Taxonomic group: fungi / Ascomycota
(Phylum: Ascomycota)
Organ / tissue: hyphaAssociated disease: infection due to Aspergillus fumigatus [ICD11:
XN5Z7 
]
NCBI PubMed ID: 30667338Publication DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2019.1568174Journal NLM ID: 101531386Publisher: Philadelphia, PA: Taylor & Francis
Correspondence: Speth C <cornelia.speth
i-med.ac.at>; Sheppard DC <don.sheppard
mcgill.ca>
Institutions: Division of Hygiene and Medical Microbiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria, Christian Doppler Laboratory for Invasive Fungal Infections, Innsbruck, Austria, Program in Molecular Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada, Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada, Departments of Medicine and of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University, Montréal, Canada, Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, Canada
Aspergillus spp and particularly the species Aspergillus fumigatus are the causative agents of invasive aspergillosis, a progressive necrotizing pneumonia that occurs in immunocompromised patients. The limited efficacy of currently available antifungals has led to interest in a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of invasive aspergillosis in order to identify new therapeutic targets for this devastating disease. The Aspergillus exopolysaccharide galactosaminogalactan (GAG) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of experimental invasive aspergillosis. The present review article summarizes our current understanding of GAG composition and synthesis and the molecular mechanisms whereby GAG promotes virulence. Promising directions for future research and the prospect of GAG as both a therapy and therapeutic target are reviewed.
virulence factor, aspergillosis, galactosaminogalactan, host pathogen interactions
Structure type: structural motif or average structure
Location inside paper: Fig. 1
Trivial name: galactosaminogalactan (GAG)
Compound class: polysaccharide, galactan
Contained glycoepitopes: IEDB_130648,IEDB_136906,IEDB_137472,IEDB_137473,IEDB_1391961,IEDB_141584,IEDB_141794,IEDB_144989,IEDB_151528,IEDB_190606,IEDB_885822,SB_7
Biological activity: polysaccharide plays a role in a wide range of host-pathogen interactions including adhesion to host cells, evasion and modulation of immune response and platelet activation. polysaccharide treatment reduced neutrophilic inflammation in association with a reduction in Th17 cell markers within draining lymph nodes in allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA). In a mouse model of murine colitis models, polysaccharide therapy also improved the inflammatory reaction and induced IL-1Ra and IL-10 production
Enzymes that release or process the structure: Uge3, Gtb3, Agd3
Related record ID(s): 50324
NCBI Taxonomy refs (TaxIDs): 746128Reference(s) to other database(s): GTC:G85862QL
Show glycosyltransferases
There is only one chemically distinct structure:
Found 
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