LIPID MEDIATED CROSS-KINGDOM COMMUNICATION BETWEEN HOSTS AND PATHOGENS

Which are the main biological functions of lipids? Lipids have a structural role in forming cell membranes and play a role in energy storage. Current knowledge indicates that the lipids have an additional role in cell signaling. When a fungal pathogen contacts the host, the cell surfaces can exchange signals, among which, several are lipids. Lipids occur in fungi not only as major constituents of the membrane system, but also as cell wall components, as storage material in abundant and readily observed lipid bodies, and in some cases, as extracellular products. Fungi contain a various set of lipids, including fatty acids, oxylipins, sphingolipids, phospholipids, glycolipids and sterols. We are going to examine some fungal lipid classes involved in the pathogenic interaction with the host. These signals can confer different information. In some cases can trigger host immune responses; conversely, they may function as virulence factors altering the normal homeostasis of the host or even causing the death