Structure and biological functions of fungal cerebrosides
Structure and biological functions of fungal cerebrosides
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DOI：
10.1590/s0001-37652004000100007
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发表时间：
2004-03-01
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Rodrigues, Marcio L.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Barreto-Bergter, Eliana;Pinto, Marcia R.;Rodrigues, Marcio L.
神经酰胺单己糖苷（CMH，糖苷）是由疏水神经酰胺连接到一个糖单元组成的鞘糖脂。在真菌细胞中，CMH是非常保守的分子，其由含有与2-羟基十八烷酸或2-羟基十六烷酸进行酰胺键连接的9-甲基-4，8-鞘二烯碱的神经酰胺部分和由葡萄糖或半乳糖的一个残基组成的碳水化合物部分组成。9-含有甲基4，8-鞘二烯的神经酰胺通常被糖基化以形成真菌糖苷，但最近描述的神经酰胺二己糖苷（CDH）在稻瘟病菌中呈递植物鞘氨醇，表明真菌细胞中存在神经酰胺糖基化的替代途径。真菌CMH沿着其独特的结构特征，具有独特的亚细胞分布和显著的生物学特性。在鲍氏假雷氏菌、白色念珠菌、新型隐球菌、构巢曲霉、A.烟曲霉和裂褶菌，CMH显然参与形态转变和真菌生长。因此，阐明真菌糖苷的结构和功能方面可能有助于设计新的抗真菌剂抑制病原物种的生长和分化。
Ceramide monohexosides (CMHs, cerebrosides) are glycosphingolipids composed of a hydrophobic ceramide linked to one sugar unit. In fungal cells, CMHs are very conserved molecules consisting of a ceramide moiety containing 9-methyl-4,8-sphingadienine in amidic linkage to 2-hydroxyoctadecanoic or 2-hydroxyhexadecanoic acids, and a carbohydrate portion consisting of one residue of glucose or galactose. 9-Methyl 4,8-sphingadienine-containing ceramides are usually glycosylated to form fungal cerebrosides, but the recent description of a ceramide dihexoside (CDH) presenting phytosphingosine in Magnaporthe grisea suggests the existence of alternative pathways of ceramide glycosylation in fungal cells. Along with their unique structural characteristics, fungal CMHs have a peculiar subcellular distribution and striking biological properties. In Pseudallescheria boydii, Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans, Aspergillus nidulans, A. fumigatus, and Schizophyllum commune, CMHs are apparently involved in morphological transitions and fungal growth. The elucidation of structural and functional aspects of fungal cerebrosides may therefore contribute to the design of new antifungal agents inhibiting growth and differentiation of pathogenic species.