title: The capsular dynamics of Cryptococcus neoformans.
abstract: Cryptococcus neoformans is a soil-dwelling fungus that causes life-threatening illness in immunocompromised individuals and latently infects many healthy individuals. C. neoformans, unlike other human pathogenic fungi, is surrounded by a polysaccharide capsule that is essential for survival and enables C. neoformans to thwart the mammalian immune system. The capsule is a dynamic structure that undergoes changes in size and rearranges during budding. Here, the latest information and unresolved questions regarding capsule synthesis, structure, assembly, growth and rearrangements are discussed along with the concept that self-assembly is important in capsular dynamics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McFadden
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Zaragoza
authors.forename: Arturo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Casadevall
mesh_terms: D002473:Cell Wall / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D003455:Cryptococcus neoformans / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008954:Models, Biological; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D011134:Polysaccharides