scholarly journals Role of Cell Surface Hydrophobicity in the Pathogenesis of Medically-Significant Fungi

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carina Danchik ◽  
Arturo Casadevall
Keyword(s):  
Cell Surface ◽  
Cell Surface Hydrophobicity ◽  
Pathogenic Fungi ◽  
Surface Hydrophobicity ◽  
Dimorphic Fungi ◽  
Biophysical Parameter ◽  
Filamentous Cell ◽  
Cell Surface Interactions ◽  
Mold And Yeast

Cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH) is an important cellular biophysical parameter which affects both cell-cell and cell-surface interactions. In dimorphic fungi, multiple factors including the temperature-induced shift between mold and yeast forms have strong effects on CSH with higher hydrophobicity more common at the lower temperatures conducive to filamentous cell growth. Some strains of Cryptococcus neoformans exhibit high CSH despite the presence of the hydrophilic capsule. Among individual yeast colonies from the same isolate, distinct morphologies can correspond to differences in CSH. These differences in CSH are frequently associated with altered virulence in medically-significant fungi and can impact the efficacy of antifungal therapies. The mechanisms for the maintenance of CSH in pathogenic fungi remain poorly understood, but an appreciation of this fundamental cellular parameter is important for understanding its contributions to such phenomena as biofilm formation and virulence.

scholarly journals Variation in Cell Surface Hydrophobicity among Cryptococcus neoformans Strains Influences Interactions with Amoebas

mSphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raghav Vij ◽  
Carina Danchik ◽  
Conor Crawford ◽  
Quigly Dragotakes ◽  
Arturo Casadevall
Keyword(s):  
Cell Surface ◽  
Cryptococcus Neoformans ◽  
Cell Surface Hydrophobicity ◽  
Surface Hydrophobicity ◽  
Natural Soil ◽  
Order Structure ◽  
Hydroxyl Groups ◽  
Biophysical Properties ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Biophysical Parameter

ABSTRACT Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii are pathogenic fungi that cause significant morbidity and mortality. Cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH) is a biophysical parameter that influences the adhesion of fungal cells or spores to biotic and abiotic surfaces. C. neoformans is encased by polysaccharide capsule that is highly hydrophilic and is a critical determinant of virulence. In this study, we report large differences in the CSH of some C. neoformans and C. gattii strains. The capsular polysaccharides of C. neoformans strains differ in repeating motifs and therefore vary in the number of hydroxyl groups, which, along with higher-order structure of the capsule, may contribute to the variation in hydrophobicity that we observed. We found that cell wall composition, in the context of chitin-chitosan content, does not influence CSH. For C. neoformans, CSH correlated with phagocytosis by natural soil predator Acanthamoeba castellanii. Furthermore, capsular binding of the protective antibody (18B7), but not the nonprotective antibody (13F1), altered the CSH of C. neoformans strains. Variability in CSH could be an important characteristic in comparing the biological properties of cryptococcal strains. IMPORTANCE The interaction of a microbial cell with its environment is influenced by the biophysical properties of a cell. The affinity of the cell surface for water, defined by the cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH), is a biophysical parameter that varies among different strains of Cryptococcus neoformans. The CSH influences the phagocytosis of the yeast by its natural predator in the soil, the amoeba. Studying variation in biophysical properties like CSH gives us insight into the dynamic host-predator interaction and host-pathogen interaction in a damage-response framework.

Role of lactobacillus cell surface hydrophobicity as probed by AFM in adhesion to surfaces at low and high ionic strength

2005 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginia Vadillo-Rodríguez ◽  
Henk J. Busscher ◽  
Henny C. van der Mei ◽  
Joop de Vries ◽  
Willem Norde
Keyword(s):  
Ionic Strength ◽  
Cell Surface ◽  
Cell Surface Hydrophobicity ◽  
Surface Hydrophobicity ◽  
High Ionic Strength

scholarly journals Factors associated with adherence to and biofilm formation on polystyrene byStenotrophomonas maltophilia: the role of cell surface hydrophobicity and motility

2008 ◽  
Vol 287 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arianna Pompilio ◽  
Raffaele Piccolomini ◽  
Carla Picciani ◽  
Domenico D'Antonio ◽  
Vincenzo Savini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Surface ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Cell Surface Hydrophobicity ◽  
Surface Hydrophobicity ◽  
Factors Associated

scholarly journals Variation in cell surface hydrophobicity among Cryptococcus neoformans strains influences interactions with amoeba

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raghav Vij ◽  
Conor J. Crawford ◽  
Arturo Casadevall
Keyword(s):  
Cell Surface ◽  
Cryptococcus Neoformans ◽  
Cell Surface Hydrophobicity ◽  
Surface Hydrophobicity ◽  
Natural Soil ◽  
Order Structure ◽  
Hydroxyl Groups ◽  
Biophysical Properties ◽  
Critical Determinant ◽  
Biophysical Parameter

ABSTRACTCryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii are pathogenic fungi that cause significant morbidity and mortality. Cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH) is a biophysical parameter that influences the adhesion of fungal cells or spores to biotic and abiotic surfaces. C. neoformans is encased by polysaccharide capsule that is highly hydrophilic and is a critical determinant of virulence. In this study, we report large differences in the CSH of some C. neoformans and C. gattii strains. The capsular polysaccharides of C. neoformans strains differ in repeating motifs, and therefore vary in the number of hydroxyl groups, which along with higher-order structure of the capsule, may contribute to the variation in hydrophobicity that we observed. For C. neoformans, CSH correlated with phagocytosis by natural soil predator Acanthamoeba castellani. Furthermore, capsular binding of the protective antibody (18B7), but not the non-protective (13F1) antibody altered the CSH of C. neoformans strains. Variability in CSH could be an important characteristic when comparing the biological properties of cryptococcal strains.IMPORTANCEThe interaction of a microbial cell with its environment is influenced by the biophysical properties of a cell. The affinity of the cell surface for water, defined by the Cell Surface Hydrophobicity (CSH), is a biophysical parameter that varied amongst different strains of Cryptococcus neoformans. The CSH influenced the phagocytosis of the yeast by its natural predator in the soil, Amoeba. Studying variation in biophysical properties like CSH gives us insight into the dynamic host-predator interaction, and host-pathogen interaction in a damage-response framework.

Role of cell surface hydrophobicity in Candida albicans biofilm

2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 259-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helena Bujdáková ◽  
Miroslava Didiášová ◽  
Hana Drahovská ◽  
Lucia Černáková
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Cell Surface ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Cell Surface Hydrophobicity ◽  
Surface Hydrophobicity ◽  
Quantitative Real Time Pcr ◽  
Planktonic Cells ◽  
Planktonic Culture

AbstractOverall cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH) is predicted to play an important role during biofilm formation in Candida albicans but is the result of many expressed proteins. This study compares the CSH status and CSH1 gene expression in C. albicans planktonic cells, sessile biofilm, and dispersal cells. Greater percentages of hydrophobic cells were found in non-adhered (1.5 h) and dispersal forms (24 or 48 h) (41.34±4.17% and 39.52±7.45%, respectively), compared with overnight planktonic cultures (21.69±3.60%). Results from quantitative real-time PCR confirmed greater up-regulation of the CSH1 gene in sessile biofilm compared with both planktonic culture and dispersal cells. Up-regulation was also greater in dispersal cells compared with planktonic culture. The markedly increased CSH found both in C. albicans biofilm, and in cells released during biofilm formation could provide an advantage to dispersing cells building new biofilm.

scholarly journals UafB is a serine-rich repeat adhesin of Staphylococcus saprophyticus that mediates binding to fibronectin, fibrinogen and human uroepithelial cells

Microbiology ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 157 (4) ◽  
pp. 1161-1175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan P. King ◽  
Scott A. Beatson ◽  
Makrina Totsika ◽  
Glen C. Ulett ◽  
Richard A. Alm ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urinary Tract ◽  
Cell Surface ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Cell Surface Hydrophobicity ◽  
Surface Hydrophobicity ◽  
Factor B ◽  
Staphylococcus Saprophyticus ◽  
Uroepithelial Cells ◽  
Encoding Gene

Staphylococcus saprophyticus is an important cause of urinary tract infection (UTI), particularly among young women, and is second only to uropathogenic Escherichia coli as the most frequent cause of UTI. The molecular mechanisms of urinary tract colonization by S. saprophyticus remain poorly understood. We have identified a novel 6.84 kb plasmid-located adhesin-encoding gene in S. saprophyticus strain MS1146 which we have termed uro-adherence factor B (uafB). UafB is a glycosylated serine-rich repeat protein that is expressed on the surface of S. saprophyticus MS1146. UafB also functions as a major cell surface hydrophobicity factor. To characterize the role of UafB we generated an isogenic uafB mutant in S. saprophyticus MS1146 by interruption with a group II intron. The uafB mutant had a significantly reduced ability to bind to fibronectin and fibrinogen. Furthermore, we show that a recombinant protein containing the putative binding domain of UafB binds specifically to fibronectin and fibrinogen. UafB was not involved in adhesion in a mouse model of UTI; however, we observed a striking UafB-mediated adhesion phenotype to human uroepithelial cells. We have also identified genes homologous to uafB in other staphylococci which, like uafB, appear to be located on transposable elements. Thus, our data indicate that UafB is a novel adhesin of S. saprophyticus that contributes to cell surface hydrophobicity, mediates adhesion to fibronectin and fibrinogen, and exhibits tropism for human uroepithelial cells.

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