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Zou K, Yin K, Ren S, Zhang R, Zhang L, Zhao Y, Li R. Activity and mechanism of action of antimicrobial peptide ACPs against Candida albicans. Life Sci 2024; 350:122767. [PMID: 38843993 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2024.122767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Revised: 06/01/2024] [Accepted: 06/02/2024] [Indexed: 06/10/2024]
Abstract
AIMS Candida albicans is the most prevalent pathogenic fungus, exhibiting escalating multidrug resistance (MDR). Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent promising candidates for addressing this issue. In this research, five antimicrobial peptides, ACP1 to ACP5 which named ACPs were studied as alternative fungicidal molecules. MAIN METHODS CD assay was used to analyze the 2D structures, Absorbance method was used to test the antimicrobial activity, haemolytic activity, time-kill kinetics, biofilm inhibition and reduction activity, resistance induction activity and assessment against fluconazole-resistant C. albicans. SEM, TEM, CLSM, flow cytometer and FM were carried out to provide insight into the mechanisms of anti-Candida action. KEY FINDINGS ACPs possessed an α-helical structure and strong anti-Candida activities, with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) from 3.9 to 15.6 μg/mL. In addition, ACPs did not produce hemolysis at concentrations lower than 10 or 62 × MIC, indicating their low cytotoxicity. Fungicidal kinetics showed that they completely killed C. albicans within 8 h at 2 to 4 × MIC. Notably, ACPs were highly fungicidal against fluconazole-resistant C. albicans and showed low resistance. In addition, they were effective in inhibiting mycelium and biofilm formation. Fluorescence microscopy revealed that while fluconazole had minimal to no inhibitory effect on biofilm-forming cells, ACPs induced apoptosis in all of them. The research on mechanism of action revealed that ACPs disrupted the cell membranes, with ROS increasing and cellular mitochondrial membrane potential decreasing. SIGNIFICANCE ACPs could be promising candidates for combating fluconazole-resistant C. albicans infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuiming Zou
- Key Laboratory of Functional Molecules for Biomedical Research, Zhengzhou, Henan University of Technology, 450001 Zhengzhou, Henan, PR China; College of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, 450001 Zhengzhou, Henan, PR China
| | - Kedong Yin
- Key Laboratory of Functional Molecules for Biomedical Research, Zhengzhou, Henan University of Technology, 450001 Zhengzhou, Henan, PR China; College of Information Science and Engineering, Henan University of Technology, 450001 Zhengzhou, Henan, PR China
| | - Shiming Ren
- Key Laboratory of Functional Molecules for Biomedical Research, Zhengzhou, Henan University of Technology, 450001 Zhengzhou, Henan, PR China; College of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, 450001 Zhengzhou, Henan, PR China
| | - Ruiling Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Functional Molecules for Biomedical Research, Zhengzhou, Henan University of Technology, 450001 Zhengzhou, Henan, PR China; School of Economics and Trade, Henan University of Technology, 450001 Zhengzhou, Henan, PR China
| | - Lan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Functional Molecules for Biomedical Research, Zhengzhou, Henan University of Technology, 450001 Zhengzhou, Henan, PR China; College of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, 450001 Zhengzhou, Henan, PR China
| | - Yingyuan Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Functional Molecules for Biomedical Research, Zhengzhou, Henan University of Technology, 450001 Zhengzhou, Henan, PR China; College of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, 450001 Zhengzhou, Henan, PR China
| | - Ruifang Li
- Key Laboratory of Functional Molecules for Biomedical Research, Zhengzhou, Henan University of Technology, 450001 Zhengzhou, Henan, PR China; College of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, 450001 Zhengzhou, Henan, PR China.
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Niu J, Zhu W, Jin X, Teng X, Zhang J. Novel Splicing Variants in the ARR3 Gene Cause the Female-Limited Early-Onset High Myopia. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2024; 65:32. [PMID: 38517428 PMCID: PMC10981162 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.65.3.32] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Purpose Variants in the ARR3 gene have been linked to early-onset high myopia (eoHM) with a unique X-linked female-limited inheritance. However, the clinical validity of this gene-disease association has not been systematically evaluated. Methods We identified two Chinese families with novel ARR3 splicing variants associated with eoHM. Minigene constructs were generated to assess the effects of the variants on splicing. We integrated previous evidence to curate the clinical validity of ARR3 and eoHM using the ClinGen framework. Results The variants c.39+1G>A and c.100+4A>G were identified in the two families. Minigene analysis showed both variants resulted in abnormal splicing and introduction of premature termination codons. Based on genetic and experimental evidence, the ARR3-eoHM relationship was classified as "definitive." Conclusions Our study identified two novel splicing variants of the ARR3 gene linked to eoHM and confirmed their functional validity via minigene assay. This research expanded the mutational spectrum of ARR3 and confirmed the minigene assay technique as an effective tool for understanding variant effects on splicing mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianing Niu
- Reproductive Medicine Center, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jiaxing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, College of Medicine, Jiaxing University, Jiaxing, China
| | - Weili Zhu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jiaxing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, College of Medicine, Jiaxing University, Jiaxing, China
| | - Xiaoying Jin
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jiaxing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, College of Medicine, Jiaxing University, Jiaxing, China
| | - Xiaoming Teng
- Reproductive Medicine Center, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Junyu Zhang
- Reproductive Medicine Center, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
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Lin M, Huang Y, Orihara K, Chibana H, Kajiwara S, Chen X. A Putative NADPH Oxidase Gene in Unicellular Pathogenic Candida glabrata Is Required for Fungal ROS Production and Oxidative Stress Response. J Fungi (Basel) 2023; 10:16. [PMID: 38248926 PMCID: PMC10817436 DOI: 10.3390/jof10010016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Most previous studies on fungal NADPH oxidases (Nox) focused on multicellular fungi and highlighted the important roles of Nox-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cellular differentiation and signaling communication. However, there are few reports about Nox in unicellular fungi. A novel NOX ortholog, CAGL0K05863g (named CgNOX1), in Candida glabrata was investigated in this study. Deletion of CgNOX1 led to a decrease in both intracellular and extracellular ROS production. In addition, the Cgnox1∆ mutant exhibited hypersensitivity to hydrogen peroxide and menadione. Also, the wild-type strain showed higher levels of both CgNOX1 mRNA expression and ROS production under oxidative stress. Moreover, the absence of CgNOX1 resulted in impaired ferric reductase activity. Although there was no effect on in vitro biofilm formation, the CgNOX1 mutant did not produce hepatic apoptosis, which might be mediated by fungal Nox-derived ROS during co-incubation. Together, these results indicated that the novel NOX gene plays important roles in unicellular pathogenic C. glabrata and its interaction with host cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maoyi Lin
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan; (M.L.); (Y.H.); (K.O.); (S.K.)
| | - Yao Huang
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan; (M.L.); (Y.H.); (K.O.); (S.K.)
| | - Kanami Orihara
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan; (M.L.); (Y.H.); (K.O.); (S.K.)
| | - Hiroji Chibana
- Medical Mycology Research Center, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan;
| | - Susumu Kajiwara
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan; (M.L.); (Y.H.); (K.O.); (S.K.)
| | - Xinyue Chen
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan; (M.L.); (Y.H.); (K.O.); (S.K.)
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