This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Botts, M. R. Articles by Hull, C. M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Botts, M. R. Articles by Hull, C. M.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Eukaryotic Cell, April 2009, p. 595-605, Vol. 8, No. 4
1535-9778/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/EC.00352-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Isolation and Characterization of Cryptococcus neoformans Spores Reveal a Critical Role for Capsule Biosynthesis Genes in Spore Biogenesis

Michael R. Botts,¹ Steven S. Giles,¹ Marcellene A. Gates,³ Thomas R. Kozel,³ and Christina M. Hull^1,2*

Department of Biomolecular Chemistry,¹ Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706,² Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, Nevada 89557³

Received 20 October 2008/ Accepted 22 January 2009

Spores are essential particles for the survival of many organisms, both prokaryotic and eukaryotic. Among the eukaryotes, fungi have developed spores with superior resistance and dispersal properties. For the human fungal pathogens, however, relatively little is known about the role that spores play in dispersal and infection. Here we present the purification and characterization of spores from the environmental fungus Cryptococcus neoformans. For the first time, we purified spores to homogeneity and assessed their morphological, stress resistance, and surface properties. We found that spores are morphologically distinct from yeast cells and are covered with a thick spore coat. Spores are also more resistant to environmental stresses than yeast cells and display a spore-specific configuration of polysaccharides on their surfaces. Surprisingly, we found that the surface of the spore reacts with antibodies to the polysaccharide glucuronoxylomannan, the most abundant component of the polysaccharide capsule required for C. neoformans virulence. We explored the role of capsule polysaccharide in spore development by assessing spore formation in a series of acapsular strains and determined that capsule biosynthesis genes are required for proper sexual development and normal spore formation. Our findings suggest that C. neoformans spores may have an adapted cell surface that facilitates persistence in harsh environments and ultimately allows them to infect mammalian hosts.

---

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: University of Wisconsin, Madison, 587 Medical Science Center, 1300 University Avenue, Madison, WI 53706. Phone: (608) 265-5689. Fax: (608) 262-5253. E-mail: cmhull{at}wisc.edu

Published ahead of print on 30 January 2009.

---

Eukaryotic Cell, April 2009, p. 595-605, Vol. 8, No. 4
1535-9778/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/EC.00352-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Velagapudi, R., Hsueh, Y.-P., Geunes-Boyer, S., Wright, J. R., Heitman, J. (2009). Spores as Infectious Propagules of Cryptococcus neoformans. Infect. Immun. 77: 4345-4355 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Giles, S. S., Dagenais, T. R. T., Botts, M. R., Keller, N. P., Hull, C. M. (2009). Elucidating the Pathogenesis of Spores from the Human Fungal Pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans. Infect. Immun. 77: 3491-3500 [Abstract] [Full Text]