Nanoscale analysis of caspofungin-induced cell surface remodelling in Candida albicans.

ABSTRACT: The advent of fungal pathogens that are resistant to the classic repertoire of antifungal drugs has increased the need for new therapeutic agents. A prominent example of such a novel compound is caspofungin, known to alter cell wall biogenesis by inhibiting β-1,3-D-glucan synthesis. Although much progress has been made in understanding the mechanism of action of caspofungin, little is known about its influence on the biophysical properties of the fungal cells. Here, we use atomic force microscopy (AFM) to demonstrate that caspofungin induces major remodelling of the cell surface properties of Candida albicans. Caspofungin causes major morphological and structural alterations of the cells, which correlate with a decrease of the cell wall mechanical strength. Moreover, we find that the drug

SUBMITTER: El-Kirat-Chatel S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3564254 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature