Inhibiting the synthesis of fungal cell wall is a safe and effective strategy for preventing and treating fungal infections. Chitin synthases are the key enzymes to catalyze the synthesis of chitin, an important structural component of fungal cell wall and septa. The roles of chitin synthases vary in regulating the synthesis of fungal chitin. This review outlines the roles of chitin synthases in regulating fungal cell proliferation, morphogenesis, interactions with hosts, and compensatory effect induced by cell wall damage in the three major pathogenic fungal species:Candida albicans,Aspergillus fumigatus, andCryptococcus neoformans, aiming to understand the importance of chitin synthases in fungal pathogenicity. Furthermore, this paper proposes a new antifungal strategy and the future research directions about the chitin synthases of fungi.
| 科 Family | 属数 Number of genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) | 属 Genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 鹅膏菌科Amanitaceae | 2 | 11 | 5.26 | 鹅膏菌属 Amanita | 10 | 4.78 |
| 小菇科 Mycenaceae | 2 | 12 | 5.74 | 丝盖伞属 Inocybe | 5 | 2.39 |
| 多孔菌科 Polyporaceae | 8 | 14 | 6.70 | 蜡蘑属 Laccaria | 5 | 2.39 |
| 红菇科 Russulaceae | 3 | 23 | 11.00 | 小皮伞属 Marasmius | 6 | 2.87 |
| 小菇属 Mycena | 11 | 5.26 | ||||
| 光柄菇属 Pluteus | 5 | 2.39 | ||||
| 红菇属 Russula | 17 | 8.13 | ||||
| 栓菌属 Trametes | 5 | 2.39 |