Project description:The transcription factor CrzA influences cell wall organization in the pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus, and also binds to the promoter regions of chitin synthase genes upon exposure to the antifungal drug caspofungin. To gain an overview of the genes directly regulated by CrzA, the CrzA binding sites were determined genome-wide by ChIP-seq
Project description:In the light of the increasing occurrence of antifungal resistance, there is an urgent need to search for new therapeutic strategies to overcome this phenomenon. One of the applied approaches is the synthesis of small-molecule compounds showing antifungal properties. Here we present a continuation of the research on the recently discovered anti-Candida albicans agent 4-AN. Using next generation sequencing and transcriptional analysis, we revealed that the treatment of C. albicans with 4-AN can change the expression profile of a large number of genes. The highest up-regulation was observed in the case of genes involved in cell stress, while the highest down-regulation was shown for genes coding sugar transporters. Real-time PCR analysis revealed 4-AN mediated reduction of the relative expression of genes engaged in fungal virulence (ALS1, ALS3, BCR1, CPH1, ECE1, EFG1, HWP1, HYR1, and SAP1). The determination of the fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI) showed that the combination of 4-AN with Amphotericin B is synergistic. Finally, flow cytometry analysis revealed that the compound induces mainly necrosis in Candida albicans cells.
Project description:Heat-stable antifungal factor (HSAF) isolated from Lysobacter enzymogenes has shown a broad-spectrum of antifungal activities. However, little is known about its mode of action. In this study, we used the model filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa to investigate the antifungal mechanism of HSAF. We first used HSAF to treat N. crassa strain for different time points. Spore germination, growth phenotype and differential gene expression analysis were conducted by utilizing global transcriptional profiling combined with genetic and physiological analyses. Our data showed that HSAF could significantly inhibit the germination and aerial hyphae growth of N.crassa. RNA-seq analysis showed a group of genes associated with cell wall formation and remodeling were highly activated. Screening of N. crassa gene deletion mutants combined with scanning electron microscopic observation revealed 3 fungal cell wall integrity related genes played important role in the interaction between N. crassa and L. enzymogens. In addition, WGCNA analysis, accompany with confocal microscopy observation revealed that HSAF could trigger autophagy mediated degradation and eventually result in cell death in N. crassa. The findings of this work provided new insights into the interactions between the predatory Lysobacter and its fungal prey.
Project description:Comparison of gene expression profiles of canine induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) and iPS derived mesenchymal stem cells (iMSC) by microarray Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) exhibit broad immune modulatory activity in vivo and can suppress T cell and dendritic cell activation in vitro. Currently, most MSC for clinical usage are derived from adipose or bone marrow tissues from younger donors, in part due to ease of procurement and to the superior immune modulatory activity of young MSC. However, use of MSC from multiple unrelated donors makes it difficult to standardize MSC cellular products with uniform immune modulatory properties. One solution to this problem is the use of MSC derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), as iPSC-derived MSC have nearly unlimited proliferative potential and exhibit in vitro phenotypic stability. Given the value of dogs as a spontaneous disease model for pre-clinical evaluation of stem cell therapeutics, we investigated the functional properties of canine iPSC-derived MSC (iMSC), including their immune modulatory properties and their potential for teratoma formation. We found that canine iMSC downregulated expression of pluripotency genes and appeared morphologically similar to conventional MSC. Importantly, iMSC retained a stable phenotype even after multiple passages, did not form teratomas when inoculated in immune deficient mice, and did not induce tumor formation in purpose-bred dogs following systemic injection. The immune potency of iMSC was similar to that of adipose and bone-marrow derived MSC with respect to suppression of T cell and DC activation. We concluded therefore that iMSC were phenotypically stable, immunologically potent, and safe with respect to tumor formation, and represented an important new source of cells for therapeutic modulation of inflammatory disorders.
Project description:Fungal infections are a serious health problem in clinics especially in the immune-compromised patient. Disease ranges from widespread superficial infections like vulvovaginal infections to life-threatening systemic candidiasis. Especially for systemic mycoses only a limited arsenal of antifungals is available. The most commonly used classes of antifungal compounds used include azoles, polyenes and echinocandines. Due to emerging resistance to standard therapy and significant side effects and high costs for several antifungals.,there is a medical need for new antifungals in the clinic and general practice. In order to expand the arsenal of compounds with antifungal activities we previously screened a compound library, using a new type of activity-selectivity (AS) assay analysing both the antifungal activity and the compatibility with human cells at the same time. One compound, ((S)-2-(1-aminoisobutyl)-1-(3-chlorobenzyl) benzimidazole (EMC120B12)), showed high antifungal activity against several species of pathogenic yeasts including C. glabrata and C. krusei, species which are highly refractory to antifungals, especially to the commonly used azoles. Here we could show by transcriptional profiling and sterol analysis that the target of this new antifungal compound is the ergosterol pathway. The effects of EMC120B12 on sterol biosynthesis mimic those of fluconazole, strongly indicating that EMC120B12 also targets ERG11 like the azols. But not only the marker sterol 14 methylergosta 8,24(28) dien 3β,6α diol accumulated in C. krusei under EMC120B12 treatment, but also hitherto unknown related sterols. The novel sterols have a 3β,6α diol structure. Furthermore, this is the first time that a benzimidazole structure has been shown to result in a block of the sterol pathway by accumulating marker sterols connected to ERG11 inactivation. In total, three biological replicates were performed. All experiments were performed as dye swaps. Thus, in total 18 arrays have been hybridzed. Hybridization experiments included an untreated reference sample and a sample of cells treated with either ((1S)-1-[1-(3-chlorobenzyl)-1H-benzimidazol-2-yl]-2-methylpropyl-amine) (EMC120B12), Fluconazole or Nocodazole. The array included one technical replicate of each probe.
Project description:Fungal infections are a serious health problem in clinics especially in the immune-compromised patient. Disease ranges from widespread superficial infections like vulvovaginal infections to life-threatening systemic candidiasis. Especially for systemic mycoses only a limited arsenal of antifungals is available. The most commonly used classes of antifungal compounds used include azoles, polyenes and echinocandines. Due to emerging resistance to standard therapy and significant side effects and high costs for several antifungals.,there is a medical need for new antifungals in the clinic and general practice. In order to expand the arsenal of compounds with antifungal activities we previously screened a compound library, using a new type of activity-selectivity (AS) assay analysing both the antifungal activity and the compatibility with human cells at the same time. One compound, ((S)-2-(1-aminoisobutyl)-1-(3-chlorobenzyl) benzimidazole (EMC120B12)), showed high antifungal activity against several species of pathogenic yeasts including C. glabrata and C. krusei, species which are highly refractory to antifungals, especially to the commonly used azoles. Here we could show by transcriptional profiling and sterol analysis that the target of this new antifungal compound is the ergosterol pathway. The effects of EMC120B12 on sterol biosynthesis mimic those of fluconazole, strongly indicating that EMC120B12 also targets ERG11 like the azols. But not only the marker sterol 14 methylergosta 8,24(28) dien 3β,6α diol accumulated in C. krusei under EMC120B12 treatment, but also hitherto unknown related sterols. The novel sterols have a 3β,6α diol structure. Furthermore, this is the first time that a benzimidazole structure has been shown to result in a block of the sterol pathway by accumulating marker sterols connected to ERG11 inactivation.
Project description:A 13-(4-isopropylbenzyl)berberine derivative (named KR-72) was synthesized and examined for antifungal activities against various human pathogenic fungi. The synthesized compound exhibited remarkably enhanced antifungal activity than berberine and berberrubine. Regardless of the potent antifungal activity of KR-72, its mode of action and the physiological impacts of the drug on fungal metabolism remain elusive. In this study, we performed the DNA microarray-based transcriptome analysis to identify KR-72 responsive genes and employed reverse genetics approaches to characterize their functions in Cryptococcus neoformans, which causes fatal meningoencephalitis in humans. First, KR-72 treatment altered in remodeling of transcriptome profiles in C. neoformans. Genes involved in translation and transcription were mostly upregulated, while those involved in cytoskeleton, intracellular trafficking, lipid and carbohydrate metabolism and energy production were downregulated. Supporting this, KR-72 has a strong synergistic effect with a calcineurin inhibitor FK506, while it has an antagonistic effect with polyene drug. Finally, KR-72 treatment promoted expression of ECM16, NOP14, HSP10, and MGE1, which we proved to be essential for the growth of C. neoformans. Among them, KR-72 mediated induction of MGE1 also appeared to hamper the viability of C. neoformans, potentially through impaired cell cycle or DNA repair system. This study will proposed mode of action for KR-72.
Project description:The effect of cell free supernatant from the antifungal strain Lactobacillus plantarum 16 on the growth of Aspergillus fumigatus Af293 was assessed. Transcriptome analysis of the genome was performed after ten minutes exposure to antifungal supernatant in order to determine the molecular targets involved in inhibtion.