccharide of METH-exposed cryptococci revealed that METH alters the carbohydrate composition of this virulence factor, an event of adaptation to external stimuli that can be advantageous to the fungus during pathogenesis. Additionally, we show that METH promotesC. neoformansdissemination from the respiratory tract into the brain parenchyma. Our findings provide novel evidence of the impact of METH abuse on host homeostasis and increased permissiveness to opportunistic microorganisms.IMPORTANCEMethamphetamine (METH) is a major health threat to our society, as it adversely changes people’s behavior, as well as increases the risk for the acquisition of diverse infectious diseases, particularly those that enter through the respiratory tract or skin. This report investigates the effects of METH use on pulmonary infection by the AIDS-related fungusCryptococcus neoformans. This drug of abuse stimulates colonization and biofilm formation in the lungs, followed by dissemination of the fungus to the central nervous system. Notably,C. neoformansmodifies its capsular polysaccharide after METH exposure, highlighting the fungus’s ability to adapt to environmental stimuli, a possible explanation for its pathogenesis. The findings may translate into new knowledge and development of therapeutic and public health strategies to deal with the devastating complications of METH abuse.

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