A unique cytoskeleton-associated protein in Cryptococcus neoformans

Comparative Genomic Analysis of Capsule-Producing Black Yeasts Exophiala dermatitidis and Exophiala spinifera, Potential Agents of Disseminated Mycoses

“…In contrast, C. immunda has never been observed in clinical settings, which may either be explained by low virulence or its rarity. Remarkably, this fungus was found to have the highest number (n = 458) of genes that have been associated in the literature with virulence (Fisher et al, 1986;Chamond et al, 2003;Xu et al, 2012;Isola et al, 2013;Gümral et al, 2014;Zhang et al, 2014;Gelli, 2018;Bernardes et al, 2019). Exophiala dermatitidis is a common environmental species occurring in the domesticated environment (Isola et al, 2013;Gümral et al, 2014) and thus has a higher chance to of infection; it has a significantly lower number (n = 267-403) of virulenceassociated genes than all species compared, including the equally common environmental species E. oligosperma (n = 424).…”

“…Exophiala dermatitidis and E. spinifera are the only chaetothyrialean black yeasts that possess capsule-like EPS around juvenile cells, while these reportedly are absent from sibling species E. phaeomuriformis and E. oligosperma, respectively. These genes are known in Cryptococcus, where the microtubule-associated CAP-glycine protein (Cgp1) governs growth, differentiation, and virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans (Gelli, 2018). Phenotypically, differences are known in the shape of black yeast capsules, which are regular in E. spinifera and irregular EPS in E. dermatitidis (Song et al, 2017).…”