Carol Kumamoto

Last updated
Carol A. Kumamoto
Alma mater University of California, Los Angeles (BS, PhD)
Scientific career
Institutions Stanford University
Harvard Medical School
Tufts University

Carol Kumamoto is an American microbiologist who is Professor of Molecular Biology & Microbiology at Tufts University. She investigates the filamentous growth of Candida albicans, a fungal pathogen that causes several diseases. She is also interested in how C. albicans interacts with its host during colonisation and invasive diseases. She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Academy of Microbiology.

Contents

Early life and education

Kumamoto studied biology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), graduating in 1976. [1] She remained there for her doctoral degree before moving to Harvard Medical School for a postdoctoral research position in 1980. [1] She joined Stanford University as a research associate and joined Tufts University in 1986. [2] Her early work involved monitoring the mechanism of action of E.coli. [3] She studied the mutant strains of E.Coli that were defective in exporting the periplasmatic protein maltose binding protein into the periplasm from the cytoplasm. She showed that these mutants were defective in the gene SecB and went on to study the mechanism of action of this protein; showing that it had chaperone activity and was selective in its binding to exported protein precursors.[ citation needed ]

Research and career

Kumamoto is a Professor of Molecular Biology & Microbiology at Tufts University. [1] Her research considers Candida albicans (C. albicans), a fungal pathogen that can causes several diseases. [4] C. albicans typically colonises the gastrointestinal tract of humans without causing any problems, but when the host organism becomes immunocompromised the pathogen produces invasive lesions that are associated with candidiasis . [5] Candidiasis is complicated to diagnose and can be fatal. [6] Kumamoto demonstrated that low levels of the protein Efg1p permit fast growth of C. albicans, whereas high levels suppress the growth. [7] [8] [9]

In particular, Kumamoto studies the environmental conditions that cause C. albicans to grow in filamentous, elongated cells, which are able to invade and destroy biological tissue and enter the bloodstream. [10] Early in her career, Kumamoto demonstrated that this filamentous growth occurs when the organism is grown in contact with an agar medium. She showed that the CZF1 gene is a regulator of the filamentation response, and that Mkc1 and Cek1 (MAP kinases) are activated when cells are grown in contact with the agar. She has demonstrated that certain dietary fats, including coconut oil, can suppress the growth of C. albicans in the gut, decreasing the risk of fungal infections. [11] It has been proposed that this finding will decrease the need for antifungal drugs and could be used to decrease the amount of C. albicans in the guts of premature infants. [11] In 2019, Kumamoto reported the first results of a clinical trial that involved supplementing the diets of preterm infants with medium-chain triglycerides to reduce the amount of C. albicans in the gastrointestinal tract. [6]

Kumamoto has also studied candida auris a fungus that was identified in 2009 that appears to withstand anti-fungal drugs. [12] She is interested in the mechanism by which C. albicans interacts with its host during colonisation and invasive degrees. [1] For example, Kumamoto has demonstrated that the interaction of C. albicans with other pathogens can influence its virulence. [4]

Awards and honours

Selected publications

Kumamoto has written for The Conversation . [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Candidiasis</span> Fungal infection due to any type of Candida

Candidiasis is a fungal infection due to any type of Candida. When it affects the mouth, in some countries it is commonly called thrush. Signs and symptoms include white patches on the tongue or other areas of the mouth and throat. Other symptoms may include soreness and problems swallowing. When it affects the vagina, it may be referred to as a yeast infection or thrush. Signs and symptoms include genital itching, burning, and sometimes a white "cottage cheese-like" discharge from the vagina. Yeast infections of the penis are less common and typically present with an itchy rash. Very rarely, yeast infections may become invasive, spreading to other parts of the body. This may result in fevers along with other symptoms depending on the parts involved.

<i>Lactobacillus</i> Genus of bacteria

Lactobacillus is a genus of Gram-positive, aerotolerant anaerobes or microaerophilic, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming bacteria. Until 2020, the genus Lactobacillus comprised over 260 phylogenetically, ecologically, and metabolically diverse species; a taxonomic revision of the genus assigned lactobacilli to 25 genera.

<i>Candida albicans</i> Species of fungus

Candida albicans is an opportunistic pathogenic yeast that is a common member of the human gut flora. It can also survive outside the human body. It is detected in the gastrointestinal tract and mouth in 40–60% of healthy adults. It is usually a commensal organism, but it can become pathogenic in immunocompromised individuals under a variety of conditions. It is one of the few species of the genus Candida that causes the human infection candidiasis, which results from an overgrowth of the fungus. Candidiasis is, for example, often observed in HIV-infected patients. C. albicans is the most common fungal species isolated from biofilms either formed on (permanent) implanted medical devices or on human tissue. C. albicans, C. tropicalis, C. parapsilosis, and C. glabrata are together responsible for 50–90% of all cases of candidiasis in humans. A mortality rate of 40% has been reported for patients with systemic candidiasis due to C. albicans. By one estimate, invasive candidiasis contracted in a hospital causes 2,800 to 11,200 deaths yearly in the US. Nevertheless, these numbers may not truly reflect the true extent of damage this organism causes, given new studies indicating that C. albicans can cross the blood–brain barrier in mice.

<i>Candida</i> (fungus) Genus of ascomycete fungi

Candida is a genus of yeasts and is the most common cause of fungal infections worldwide. Many species are harmless commensals or endosymbionts of hosts including humans; however, when mucosal barriers are disrupted or the immune system is compromised they can invade and cause disease, known as an opportunistic infection. Candida is located on most mucosal surfaces and mainly the gastrointestinal tract, along with the skin. Candida albicans is the most commonly isolated species and can cause infections in humans and other animals. In winemaking, some species of Candida can potentially spoil wines.

Candida parapsilosis is a fungal species of yeast that has become a significant cause of sepsis and of wound and tissue infections in immunocompromised people. Unlike Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis, C. parapsilosis is not an obligate human pathogen, having been isolated from nonhuman sources such as domestic animals, insects and soil. C. parapsilosis is also a normal human commensal and it is one of the fungi most frequently isolated from human hands. There are several risk factors that can contribute to C. parapsilosis colonization. Immunocompromised individuals and surgical patients, particularly those undergoing surgery of the gastrointestinal tract, are at high risk for infection with C. parapsilosis. There is currently no consensus on the treatment of invasive candidiasis caused by C. parapsilosis, although the therapeutic approach typically includes the removal of foreign bodies such as implanted prostheses and the administration of systemic antifungal therapy. Amphotericin B and Fluconazole are often used in the treatment of C. parapsilosis infection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mating in fungi</span> Combination of genetic material between compatible mating types

Mating in fungi is a complex process governed by mating types. Research on fungal mating has focused on several model species with different behaviour. Not all fungi reproduce sexually and many that do are isogamous; thus, for many members of the fungal kingdom, the terms "male" and "female" do not apply. Homothallic species are able to mate with themselves, while in heterothallic species only isolates of opposite mating types can mate.

<i>Candida glabrata</i> Species of fungus

Candida glabrata is a species of haploid yeast of the genus Candida, previously known as Torulopsis glabrata. Despite the fact that no sexual life cycle has been documented for this species, C. glabrata strains of both mating types are commonly found. C. glabrata is generally a commensal of human mucosal tissues, but in today's era of wider human immunodeficiency from various causes, C. glabrata is often the second or third most common cause of candidiasis as an opportunistic pathogen. Infections caused by C. glabrata can affect the urogenital tract or even cause systemic infections by entrance of the fungal cells in the bloodstream (Candidemia), especially prevalent in immunocompromised patients.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dimorphic fungus</span>

Dimorphic fungi are fungi that can exist in the form of both mold and yeast. This is usually brought about by change in temperature and the fungi are also described as thermally dimorphic fungi. An example is Talaromyces marneffei, a human pathogen that grows as a mold at room temperature, and as a yeast at human body temperature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isocitrate lyase</span>

Isocitrate lyase, or ICL, is an enzyme in the glyoxylate cycle that catalyzes the cleavage of isocitrate to succinate and glyoxylate. Together with malate synthase, it bypasses the two decarboxylation steps of the tricarboxylic acid cycle and is used by bacteria, fungi, and plants.

Pathogenic fungi are fungi that cause disease in humans or other organisms. Approximately 300 fungi are known to be pathogenic to humans. Markedly more fungi are known to be pathogenic to plant life than those of the animal kingdom. The study of fungi pathogenic to humans is called "medical mycology". Although fungi are eukaryotic, many pathogenic fungi are microorganisms. The study of fungi and other organisms pathogenic to plants is called plant pathology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blastoconidium</span>

A blastoconidium is an asexual holoblastic conidia formed through the blowing out or budding process of a yeast cell, which is a type of asexual reproduction that results in a bud arising from a parent cell. The production of a blastoconidium can occur along a true hyphae, pseudohyphae, or a singular yeast cell. The word "conidia" comes from the Greek word konis and eidos, konis meaning dust and eidos meaning like. The term "bud" comes from the Greek word blastos, which means bud. Yeasts such as Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans produce these budded cells known as blastoconidia.

In biology, a pathogen in the oldest and broadest sense, is any organism or agent that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a germ.

Mycobiota are a group of all the fungi present in a particular geographic region or habitat type.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hwp1</span>

Hwp1 is a protein (glycoprotein) located on the surface of an opportunistic diploid fungus called Candida albicans.

Fungal adhesins are proteins located on the surface of fungal cells, specifically found on the outside of the cell wall. They allow fungi to colonize various substrates and to bind to host tissues. Adhesion to tissue is an obligatory first step in pathogenesis by many yeasts. Adhesins also have other functions, such as mating and biofilm formation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mycobiome</span> The fungal community in and on an organism

The mycobiome, mycobiota, or fungal microbiome, is the fungal community in and on an organism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neil A. R. Gow</span> Professor of Microbiology

Neil Andrew Robert Gow is a professor of Microbiology and deputy Vice Chancellor at the University of Exeter. Previously he served at the University of Aberdeen for 38 years and retains an honorary Chair there.

Candidalysin is a cytolytic 31-amino acid α-helical amphipathic peptide toxin secreted by the opportunistic pathogen Candida albicans. This toxin is a fungal example of a classical virulence factor. Hyphal morphogenesis in C. albicans is associated with damage to host epithelial cells; during this process Candidalysin is released and intercalates in host membranes. Candidalysin promotes damage of oral epithelial cells and induces lactate dehydrogenase release and calcium ion influx. It is unique in the fact that it is the first peptide toxin to be identified in any human fungal pathogen.

Beatrice B. "Bebe" Magee is an American biochemist and geneticist with expertise in molecular mycology and fungal genetics. She earned her B. A. in chemistry from Brandeis University in 1962 and her M. A. in biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1964. She has been co-author on over 40 publications in peer-reviewed journals and an invited speaker at scientific meetings including Woods Hole and Cold Spring Harbor courses as well as at professional mycology societies.

<i>Candida tropicalis</i> Species of fungus

Candida tropicalis is a species of yeast in the genus Candida. It is a common pathogen in neutropenic hosts, in whom it may spread through the bloodstream to peripheral organs. For invasive disease, treatments include amphotericin B, echinocandins, or extended-spectrum triazole antifungals.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Carol Kumamoto". Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. 2018-04-09. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
  2. ↑ Kumamoto, Carol. "Mechanism of Action of E. coli Protein Export Factors".{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. ↑ Kumamoto, Carol A.; Oliver, Donald B.; Beckwith, Jon (1984). "Signal sequence mutations disrupt feedback between secretion of an exported protein and its synthesis in E. coli". Nature. 308 (5962): 863–864. Bibcode:1984Natur.308..863K. doi:10.1038/308863a0. ISSN   1476-4687. PMID   6371546. S2CID   4315345.
  4. 1 2 "Mycology Loquacity: Carol Kumamoto Gets Candid About Candida – MicroTalk" . Retrieved 2019-12-20.
  5. ↑ "Title". Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. 2018-04-16. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
  6. 1 2 "Fighting Fungal Infections with Less Collateral Damage". Tufts Now. 2019-01-09. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
  7. ↑ "How a common fungus knows when to attack". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
  8. ↑ Pierces, J.V. Dignard, D. Whiteway, M. Kumamoto, C.A. (2013). Normal adaptation of Candida albicans to the murine gastrointestinal tract requires Efg1p-dependent regulation of metabolic and host defense genes. OCLC   875283153.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ↑ Vinces, Marcelo D. Haas, Christopher Kumamoto, Carol A. (2006). "Expression of the Candida albicans Morphogenesis Regulator Gene CZF1 and Its Regulation by Efg1p and Czf1p". Eukaryotic Cell. American Society for Microbiology. 5 (5): 825–35. doi:10.1128/EC.5.5.825-835.2006. OCLC   677688035. PMC   1459686 . PMID   16682460.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ Kumamoto, Carol A.; Romo, Jesus A. "A frenemy fungus provides clues about a new deadly one". The Conversation. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
  11. 1 2 "Study in Mice Suggests Coconut Oil Can Control Overgrowth of a Fungal Pathogen in GI Tract". Tufts Now. 2015-11-17. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
  12. ↑ Kumamoto, Carol A.; Romo, Jesus A. "A frenemy fungus provides clues about a new deadly one". The Conversation. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
  13. ↑ "Tufts Researcher Elected 2014 AAAS Fellow for Work in Life-Threatening Fungal Infections". Tufts Now. 2014-11-24. Retrieved 2019-12-21.
  14. ↑ "109 Fellows Elected into the Academy". ASM.org. Retrieved 2019-12-21.
  15. ↑ "Carol A Kumamoto". The Conversation. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
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