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Host-Fungal Interactions: Pathogenicity Versus Immunity International Journal of Microbiology Host-Fungal Interactions: Pathogenicity versus Immunity Guest Editors: Arianna Tavanti, Julian R. Naglik, and Nir Osherov Host-Fungal Interactions: Pathogenicity versus Immunity International Journal of Microbiology Host-Fungal Interactions: Pathogenicity versus Immunity Guest Editors: Arianna Tavanti, Julian R. Naglik, and Nir Osherov Copyright © 2012 Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved. This is a special issue published in “International Journal of Microbiology.” All articles are open access articles distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Editorial Board Vasco Azevedo, Brazil Robert P. Gunsalus, USA Toni L. Poole, USA Arvind A. Bhagwat, USA Akira Hiraishi, Japan Carla Pruzzo, Italy Dulal Borthakur, USA Po-Ren Hsueh, Taiwan Rosana Puccia, Brazil Todd R. Callaway, USA J. Hugenholtz, The Netherlands R. M. Roop, USA Michael L. Chikindas, USA Barbara H. Iglewski, USA Kenneth S. Rosenthal, USA P. Patrick Cleary, USA Vijay K. Juneja, USA Isabel Sa-Correia,´ Portugal Luca Simone Cocolin, Italy Thomas L. Kieft, USA Kaarina Sivonen, Finland Peter Coloe, Australia Sandra Macfarlane, UK J. Glenn Songer, USA Giuseppe Comi, Italy Michael McClelland, USA A. J. Stams, The Netherlands Michael A. Cotta, USA Michael J. McInerney, USA David C. Straus, USA Daniele Daffonchio, Italy Susana Merino, Spain John Tagg, New Zealand Eduardo Dei-Cas, France Timothy A. Mietzner, USA Michael M. Tunney, Norway Joseph Falkinham, USA Hugh W. Morgan, New Zealand J. Wiegel, USA Paula J. Fedorka-Cray, USA Sudarsan Mukhopadhyay, USA Yanjin Zhang, USA Arsenio M. Fialho, Portugal Ingolf Figved Nes, Norway M. H. Zwietering, The Netherlands Marco Gobbetti, Italy James D. Oliver, USA Contents Host-Fungal Interactions: Pathogenicity versus Immunity, Arianna Tavanti, Julian R. Naglik, and Nir Osherov Volume 2012, Article ID 154253, 2 pages Recent Advances in the Use of Drosophila melanogaster as a Model to Study Immunopathogenesis of Medically Important Filamentous Fungi, Georgios Hamilos, George Samonis, and Dimitrios P. Kontoyiannis Volume 2012, Article ID 583792, 10 pages Fungal Biofilm Resistance, Gordon Ramage, Ranjith Rajendran, Leighann Sherry, and Craig Williams Volume 2012, Article ID 528521, 14 pages Hosting Infection: Experimental Models to Assay Candida Virulence, Donna M. MacCallum Volume 2012, Article ID 363764, 12 pages Chitin, Chitinase Responses, and Invasive Fungal Infections, Karina Vega and Markus Kalkum Volume 2012, Article ID 920459, 10 pages Antifungal Resistance and New Strategies to Control Fungal Infections,PatrickVandeputte, Selene Ferrari, and Alix T. Coste Volume 2012, Article ID 713687, 26 pages Candida Biofilms and the Host: Models and New Concepts for Eradication,Hel´ ene` Tournu and Patrick Van Dijck Volume 2012, Article ID 845352, 16 pages Hyphal Growth in Human Fungal Pathogens and Its Role in Virulence, Alexandra Brand Volume 2012, Article ID 517529, 11 pages Invasive Mold Infections: Virulence and Pathogenesis of Mucorales,GiuliaMoraceand Elisa Borghi Volume 2012, Article ID 349278, 5 pages Application of Bioluminescence Imaging for In Vivo Monitoring of Fungal Infections, Matthias Brock Volume 2012, Article ID 956794, 9 pages Experimental Models of Cryptococcosis, Wilber Sabiiti, Robin C. May, and E. Rhiannon Pursall Volume 2012, Article ID 626745, 10 pages Histoplasma Virulence and Host Responses, Mircea Radu Mihu and Joshua Daniel Nosanchuk Volume 2012, Article ID 268123, 5 pages Dermatophyte Virulence Factors: Identifying and Analyzing Genes That May Contribute to Chronic or Acute Skin Infections, Rebecca Rashid Achterman and Theodore C. White Volume 2012, Article ID 358305, 8 pages Protein Glycosylation in Aspergillus fumigatus Is Essential for Cell Wall Synthesis and Serves as a Promising Model of Multicellular Eukaryotic Development, Cheng Jin Volume 2012, Article ID 654251, 21 pages Communication in Fungi, Fabien Cottier and Fritz A. Muhlschlegel¨ Volume 2012, Article ID 351832, 9 pages Candida albicans versus Candida dubliniensis:WhyIsC. albicans More Pathogenic?, Gary P. Moran, David C. Coleman, and Derek J. Sullivan Volume 2012, Article ID 205921, 7 pages Hindawi Publishing Corporation International Journal of Microbiology Volume 2012, Article ID 562480, 2 pages doi:10.1155/2012/562480 Editorial Host-Fungal Interactions: Pathogenicity versus Immunity Arianna Tavanti,1 Julian R. Naglik,2 and Nir Osherov3 1 Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Via San Zeno 37, 56127 Pisa, Italy 2 Department of Oral Medicine, Pathology, and Immunology, King’s College London Dental Institute, King’s College London, London SE1 9RT, UK 3 Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat-Aviv, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel Correspondence should be addressed to Arianna Tavanti, [email protected] Received 28 March 2012; Accepted 28 March 2012 Copyright © 2012 Arianna Tavanti et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Fungal pathogens represent a leading cause of life-threaten- often leading to a delay in effective treatment and high mor- ing infections in debilitated patients and exert a substantial tality rates. This is the case for invasive mucormycosis, a toll on health care resources. A major development in the rapidly progressing infection often refractory to antifungal past few years, resulting from extremely rapid technological therapy, with a negative prognosis in individuals with im- advances, has been the elucidation of the genome sequences paired immune defence. The key role of iron uptake, angioin- of all of the major human fungal pathogens. Together with vasion, and neurotropism in the virulence repertoire of this the development of transcriptomics and proteomics, fungal fascinating group of fungi is reviewed by G. Morace and E. pathogen research has entered the so-called “omics” era. Borghi. However, despite the remarkable acceleration in the under- Chitin is one of the most abundant biopolymers in nature standing of many molecular mechanisms underlying phe- and comprises part of the fungal cell wall structure. Although nomena such as drug resistance, fungal virulence, and patho- humans do not biosynthesize chitin, they do express chitin genesis, many key aspects of the host-fungal interactions are degrading enzymes. The targeted recognition of fungal chitin still not fully understood. by the host may have implications for diagnostic assays, as This current issue provides in-depth review articles well as for potential new therapeutic approaches. This emerg- drafted by international experts tackling different perspec- ing topic is reviewed by K. Vega and M. Kalkum. Another tives of the host-pathogen interplay. Their contributions major process that influences fungal cell wall structure is offer insights into aspects related to fungal virulence and protein glycosylation, which is essential for eukaryotic cells. drug resistance of both established and emerging fungal However, the mechanisms by which carbohydrates play a pathogens, as well as models to study their pathogenicity. role in the development of fungal diseases are still poorly The paper by G. P. Moran and colleagues explains why characterised. In this context, C. Jin provides an overview on Candida albicans has evolved to become such a successful op- the contribution of protein glycosylation to growth, cell wall portunistic pathogen, by comparative global gene expression synthesis and development in A. fumigatus, possibly provi- analysis performed on C. albicans and its most closely related ding a novel strategy for drug development. species C. dubliniensis. Histoplasma capsulatum is a major fungal pathogen en- The epidemiology of invasive fungal infections has demic to the Americas, exhibiting a broad variety of clini- evolved over the past twenty years. Yeasts other than C. cal presentations, ranging from mild lung infection to life- albicans and moulds other than Aspergillus fumigatus have threatening systemic infections. The severity of infection and emerged as significant causes of invasive mycoses in severely its outcome result from a complex interaction between the immunocompromised patients. Tools allowing a prompt virulence repertoire of the pathogen and the host’s immune diagnosis for these emerging pathogenic fungi are lacking, defences. The paper by M. R. Mihu and J. D. Nosanchuk 2 International Journal of Microbiology focuses on the dynamic host-pathogen interplay in the con- recent advances in the study of medically important filamen- text of the virulence arsenal displayed by the fungus and the tous fungi in Drosophila. innate and adaptive immune responses of the host. Bioluminescent imaging is a powerful tool to perform The molecular mechanisms underlying the ability of der- real time evaluation of temporal and spatial progression of matophytes to establish infection and persist in the host are infections. Mainly used for the study of bacterial infection reviewed by R. R. Achterman and T. C. White. Despite the process, M. Brock discusses the application of biolumines- fact that this group of filamentous fungi are the most com- cent imaging to the study of mycoses, summarising the key mon cause of cutaneous mycoses, very little is
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