Beyond division and morphogenesis: Considering the emerging roles of septins in plasma membrane homeostasis and cell wall integrity in human fungal pathogens

Author: mycolabadmin
6/17/2025
View Source

Summary

Septins are protein structures inside fungal cells that help them divide and maintain their outer layers. This review explains how these proteins play crucial roles in fungal infections by helping pathogens survive stress conditions and respond to host defenses. By understanding how septins work, scientists might develop new antifungal medications that target these proteins to fight stubborn fungal infections.

Background

Septins are highly conserved guanine nucleotide-binding, filament-forming proteins found in animals, fungi, protists, and algae. Originally discovered for their role in cytokinesis and septum formation, septins have since been linked to multiple cellular processes including morphogenesis, cell polarity, and cell cycle regulation. Their significance in fungal pathogenesis is increasingly recognized, particularly regarding their roles beyond traditional cellular division functions.

Objective

This review examines the emerging roles of septins in plasma membrane homeostasis and cell wall integrity in human fungal pathogens. The focus is on understanding how septins contribute to pathogenesis through their interactions with biological membranes and their involvement in cell wall stress responses, mechanisms that remain largely underexplored in fungal infections.

Results

The review identifies key septin functions including cytokinesis, morphogenesis, polarity regulation, and crucially, their roles in plasma membrane homeostasis and cell wall integrity. Evidence demonstrates that septins associate with membrane phospholipids, particularly phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate, and regulate cell wall stress responses through crosstalk between membrane and cell wall pathways, with implications for virulence in different fungal pathogens.

Conclusion

Septins serve as important regulators of fungal pathogenesis through their multifaceted roles in plasma membrane homeostasis and cell wall integrity. Understanding the precise mechanisms by which septins contribute to stress adaptation and virulence may reveal them as potential targets for novel antifungal strategies, particularly for managing infections in immunocompromised hosts.

Published in:PLoS Pathogens,
Study Type:Review,
Source: PMID: 40526607, DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1013226