Vesicular transport across the fungal cell wall

Trends Microbiol. 2009 Apr;17(4):158-62. doi: 10.1016/j.tim.2008.12.005. Epub 2009 Mar 18.

Abstract

Recent findings indicate that fungi use vesicular transport to deliver substances across their cell walls. Fungal vesicles are similar to mammalian exosomes and could originate from cytoplasmic multivesicular bodies. Vesicular transport enables the export of large molecules across the cell wall, and vesicles contain lipids, proteins and polysaccharides, many of which are associated with virulence. Concentration of fungal products in vesicles could increase their efficiency in food acquisition and/or delivering potentially noxious substances to other cells, such as amoebae or phagocytes. The discovery of vesicular transport in fungi opens many new avenues for investigation in basic cell biology and pathogenesis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Biological Transport
  • Cell Wall / chemistry
  • Cell Wall / metabolism*
  • Fungi / chemistry
  • Fungi / cytology
  • Fungi / metabolism*
  • Porosity
  • Transport Vesicles / metabolism*