Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41650189›Full record

ArticlePLoS biology2026

Microglia sense fungal infections through capsular components from capillary-bound Cryptococcus neoformans via endothelial nucleotide signaling.

Chenxu Feng, Ge Wang, Yixuan Wang, Xiang Gao, Zhenqi Xu, Luyao Fang, Ziyi Ma, Suwei Zheng, Yuyan Xie, Yufeng Chu and 9 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in PLoS biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

19 authors.

Chenxu FengSheng Yushou Center of Cell Biology and Immunology, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Ge WangSheng Yushou Center of Cell Biology and Immunology, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Yixuan WangSheng Yushou Center of Cell Biology and Immunology, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Xiang GaoSheng Yushou Center of Cell Biology and Immunology, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Zhenqi XuSheng Yushou Center of Cell Biology and Immunology, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Luyao FangShanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Ziyi MaSheng Yushou Center of Cell Biology and Immunology, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Suwei ZhengSheng Yushou Center of Cell Biology and Immunology, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Yuyan XieState Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Yufeng ChuSheng Yushou Center of Cell Biology and Immunology, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Mei MengSheng Yushou Center of Cell Biology and Immunology, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Angela YangSheng Yushou Center of Cell Biology and Immunology, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Miriam LuSheng Yushou Center of Cell Biology and Immunology, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Judd Denzel Garcia MondinaSheng Yushou Center of Cell Biology and Immunology, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Weiwei ZhuSheng Yushou Center of Cell Biology and Immunology, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Lisheng ZhangShanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Linqi WangState Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Zongyan ChenShanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Donglei SunSheng Yushou Center of Cell Biology and Immunology, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8222-3328

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Macrophages are essential for host defense, yet how parenchyma-residing macrophages detect pathogens without direct contact remains unclear. Cryptococcus neoformans is an encapsulated fungal pathogen that infects the brain. Using in situ imaging of mouse model, we showed that brain-resident microglia vigilantly detect capillary-residing C. neoformans prior to its blood-brain barrier transmigration, but are less responsive to nonencapsulated fungi or parenchyma-injected C. neoformans. Microglia migrate to and enwrap leaky capillaries harboring fungi, leading to fungal uptake but not clearance, instead promoting fungal growth. Microglial response is triggered by released capsule components, rather than the assembled capsule. In particular, glucuronoxylomannan (GXM) plays a critical role by activating endothelial cells to release nucleotides which act on microglia P2Y12. Our findings revealed a novel paradigm by which microglia detect pathogens without direct contact, offering new insights for microglia-directed antifungal therapies.

Indexed as

CryptococcosisCryptococcus neoformansMicrogliaNucleotidesAnimalsBlood-Brain BarrierBrainCapillariesEndothelial CellsFungal CapsulesMacrophagesMiceMice, Inbred C57BLPolysaccharidesReceptors, Purinergic P2Y12Signal TransductionglucuronoxylomannanNucleotidesP2ry12 protein, mousePolysaccharidesReceptors, Purinergic P2Y12

Identifiers

PMID41650189
PMCPMC12904584

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.