Glycosylinositolphosphoceramides in Aspergillus Fumigatus

• Published in: Glycobiology (Oxford) Vol. 18; no. 1; pp. 84 - 96
• Main Authors: Simenel, Catherine, Coddeville, Bernadette, Delepierre, Muriel, Latgé, Jean-Paul, Fontaine, Thierry
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Oxford University Press 01.01.2008; Oxford Publishing Limited (England); Oxford University Press (OUP)
• Subjects: Acremonium; Aspergillus fumigatus; Aspergillus fumigatus - chemistry; Aspergillus fumigatus - metabolism; Biochemistry, Molecular Biology; galactofuranose; glycosphingolipid; Glycosphingolipids; Glycosphingolipids - chemistry; Glycosphingolipids - isolation & purification; Glycosphingolipids - metabolism; glycosylinositolphosphoceramide; Life Sciences; NMR; Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; Structural Biology; galactofuranose; glycosphingolipid; glycosylinositolphosphoceramide; NMR
• ISSN: 0959-6658; 1460-2423
• DOI: 10.1093/glycob/cwm122

Fungal glycosylinositolphosphoceramides (GIPCs) are involved in cell growth and fungal-host interactions. In this study, six GIPCs from the mycelium of the human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus were purified and characterized using Q-TOF mass spectrometry and ¹H, ¹³C, and ³¹P NMR. All structures have the same inositolphosphoceramide moiety with the presence of a C₁₈:₀-phytosphingosine conjugated to a 2-hydroxylated saturated fatty acid (2-hydroxy-lignoceric acid). The carbohydrate moiety defines two types of GIPC. The first, a mannosylated zwitterionic glycosphingolipid contains a glucosamine residue linked in α1-2 to an inositol ring that has been described in only two other fungal pathogens. The second type of GIPC presents an α-Manp-(1[rightward arrow]3)-α-Manp-(1[rightward arrow]2)-IPC common core. A galactofuranose residue is found in four GIPC structures, mainly at the terminal position via a β1-2 linkage. Interestingly, this galactofuranose residue could be substituted by a choline-phosphate group, as observed only in the GIPC of Acremonium sp., a plant pathogen.