Antihistoplasmalin vitroandin vivoeffect of Lys-Nva-FMDP

Sporothrix schenckii complex and sporotrichosis, an emerging health problem

Sporothrix schenckii, now named the S. schenckii species complex, has largely been known as the etiological agent of sporotrichosis, which is an acute or chronic subcutaneous mycosis of humans and other mammals. Gene sequencing has revealed the following species in the S. schenckii complex: Sporothrix albicans, Sporothrix brasiliensis, Sporothrix globosa, Sporothrix luriei, Sporothrix mexicana and S. schenckii. The increasing number of reports of Sporothrix infection in immunocompromised patients, mainly the HIV-infected population, suggests sporotrichosis as an emerging global health problem concomitant with the AIDS pandemic. Molecular studies have demonstrated a high level of intraspecific variability. Components of the S. schenckii cell wall that act as adhesins and immunogenic inducers, such as a 70-kDa glycoprotein, are apparently specific to this fungus. The main glycan peptidorhamnomannan cell wall component is the only O-linked glycan structure known in S. schenckii. It contains an α-mannobiose core followed by one α-glucuronic acid unit, which may be mono- or di-rhamnosylated. The oligomeric structure of glucosamine-6-P synthase has led to a significant advance in the development of antifungals targeted to the enzyme’s catalytic domain in S. schenckii.

Sporothrix schenckii: purification and partial biochemical characterization of glucosamine-6-phosphate synthase, a potential antifungal target

The first committed step of the biosynthetic pathway leading to uridine-5'-diphospho-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc) is catalyzed by glucosamine-6-phosphate synthase (GlcN-6-P synthase), an enzyme proposed as a potential antifungal chemotherapy target. Here, we describe the purification and biochemical characterization of the native enzyme from the dimorphic pathogenic fungus Sporothrix schenckii. The availability of the pure protein facilitated its biochemical characterization. The enzyme exhibited subunit and native molecular masses of 79 and 350+/-5 kDa, respectively, suggesting a homotetrameric structure. Isoelectric point was 6.26 and K(m) values for fructose-6-phosphate and L-glutamine were 1.12+/-0.3 and 2.2+/-0.7 mM, respectively. Inhibition of activity by UDP-GlcNAc was enhanced by Glc-6-P and phosphorylation stimulated GlcN-6-P synthase activity without affecting the enzyme sensitivity to the aminosugar. A glutamine analogue, FMDP [N(3)-(4-methoxyfumaroyl)-L-2,3-diaminopropanoic acid] was a more potent inhibitor of activity than ADMP (2-Amino-2-deoxy-D-mannitol-6-phosphate) but the latter was a stronger inhibitor of growth in two culture media. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the purification and biochemical characterization of a non-recombinant GlcN-6-P synthase from a true dimorphic fungus. Inhibition of enzyme activity and fungal growth by specific inhibitors of GlcN-6-P synthase strongly reinforces the role of this enzyme as a potential target for antifungal chemotherapy.

Enzymes of UDP-GlcNAc biosynthesis in yeast

D-Glucosamine is an important building block of major structural components of the fungal cell wall, namely chitin, chitosan and mannoproteins. Other amino sugars, such as D-mannosamine and D-galactosamine, relatively abundant in higher eukaryotes, rarely occur in fungal cells and are actually absent from yeast and yeast-like fungi. The glucosamine-containing sugar nucleotide UDP-GlcNAc is synthesized in yeast cells in a four-step cytoplasmic pathway. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the present knowledge on the enzymes catalysing the particular steps of the pathway in Candida albicans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, with a special emphasis put on mechanisms of the catalysed reactions, regulation of activity and perspectives for exploitation of enzymes participating in UDP-GlcNAc biosynthesis as potential targets for antifungal chemotherapy.

Glucosamine-6-phosphate synthase--the multi-facets enzyme

L-Glutamine: D-fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase, known under trivial name of glucosamine-6-phosphate synthase, as the only member of the amidotransferase subfamily of enzymes, does not display any ammonia-dependent activity. This enzyme, catalysing the first committed step in a pathway leading to the eventual formation of uridine 5'-diphospho-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc), is an important point of metabolic control in biosynthesis of amino sugar-containing macromolecules. The molecular mechanism of reaction catalysed by GlcN-6-P synthase is complex and involves both amino transfer and sugar isomerisation. Substantial alterations to the enzyme structure and properties have been detected in different neoplastic tissues. GlcN-6-P synthase is inflicted in phenomenon of hexosamine-induced insulin resistance in diabetes. Finally, this enzyme has been proposed as a promising target in antifungal chemotherapy. Most of these issues, especially their molecular aspects, have been extensively studied in recent years. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the present knowledge on this multi-facets enzyme.

The 1998 Garrod lecture. Current and future antifungal therapy: new targets for antifungal agents

Invasive fungal infections are a major problem in immunocompromised patients. The recent expansion of antifungal drug research has occurred because there is a critical need for new antifungal agents to treat these life-threatening invasive infections. The overview of the development of antifungal therapy which is provided herein reflects the increased interest in this very special area of infectious diseases. Although we have newer, less toxic, antifungal agents that are available for clinical use, their clinical efficacy in some invasive fungal infections, such as aspergillosis and fusariosis, is not optimal. Thus, intense efforts in antifungal drug discovery are still needed to develop more promising and effective antifungal agents for use in the clinical arena.