Glycan and Microbe-Higher Animal Interactions (Fungi)
摘要
Filamentous fungi of the genus Aspergillus and yeasts of the genus Candida and Cryptococcus are the causative agents of the most serious systemic fungal infections. Fungi have a robust cell wall, and being eukaryotes like humans, the number of drugs with minimal side effects on the human body is very limited. In particular, C. auris, which has the ability to form biofilms and shows strong antifungal drug resistance, has become a major problem in recent years as an emerging fungal infection [1, 2]. Detection of these systemic fungi involves genetic testing by PCR, antibodies that detect glucans and mannans, which are components of the fungal body. On the other hand, when fungi invade the body, the cell wall components of eukaryotic microbes are recognized by C-type lectin receptors and toll-like receptors, activating the innate immune system and inducing the expression of cytokines [3, 4]. It is considered extremely important to continue comprehensive genome analysis of the causative fungi and detailed analysis of the recognition mechanism of various polysaccharides and glycan components derived from fungi.