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The Role of Melanin in Fungal Pathogenesis for Animal Hosts

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Fungal Physiology and Immunopathogenesis

Part of the book series: Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology ((CT MICROBIOLOGY,volume 422))

Abstract

Melanins are a class of pigments that are ubiquitous throughout biology. They play incredibly diverse and important roles ranging from radiation protection to immune defense, camouflage, and virulence. Fungi have evolved to use melanin to be able to persist in the environment and within organisms. Fungal melanins are often located within the cell well and are able to neutralize reactive oxygen species and other radicals, defend against UV radiation, bind and sequester non-specific peptides and compounds, and produce a physical barrier that defends the cell. For this reason, melanized fungi are often well-suited to be human pathogens—melanin allows fungi to neutralize the microbicidal oxidative bursts of our innate immune system, bind and inactivate to antimicrobial peptides and enzymes, sequester antifungal pharmaceuticals, and create a shield to block immune recognition of the fungus. Due to the importance and pervasiveness of melanin in fungal virulence, mammalian immune systems have evolved antifungal strategies that involve directly detecting and binding to fungal melanins. Such strategies include the use of melanin-specific antibody responses and C-type lectins like the newly discovered melanin-specific MelLec receptor.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge Dr. Emma Camacho and Dr. Helene Eisenman for providing the electron microscopy images in Fig. 2. The feedback and support of current AC Laboratory members are much appreciated. DFQS and AC are supported in part by National Institutes of Health grant R01AI052733 and The Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute Pilot Grant. DFQS is supported in part by NIH 5T32AI138953 and NIH 1T32AI138953.

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  1. W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, The Johns Hopkins University, Balitimore, MD, USA

    Daniel F. Q. Smith & Arturo Casadevall

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Correspondence to Daniel F. Q. Smith .

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    Marcio L. Rodrigues

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Smith, D.F.Q., Casadevall, A. (2019). The Role of Melanin in Fungal Pathogenesis for Animal Hosts. In: Rodrigues, M. (eds) Fungal Physiology and Immunopathogenesis . Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology, vol 422. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/82_2019_173

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