Analyses of Pneumocystis Fatty Acids

Kaneshiro, Edna S.; Cushion, M T; Walzer, Peter D.; Jayasimhulu, Koka

doi:10.1111/j.1550-7408.1989.tb05839.x

Cited by 23 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Results from the present study are in general agreement with those from previous studies from other laboratories (19,21,26). Our analyses showed that the major lipids in P. carinii include phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine (26), and cholesterol (19).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 93%

“…Our analyses showed that the major lipids in P. carinii include phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine (26), and cholesterol (19). We found no evidence for the presence of either phosphonolipids or DGTS (data not shown).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 68%

“…HPLC analysis showed that the major lipids in P. carinii include phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine (26), and cholesterol (19) (Fig. 1).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Few lipid-related studies have been done on P. carinii. Morphological studies with filipin or digitonin and freeze fracture have shown the presence of sterols by electron microscopy in the P. carinii plasma membrane (37,38), and biochemical evidence for the presence of cholesterol has been reported (19). An unusual outer membrane has also been reported on the cyst wall (7).…”

mentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Previous reports of the phospholipid (26) and the fatty acid (19) contents of P. carinii have shown high degrees of similarity with the lipid contents of the host cells. The only P. carinii sterol described thus far is cholesterol (19). There have been no reports of lipids unique to P. carinii and no reports of significant differences in lipid content between P. carinii and host cells.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Phytosterols are present in Pneumocystis carinii

Furlong

Samia

Rose

et al. 1994

Antimicrob Agents Chemother

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Although originally classified as a protozoan, Pneumocystis carinii is now considered to have fungal characteristics. Drugs typically used for the treatment of fungal infections target ergosterol. Because P. carinii is an important pathogen in AIDS and other immunocompromised patients, knowledge of the sterol content of this organism may be useful as a basis for developing new treatment strategies or for improving diagnosis. P. carinii organisms were harvested from infected rat lungs and were purified by filtration. Control preparations from uninfected animals were identically prepared. Lipids were extracted from the organisms and control preparations and were separated into neutral lipid, glycolipid, and phospholipid fractions by silicic acid chromatography. The neutral lipid fraction was further treated by alkaline hydrolysis and was analyzed by reversed-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography (GC), and GC-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). As shown by HPLC, the neutral lipid fraction from infected rats contained a minimum of six peaks, while in control preparations a single peak with a retention time identical to that of cholesterol was observed. The predominant sterol in these preparations was positively identified by GC-MS as cholesterol and constituted 80 to 90% of the total. The remaining peaks had relative retention times similar to those of phytosterols by both HPLC and GC, and the similarity of these sterols to those derived from plants and fungi was confirmed by MS. Ergosterol, however, was not present. These results provide further evidence for a close phylogenetic relationship between P. carinii and fungi and suggest that these sterols could be used as targets for drug development and for improving diagnosis.Pneumocystis carinii is one of the leading causes of opportunistic infection in AIDS patients (30). Despite the importance of this microorganism as an opportunistic pathogen, much basic information about the parasite is lacking. While originally classified phylogenetically as a protozoan, analyses of P. carinii DNA and mitochondrial and rRNA sequences have generally shown a higher degree of homology to the mitochondrial and rRNA sequences of fungi (yeasts) than to those of protozoa (9,13,27,31,34,35). The exact relationship remains to be determined. Analyses of 5S RNA have suggested a somewhat close phylogenetic relationship to members of the Rhizopoda-Myxomycota-Zygomycota group of "protista fungi." Other studies have suggested similarities to Saccharomyces, Candida, and Neurospora spp. and "red yeast" fungi. In general, the arguments in favor of classifying P. carinii as a protozoan are the amoeboid appearance of the trophic form, susceptibility to antiprotozoal drugs such as pentamidine isethionate or trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, insusceptibility to antifungal drugs such as amphotericin B, and the lack of ergosterol in Pneumocystis cell membranes. Arguments in favor of including P. carinii among the fungi include similarities of the sporogenous state to ascospore format...

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 68%

“…HPLC analysis showed that the major lipids in P. carinii include phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine (26), and cholesterol (19) (Fig. 1).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 98%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Phytosterols are present in Pneumocystis carinii

Furlong

Samia

Rose

et al. 1994

Antimicrob Agents Chemother

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Pneumocystis jiroveci Pneumonia

Haque

Adegboyega

2008

Dail and Hammar’s Pulmonary Pathology

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High osmotic pressure forPneumocystic carinii London Resin White embedding enables fine immunocytochemistry studies: I. Golgi complex and cell-wall synthesis

Palluault¹,

Soulez²,

Slomianny³

et al. 1992

Parasitol Res

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A method for embedding Pneumocystis carinii in hydrophilic resin (London Resin White) has been developed for immunocytochemistry studies. Using high osmotic pressure (about 850 mosmol) from fixation to embedding, this method improved the preservation of the fine structure as well as the antigenicity of rabbit- and SCID mouse-derived P. carinii. Cytochemistry studies were performed using colloidal gold-conjugated lectins (concanavalin A, glycine max, Ulex europaeus) that reacted with the cytoplasmic components (endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi vesicles). Colloidal gold-conjugated streptavidin was also tested and was found to be reactive with the parasite cell wall and cytoplasmic components, which precludes its indiscriminate use in P. carinii immunocytochemistry studies.

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Analyses of Pneumocystis Fatty Acids

Cited by 23 publications

References 9 publications

Phytosterols are present in Pneumocystis carinii

Phytosterols are present in Pneumocystis carinii

Pneumocystis jiroveci Pneumonia

High osmotic pressure forPneumocystic carinii London Resin White embedding enables fine immunocytochemistry studies: I. Golgi complex and cell-wall synthesis

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