scholarly journals In Vitro Antifungal Activities of Inhibitors of Phospholipases from the Fungal Pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans

2004 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 1561-1569 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ranjini Ganendren ◽  
Fred Widmer ◽  
Vatsala Singhal ◽  
Christabel Wilson ◽  
Tania Sorrell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cryptococcus Neoformans ◽  
Fungal Pathogen ◽  
Antifungal Agents ◽  
Pathogenic Fungus ◽  
Fungal Enzymes ◽  
Compound A ◽  
Phospholipase B ◽  
The One ◽  
Dioctadecyldimethylammonium Bromide

ABSTRACT Secreted phospholipase B is a proven virulence factor for the pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans and exhibits three phospholipase activities in the one protein. These are phospholipase B (PLB), lysophospholipase (LPL), and lysophospholipase transacylase (LPTA). Our aim was to investigate the feasibility of using this enzyme as a target for antifungal therapy. We determined in C. neoformans var. grubii strain H99 that 82% of PLB activity was secreted but that 64% of LPL activity and 70% of LPTA activity were cell associated. Cell-associated activities (cytosolic and membrane) were further characterized, since it is likely that any fungicidal effect would depend on inhibition of these enzymes. Four commercially available compounds with structural similarities to phospholipid substrates were tested as inhibitors. These were alexidine dihydrochloride (compound A), dioctadecyldimethylammonium bromide (compound O), 1,12 bis-(tributylphosphonium)dodecane dibromide (compound P), and decamethonium dibromide (compound D). The best phospholipase inhibitors (compounds A and P) were also the most potent antifungal agents by the standard broth microdilution test. Compound A was highly selective for secreted and cell-associated PLB activities and showed no inhibition of mammalian phospholipase A 2 at 0.25 μM. Compound O, which was specific for secretory and cytosolic LPL and LPTA and membrane-associated PLB, was not antifungal. We conclude that inhibitors of cryptococcal phospholipases can be selective for fungal enzymes and intrinsically antifungal. They also provide tools for assessing the relative importance of the various enzyme activities in virulence. Our results enable further rational structure-function studies to validate the use of phospholipases as antifungal targets.

scholarly journals Structure and inhibition of Cryptococcus neoformans sterylglucosidase to develop antifungal agents

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nivea Pereira de Sa ◽  
Adam Taouil ◽  
Jinwoo Kim ◽  
Timothy Clement ◽  
Reece M. Hoffmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cryptococcus Neoformans ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Antifungal Agents ◽  
Pathogenic Fungus ◽  
Pathogenic Fungi ◽  
Growth Defect ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Secondary Infections ◽  
Heavy Burden

AbstractPathogenic fungi exhibit a heavy burden on medical care and new therapies are needed. Here, we develop the fungal specific enzyme sterylglucosidase 1 (Sgl1) as a therapeutic target. Sgl1 converts the immunomodulatory glycolipid ergosterol 3β-D-glucoside to ergosterol and glucose. Previously, we found that genetic deletion of Sgl1 in the pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans (Cn) results in ergosterol 3β-D-glucoside accumulation, renders Cn non-pathogenic, and immunizes mice against secondary infections by wild-type Cn, even in condition of CD4+ T cell deficiency. Here, we disclose two distinct chemical classes that inhibit Sgl1 function in vitro and in Cn cells. Pharmacological inhibition of Sgl1 phenocopies a growth defect of the Cn Δsgl1 mutant and prevents dissemination of wild-type Cn to the brain in a mouse model of infection. Crystal structures of Sgl1 alone and with inhibitors explain Sgl1’s substrate specificity and enable the rational design of antifungal agents targeting Sgl1.

scholarly journals Trojan Horse Transit Contributes to Blood-Brain Barrier Crossing of a Eukaryotic Pathogen

mBio ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Felipe H. Santiago-Tirado ◽  
Michael D. Onken ◽  
John A. Cooper ◽  
Robyn S. Klein ◽  
Tamara L. Doering
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Evidence ◽  
Cryptococcus Neoformans ◽  
Blood Brain Barrier ◽  
Fungal Pathogen ◽  
Trojan Horse ◽  
Brain Barrier ◽  
Barrier Crossing ◽  
Blood Brain ◽  
The Brain

ABSTRACT The blood-brain barrier (BBB) protects the central nervous system (CNS) by restricting the passage of molecules and microorganisms. Despite this barrier, however, the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans invades the brain, causing a meningoencephalitis that is estimated to kill over 600,000 people annually. Cryptococcal infection begins in the lung, and experimental evidence suggests that host phagocytes play a role in subsequent dissemination, although this role remains ill defined. Additionally, the disparate experimental approaches that have been used to probe various potential routes of BBB transit make it impossible to assess their relative contributions, confounding any integrated understanding of cryptococcal brain entry. Here we used an in vitro model BBB to show that a “Trojan horse” mechanism contributes significantly to fungal barrier crossing and that host factors regulate this process independently of free fungal transit. We also, for the first time, directly imaged C. neoformans-containing phagocytes crossing the BBB, showing that they do so via transendothelial pores. Finally, we found that Trojan horse crossing enables CNS entry of fungal mutants that cannot otherwise traverse the BBB, and we demonstrate additional intercellular interactions that may contribute to brain entry. Our work elucidates the mechanism of cryptococcal brain invasion and offers approaches to study other neuropathogens. IMPORTANCE The fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans invades the brain, causing a meningoencephalitis that kills hundreds of thousands of people each year. One route that has been proposed for this brain entry is a Trojan horse mechanism, whereby the fungus crosses the blood-brain barrier (BBB) as a passenger inside host phagocytes. Although indirect experimental evidence supports this intriguing mechanism, it has never been directly visualized. Here we directly image Trojan horse transit and show that it is regulated independently of free fungal entry, contributes to cryptococcal BBB crossing, and allows mutant fungi that cannot enter alone to invade the brain. IMPORTANCE The fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans invades the brain, causing a meningoencephalitis that kills hundreds of thousands of people each year. One route that has been proposed for this brain entry is a Trojan horse mechanism, whereby the fungus crosses the blood-brain barrier (BBB) as a passenger inside host phagocytes. Although indirect experimental evidence supports this intriguing mechanism, it has never been directly visualized. Here we directly image Trojan horse transit and show that it is regulated independently of free fungal entry, contributes to cryptococcal BBB crossing, and allows mutant fungi that cannot enter alone to invade the brain.

scholarly journals Stereoselective interaction of the azole antifungal agent SCH39304 with the cytochrome P-450 monooxygenase system isolated from Cryptococcus neoformans.

1997 ◽  
Vol 41 (7) ◽  
pp. 1465-1467 ◽  
Author(s):  
D C Lamb ◽  
B C Baldwin ◽  
K J Kwon-Chung ◽  
S L Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Cryptococcus Neoformans ◽  
Pathogenic Fungus ◽  
Ergosterol Biosynthesis ◽  
Classical Type ◽  
Monooxygenase System ◽  
Inhibition Of Growth ◽  
Fluconazole Therapy ◽  
Specific Localization ◽  
Cytochrome P 450

We investigated the stereoselective inhibition of growth and ergosterol biosynthesis by SCH39304 in the pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans obtained from four AIDS patients who failed fluconazole therapy and compared the results to those obtained with a wild-type strain. For all strains, the MICs of the RR isomer were approximately half those of the racemate, with the SS enantiomer showing no inhibitory activity. The 50% inhibitory concentrations for in vitro ergosterol biosynthesis correlated with the MIC data, indicating stereoselective inhibition of their target P-450 enzyme, sterol 14alpha-demethylase, as the cause of this difference. The RR enantiomer produced classical type II spectra on addition to microsomal extracts of the strains, whereas the SS enantiomer showed an absence of binding. Stereo- and regio-specific localization of N-1 substituent groups of SCH39304 within the active site of the enzyme determined the unique discrimination between its two enantiomers, and the inability to bind to sterol 14alpha-demethylase is also true of other P-450 enzymes contained in the microsomal fraction. As previously observed for other antifungal azoles, isolates obtained following failure of fluconazole therapy showed resistance to SCH39304 and its RR enantiomer. This resistance could be associated with an alteration in the sensitivity of ergosterol biosynthesis in vitro. These alterations did not cause any changes allowing the SS enantiomer to bind to the P-450 mediating sterol 14alpha-demethylation.

scholarly journals Structural analysis of fungal pathogenicity-related casein kinase α subunit, Cka1, in the human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Belinda X. Ong ◽  
Youngki Yoo ◽  
Myeong Gil Han ◽  
Jun Bae Park ◽  
Myung Kyung Choi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cryptococcus Neoformans ◽  
Pathogenic Fungus ◽  
Kinase Assay ◽  
Α Subunit ◽  
Dynamic Architecture ◽  
Human Fungal Pathogen ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Anti Fungal

Abstract CK2α is a constitutively active and highly conserved serine/threonine protein kinase that is involved in the regulation of key cellular metabolic pathways and associated with a variety of tumours and cancers. The most well-known CK2α inhibitor is the human clinical trial candidate CX-4945, which has recently shown to exhibit not only anti-cancer, but also anti-fungal properties. This prompted us to work on the CK2α orthologue, Cka1, from the pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans, which causes life-threatening systemic cryptococcosis and meningoencephalitis mainly in immunocompromised individuals. At present, treatment of cryptococcosis remains a challenge due to limited anti-cryptococcal therapeutic strategies. Hence, expanding therapeutic options for the treatment of the disease is highly clinically relevant. Herein, we report the structures of Cka1-AMPPNP-Mg2+ (2.40 Å) and Cka1-CX-4945 (2.09 Å). Structural comparisons of Cka1-AMPPNP-Mg2+ with other orthologues revealed the dynamic architecture of the N-lobe across species. This may explain for the difference in binding affinities and deviations in protein-inhibitor interactions between Cka1-CX-4945 and human CK2α-CX-4945. Supporting it, in vitro kinase assay demonstrated that CX-4945 inhibited human CK2α much more efficiently than Cka1. Our results provide structural insights into the design of more selective inhibitors against Cka1.

scholarly journals Identification of ENA1 as a Virulence Gene of the Human Pathogenic Fungus Cryptococcus neoformans through Signature-Tagged Insertional Mutagenesis

2009 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 315-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Idnurm ◽  
Felicia J. Walton ◽  
Anna Floyd ◽  
Jennifer L. Reedy ◽  
Joseph Heitman
Keyword(s):  
Cryptococcus Neoformans ◽  
Fungal Pathogens ◽  
Insertional Mutagenesis ◽  
Pathogenic Fungus ◽  
Mammalian Host ◽  
New Genes ◽  
Strain Collection ◽  
Mutant Strains ◽  
Human Pathogenic Fungus

ABSTRACT A library of more than 4,500 signature-tagged insertion mutants of the human pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans was generated, and a subset was screened in a murine inhalation model to identify genes required for virulence. New genes that regulate aspects of C. neoformans virulence were also identified by screening the entire library for in vitro phenotypes related to the ability to cause disease, including melanin production, growth at high temperature, and growth under conditions of nutrient limitation. A screen of 10% of the strain collection in mice identified an avirulent mutant strain with an insertion in the ENA1 gene, which is predicted to encode a fungus-specific sodium or potassium P-type ATPase. The results of the deletion of the gene and complementation experiments confirmed its key role in mammalian virulence. ena1 mutant strains exhibited no change in sensitivity to high salt concentrations but were sensitive to alkaline pH conditions, providing evidence that the fungus may have to survive at elevated pH during infection of the mammalian host. The mutation of the well-characterized virulence factor calcineurin (CNA1) also rendered C. neoformans strains sensitive to elevated pH. ENA1 transcripts in wild-type and cna1 mutant strains were upregulated in response to high pH, and cna1 ena1 double mutant strains exhibited increased sensitivity to elevated pH, indicating that at least two pathways in the fungus mediate survival under alkaline conditions. Signature-tagged mutagenesis is an effective strategy for the discovery of new virulence genes in fungal pathogens of animals.

scholarly journals Trends in Antifungal Drug Susceptibility of Cryptococcus neoformans Isolates in the United States: 1992 to 1994 and 1996 to 1998

2001 ◽  
Vol 45 (11) ◽  
pp. 3065-3069 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary E. Brandt ◽  
Michael A. Pfaller ◽  
Rana A. Hajjeh ◽  
Richard J. Hamill ◽  
Peter G. Pappas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cryptococcus Neoformans ◽  
Amphotericin B ◽  
Antifungal Agents ◽  
Clinical Laboratory ◽  
The United States ◽  
Drug Susceptibility ◽  
Antifungal Drug ◽  
National Committee ◽  
Broth Microdilution Method

ABSTRACT The antifungal drug susceptibilities of two collections ofCryptococcus neoformans isolates obtained through active laboratory-based surveillance from 1992 to 1994 (368 isolates) and 1996 to 1998 (364 isolates) were determined. The MICs of fluconazole, itraconazole, and flucytosine were determined by the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards broth microdilution method; amphotericin B MICs were determined by the E-test. Our results showed that the MIC ranges, the MICs at which 50% of isolates are inhibited (MIC50s), and the MIC90s of these four antifungal agents did not change from 1992 to 1998. In addition, very small numbers of isolates showed elevated MICs suggestive of in vitro resistance. The MICs of amphotericin B were elevated (≥2 μg/ml) for 2 isolates, and the MICs of flucytosine were elevated (≥32 μg/ml) for 14 isolates. Among the azoles, the fluconazole MIC was elevated (≥64 μg/ml) for 8 isolates and the itraconazole MIC (≥1 μg/ml) was elevated for 45 isolates. Analysis of 172 serial isolates from 71 patients showed little change in the fluconazole MIC over time. For isolates from 58 patients (82% of serial cases) there was either no change or a twofold change in the fluconazole MIC. In contrast, for isolates from seven patients (12% of serial cases) the increase in the MIC was at least fourfold. For isolates from another patient there was a 32-fold decrease in the fluconazole MIC over a 1-month period. We conclude that in vitro resistance to antifungal agents remains uncommon in C. neoformans and has not significantly changed with time during the past decade.

scholarly journals Thioredoxin Reductase Is Essential for Viability in the Fungal Pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans

2005 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 487-489 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tricia A. Missall ◽  
Jennifer K. Lodge
Keyword(s):  
Cryptococcus Neoformans ◽  
Fungal Pathogen ◽  
Nitrosative Stress ◽  
Pathogenic Fungus ◽  
Thioredoxin Reductase ◽  
Mammalian Host ◽  
Low Molecular Weight ◽  
Oxidative And Nitrosative Stress ◽  
Copper Transporter ◽  
Resistance Pathway

ABSTRACT Thioredoxin reductase (TRR1) is an important component of the thioredoxin oxidative stress resistance pathway. Here we show that it is induced during oxidative and nitrosative stress and is preferentially localized to the mitochondria in Cryptococcus neoformans. The C. neoformans TRR1 gene encodes the low-molecular-weight isoform of the thioredoxin reductase enzyme, which shares little homology with that of its mammalian host. By replacing the endogenous TRR1 promoter with an inducible copper transporter promoter, we showed that Trr1 appears to be essential for viability of this pathogenic fungus, making it a potential antifungal target.

scholarly journals Scopulariopsis brevicaulis, a Fungal Pathogen Resistant to Broad-Spectrum Antifungal Agents

2003 ◽  
Vol 47 (7) ◽  
pp. 2339-2341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel Cuenca-Estrella ◽  
Alicia Gomez-Lopez ◽  
Emilia Mellado ◽  
Maria J. Buitrago ◽  
Araceli Monzón ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amphotericin B ◽  
Broad Spectrum ◽  
Fungal Pathogen ◽  
Antifungal Agents ◽  
Antifungal Susceptibility ◽  
Clinical Isolates ◽  
Geometric Means ◽  
Scopulariopsis Brevicaulis

ABSTRACT The antifungal susceptibility results for 32 clinical isolates of Scopulariopsis brevicaulis are presented. Flucytosine and itraconazole were inactive in vitro, and MICs of amphotericin B, voriconazole, and terbinafine for all isolates were high, with geometric means of 13, 25.8, and 14.4 μg/ml, respectively.

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