Cryptococcus neoformans (C. neoformans) is estimated to cause about 220,000 new cases every year in patients with AIDS, despite advances in antifungal treatments. C. neoformans possesses a remarkable ability to disseminate through an immunocompromised host, making treatment difficult. Here, we examine the mechanism of survival of C. neoformans under varying host conditions and find a role for ceramide synthase in C. neoformans virulence. This study also provides a detailed lipidomics resource for the fungal lipid research community in addition to discovering a potential target for antifungal therapy.
Keywords: Cryptococcus neoformans; ceramide; ceramide synthase; fungi; infectious diseases; pathogenicity; sphingolipids; virulence; yeasts.
Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.