title: Calcineurin Orchestrates Hyphal Growth, Septation, Drug Resistance and Pathogenesis of Aspergillus fumigatus: Where Do We Go from Here?
abstract: Studies on fungal pathogens belonging to the ascomycota phylum are critical given the ubiquity and frequency with which these fungi cause infections in humans. Among these species, Aspergillus fumigatus causes invasive aspergillosis, a leading cause of death in immunocompromised patients. Fundamental to A. fumigatus pathogenesis is hyphal growth. However, the precise mechanisms underlying hyphal growth and virulence are poorly understood. Over the past 10 years, our research towards the identification of molecular targets responsible for hyphal growth, drug resistance and virulence led to the elucidation of calcineurin as a key signaling molecule governing these processes. In this review, we summarize our salient findings on the significance of calcineurin for hyphal growth and septation in A. fumigatus and propose future perspectives on exploiting this pathway for designing new fungal-specific therapeutics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA. praveen.juvvadi@duke.edu.
authors.forename: Praveen R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Juvvadi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA. bill.steinbach@duke.edu.|Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA. bill.steinbach@duke.edu.
authors.forename: William J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Steinbach
keywords: Aspergillus fumigatus; FK506; calcineurin; cyclosporine A; drug resistance; drug target; hyphal growth; phosphorylation; septation; virulence