自噬在病原真菌生殖中的作用

自噬是真核生物中重要且高度保守的蛋白降解过程。在此过程中,细胞中的细胞器、长寿蛋白及其他大分子物质被双层膜的自噬体包裹并运送至降解细胞器中进行降解并重新利用。自噬在病原真菌诸如细胞分化、营养动态平衡以及致病性等各种细胞过程中起重要作用。在本综述中,我们简要介绍了自噬过程,并以人体病原真菌新生隐球菌为例介绍了病原真菌的有性生殖过程;同时我们也总结了目前模式病原真菌中自噬相关基因的研究情况以及自噬调控病原真菌无性和有性生殖的可能机理;最后我们总结全文并讨论了未来自噬调控真菌有性生殖机理研究的工作方向。

Role of autophagy in the reproduction of pathogenic fungi

Autophagy (macroautophagy) is an essential and highly conserved protein degradation mechanism in eukaryotes. In this process, cytoplasmic organelles, old proteins and other macromolecules are sequestered into a double membrane vesicle called autophagosome and delivered to a degradative organelle for degradation and recycling. Extensive studies have revealed that autophagy plays an essential role in the cellular processes such as cell differentiation, nutrient homeostasis and pathogenicity in pathogenic fungi. In this review, we introduce the process of autophagy and describe the role of autophagy in regulation of the fungal sexual reproduction, using the human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans as an example. Furthermore, we summarize the autophagy related genes studied so far and the deduced physiological functions of autophagy for proper asexual and/or sexual reproduction in model pathogenic fungi. We also discuss perspectives on autophagy function in fungal reproduction.