Abstract
Copper is an essential micronutrient for the opportunistic human pathogen, Aspergillus fumigatus. Maintaining copper homeostasis is critical for survival and pathogenesis. Copper-responsive transcription factors, AceA and MacA, coordinate a complex network responsible for responding to copper in the environment and determining which response is necessary to maintain homeostasis. For example, A. fumigatus uses copper exporters to mitigate the toxic effects of copper while simultaneously encoding copper importers and small molecules to ensure proper supply of the metal for copper-dependent processes such a nitrogen acquisition and respiration. Small molecules called isocyanides recently found to be produced by A. fumigatus may bind copper and partake in copper homeostasis similarly to isocyanide copper chelators in bacteria. Considering that the host uses copper as a microbial toxin and copper availability fluctuates in various environmental niches, understanding how A. fumigatus maintains copper homeostasis will give insights into mechanisms that facilitate the development of invasive aspergillosis and its survival in nature.
Highlights
All living organisms have evolved to maintain metal homeostasis as many metal ions are essential for certain biological processes, but high concentrations of these very same ions are toxic
Fungi use these copper superoxide dismutases (SODs) to convert the superoxide into hydrogen peroxide, which is subsequently converted into water and oxygen by an iron-dependent catalase [18,19]
Implicating reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by copper, a study by De Freitas et al demonstrated that S. cerevisiae lacking the superoxide dismutase, sod1, resulted in an induction of genes involved in iron acquisition
Summary
All living organisms have evolved to maintain metal homeostasis as many metal ions are essential for certain biological processes, but high concentrations of these very same ions are toxic Transition elements such as iron, copper, nickel, and zinc are required as cofactors for processes such as electron transfer or for maintaining protein structure. We seek to provide a comprehensive synopsis of the current state of knowledge of how the opportunistic human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus regulates copper homeostasis and the role of copper in host–fungal interactions. This pathogen causes invasive aspergillosis (IA) in immunocompromised hosts, with mortality rates as high as 90% [9]. We compare and contrast the system in these fungi and provide a view of the potential small molecule copper biology of A. fumigatus
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