Highlights•C. neoformans possesses high-affinity and low-affinity iron uptake systems.•The
reductive high-affinity iron uptake system is required for virulence.•The regulation of iron
uptake is mediated by a number of different regulatory proteins.•Microenvironmental
conditions in the host influence iron acquisition.Iron sequestration by the vertebrate host is
considered an efficient defense mechanism against pathogenic microbes. However, this
mechanism, so called nutritional immunity, is often overcome by the iron acquisition systems …

Iron sequestration by the vertebrate host is considered an efficient defense mechanism
against pathogenic microbes. However, this mechanism, so called nutritional immunity, is
often overcome by the iron acquisition systems that have evolved in microbial pathogens.
Numerous studies have been carried out to identify the key components of these systems
and to understand their underlying mechanisms, including recent investigations in the
basidiomycete fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans. Iron acquisition is essential for …