Fungal extracellular vesicles as potential targets for immune interventions

Mateus Silveira Freitas, Vânia Luiza Deperon Bonato, Andre Moreira a. Pessoni, Marcio L. Rodrigues, Arturo Casadevall, Fausto Almeida

Research output: Contribution to journalShort surveypeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

The release of extracellular vesicles (EVs) by fungi is a fundamental cellular process. EVs carry several biomolecules, including pigments, proteins, enzymes, lipids, nucleic acids, and carbohydrates, and are involved in physiological and pathological processes. EVs may play a pivotal role in the establishment of fungal infections, as they can interact with the host immune system to elicit multiple outcomes. It has been observed that, depending on the fungal pathogen, EVs can exacerbate or attenuate fungal infections. The study of the interaction between fungal EVs and the host immune system and understanding of the mechanisms that regulate those interactions might be useful for the development of new adjuvants as well as the improvement of protective immune responses against infectious or noninfectious diseases. In this review, we describe the immunomodulatory properties of EVs produced by pathogenic fungi and discuss their potential as adjuvants for prophylactic or therapeutic strategies.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article numbere00747
JournalmSphere
Volume4
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - 2019

Keywords

  • Drug targets
  • Extracellular vesicles
  • Fungal infections
  • Immune response

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Microbiology
  • Molecular Biology

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