Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comment
. 2014 Jan;124(1):74-6.
doi: 10.1172/JCI73585. Epub 2013 Dec 20.

Hostile takeover: fungal protein promotes host cell invasion

J Andrew Alspaugh
Comment

Hostile takeover: fungal protein promotes host cell invasion

J Andrew Alspaugh. J Clin Invest. 2014 Jan.

Abstract

The ability to suppress the immune system has lead to great advances in transplant technology and treatment of autoimmune diseases. Unfortunately, the immunosuppression of these patients has led to the rise of opportunistic infections by organisms that are recalcitrant to current prophylactic strategies. One such example is the increase of mucormycosis, an invasive infection caused by filamentous fungi of the order Mucorales. In this issue of the JCI, Gebremariam and colleagues determined that spore coat homolog (CotH) proteins are required for angioinvasion and that these proteins are unique to Mucorales. Their findings provide a potential therapeutic target for prevention and treatment of mucormycosis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. CotH proteins on the fungal surface promote angioinvasion.
CotH proteins on the surface of Mucorales specifically bind to GRP78 on the surface of host endothelial cells. This interaction facilitates fungal invasion of the cell. Damage to the endothelial cells promotes angioinvasion and dissemination.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment on

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Saegeman V, Maertens J, Meersseman W, Spriet I, Verbeken E, Lagrou K. Increasing incidence of mucormycosis in University Hospital, Belgium. Emerg Infect Dis. 2010;16(9):1456–1458. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bitar D, et al. Increasing incidence of zygomycosis (mucormycosis), France, 1997–2006. Emerg Infect Dis. 2009;15(9):1395–1401. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Marty FM, Cosimi LA, Baden LR. Breakthrough zygomycosis after voriconazole treatment in recipients of hematopoietic stem-cell transplants. N Engl J Med. 2004;350(9):950–952. - PubMed
    1. Kontoyiannis DP, et al. Zygomycosis in a tertiary-care cancer center in the era of Aspergillus-active antifungal therapy: a case-control observational study of 27 recent cases. J Infect Dis. 2005;191(8):1350–1360. - PubMed
    1. Alspaugh JA, Perfect JR. Infections due to zygomycetes and other rare fungal opportunists. Semin Respir Crit Care Med. 1997;18(3):265–279.

Substances