Essential metals in Cryptococcus neoformans: Acquisition and regulation

Abstract

Transition metals such as iron, zinc, and copper play key roles in numerous biological processes, including innate immunity in vertebrates. In fact, control of the availability of these essential metals is an important component of the immune response to limit the growth of pathogens during infection. In turn, pathogens must overcome the extreme limitation of essential metals and potential metal toxicity to successfully cause disease. Recent work illuminates the mechanisms by which the pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans manages iron, copper, and zinc availability in support of proliferation in vertebrate hosts. In particular, the fungus makes use of high-affinity metal transport systems and complex regulatory networks that play critical roles in the virulence of the fungus. © Springer Science+Business Media 2014.