To maintain iron homeostasis, fungi have to balance iron acquisition, storage, and utilization to ensure sufficient supply and to avoid toxic excess of this essential trace element. As pathogens usually encounter iron limitation in the host niche, this metal plays a particular role during virulence. Siderophores are iron-chelators synthesized by most, but not all fungal species to sequester iron extra- and intracellularly. In recent years, the facultative human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus has become a model for fungal iron homeostasis of siderophore-producing fungal species. This article summarizes the knowledge on fungal iron homeostasis and its links to virulence with a focus on A. fumigatus. It covers mechanisms for iron acquisition, storage, and detoxification, as well as the modes of transcriptional iron regulation and iron sensing in A. fumigatus in comparison to other fungal species. Moreover, potential translational applications of the peculiarities of fungal iron metabolism for treatment and diagnosis of fungal infections is addressed.

为了保持铁的体内平衡，真菌必须平衡铁的获取，储存和利用，以确保足够的供应并避免这种必需微量元素的有毒过量。由于病原体通常在宿主生态位中遇到铁的限制，因此这种金属在致病性中起着特殊的作用。铁载体是大多数（但不是全部）真菌物种合成的铁螯合剂，可在细胞外和细胞内螯合铁。近年来，兼性人类病原体烟曲霉已成为产生铁载体的真菌物种的真菌铁稳态的模型。本文总结了有关真菌铁稳态及其与毒力的联系的知识，重点是烟曲霉。它涵盖了铁的获取，存储和解毒的机制，以及与其他真菌物种相比，烟曲霉的转录铁调控和铁感测模式。此外，解决了真菌铁代谢特性在治疗和诊断真菌感染中的潜在翻译应用。