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Full-Text Articles in Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology
Exploring Acetate Metabolism: Genetically Characterizing Acetate Production And Acetate Utilization In The Fungal Pathogen Cryptococcus Neoformans, Rodrigo Catalan-Hurtado
Exploring Acetate Metabolism: Genetically Characterizing Acetate Production And Acetate Utilization In The Fungal Pathogen Cryptococcus Neoformans, Rodrigo Catalan-Hurtado
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The basidiomycete Cryptococcus neoformans is an invasive opportunistic fungal pathogen and the most frequent cause of fungal meningitis resulting in approximately 112,000 deaths per year worldwide. Recently, the World Health Organization systematically prioritized fungal pathogens in which C. neoformans was among four fungal pathogens deemed critically important. Current methods of treatment are inadequate for most of the infected population; therefore, it is imperative to find novel therapeutic targets. Previous studies have shown that acetate is a major metabolite found in biopsies of C. neoformans infected mouse brain and lung tissues. Two potential pathways for acetate production have been identified. …
Allosteric Regulation Of Bacterial And Fungal Xylulose 5-Phosphate/ Fructose 6-Phosphate Phosphoketolases (Xfps), Katie Glenn
Allosteric Regulation Of Bacterial And Fungal Xylulose 5-Phosphate/ Fructose 6-Phosphate Phosphoketolases (Xfps), Katie Glenn
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Acetate is excreted as a metabolic end product in many microbes. Acetate production has primarily been studied in bacteria and archaea but is known to occur in eukaryotic organisms as well. For example, acetate is one of the most abundant metabolites excreted by the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans during cryptococcosis suggesting that acetate production may be important during pathogenesis. One possible pathway for acetate production in C. neoformans involves the enzymes xylulose 5-phosphate/ fructose 6-phosphate phosphoketolase (Xfp), which can generate acetyl phosphate from either fructose 6-phosphate (F6P) or xylulose 5-phosphate (X5P), and acetate kinase (Ack), which can then convert acetyl …