Wydział Chemii

Jakub Suchodolski

Daria Derkacz

Jakub Muraszko

Jarosław J. Panek

Aneta Jezierska

Marcin Łukaszewicz

Anna Krasowska

2020

Pharmaceutics

12

314/1-314/22

10.3390/pharmaceutics12040314

Naukowa

Angielski

Artykuł

Recognizing the -glucan component of the Candida albicans cell wall is a necessary step
involved in host immune system recognition. Compounds that result in exposed -glucan recognizable
to the immune system could be valuable antifungal drugs. Antifungal development is especially
important because fungi are becoming increasingly drug resistant. This study demonstrates that
lipopeptide, surfactin, unmasks -glucan when the C. albicans cells lack ergosterol. This observation
also holds when ergosterol is depleted by fluconazole. Surfactin does not enhance the eects of local
chitin accumulation in the presence of fluconazole. Expression of the CHS3 gene, encoding a gene
product resulting in 80% of cellular chitin, is downregulated. C. albicans exposure to fluconazole
changes the composition and structure of the fungal plasma membrane. At the same time, the fungal
cell wall is altered and remodeled in a way that makes the fungi susceptible to surfactin. In silico
studies show that surfactin can form a complex with -glucan. Surfactin forms a less stable complex
with chitin, which in combination with lowering chitin synthesis, could be a second anti-fungal
mechanism of action of this lipopeptide.

Candida albicans, cell wall, ß-glucan, lipopeptide, surfactin, fluconazole

CC-BY

http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics12040314

http://www.mdpi.com/journal/metals