Fig 1.
Molecular mechanisms involved in mucormycosis.
Both calcineurin and PKA pathways are intricate and regulate key virulence determinants such as spore size dimorphism, growth dimorphism, phagosome maturation arrest, and substance secretion with direct targets and through transcriptional regulation. The posttranscriptional gene regulation orchestrated by RNAi is also decisive in the defense against host mechanisms and acquired antifungal drug resistance. During the infection process, the surface CotH proteins and their interaction with the host cell receptors facilitate the infection. Spores can be contained in structures constituted by innate immunity cells (innate granulomas), although the mechanisms leading to this process remain to be elucidated. AC, adenylyl cyclase; CaM, calmodulin; cAMP, cyclic adenosine monophosphate; GDP, guanosine diphosphate; GPCR, G-protein-coupled receptor; GTP, guanosine triphosphate; PKA, protein kinase A; RNAi, RNA interference.