Document Type
Article
Publication Date
Summer 7-30-2015
Keywords
Candida albicans, Cell signaling, Fungi, Catabolism, Fungal pathogens, Virulence factors, Chitin, Peptidoglycans
Abstract
There is growing evidence that the sugar N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) plays diverse roles in cell signaling pathways that impact the virulence properties of microbes and host cells. GlcNAc is already well known as a ubiquitous structural component at the cell surface that forms part of bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan, cell wall chitin in fungi and parasites, and extracellular matrix glycosaminoglycans of animal cells. Chitin and peptidoglycan have been previously linked to cell signaling as they can stimulate responses in plant and animal host cells [1–3]. Recent studies now indicate that GlcNAc released from these polymers can also activate cell signaling via several different mechanisms [4–6]. The role of these new GlcNAc signaling pathways in the regulation of virulence factors will be the focus of this review.
Recommended Citation
Naseem, Shamoon and Konopka, James B., "N-acetylglucosamine Regulates Virulence Properties in Microbial Pathogens" (2015). Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology Faculty Publications. 4.
https://commons.library.stonybrook.edu/dmgm-articles/4
Comments
Published PLoS Pathog 11(7): e1004947. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1004947
Funding: Research in our lab is supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health awarded to James B. Konopka. http://www.nih.gov R21DE025200 RO1AI47837 The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.