La Dra. Yaliz Loperena Álvarez comparte los datos de su investigación
La Pontificia Universidad Católica de Puerto Rico se distingue por las investigaciones realizadas por la facultad en diversas áreas. En este espacio se destacará parte de estas investigaciones que han sido publicadas en revistas arbitradas.
Dra. Yaliz Loperena Álvarez
Título de la investigación- Cryptococcus gattii Can Use the Cacti Pilosocereus sp. to Grow, Develop a Capsule and Reduce Melanin in Vitro
Investigadores:
Paola Ramos-Irizarry- John Hopkins University
Bárbara Sánchez- University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez campus
Yaliz Loperena-Álvarez- Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez campus
Resumen- Cryptococcus gattii is a pathogenic yeast, member of the C. neoformans/gattii complex.Previous work from our laboratory has established the presence of C. gattii on cacti lesions, providing proof that it can grow in a stressful environment. However, it is not known which part of the cactus the yeast uses for nutrients. The purpose of this research is to determine the ability of C. gattii to grow in different parts of the cactus to assess how the yeast adapts to grow in this unique environment. Cactus media were developed using the outer, inner, and whole cactus from Pilosocereus spp. Cryptcoccus gattii was grown on the different cactus media, along with potato dextrose agar as a control for 24 and 48 h at 30 C. Compared to the control medium, yeast growth was reduced in all cactus media, while an increase in the capsule development of the yeast grown in the inner part and the whole-cactus media was observed. Interestingly, the yeast produces melanin when grown in the outer membrane medium, which is dependent on laccase, suggesting that the outer membrane may contain a precursor that stimulates pigment production. To our knowledge, this is the first study addressing these key differences in the growth of C. gattii on different parts of the cactus.
Revista- Microbiology Research
Volumen- 14
DOI–10.3390/microbiolres14020056
País de la revista– Basel, Switzerland.