The Sugar Coated Killer Cryptococcus neoformans: New Insights into Its Polysaccharide Capsule

Siagian, Forman Erwin (2025) The Sugar Coated Killer Cryptococcus neoformans: New Insights into Its Polysaccharide Capsule. Asian Journal of Research in Biochemistry, 15 (6). pp. 68-81. ISSN 2582-0516

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Abstract

Aims: To analyze the polysaccharide property of capsular portion belongs to the incidiosa yeast,Cryptococcus neoformans.Discussion: Cryptococcus neoformans is an encapsulated fungal pathogen that is acquired byhuman and animal hosts through inhalation of environmental infectious propagules and can staydormant or minimally parasitized in the lung alveoli. It is lethal to the immunocompromisedindividuals, especially HIV (+), which can have caused cryptococcal meningitis. Morphologically, it isa round or oval-shaped yeast cell. The size of the organism is ∼2.5 μm without the capsularpolysaccharide. The capsule is found immediately outside the cell wall and can vary in size from 1 to50 μm, depending on the cell type, environment, and growth conditions. Capsule architecture ischaracterized by a complex Biochemical network connected to the cell wall and extending tovariable distances into the extracellular space. The capsular portion of C. neoformans is alwaysconsidered as the primary virulence factor. From the Biochemical properties, it is primarilycomposed of polysaccharides, most notably glucuronoxylomannan (GXM) and to a lesser extent,galactoxylomannan (GalXM), and mannoproteins. This elastic and thick, hydrophilic capsule is essential for the fungus's ability to cause disease, as it protects the yeast from the host's immunesystem by hindering phagocytosis and by modulating the phagosome environment. Cryptococcuscells from clinical samples typically have a much thicker capsule than those from the environmentalsamples or from culture medium. Fortunately, as a surprising findings, this capsular polysaccharidecan be used as a simple methods of detection through the cryptococcal antigen in diagnostic tests.Conclusion: In C. neoformans, the components of the capsular network constitute the main fungalvirulence factor as well as a precious element for simple detection

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