Structure and Function of a Fungal Adhesin that Binds Heparin and Mimics Thrombospondin-1 by Blocking T Cell Activation and Effector Function
Figure 2
Role of BAD-1 tandem repeats in virulence of B. dermatitidis in vivo.
Mice received various strains of engineered B. dermatitidis yeasts (104) intra-nasally in 25-µl PBS. Strains included wild-type (ATCC 26199), isogenic BAD-1 knockout (#55), strain #55 transformed to re-express BAD-1 (BAD-1-6H) and truncated forms of BAD-1 lacking 20 repeats (Trepeat20) or the C-terminus (ΔC-term). Mice infected with yeast expressing Trepeat20 showed significantly increased survival compared to controls. Mice receiving recombinant strains expressing the full complement of tandem repeats showed no significant alteration in survival compared to mice receiving wild-type 26199 yeast. All mice receiving strain #55 survived until the experiment was terminated five months post-infection.