Depending on the acquisition of developmental competence, the expression of genes for β-1,3-glucan synthase and chitin synthase was affected in different ways by Aspergillus nidulans LAMMER kinase. LAMMER kinase deletion, ΔlkhA, led to decrease in β-1,3-glucan, but increase in chitin content. The ΔlkhA strain was also resistant to nikkomycin Z.

Fungal cell walls contain β-glucan polysaccharides that stimulate immune responses when recognized by host immune cells. The fungal pathogen Histoplasma capsulatum minimizes detection of β-glucan by host cells through at least two mechanisms: concealment of β-glucans beneath α-glucans and enzymatic removal of any exposed β-glucan polysaccharides by the secreted glucanase Eng1. Histoplasma yeast...

Intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) are the first to encounter luminal antigens and may be involved in intestinal immune responses. Fungi are important components of the intestinal microflora. The potential role of fungi, and in particular their cell wall component β-glucan, in modulating human intestinal epithelial responses is still unclear. Here we examined whether human IECs are capable of r...

Cereal β-glucan is a type of valuable dietary fiber that mainly exists in the aleurone, subaleurone, and endosperm some cereal grains. β-Glucan acknowledged as functional food ingredient owing to its multiple health benefits, including prevention diabetes, reduction incidence cardiovascular disease, antitumor effects, antioxidant activities, immunostimulation. It well documented cellulose synth...

Immunotherapy is revolutionizing cancer treatment. Recent clinical success with immune checkpoint inhibitors, chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, and adoptive immune cellular therapies has generated excitement and new hopes for patients and investigators. However, clinically efficacious responses to cancer immunotherapy occur only in a minority of patients. One reason is the tumor microen...

We cloned a new glycoside hydrolase family 6 gene, Hicel6C, from the thermophilic fungus Humicola insolens Y1 and expressed it in Pichia pastoris. Using barley β-glucan as a substrate, recombinant HiCel6C protein exhibited neutral pH (6.5) and high temperature (70°C) optima. Distinct from most reported acidic fungal endo-β-1,4-glucanases, HiCel6C was alkali-tolerant, retaining greater than 98.0...

The cell wall of budding yeast is a rigid structure composed of multiple components. To thoroughly understand its involvement in morphogenesis, we used the image analysis software CalMorph to quantitatively analyze cell morphology after treatment with drugs that inhibit different processes during cell wall synthesis. Cells treated with cell wall-affecting drugs exhibited broader necks and incre...

Pattern recognition receptors are known to participate in the activation of Prophenoloxidase system. In this study, a 1,3-β-D-glucan recognition protein was detected for the first time in Antheraea pernyi larvae (Ap-βGRP). Ap-βGRP was purified to 99.9% homogeneity from the hemolymph using traditional chromatographic methods. Ap-βGRP specifically bind 1,3-β-D-glucan and yeast, but not E. coli or...

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) combines a drug or photosensitizer with a specific type of light to kill cancer cells. The cellular damage induced by PDT leads to activation of the DNA damage repair, which is an important factor for modulating tumor sensitivity to this treatment. β -Glucans are natural polysaccharides that bind complement receptor 3 on the effector cells, thereby activating them to ...

Despite the lack of international agreement regarding the definition and classification of fiber, there is established evidence on the role of dietary fibers in obesity and metabolic syndrome. Beta glucan (β-glucan) is a soluble fiber readily available from oat and barley grains that has been gaining interest due to its multiple functional and bioactive properties. Its beneficial role in insuli...