Chitin Synthesis and Fungal Pathogenesis

Overview

Journal Curr Opin Microbiol

Specialty Microbiology

Date 2010 Jun 22

PMID 20561815

Citations 175

Authors

Megan D Lenardon

Carol A Munro

Neil A R Gow

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Chitin is an essential part of the carbohydrate skeleton of the fungal cell wall and is a molecule that is not represented in humans and other vertebrates. Complex regulatory mechanisms enable chitin to be positioned at specific sites throughout the cell cycle to maintain the overall strength of the wall and enable rapid, life-saving modifications to be made under cell wall stress conditions. Chitin has also recently emerged as a significant player in the activation and attenuation of immune responses to fungi and other chitin-containing parasites. This review summarises latest advances in the analysis of chitin synthesis regulation in the context of fungal pathogenesis.

Citing Articles

Echinocandin Adaptation in Is Accompanied by Altered Chromatin Accessibility at Gene Promoters and by Cell Wall Remodeling.

Sah S, Yadav A, Stahl T, Hayes J, Bulger M, Rustchenko E J Fungi (Basel). 2025; 11(2).

PMID: 39997404 PMC: 11856910. DOI: 10.3390/jof11020110.

Bio-orthogonal Labeling of Chitin in Native Pathogenic Candida Species via the Chitin Scavenge Pathway.

Williams C, Carnahan B, Hyland S, DeMeester K, Grimes C J Am Chem Soc. 2025; 147(7):5632-5641.

PMID: 39925016 PMC: 11849683. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c11554.

encoding a pantothenate transporter protein is required for fungal growth, mycelial penetration and pathogenicity of .

Kamau S, Li Y, Sun T, Liu F, Zhu Q, Zhang X Front Microbiol. 2025; 15:1508765.

PMID: 39895932 PMC: 11783681. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1508765.

Exploring the antifungal potential of -derived stilbenoids and cannabinoids against novel targets through protein interaction profiling.

Kirboga K, Karim A, Kucuksille E, Rudrapal M, Khan J, Achar R Front Chem. 2025; 12():1515424.

PMID: 39834844 PMC: 11743709. DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2024.1515424.

Review on mushroom mycelium-based products and their production process: from upstream to downstream.

Shin H, Ro H, Kawauchi M, Honda Y Bioresour Bioprocess. 2025; 12(1):3.

PMID: 39794674 PMC: 11723872. DOI: 10.1186/s40643-024-00836-7.

References

Lee C . Chitin, chitinases and chitinase-like proteins in allergic inflammation and tissue remodeling. Yonsei Med J. 2009; 50(1):22-30. PMC: 2649864. DOI: 10.3349/ymj.2009.50.1.22. View

de Jonge R, Thomma B . Fungal LysM effectors: extinguishers of host immunity?. Trends Microbiol. 2009; 17(4):151-7. DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2009.01.002. View

Rappleye C, Eissenberg L, Goldman W . Histoplasma capsulatum alpha-(1,3)-glucan blocks innate immune recognition by the beta-glucan receptor. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007; 104(4):1366-70. PMC: 1783108. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0609848104. View

Chuang J, Schekman R . Differential trafficking and timed localization of two chitin synthase proteins, Chs2p and Chs3p. J Cell Biol. 1996; 135(3):597-610. PMC: 2121060. DOI: 10.1083/jcb.135.3.597. View

Walker L, Gow N, Munro C . Fungal echinocandin resistance. Fungal Genet Biol. 2009; 47(2):117-26. PMC: 2812698. DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2009.09.003. View

Reid D, Gow N, Brown G . Pattern recognition: recent insights from Dectin-1. Curr Opin Immunol. 2009; 21(1):30-7. PMC: 2684021. DOI: 10.1016/j.coi.2009.01.003. View

Lenardon M, Lesiak I, Munro C, Gow N . Dissection of the Candida albicans class I chitin synthase promoters. Mol Genet Genomics. 2009; 281(4):459-71. PMC: 3468743. DOI: 10.1007/s00438-009-0423-0. View

Cash H, Whitham C, Behrendt C, Hooper L . Symbiotic bacteria direct expression of an intestinal bactericidal lectin. Science. 2006; 313(5790):1126-30. PMC: 2716667. DOI: 10.1126/science.1127119. View

Fujiwara M, Horiuchi H, Ohta A, Takagi M . A novel fungal gene encoding chitin synthase with a myosin motor-like domain. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1997; 236(1):75-8. DOI: 10.1006/bbrc.1997.6907. View

10.

Takeshita N, Yamashita S, Ohta A, Horiuchi H . Aspergillus nidulans class V and VI chitin synthases CsmA and CsmB, each with a myosin motor-like domain, perform compensatory functions that are essential for hyphal tip growth. Mol Microbiol. 2006; 59(5):1380-94. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2006.05030.x. View

11.

Baker L, Specht C, Donlin M, Lodge J . Chitosan, the deacetylated form of chitin, is necessary for cell wall integrity in Cryptococcus neoformans. Eukaryot Cell. 2007; 6(5):855-67. PMC: 1899242. DOI: 10.1128/EC.00399-06. View

12.

Takeshita N, Ohta A, Horiuchi H . CsmA, a class V chitin synthase with a myosin motor-like domain, is localized through direct interaction with the actin cytoskeleton in Aspergillus nidulans. Mol Biol Cell. 2005; 16(4):1961-70. PMC: 1073675. DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e04-09-0761. View

13.

Roncero C . The genetic complexity of chitin synthesis in fungi. Curr Genet. 2002; 41(6):367-78. DOI: 10.1007/s00294-002-0318-7. View

14.

Schorr M, Then A, Tahirovic S, Hug N, Mayinger P . The phosphoinositide phosphatase Sac1p controls trafficking of the yeast Chs3p chitin synthase. Curr Biol. 2001; 11(18):1421-6. DOI: 10.1016/s0960-9822(01)00449-3. View

15.

Tsuizaki M, Takeshita N, Ohta A, Horiuchi H . Myosin motor-like domain of the class VI chitin synthase CsmB is essential to its functions in Aspergillus nidulans. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2009; 73(5):1163-7. DOI: 10.1271/bbb.90074. View

16.

Lee C, Da Silva C, Lee J, Hartl D, Elias J . Chitin regulation of immune responses: an old molecule with new roles. Curr Opin Immunol. 2008; 20(6):684-9. PMC: 2605627. DOI: 10.1016/j.coi.2008.10.002. View

17.

Reinoso-Martin C, Schuller C, Schuetzer-Muehlbauer M, Kuchler K . The yeast protein kinase C cell integrity pathway mediates tolerance to the antifungal drug caspofungin through activation of Slt2p mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling. Eukaryot Cell. 2003; 2(6):1200-10. PMC: 326656. DOI: 10.1128/EC.2.6.1200-1210.2003. View

18.

Abramczyk D, Park C, Szaniszlo P . Cytolocalization of the class V chitin synthase in the yeast, hyphal and sclerotic morphotypes of Wangiella (Exophiala) dermatitidis. Fungal Genet Biol. 2008; 46(1):28-41. PMC: 2662749. DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2008.10.004. View

19.

Larson J, Kozubowski L, Tatchell K . Changes in Bni4 localization induced by cell stress in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J Cell Sci. 2010; 123(Pt 7):1050-9. PMC: 2844317. DOI: 10.1242/jcs.066258. View

20.

Walker L, Munro C, de Bruijn I, Lenardon M, McKinnon A, Gow N . Stimulation of chitin synthesis rescues Candida albicans from echinocandins. PLoS Pathog. 2008; 4(4):e1000040. PMC: 2271054. DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1000040. View