| First Author | Almeida F | Year | 2017 |
| Journal | Nat Commun | Volume | 8 |
| Issue | 1 | Pages | 1968 |
| PubMed ID | 29213074 | Mgi Jnum | J:258465 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6112322 | Doi | 10.1038/s41467-017-02126-7 |
| Citation | Almeida F, et al. (2017) Galectin-3 impacts Cryptococcus neoformans infection through direct antifungal effects. Nat Commun 8(1):1968 |
| abstractText | Cryptococcus neoformans is an encapsulated fungal pathogen that causes cryptococcosis, which is a major opportunistic infection in immunosuppressed individuals. Mammalian beta-galactoside-binding protein Galectin-3 (Gal-3) modulates the host innate and adaptive immunity, and plays significant roles during microbial infections including some fungal diseases. Here we show that this protein plays a role also in C. neoformans infection. We find augmented Gal-3 serum levels in human and experimental infections, as well as in spleen, lung, and brain tissues of infected mice. Gal-3-deficient mice are more susceptible to cryptococcosis than WT animals, as demonstrated by the higher fungal burden and lower animal survival. In vitro experiments show that Gal-3 inhibits fungal growth and exerts a direct lytic effect on C. neoformans extracellular vesicles (EVs). Our results indicate a direct role for Gal-3 in antifungal immunity whereby this molecule affects the outcome of C. neoformans infection by inhibiting fungal growth and reducing EV stability, which in turn could benefit the host. |
