Comparison of Cell Wall Polysaccharide Composition and Structure Between Strains of Sporothrix schenckii and Sporothrix brasiliensis

• Published in: Frontiers in microbiology Vol. 12; p. 726958
• Main Authors: Villalobos-Duno, Héctor L., Barreto, Laura A., Alvarez-Aular, Álvaro, Mora-Montes, Héctor M., Lozoya-Pérez, Nancy E., Franco, Bernardo, Lopes-Bezerra, Leila M., Niño-Vega, Gustavo A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A 20-09-2021
• Subjects: beta-gucan; fungal cell wall; fungal virulence; Microbiology; Rhamnomannan; Rhamnose; Sporothrix spp
• ISSN: 1664-302X; 1664-302X
• DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.726958

Sporothrix schenckii
,
Sporothrix brasiliensis
, and
Sporothrix globosa
are the main causative agents of sporotrichosis, a human subcutaneous mycosis. Differences in virulence patterns are associated with each species but remain largely uncharacterized. The
S. schenckii
and
S. brasiliensis
cell wall composition and virulence are influenced by the culturing media, with little or no influence on
S. globosa
. By keeping constant the culturing media, we compared the cell wall composition of three
S. schenckii
and two
S. brasiliensis
strains, previously described as presenting different virulence levels on a murine model of infection. The cell wall composition of the five
Sporothrix
spp. strains correlated with the biochemical composition of the cell wall previously reported for the species. However, the rhamnose-to-β-glucan ratio exhibits differences among strains, with an increase in cell wall rhamnose-to-β-glucan ratio as their virulence increased. This relationship can be expressed mathematically, which could be an important tool for the determination of virulence in
Sporothrix
spp. Also, structural differences in rhamnomannan were found, with longer side chains present in strains with lower virulence reported for both species here studied, adding insight to the importance of this polysaccharide in the pathogenic process of these fungi.