# Coordinated responses to host-derived stresses in C. neoformans

> **NIH NIH R01** · DUKE UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $356,114

## Abstract

SUMMARY
 Although potent antifungal agents are currently available, invasive fungal infections remain
highly prevalent causes of disease and death, especially in our most vulnerable patients with defective
immune systems. AIDS, organ transplantation, and more aggressive cancer treatments all contribute to
ever-expanding patient groups who are at risk for these serious infections. Future directions in the
treatment of infectious diseases will increasingly involve identifying microbe-specific cellular processes
that can be targeted for intervention.
 In this proposal, we will study central signaling pathways in the human fungal pathogen
Cryptococcus neoformans (Cn) that are induced in the setting of infection. We began studying the
fungal-specific Rim signaling pathway in Cn as a regulator of surface capsule expression and fungal
cell fitness. Using complementary transcriptomic, proteomic, and microbial genetic techniques, we have
defined Rim-dependent cellular events in this fungal pathogen that allow rapid microbial adaptation to
the host environment. Many of these adaptations occur specifically in response to the pH of the infected
host. Therefore, our studies not only address microbial pathogenesis, but they also explore central
ways in which eukaryotic cells sense and respond to this important environmental condition.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10773144
- **Project number:** 5R01AI175711-02
- **Recipient organization:** DUKE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** ANDREW ALSPAUGH
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $356,114
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-02-01 → 2028-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10773144

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10773144, Coordinated responses to host-derived stresses in C. neoformans (5R01AI175711-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-02 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10773144. Licensed CC0.

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