Adhesins of Yeasts: Protein Structure and Interactions

• Published in: Journal of fungi (Basel) Vol. 4; no. 4; p. 119
• Main Author: Willaert, Ronnie G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 27.10.2018; MDPI
• Subjects: Adhesins; Als proteins; Amino acid sequence; Candida albicans; Candida glabrata; Candidiasis; Carbohydrates; Cell adhesion & migration; Cell walls; Epa proteins; Flo proteins; Flocculation; Fungal infections; Glycoproteins; Lectins; Nutrients; Protein families; Protein structure; Proteins; Review; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Self-recognition; the agglutinin-like sequence protein family; the epithelial adhesion family; the flocculation protein family; Yeast; yeast adhesions; Als proteins; Candida albicans; the epithelial adhesion family; the agglutinin-like sequence protein family; yeast adhesions; the flocculation protein family; Candida glabrata; Epa proteins; Flo proteins; Saccharomyces cerevisiae
• ISSN: 2309-608X; 2309-608X
• DOI: 10.3390/jof4040119

The ability of yeast cells to adhere to other cells or substrates is crucial for many yeasts. The budding yeast can switch from a unicellular lifestyle to a multicellular one. A crucial step in multicellular lifestyle adaptation is self-recognition, self-interaction, and adhesion to abiotic surfaces. Infectious yeast diseases such as candidiasis are initiated by the adhesion of the yeast cells to host cells. Adhesion is accomplished by adhesin proteins that are attached to the cell wall and stick out to interact with other cells or substrates. Protein structures give detailed insights into the molecular mechanism of adhesin-ligand interaction. Currently, only the structures of a very limited number of N-terminal adhesion domains of adhesins have been solved. Therefore, this review focuses on these adhesin protein families. The protein architectures, protein structures, and ligand interactions of the flocculation protein family of ; the epithelial adhesion family of ; and the agglutinin-like sequence protein family of are reviewed and discussed.