Fungal adhesins are proteins located on the surface of
fungal
A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from th ...
cells, specifically found on the outside of the
cell wall.
They allow fungi to colonize various substrates and to bind to host tissues. Adhesion to tissue is an obligatory first step in
pathogenesis
Pathogenesis is the process by which a disease or disorder develops. It can include factors which contribute not only to the onset of the disease or disorder, but also to its progression and maintenance. The word comes from Greek πάθος ''pat ...
by many
yeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constit ...
s. Adhesins also have other functions, such as mating and biofilm formation.
''Candida albicans''
''
Candida albicans
''Candida albicans'' is an opportunistic pathogenic yeast that is a common member of the human gut flora. It can also survive outside the human body. It is detected in the gastrointestinal tract and mouth in 40–60% of healthy adults. It is usu ...
'' can cause opportunistic oral and genital infections in humans.
Hwp1
Hwp1 is a fungal adhesin belonging to the opportunistic dimorphic fungus ''Candida albicans''. Hwp1 is unique among fungal adhesins discovered to date in that it is a mammalian transglutaminase substrate. The host enzyme allows ''C. albicans'' to form covalent bonds to the host tissue via Hwp1.
See also
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Adhesin molecule (immunoglobulin -like)
In molecular biology, the adhesin molecule (immunoglobulin-like) is a protein domain. This domain is found in mucosal vascular addressin cell adhesion molecule 1 proteins (MAdCAM-1). These are cell adhesion molecules gene expression, expressed on ...
*
Bacterial adhesin Adhesins are cell-surface components or appendages of bacteria that facilitate adhesion or adherence to other cells or to surfaces, usually in the host they are infecting or living in. Adhesins are a type of virulence factor.
Adherence is an essen ...
*
Cell adhesion
References
Fungal proteins
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