CELL ADHESION PROTEIN-MEDIATED MOLECULAR INTERACTIONS LEAD TOWARDS THE SURVIVAL AND SUCCESS IN INFECTIONS CAUSED BY PATHOGENIC FUNGI IN HUMANS: CELL ADHESION PROTEINS IN PATHOGENIC FUNGI

Abstract

Several events involving molecular interactivities between human pathogenic fungi and their host cells occur through the mediation of the fungi’s adhesion proteins which link themselves to the extracellular matrix of the host cells. The proteins are targets which help the fungi during cell invasion and the establishment of the infectious process. Several medically important fungi, such as Candida albicans, Histoplasma capsulatum, Pneumocystis carinii, Sporothrix schenckii, Penicillium marneffei, Blastomyces dermatitidis, Coccidioides immitis, Paracoccidiodes brasiliensis and Cryptococcus neoformans adhere to the extracellular matrix’s proteins. The capacity of pathogenic fungi to cause mycosis with several types of clinical manifestations depends on the complexities of interactions between them and the human host. The adhesion proteins are virulent factors in most of them. The above-mentioned molecules are important targets for the biological study of fungi and for the development of new therapeutic approaches for the treatment of infections by fungus and the production of new drugs.